How to export Safari's Reading List into other services

I'm always collecting interesting links to read later, but like to try out a bunch of services. It's very easy to add links to Safari's reading list (particulary on iOS), so I used it quite a bit. Now I've switched to Pocket, I'd like to get those links out.

The thing you might not know is that Reading List items are stored as bookmarks.

Pocket can import browser bookmarks, but you might not want to import non Reading List items. This is how you do that:

Step by step

In Safari, File > Export > Bookmarks. Save all your bookmarks, this is the disaster recovery backup.

Delete all your non-reading list items.

Export the bookmarks again, as reading-list.html. Delete them from Safari.

Import the reading-list bookmark file into Pocket.

If you use Safari for regular bookmarks, restore the browser bookmarks without the reading list items:

Import the bookmarks you exported in step 1.

Delete your reading list items.

Bonus

If you have other browsers with bookmarks you want to add to your reading list, you can use the same idea to get them into pocket, using Safari as a way to prune any bookmarks you don't want to import.