Agent skill

pdf-generator

Create and manipulate PDF files programmatically. Use when the user needs to generate PDFs, fill PDF forms, extract PDF content, add watermarks/overlays, or merge documents. Supports both template-based generation (form filling, overlays) and from-scratch creation. Keywords: PDF, document, form, fillable, merge, watermark, extract, text, report.

View SKILL.md on GitHub Repository
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Install this agent skill to your Project

npx add-skill https://github.com/jwynia/agent-skills/tree/main/skills/general/document-processing/pdf/pdf-generator

Metadata

Additional technical details for this skill

mode
generative
type
generator
author
agent-skills
domain
documents
version
1.0

SKILL.md

PDF Generator

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

  • Creating PDF documents programmatically from data or specifications
  • Filling PDF forms with dynamic data
  • Adding watermarks, stamps, or overlays to existing PDFs
  • Extracting text and metadata from PDF files
  • Merging multiple PDFs into one document
  • Analyzing PDF structure and form fields

Do NOT use this skill when:

  • User wants to open/view PDFs (use native PDF viewer)
  • Complex page layout with flowing text is needed (consider HTML-to-PDF tools)
  • Working with password-protected PDFs (limited support)
  • OCR is needed for scanned documents

Prerequisites

  • Deno installed (https://deno.land/)
  • Input PDF files for template-based operations
  • JSON specification for scratch generation

Quick Start

Two Modes of Operation

  1. Template Mode: Modify existing PDF templates

    • Fill form fields (text, checkbox, dropdown)
    • Add overlays (text, images, shapes)
    • Merge and combine PDFs

  2. Scratch Mode: Create PDFs from nothing using JSON specifications

Instructions

Mode 1: Template-Based Generation

Step 1a: Analyze the Template

Extract form fields and structure from an existing PDF:

bash
deno run --allow-read scripts/analyze-template.ts form-template.pdf > inventory.json

Output (inventory.json):

json
{
  "filename": "form-template.pdf",
  "pageCount": 2,
  "title": "Application Form",
  "author": "Company Inc",
  "pages": [
    { "pageNumber": 1, "width": 612, "height": 792, "text": "..." }
  ],
  "formFields": [
    { "name": "FullName", "type": "text", "value": "" },
    { "name": "Email", "type": "text", "value": "" },
    { "name": "AgreeToTerms", "type": "checkbox", "value": false }
  ],
  "placeholders": [
    { "tag": "{{DATE}}", "location": "page 1", "pageNumber": 1 }
  ],
  "hasFormFields": true
}

Step 1b: Create Fill Specification

Create form-data.json:

json
{
  "formFields": [
    { "name": "FullName", "value": "John Smith" },
    { "name": "Email", "value": "john@example.com" },
    { "name": "AgreeToTerms", "value": true }
  ],
  "flattenForm": true
}

Step 1c: Generate Filled PDF

bash
deno run --allow-read --allow-write scripts/generate-from-template.ts \
  form-template.pdf form-data.json filled-form.pdf

Adding Overlays (Watermarks, Stamps)

Create watermark-spec.json:

json
{
  "overlays": [
    {
      "type": "text",
      "page": 1,
      "x": 200,
      "y": 400,
      "text": "CONFIDENTIAL",
      "fontSize": 48,
      "color": { "r": 1, "g": 0, "b": 0 },
      "rotate": 45
    },
    {
      "type": "image",
      "page": 1,
      "x": 450,
      "y": 700,
      "path": "logo.png",
      "width": 100,
      "height": 50
    }
  ]
}

Merging PDFs

Create merge-spec.json:

json
{
  "prependPdfs": [
    { "path": "cover-page.pdf" }
  ],
  "appendPdfs": [
    { "path": "appendix-a.pdf", "pages": [1, 2, 3] },
    { "path": "appendix-b.pdf" }
  ],
  "excludePages": [5, 6]
}

Mode 2: From-Scratch Generation

Step 2a: Create Specification

Create spec.json:

json
{
  "title": "Quarterly Report",
  "author": "Finance Team",
  "pages": [
    {
      "size": "A4",
      "elements": [
        {
          "type": "text",
          "x": 50,
          "y": 750,
          "text": "Q4 2024 Financial Report",
          "fontSize": 28,
          "font": "HelveticaBold",
          "color": { "r": 0, "g": 0, "b": 0.5 }
        },
        {
          "type": "line",
          "startX": 50,
          "startY": 740,
          "endX": 550,
          "endY": 740,
          "thickness": 2
        },
        {
          "type": "text",
          "x": 50,
          "y": 700,
          "text": "Executive Summary",
          "fontSize": 18,
          "font": "HelveticaBold"
        },
        {
          "type": "text",
          "x": 50,
          "y": 670,
          "text": "This quarter showed strong growth across all divisions...",
          "fontSize": 12,
          "maxWidth": 500,
          "lineHeight": 16
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Step 2b: Generate PDF

bash
deno run --allow-read --allow-write scripts/generate-scratch.ts spec.json output.pdf

Examples

Example 1: Fill Application Form

Scenario: Automatically fill a job application form.

bash
# 1. Analyze form to find field names
deno run --allow-read scripts/analyze-template.ts application.pdf --pretty

# 2. Create form-data.json with applicant info
# 3. Generate filled form
deno run --allow-read --allow-write scripts/generate-from-template.ts \
  application.pdf form-data.json john-smith-application.pdf

Example 2: Add Approval Stamp

Scenario: Add an "APPROVED" stamp to a document.

stamp-spec.json:

json
{
  "overlays": [
    {
      "type": "rectangle",
      "page": 1,
      "x": 400,
      "y": 700,
      "width": 150,
      "height": 50,
      "color": { "r": 0.9, "g": 1, "b": 0.9 }
    },
    {
      "type": "text",
      "page": 1,
      "x": 410,
      "y": 720,
      "text": "APPROVED",
      "fontSize": 20,
      "font": "HelveticaBold",
      "color": { "r": 0, "g": 0.5, "b": 0 }
    },
    {
      "type": "text",
      "page": 1,
      "x": 410,
      "y": 705,
      "text": "2024-12-15",
      "fontSize": 10
    }
  ]
}

Example 3: Create Report with Table

Scenario: Generate a simple report with a data table.

report-spec.json:

json
{
  "title": "Sales Report",
  "pages": [{
    "size": "Letter",
    "elements": [
      {
        "type": "text",
        "x": 72,
        "y": 720,
        "text": "Monthly Sales Report",
        "fontSize": 24,
        "font": "HelveticaBold"
      },
      {
        "type": "table",
        "x": 72,
        "y": 680,
        "rows": [
          ["Product", "Units", "Revenue"],
          ["Widget A", "150", "$15,000"],
          ["Widget B", "75", "$11,250"],
          ["Widget C", "200", "$8,000"]
        ],
        "columnWidths": [150, 80, 100],
        "rowHeight": 25,
        "headerBackground": { "r": 0.9, "g": 0.9, "b": 0.9 }
      }
    ]
  }]
}

Script Reference

Script Purpose Permissions
analyze-template.ts Extract text, metadata, form fields from PDF --allow-read
generate-from-template.ts Fill forms, add overlays, merge PDFs --allow-read --allow-write
generate-scratch.ts Create PDF from JSON specification --allow-read --allow-write

Element Types (Scratch Mode)

Type Description Key Options
text Text content x, y, text, fontSize, font, color, rotate
image PNG/JPEG images x, y, path, width, height, opacity
rectangle Filled/outlined rectangles x, y, width, height, color, borderColor
line Straight lines startX, startY, endX, endY, thickness
circle Filled/outlined circles x, y, radius, color, borderColor
table Basic table layout x, y, rows, columnWidths, rowHeight

Available Fonts

  • Helvetica (default)
  • HelveticaBold
  • HelveticaOblique
  • TimesRoman
  • TimesBold
  • Courier
  • CourierBold

Page Sizes

  • A4 (595.28 x 841.89 points)
  • Letter (612 x 792 points)
  • Legal (612 x 1008 points)
  • Custom: [width, height] in points

Common Issues and Solutions

Issue: Form fields not found

Symptoms: Error saying field name doesn't exist.

Solution:

  1. Run analyze-template.ts to get exact field names
  2. Field names are case-sensitive
  3. Some PDFs have non-fillable text that looks like form fields

Issue: Text positioning is off

Symptoms: Text appears in wrong location.

Solution:

  • PDF coordinates start from bottom-left (0,0)
  • Y increases upward, X increases rightward
  • Use analyze-template.ts to see page dimensions

Issue: Images not appearing

Symptoms: Image overlay not visible.

Solution:

  1. Check file path is relative to spec.json location
  2. Verify image is PNG or JPEG format
  3. Ensure coordinates are within page bounds

Issue: Merged PDF has wrong page order

Symptoms: Pages appear in unexpected order.

Solution:

  • prependPdfs add pages before template
  • appendPdfs add pages after template
  • Use pages array to select specific pages: [1, 3, 5]

Limitations

  • No built-in table layout: Tables require manual column width specification
  • Standard fonts only: Custom font embedding not supported in scratch mode
  • No flowing text: Text doesn't automatically wrap to next page
  • Limited form field creation: Can fill existing forms, not create new fields
  • No encryption: Cannot create password-protected PDFs
  • Basic graphics: No gradients, patterns, or complex paths
  • Text extraction: May not work perfectly on all PDFs (depends on PDF structure)

Related Skills

  • pptx-generator: For creating PowerPoint presentations
  • docx-generator: For creating Word documents
  • xlsx-generator: For creating Excel spreadsheets

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