# Transmutation Documentation
**Version:** 0.1.0
**Last Updated:** October 13, 2025
---
## Quick Links
| [SETUP.md](SETUP.md) | Installation and build instructions | Everyone |
| [CLI_GUIDE.md](CLI_GUIDE.md) | Command-line usage guide | Users |
| [MSI_BUILD.md](MSI_BUILD.md) | Windows MSI installer creation | Windows users |
| [MSI_DEPENDENCIES.md](MSI_DEPENDENCIES.md) | MSI dependency management strategies | Distributors |
| [DEPENDENCIES.md](DEPENDENCIES.md) | Dependency management guide | Developers |
| [FFI.md](FFI.md) | FFI integration (95%+ similarity) | Advanced users |
| [BENCHMARKS.md](BENCHMARKS.md) | Performance comparison | Decision makers |
| [ROADMAP.md](ROADMAP.md) | Future development plans | Contributors |
| [ARCHITECTURE.md](ARCHITECTURE.md) | Technical design | Developers |
---
## Getting Started
### 1. Install and Build
Start with [SETUP.md](SETUP.md) for:
- System requirements
- Rust installation
- Build instructions (Pure Rust vs FFI)
- Docker builds
- Troubleshooting
**Quick start:**
```bash
cargo build --release --features pdf,cli
./target/release/transmutation convert document.pdf -o output.md
```
### 2. Learn the CLI
Read [CLI_GUIDE.md](CLI_GUIDE.md) for:
- Basic commands
- Conversion modes
- Options and flags
- Batch processing
- Examples
**Quick start:**
```bash
# Fast mode (default)
transmutation convert document.pdf -o output.md
# Precision mode (recommended)
transmutation convert document.pdf --precision -o output.md
# FFI mode (95%+ similarity)
transmutation convert document.pdf --ffi -o output.json
```
### 3. Understand Performance
Check [BENCHMARKS.md](BENCHMARKS.md) for:
- Speed comparison (98x faster than Docling)
- Quality metrics (80-95% similarity)
- Mode comparison (Fast vs Precision vs FFI)
- Resource usage
- Use case recommendations
**Summary:**
- **Fast:** 80% similarity, 250x faster
- **Precision:** 82% similarity, 94x faster ⭐ Recommended
- **FFI:** 95%+ similarity, returns JSON
---
## Advanced Topics
### FFI Integration
See [FFI.md](FFI.md) if you need:
- Maximum accuracy (95%+ similarity)
- Raw docling-parse output
- No Python dependency
- C++ library integration
**Trade-off:** FFI is slower but provides highest quality structural data.
### Architecture
Read [ARCHITECTURE.md](ARCHITECTURE.md) for:
- System design
- Code organization
- Engine architecture
- Extensibility
### Development
Check [STATUS.md](STATUS.md) and [ROADMAP.md](ROADMAP.md) for:
- What's implemented
- What's planned
- How to contribute
---
## Documentation Structure
```
docs/
├── README.md ← You are here
├── SETUP.md ← Installation & build
├── CLI_GUIDE.md ← Usage guide
├── FFI.md ← FFI integration
├── BENCHMARKS.md ← Performance data
├── STATUS.md ← Current status
├── ROADMAP.md ← Future plans
└── ARCHITECTURE.md ← Technical design
```
---
## Common Tasks
### Convert a PDF
```bash
transmutation convert document.pdf -o output.md
```
**→ See:** [CLI_GUIDE.md](CLI_GUIDE.md)
### Choose Best Mode
**→ See:** [BENCHMARKS.md](BENCHMARKS.md#use-case-recommendations)
### Build with FFI
```bash
./build_cpp.sh
cargo build --release --features pdf,cli,docling-ffi
```
**→ See:** [SETUP.md](SETUP.md#2-build-with-ffi-advanced---95-similarity)
### Troubleshoot Build Issues
**→ See:** [SETUP.md](SETUP.md#troubleshooting)
### Understand Performance
**→ See:** [BENCHMARKS.md](BENCHMARKS.md)
### Contribute
**→ See:** [STATUS.md](STATUS.md), [ROADMAP.md](ROADMAP.md)
---
## Quick Reference
### Conversion Modes
| Fast | (default) | 80% | 250x | Markdown | High-volume |
| Precision | `--precision` | 82% | 94x | Markdown | Production ⭐ |
| FFI | `--ffi` | 95%+ | ~50x | JSON | Research |
### System Requirements
- **Rust:** 1.85+ (Edition 2024)
- **OS:** Linux, macOS, Windows
- **FFI:** Linux/WSL only (optional)
### File Sizes
- **Binary:** 5MB (pure Rust)
- **FFI Library:** 7.4MB (optional)
- **Memory:** 50-100MB runtime
---
## Support
- **Issues:** https://github.com/hivellm/transmutation/issues
- **Discussions:** https://github.com/hivellm/transmutation/discussions
- **Main README:** [../README.md](../README.md)
---
**Built with ❤️ by the HiveLLM Team**