Consulting Report

Overview

Every report is a self-contained Next.js app: typed report data in lib/report-data.ts, layout composed from React components in app/page.tsx, font via next/font/google (Inter), Tailwind v4 for styling. bun run dev gives a live preview while authoring; the PDF is rendered by Playwright against a static export.

Authoring contract — what belongs where

The split is deliberate. Don't edit the template for one report; don't put report data in the template.

Tunable parameters (e.g., the "TUNABLE" marker on configuration rows) take their label from the data:

// In your project's report-data.ts:
{ name: "Decision band thresholds", currentValue: "16–20 strong …",
  tunable: true, tunableLabel: "Owner edit" }

The component renders whatever tunableLabel you provide; the template never hardcodes a person's name.

Custom band labels (Scorecard / BandBadge): the band field is a free-form string. Pass bandStyles to <Scorecard> to map your band labels to colors:

<Scorecard
  scorecard={...}
  bandStyles={{
    Greenlit: { color: "...", background: "...", borderColor: "..." },
    Investigate: { ... },
    Hold: { ... },
  }}
/>

Configurable columns (ConfigurationTable, TuningLog): pass a columns prop to override the default schema. See each component's source for the column type.

Rubric levels (RubricTable): supports any number of levels — the colors sample the default palette evenly. Pass palette to override.

Workflow

1. Scaffold a new report

pal cli skill run consulting-report scaffold <target-dir> \
  [--client "Client Name"] [--title "Report Title"] [--no-install]

Creates <target-dir> from the template and runs bun install inside. If --client / --title are passed, they're stamped into lib/report-data.ts. The scaffolder refuses to overwrite an existing directory.

2. Fill in the content

Two files do the work:

• lib/report-data.ts — typed metadata: client, title, date, classification, consultancy name, executive summary, situation assessment, findings, risk analysis, strategic opportunity, recommendations, target state, roadmap, call to action. The ReportData interface guides what's required.
• app/page.tsx — the layout. Composes <CoverPage/>, <Section/>, <Exhibit/>, <FindingCard/>, <RecommendationCard/>, <Callout/>, <Timeline/>, etc. against the data. Edit freely — section titles, intros, ordering, custom JSX, anything.

Static images go in public/; reference them from JSX as <img src="/your-image.png">.

3. Live preview while authoring

pal cli skill run consulting-report dev <report-dir>

Wraps bun run dev in the report directory. Open the URL printed by Next, edit app/page.tsx or lib/report-data.ts, browser hot-reloads.

4. Render the PDF

pal cli skill run consulting-report generate-pdf.mjs <report-dir>

Runs next build (which produces a static export at out/), then Playwright loads it via a tiny in-process HTTP server and prints the PDF with page-numbered header/footer. Output:

<report-dir>/<client-slug>-<title-slug>-<date>.pdf

Override with --pdf <path>. Pass --skip-build to re-render the PDF from the existing out/ without re-building.

Run with Node, not Bun — Playwright's chromium.launch() hangs under Bun on Windows.

Directory Layout

<report-dir>/
├── app/
│   ├── layout.tsx        # font wiring (Inter + Source Serif 4)
│   ├── page.tsx          # the report's layout — edit freely
│   └── globals.css       # design tokens via @theme + custom CSS
├── components/           # report primitives — edit if you need new shapes
│   ├── cover-page.tsx
│   ├── table-of-contents.tsx
│   ├── section.tsx
│   ├── exhibit.tsx
│   ├── stat-grid.tsx
│   ├── comparison-table.tsx
│   ├── finding-card.tsx
│   ├── recommendation-card.tsx
│   ├── severity-badge.tsx
│   ├── callout.tsx
│   ├── quote-block.tsx
│   └── timeline.tsx
├── lib/
│   ├── report-data.ts    # all your content
│   └── utils.ts
├── public/               # static images, optional
├── package.json          # exact-pinned: next, react, tailwindcss, etc.
├── tsconfig.json
├── next.config.js
└── postcss.config.mjs

Component Cheatsheet

• <CoverPage clientName reportTitle reportDate classification consultancyName preTitle /> — full-bleed cover
• <TableOfContents items={[{id, title}, …]} title?> — linked TOC, anchors to section IDs
• <Section id title> — top-level section with bottom-rule heading; id enables TOC links
• <Exhibit number title source?> — bordered card for figures, tables, side data
• <StatGrid stats={[{value, label, caption?}, …]} /> — large-number grid for executive summary
• <ComparisonTable leftLabel rightLabel rows={[{metric, left, right}, …]} metricLabel?> — current vs. target side-by-side
• <FindingCard finding={f} index={i} /> — driven by Finding type, includes severity badge
• <RecommendationCard recommendation={r} index={i} /> — driven by Recommendation type, includes priority badge
• <Callout label?> — left-rule emphasis block (default label "Key Takeaway")
• <QuoteBlock quote attribution role? /> — pull-quote with serif quote mark
• <Timeline phases={r.roadmap} /> — vertical timeline with dotted line
• <SeverityBadge severity /> — pill badge: critical / high / medium / low

Demo

pal cli skill run consulting-report generate-pdf.mjs ~/.pal/skills/consulting-report/demo

Renders the bundled Acme Industries example end-to-end. Inspect the resulting PDF to see the full layout before authoring your own.

Important

• Runs on Node (Playwright); the tool ships as a compiled .mjs, and pal cli skill run picks Node for that extension so no --experimental-strip-types is needed
• Bundled fonts come from Google Fonts via next/font/google — no licensing surface, no CDN at runtime, glyphs embedded at build time
• Reports are disposable artifacts of lib/report-data.ts + app/page.tsx; commit the source, not the PDF
• The scaffolder runs bun install inside the target by default — pass --no-install to skip
• Header/footer templates render with displayHeaderFooter: true in Playwright; don't combine with CSS @page margin-box rules