PDF Create

Create a beautiful PDF (pdf-create)

Turn structured content into a polished, multi-page PDF using a bundled, self-contained @react-pdf/renderer pipeline. Rendering is deterministic and runs outside this conversation: you assemble a small JSON document, a Node script turns it into a themed PDF. You never hand-write rendering code.

When to use

• The user wants a PDF report, research document, six-pager, playbook, proposal, or any branded multi-page document.
• The user has content (notes, data, sections, tables, charts) and wants it laid out beautifully.
• The user provides — or wants to apply — a brand identity via a Google design.md file.

Do not use this to read, edit, merge, or extract from an existing PDF.

How it works

You assemble  ──►  content.json  ──►  render.tsx  ──►  validate (Zod)  ──►  theme
(from the user's        (Write tool)        │            content + design.md     │
 content + choices)                          │                                    ▼
                                             └──►  registerFonts ──► template ──► output.pdf

Three inputs, all passed as file paths (no inline JSON on the command line):

1. content JSON — the document model you write (metadata, cover, sections, blocks). This is the only artifact you produce per run; its schema is the stable contract.
2. design.md (optional) — a brand spec whose tokens (colors, typography, spacing) become the theme. Omit it to use the bundled default theme.
3. output path — where the .pdf is written.

Portability (works without the plugin)

The skill is a self-contained folder: SKILL.md plus a renderer/ Node project with its own pinned dependencies. It has no cross-skill calls and no MCP dependencies. To use it outside this plugin, copy the whole pdf-create/ folder into ~/.claude/skills/ — it behaves identically. The only requirement is a local Node runtime (Node 18–22 recommended); the first render installs the renderer's dependencies once. It does not run in the hosted claude.ai web sandbox, which has no Node toolchain.

Workflow

Let SKILL_DIR be the directory that contains this SKILL.md. Every command below runs from SKILL_DIR/renderer.

Phase 1 — Pick a template and gather content

Choose the template that fits the request (see Templates). If the user has not implied one, ask with AskUserQuestion (Report / Research doc / Six-pager / Playbook). Collect the content: title and metadata, an optional cover, and the ordered sections with their blocks (headings, paragraphs, lists, tables, figures, charts, callouts, pull quotes).

Phase 2 — Write the content JSON

Read renderer/references/content-schema.md for the full schema, and renderer/references/examples/report.content.json for a worked example. Then write a content JSON file (e.g. to a temp path or the user's working directory) that conforms to it. Keep prose in the content; do not put styling in it — styling comes from the theme.

Phase 3 — Resolve a brand theme (optional)

If the user supplied (or points to) a design.md, pass its path with --design. Otherwise omit it and the bundled default theme is used. See design.md theming.

Phase 4 — Install renderer dependencies (one-time)

node install-check.mjs

This installs the renderer's pinned runtime dependencies on first use and is a no-op afterward (guarded by a marker file). If node is not found, tell the user this skill needs a local Node runtime on PATH.

Phase 5 — Render

node --import tsx render.tsx \
  --content "<content.json>" \
  --out "<output.pdf>" \
  [--design "<design.md>"] \
  [--template <report|researchDoc|sixPager|playbook>]

--template overrides the template field in the content JSON; usually you can omit it. The script validates both inputs and exits non-zero with a clear, field-named message on any problem (see Failure modes).

Phase 6 — Report and verify

On success the script prints the output path and byte size. Tell the user where the PDF is. If anything failed, read the error message — it names the offending file, field, font, or token — fix the content JSON or design.md, and re-run.

The content JSON contract

The renderer accepts one document object. Top level: schemaVersion (1), template, metadata, optional cover, toc (boolean), sections[], and optional appendix[]. Each section has an id, title, and ordered blocks[]. Blocks are a discriminated union on type: heading, paragraph, list, table, figure, chart, callout, pullquote, pagebreak. The authoritative schema with every field is in renderer/references/content-schema.md; mirror renderer/references/examples/report.content.json.

design.md theming

A design.md is a markdown file with YAML front-matter design tokens (colors, typography, spacing, rounded) plus a human-readable body. The loader parses the front-matter, resolves {path.to.token} references, validates the tokens, and produces the theme the components consume. Colors and typography names map onto the document's palette and text styles. If a token reference is broken or a referenced font cannot be resolved, the render fails loudly rather than producing a silently wrong PDF. With no design.md, the bundled default theme (standard PDF font families, a neutral professional palette) is used. See renderer/references/design-md-spec.md.

Custom brand fonts are supported: drop TTF/WOFF static-weight files into renderer/assets/fonts/ and reference the family from the design.md fonts mapping. Variable fonts are rejected (the PDF format does not support them) — ship explicit weights.

Templates

• report — cover, table of contents, executive summary, sequential sections, appendix. The general-purpose business document.
• researchDoc — cover with authors, abstract, numbered sections, references appendix; supports pull quotes.
• sixPager — Amazon-style six narrative sections (Introduction, Goals, Tenets, State of the Business, Lessons Learned, Strategic Priorities) plus an unlimited appendix for tables and charts.
• playbook — operational guide: each section is a "play" with step lists, callouts, and owner/RACI tables.

All templates share the cover → TOC → sections → appendix spine, a fixed header/footer with page numbers, and a navigable bookmark outline.

Failure modes

• node not found — install Node (18–22) and re-run. The hosted claude.ai sandbox is unsupported.
• content JSON invalid — the error names the failing field; fix it against references/content-schema.md.
• broken design.md token reference — the error names the unresolved {token}; fix the design.md.
• unresolved or variable font — the error names the family; add a static-weight file to assets/fonts/ or use a standard family.
• a block taller than a page — split it (e.g. break a huge table into sections); the renderer keeps headings with following content via minPresenceAhead, not by forcing oversized blocks onto one page.

Examples

Generate a report from notes, default theme:

# after writing /tmp/report.content.json
node install-check.mjs
node --import tsx render.tsx --content /tmp/report.content.json --out ./quarterly-report.pdf

Generate a branded six-pager with a company design.md:

node install-check.mjs
node --import tsx render.tsx \
  --content /tmp/sixpager.content.json \
  --design ./brand/design.md \
  --out ./strategy-sixpager.pdf \
  --template sixPager

Reference formatting

Before writing any output that mentions a file, standard, section, commit, or issue, read reference-formatting.md (RFC-0001) and apply it verbatim — link files, docs, skills, agents, and sections, and never leave a reference as bare text.