Generate PDF

⚠ TEMPLATE ONLY — Slot for PDF generation

This skill is a scaffolding slot per L-001 (Lintel = scaffolding, not curated content). The frontmatter + agent-mapping entry exist; the workflow body does not. When an operator invokes this skill, the AI generates the appropriate workflow content at invocation time using the design-spec.json + content.md from the shared pipeline.

Why a slot exists

PDF is a common terminal artifact (client deliverable, archival), but typically generated FROM another format (PPT export → PDF, DOCX export → PDF, web print → PDF). Having a slot here is signal that operator-AI may be asked to handle this case; pre-baking content would violate L-001 because PDF-generation strategy depends on the source format chosen at invocation time.

At-invocation contract

When invoked (via /li:generate-pdf --from-pipeline <run-dir> or directly):

1. Source-format decision: Operator-AI inspects design-spec.json's per_format field. If ppt is present, default strategy is "render via PPTX → export PDF." If word is present, default is "render via DOCX → export PDF." If web is present, default is "render via HTML → print to PDF." If only pdf is requested, operator-AI generates fresh content using design-spec as scaffold.
2. Strategy declaration: Operator-AI declares chosen strategy in run state, e.g.: pdf_strategy: source=ppt, exporter=libreoffice-headless.
3. Build: Apply chosen strategy. Use design-spec.json's palette + fonts + per-format layout-mapping to ensure visual consistency with sibling format artifacts.
4. QA hand-off: Pass produced *.pdf to /li:generate-qa for validation.

Brand template

~/.lintel/brand/pdf-templates/ slot exists. If template present (e.g., customer-deliverable.pdf as visual reference), AI uses it as design-baseline. If empty, AI uses design-spec.json's palette + fonts only.

Agent dispatch

Per skills/generate/agent-mapping.yaml:

• Primary: WordTechnicalEditor (fallback for document-shaped content)
• Conditional: SecurityAuditor if content references customer-data or compliance
• Conditional: AccessibilityChecker if --accessible flag

Voice tier

voice: internal default. If invoked with --customer-share, requires an upstream PASS from the active pack's voice gate (none by default) (orchestrator-level gate).

Status protocol

• DONE — *.pdf produced + qa-handoff successful
• DONE_WITH_CONCERNS — produced but qa flagged issues
• BLOCKED — no source format available + no fresh-content strategy declared
• NEEDS_CONTEXT — --from-pipeline directory missing or design-spec absent

When to promote from slot to curated

If a PDF-specific generation strategy emerges from repeated invocations (e.g., always libreoffice-headless from DOCX for customer-deliverables), promote that pattern into the SKILL.md body — that becomes the canonical workflow.

Until then: AI generates fresh per invocation. Repo stays clean.

Recommended next steps

After invocation:

• For QA: /li:generate-qa --artifacts <pdf-path>
• For voice-gate (if customer-share): run the active pack's voice gate (none by default) on source content before PDF-export
• For multi-format consistency: invoke parent /li:generate instead of solo-invocation