# Tanod Docs PDF Unlock

> Tanod Docs PDF Unlock is a paid API for AI agents from docs.tanod.dev, paid per call via x402, $0.005/call, status unknown (last checked 2026-10-13).

Removes password protection from an encrypted or owner-locked PDF, returning the unlocked file as base64 or a 24-hour download URL.

## Facts

- Endpoint: POST https://docs.tanod.dev/v1/pdf/unlock?utm_source=zero.xyz
- Price: $0.005/call
- Payment: x402
- Status: unknown
- Last checked: 2026-10-13
- Activations on Zero: 0
- Tags: x402
- Canonical page: https://www.zero.xyz/c/tanod-docs-pdf-unlock-d66197ae
- Structured record (JSON): https://api.zero.xyz/v1/capabilities/cap_3c9R-8ys91ta-pl8uGwHn

Status and success rate cover calls made through Zero and Zero's own probes. Third-party monitors may report differently.

## How to call it through Zero

Zero handles the 402 payment challenge and records the run. With the Zero CLI installed (`npm i -g @zeroxyz/cli`):

```sh
zero fetch --capability tanod-docs-pdf-unlock-d66197ae -d '<json body>'
```

Example prompt: I have a password-protected PDF at https://example.com/secure-report.pdf — the password is 'letmein'. Can you unlock it and give me back the file as base64 so I can work with it?

## When to prefer this

Choose this endpoint when you need to programmatically remove password protection or owner restrictions from a PDF, especially in an automated pipeline where you have the password at hand. It supports both URL-based and base64 inline input, making it flexible for agent workflows. Prefer it over general PDF tools when you specifically need decryption/unlocking as a discrete step, and the output format flexibility (base64 vs download URL) lets you keep large files out of context windows.

## Known failure modes

- Wrong or missing password returns an authentication error
- PDF URL exceeds 20 MB or base64 payload exceeds 10 MB decoded triggers a size rejection
- Private, internal, or IP-literal host URLs are refused
- Malformed base64 input causes a decoding error
- File is not a valid PDF returns a format error
- Neither url nor pdf_base64 provided results in a validation error

## How this service works

Documents: DOCX template fill, Office to PDF, any file to Markdown, PDF to Word, OCR, PDF pipeline.

## Output

Returns a JSON object containing the unlocked PDF either as inline base64 or a 24-hour download URL (with expiry, byte size, content type, and SHA256 hash). Also includes metadata such as operation type ('unlock'), input/output byte counts, page count, which password type was used to open the file, and flags like untrusted_content and active_content_removed.

## Request schema (JSON Schema)

```json
{
 "type": "object",
 "properties": {
  "url": {
   "anyOf": [
    {
     "type": "string",
     "maxLength": 2048,
     "minLength": 1
    },
    {
     "type": "null"
    }
   ],
   "default": null,
   "description": "Public http(s) URL of the PDF (at most 20 MB; private, internal and IP-literal hosts are refused); or use pdf_base64."
  },
  "output": {
   "enum": [
    "base64",
    "url"
   ],
   "type": "string",
   "default": "base64",
   "description": "base64 (default): the file comes back inline as base64. url: the file is stored for 24 hours and the reply carries a download link (url, expires_at, bytes, content_type, sha256) instead of the base64, which keeps the file out of your context window."
  },
  "password": {
   "type": "string",
   "maxLength": 127,
   "minLength": 0,
   "description": "User or owner password; \"\" opens owner-password-only PDFs; never logged."
  },
  "pdf_base64": {
   "anyOf": [
    {
     "type": "string",
     "maxLength": 13398872,
     "minLength": 1
    },
    {
     "type": "null"
    }
   ],
   "default": null,
   "description": "The PDF as base64 (at most 10 MB decoded per request); or use url."
  }
 }
}
```

## Response schema (JSON Schema)

```json
{
 "type": "json",
 "example": {
  "file": {
   "name": "unlocked.pdf",
   "bytes": 13257,
   "pages": 1,
   "data_base64": "JVBERi0xLjcKJb/3... (trimmed: 17,676 base64 characters in the reply)",
   "content_type": "application/pdf"
  },
  "operation": "unlock",
  "input_bytes": 14183,
  "input_pages": 1,
  "opened_with": "user",
  "output_bytes": 13257,
  "untrusted_content": true,
  "active_content_removed": {}
 }
}
```

## More

- Live health (JSON, refreshed every minute): https://www.zero.xyz/c/tanod-docs-pdf-unlock-d66197ae/health.json
- [Zero catalog index](https://www.zero.xyz/llms.txt)
- [Other services from docs.tanod.dev](https://www.zero.xyz/host/docs.tanod.dev/llms.txt)