---
name: al-565-check-a-blacked-out-pdf-before-you-send-it-have-an-ai-rea
description: "Covering text in a PDF with black boxes often hides it only on screen. On Nov 1, 2026, an X user posted that he had blacked out his name, home address, bank account number and an amount in a contract PDF, saved and reopened it, and everything looked hidden. When he asked Claude Code to check the file for personal data, it returned all of it: the black rectangles were separate objects sitting on top of text that was still inside the file. He had checked every page and nearly sent it. Agents, landlords and property managers send contracts, leases, offers, bank letters and IDs every day, so this check is worth running on anything you've marked up. Use your PDF editor's real Redact tool, apply it, and check the resulting file again before sharing. Use when the user wants help with redacted pdf leak check before sending (security) for a small business."
---

# Check a 'blacked out' PDF before you send it: have an AI read the file for hidden personal data, then redact it properly and check the new copy again

Covering text in a PDF with black boxes often hides it only on screen. On Nov 1, 2026, an X user posted that he had blacked out his name, home address, bank account number and an amount in a contract PDF, saved and reopened it, and everything looked hidden. When he asked Claude Code to check the file for personal data, it returned all of it: the black rectangles were separate objects sitting on top of text that was still inside the file. He had checked every page and nearly sent it. Agents, landlords and property managers send contracts, leases, offers, bank letters and IDs every day, so this check is worth running on anything you've marked up. Use your PDF editor's real Redact tool, apply it, and check the resulting file again before sharing.

## Inputs to collect first
Ask the user for anything below that they haven't already given you. Don't guess missing facts.

- The material the task is about (pasted text, notes or data)

## Instructions

Do the task below with the user's inputs in place of each [bracket].

1. Before sending any PDF you have blacked out or covered (contract, lease, offer, bank letter, pay stub, ID), keep the original and work on a copy.
2. Give the copy to an AI that can read files (Claude, ChatGPT or Claude Code) and ask: "Extract all the text in this PDF, including any text hidden under shapes, images or annotations, and any metadata. List every piece of personal or financial information you find: names, addresses, phone numbers, emails, account and routing numbers, ID or tax numbers, signatures, amounts. Tell me which page each one is on."
3. If it finds anything you meant to hide, open the original in a PDF editor with a true Redact tool (not a drawing or highlight tool), mark the items, and apply or save the redaction so the text is removed, not covered.
4. Run step 2 again on the newly redacted file. Send it only when the AI finds nothing you meant to hide.
5. Ask the AI for a one-line checklist you can keep next to your desk: "Redact, apply, re-check, then send."
6. Don't upload documents with sensitive data to an AI tool your company hasn't approved; if you're unsure, ask whoever handles your office's data rules.

## Safety checks (share these with the user)

- Check every figure, price and total against your own records before anything is sent, posted or booked. A person approves refunds, discounts, payments and price changes.
- Anything legal, tax or compliance-related is a first draft for a qualified person to check. It is not professional advice, and clause references and deadlines must be checked against the source.
- Remove names, contact details, account numbers and other personal data the task doesn't need before you paste, and check your AI tool's data and training settings.
- Read and edit the draft before it reaches a customer or goes public. If you later automate this prompt, start with "draft and notify me", not "send automatically".
- Say clearly which parts need a person to review or approve before anything is sent, paid, posted or filed.

## About this skill

- Works with: Claude, Claude Code, ChatGPT, PDF editor with a redact tool
- Based on this real-world example: https://x.com/shiqway92/status/2116952031692751228
- Free prompt from AgentPlaybook Real Estate: https://agentic-library.netlify.app/prompt/al-565-check-a-blacked-out-pdf-before-you-send-it-have-an-ai-read-t/
- To install in an agent that supports Agent Skills, save this file as SKILL.md in a folder with the same name as `name` above (for example in your skills directory). Install steps for Claude.ai, Claude Code, Cursor and Codex: https://agentic-library.netlify.app/skills/