Docling is an open-source document processing toolkit for converting complex files into structured, machine-readable representations suitable for AI applications. It supports formats such as PDF, DOCX, PPTX, HTML, images, and others, with capabilities for layout understanding, tables, reading order, OCR, and document structure. The resulting content can be exported in formats that are easier to feed into retrieval, search, knowledge-base, and language-model pipelines.

The project is particularly useful for RAG systems and document intelligence workflows where simple text extraction loses important structure. Developers can run Docling locally, integrate it as a Python library or service, and combine it with model frameworks and vector databases. Its focus on preserving layout and semantic organization makes it a strong choice for processing reports, research papers, manuals, business documents, and other files before indexing or analysis by AI systems.