pandoc

Q: How do I install pandoc?

Run npx skills add https://github.com/plinde/claude-plugins --skill pandoc 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/pandoc/ (personal) or .claude/skills/pandoc/ (project).

by plindeDocs & Writing

This skill should be used when converting documents between formats (Markdown, DOCX, PDF, HTML, LaTeX, etc.) using pandoc. Use for format conversion, document generation, and preparing markdown for Google Docs or other word processors.

Installs: 484
Last 24h: —
Trending rank: —
Security: Not audited

Install

Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.

npx skills add https://github.com/plinde/claude-plugins --skill pandoc

01
Install
Run the command in your project. The CLI asks which agents to install for.
02
Describe the task
Ask your agent for something this skill covers. It loads pandoc automatically when relevant.
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.

Pandoc Document Conversion Skill

Convert documents between formats using pandoc, the universal document converter.

Prerequisites

# Check if pandoc is installed
pandoc --version

# Install via Homebrew if needed
brew install pandoc

Common Conversions

Markdown to Word (.docx)

# Basic conversion
pandoc input.md -o output.docx

# With table of contents
pandoc input.md --toc -o output.docx

# With custom reference doc (for styling)
pandoc input.md --reference-doc=template.docx -o output.docx

# Standalone with metadata
pandoc input.md -s --metadata title="Document Title" -o output.docx

Markdown to PDF

# Requires LaTeX - install one of:
#   brew install --cask basictex      # Smaller (~100MB)
#   brew install --cask mactex-no-gui # Full (~4GB)
# After install: eval "$(/usr/libexec/path_helper)" or new terminal

# Basic conversion (uses pdflatex)
pandoc input.md -o output.pdf

# With table of contents and custom margins
pandoc input.md -s --toc --toc-depth=2 -V geometry:margin=1in -o output.pdf

# Using xelatex (better Unicode support - box drawings, arrows, etc.)
export PATH="/Library/TeX/texbin:$PATH"
pandoc input.md --pdf-engine=xelatex -V geometry:margin=1in -o output.pdf

PDF Engine Selection:

Engine	Use When
`pdflatex`	Default, ASCII content only
`xelatex`	Unicode characters (arrows, box-drawing, emojis)
`lualatex`	Complex typography, OpenType fonts

Markdown to HTML

Critical: Always use -f gfm (GitHub Flavored Markdown) for proper line break and list handling. Standard markdown collapses consecutive lines into paragraphs.

# RECOMMENDED: GitHub Flavored Markdown with full styling
pandoc -f gfm -s -H <(cat << 'STYLE'
<style>
body{font-family:-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,"Segoe UI",Roboto,sans-serif;max-width:800px;margin:0 auto;padding:2em;line-height:1.6}
h1{border-bottom:2px solid #333;padding-bottom:0.3em}
h2{border-bottom:1px solid #ccc;padding-bottom:0.2em;margin-top:1.5em}
h3{margin-top:1.2em}
ul,ol{margin:0.5em 0 0.5em 1.5em;padding-left:1em}
ul{list-style-type:disc}ol{list-style-type:decimal}
li{margin:0.3em 0}ul ul,ol ul{list-style-type:circle;margin:0.2em 0 0.2em 1em}
table{border-collapse:collapse;width:100%;margin:1em 0}
th,td{border:1px solid #ddd;padding:8px;text-align:left}
th{background-color:#f5f5f5}
code{background-color:#f4f4f4;padding:2px 6px;border-radius:3px}
pre{background-color:#f4f4f4;padding:1em;overflow-x:auto;border-radius:5px}
blockquote{border-left:4px solid #ddd;margin:1em 0;padding-left:1em;color:#666}
</style>
STYLE
) input.md -o output.html

# Quick version (minimal styling)
pandoc -f gfm -s input.md -o output.html

# With hard line breaks (newlines become <br>)
pandoc -f markdown+hard_line_breaks -s input.md -o output.html

# Self-contained (embeds images/CSS)
pandoc -f gfm -s --embed-resources --standalone input.md -o output.html

Format Options:

Option	Use When
`-f gfm`	Default choice - handles lists, line breaks, tables correctly
`-f markdown+hard_line_breaks`	Force all newlines to become `<br>`
`-f commonmark`	Strict CommonMark compliance

HTML for Print-to-PDF (No LaTeX Required)

When LaTeX isn't available, create styled HTML and print to PDF from browser:

# Create inline CSS file
cat > /tmp/print-style.css << 'EOF'
body { font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, sans-serif;
       max-width: 800px; margin: 0 auto; padding: 2em; line-height: 1.6; }
h1 { border-bottom: 2px solid #333; padding-bottom: 0.3em; }
h2 { border-bottom: 1px solid #ccc; padding-bottom: 0.2em; margin-top: 1.5em; }
h3 { margin-top: 1.2em; }
/* Lists - critical for proper rendering */
ul, ol { margin: 0.5em 0 0.5em 1.5em; padding-left: 1em; }
ul { list-style-type: disc; }
ol { list-style-type: decimal; }
li { margin: 0.3em 0; }
ul ul, ol ul { list-style-type: circle; margin: 0.2em 0 0.2em 1em; }
ul ol, ol ol { margin: 0.2em 0 0.2em 1em; }
ul ul ul, ol ul ul { list-style-type: square; }
/* Tables */
table { border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; margin: 1em 0; }
th, td { border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 8px; text-align: left; }
th { background-color: #f5f5f5; }
/* Code */
code { background-color: #f4f4f4; padding: 2px 6px; border-radius: 3px; }
pre { background-color: #f4f4f4; padding: 1em; overflow-x: auto; border-radius: 5px; }
/* Other */
blockquote { border-left: 4px solid #ddd; margin: 1em 0; padding-left: 1em; color: #666; }
@media print { body { max-width: none; } }
EOF

# Convert with embedded styles (ALWAYS use -f gfm)
pandoc -f gfm input.md -s --toc --toc-depth=2 -c /tmp/print-style.css --embed-resources --standalone -o output.html

# Open and print to PDF (Cmd+P > Save as PDF)
open output.html

Word to Markdown

# Extract markdown from docx
pandoc input.docx -o output.md

# With ATX-style headers
pandoc input.docx --atx-headers -o output.md

Useful Options

Option	Description
`-s` / `--standalone`	Produce standalone document with header/footer
`--toc`	Generate table of contents
`--toc-depth=N`	TOC depth (default: 3)
`-V key=value`	Set template variable
`--metadata key=value`	Set metadata field
`--reference-doc=FILE`	Use FILE for styling (docx/odt)
`--template=FILE`	Use custom template
`--highlight-style=STYLE`	Syntax highlighting (pygments, tango, etc.)
`--number-sections`	Number section headings
`-f FORMAT`	Input format (if not auto-detected)
`-t FORMAT`	Output format (if not auto-detected)

Format Identifiers

Format	Identifier
Markdown	`markdown`, `gfm` (GitHub), `commonmark`
Word	`docx`
PDF	`pdf`
HTML	`html`, `html5`
LaTeX	`latex`
RST	`rst`
EPUB	`epub`
ODT	`odt`
RTF	`rtf`

Google Docs Workflow

To get markdown into Google Docs with formatting preserved:

# 1. Convert to docx
pandoc document.md -o document.docx

# 2. Upload to Google Drive
# 3. Right-click > Open with > Google Docs

Google Docs imports .docx files well and preserves:

Headings
Bold/italic
Lists (bulleted and numbered)
Tables
Links
Code blocks (as monospace)

PSI Document Conversion

For PSI documents with tables and complex formatting:

# Convert PSI markdown to Word
pandoc PSI-document.md \
  --standalone \
  --toc \
  --toc-depth=2 \
  -o PSI-document.docx

# Open for review
open PSI-document.docx

Troubleshooting

Lists/Lines Running Together (HTML)

If bullet points, numbered lists, or consecutive lines merge into one paragraph:

Cause: Standard markdown treats consecutive lines as one paragraph. Lists need blank lines before them.

Fix: Use GitHub Flavored Markdown (-f gfm):

# Always use -f gfm for reliable formatting
pandoc -f gfm -s input.md -o output.html

# For documents where newlines should be <br> tags
pandoc -f markdown+hard_line_breaks -s input.md -o output.html

Why this happens:

Standard markdown: Line 1\nLine 2 → <p>Line 1 Line 2</p> (merged)
GFM: Better list detection, handles edge cases
+hard_line_breaks: Line 1\nLine 2 → Line 1<br>Line 2 (preserved)

Tables Not Rendering

Pandoc requires proper markdown table syntax:

| Header 1 | Header 2 |
|----------|----------|
| Cell 1   | Cell 2   |

Code Blocks Missing Highlighting

Use fenced code blocks with language identifier:

```python
def example():
    pass


### PDF Generation Fails

**"pdflatex not found"** - Install LaTeX:
```bash
# Smaller option (~100MB)
brew install --cask basictex

# Full option (~4GB)
brew install --cask mactex-no-gui

# After install, update PATH
eval "$(/usr/libexec/path_helper)"
# Or open a new terminal

Unicode character errors (box-drawing, arrows, emojis):

# Use xelatex instead of pdflatex
export PATH="/Library/TeX/texbin:$PATH"
pandoc input.md --pdf-engine=xelatex -o output.pdf

No LaTeX available - Use HTML print-to-PDF workflow:

pandoc input.md -s --toc -o output.html
open output.html
# Then Cmd+P > Save as PDF

Self-Test

# Verify pandoc installation
pandoc --version | head -1

# Test basic conversion
echo "# Test\n\nHello **world**" | pandoc -f markdown -t html

FAQ

What does the pandoc skill do?

How do I install pandoc?

Run npx skills add https://github.com/plinde/claude-plugins --skill pandoc 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/pandoc/ (personal) or .claude/skills/pandoc/ (project).

Which AI agents can use pandoc?

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 pandoc 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 pandoc?

It is published by plinde in plinde/claude-plugins. It has 484 recorded installs.

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pandoc

Install

Install

Describe the task

Review the result

SKILL.md

Pandoc Document Conversion Skill

Prerequisites

Common Conversions

Markdown to Word (.docx)

Markdown to PDF

Markdown to HTML

HTML for Print-to-PDF (No LaTeX Required)

Word to Markdown

Useful Options

Format Identifiers

Google Docs Workflow

PSI Document Conversion

Troubleshooting

Lists/Lines Running Together (HTML)

Tables Not Rendering

Code Blocks Missing Highlighting

Self-Test

FAQ

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