MCPInstall

pdf-generator

by jwyniaDocs & Writing

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.

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Install

Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.

npx skills add https://github.com/jwynia/agent-skills --skill pdf-generator
  1. 01

    Install

    Run the command in your project. The CLI asks which agents to install for.

  2. 02

    Describe the task

    Ask your agent for something this skill covers. It loads pdf-generator automatically when relevant.

  3. 03

    Review the result

    The agent follows the SKILL.md steps, scripts and references bundled with the skill.

SKILL.md

The instructions your agent reads when the skill is triggered.

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:

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

Output (inventory.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:

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

Step 1c: Generate Filled PDF

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:

{
  "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:

{
  "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:

{
  "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

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.

# 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:

{
  "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:

{
  "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

ScriptPurposePermissions
analyze-template.tsExtract text, metadata, form fields from PDF--allow-read
generate-from-template.tsFill forms, add overlays, merge PDFs--allow-read --allow-write
generate-scratch.tsCreate PDF from JSON specification--allow-read --allow-write

Element Types (Scratch Mode)

TypeDescriptionKey Options
textText contentx, y, text, fontSize, font, color, rotate
imagePNG/JPEG imagesx, y, path, width, height, opacity
rectangleFilled/outlined rectanglesx, y, width, height, color, borderColor
lineStraight linesstartX, startY, endX, endY, thickness
circleFilled/outlined circlesx, y, radius, color, borderColor
tableBasic table layoutx, 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

FAQ

What does the pdf-generator skill do?

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.

How do I install pdf-generator?

Run npx skills add https://github.com/jwynia/agent-skills --skill pdf-generator in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/pdf-generator/ (personal) or .claude/skills/pdf-generator/ (project).

Which AI agents can use pdf-generator?

Any agent that supports the open Agent Skills format (a folder with a SKILL.md file), including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Cline, OpenCode and more.

Is pdf-generator safe to install?

No partner security audit is available yet. Skills can run commands and scripts, so read the SKILL.md and any bundled files before installing.

Who maintains pdf-generator?

It is published by jwynia in jwynia/agent-skills. It has 916 recorded installs.

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