---

name: documents-and-visualization description: "Work with spaCy Doc, Token, Span, DocBin, tokenization, matchers, serialization, scoring, and displaCy visualization." disable-model-invocation: true metadata: disco-role: operating license: MIT

documents-and-visualization

Use this sub-skill for the core spaCy document model: tokenization, Doc/Token/Span APIs, DocBin serialization, rule-based matching, EntityRuler/SpanRuler, scoring, and displaCy HTML rendering.

Read first

• references/doc-token-span-api.md for verified signatures and object-model details.
• references/tokenization-language-data.md for blank pipelines, language classes, and tokenizer customization.
• references/matching-and-rulers.md for Matcher, PhraseMatcher, DependencyMatcher, EntityRuler, and SpanRuler.
• references/serialization-scoring-visualization.md for DocBin, scoring, and displaCy output patterns.
• references/troubleshooting.md when span offsets, matcher patterns, serialization, or HTML rendering go wrong.
• scripts/doc_api_smoke.py for a safe blank-pipeline smoke that exercises the object model and matcher basics.
• scripts/render_displacy_sample.py for a tiny manual HTML render check.

What this sub-skill covers

• spacy.blank() and spacy.load() for processing text with an existing package or local pipeline.
• nlp(text) and nlp.pipe() for document streaming and as_tuples context.
• Doc, Token, Span, extension attributes, char_span, retokenize, and DocBin round-trips.
• Tokenizer behavior, language data, and blank-language caveats.
• Rule-based matching and entity/span rulers for token-pattern workflows.
• displaCy rendering for entities, dependencies, and spans.

What to route elsewhere

• Install/import, version, CLI entry-point, missing model package, or backend questions: install-and-inspect.
• Custom pipeline factories/components, add_pipe, registry wiring, or pipe analysis: pipeline-components.
• init config, debug config, convert, train, evaluate, package, or validate: training-and-cli.
• spacy project clone/assets/run/push/pull/DVC workflows: project-workflows.

Quick use pattern

1. Start from the object you need: Doc, Span, Token, matcher, ruler, or displacy.
2. Check the exact signature in the reference before assuming optional parameters.
3. Run the bundled smoke script if you need a safe no-download proof of behavior.
4. Use the troubleshooting reference when offsets, tokenization, or serialized artifacts do not line up.

Evidence basis

This sub-skill is distilled from spaCy's public docs, verified installed-package signatures, core token/matcher/serialization source, and behavior-backed tests. It is self-contained and does not require reopening the source checkout.