nb4llm CLI Tutorial

The nb4llm command-line tool lets you convert Jupyter notebooks to and from a readable, LLM-friendly text format.

Basic Usage

Convert a notebook to text

nb4llm notebook.ipynb
# Output: notebook.txt

Convert a notebook to a specific text file

nb4llm notebook.ipynb output.txt

Convert text back to a notebook

nb4llm --reverse notebook.txt
# Output: notebook.ipynb

Convert text to a specific notebook file

nb4llm --reverse notebook.txt output.ipynb

Show help

nb4llm --help

Options

  • --reverse, -r: Convert from text to notebook (default is notebook to text)

  • --verbose, -v: Print extra information about the conversion

  • input_file: The file to convert (notebook or text)

  • output_file: The output file (optional; auto-generated if not provided)

Example Workflow

  1. Convert a notebook to text:

    nb4llm my_analysis.ipynb
# Creates my_analysis.txt

  2. Edit or process the text file as needed (e.g., for LLM ingestion).

  3. Convert the text file back to a notebook:

    nb4llm --reverse my_analysis.txt
# Creates my_analysis.ipynb

Advanced

  • The tool preserves code cell language (e.g., Python, R, Julia).

  • Handles nested code fences in markdown and code cells.

  • Use in scripts or pipelines for batch conversion.

For more details, see the docstrings in the Python API or run nb4llm --help.