How do I install the Local Pandoc skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add modbender/local-pandoc in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

Is Local Pandoc safe to use?

This skill has not completed SkillMD's automated safety review yet. Independent scanners report: SkillSpector: PASS, Skill Scanner: PASS. Capability flags: makes network calls. SkillMD never runs a skill's scripts for you; review the SKILL.md before installing.

Which AI agents work with Local Pandoc?

This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.

Is Local Pandoc free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free, and the skill stays under its author's original license.

Who published Local Pandoc?

modbender (@modbender) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Local Pandoc by modbender — Agent Skill

Name: Local Pandoc
Rating: 4.2 (5 reviews)
Author: modbender

File contents

Local Pandoc Conversion Skill

This skill uses the pandoc command-line utility to convert documents between numerous markup formats.

Basic Usage

The fundamental structure of a pandoc command is:

pandoc [options] [input-file]…

Simple Conversion

To convert a Markdown file to HTML:

pandoc -o output.html input.md

Specifying Formats

While pandoc can infer formats from file extensions, you can be explicit with the -f (from) and -t (to) flags.

# Convert HTML to Markdown
pandoc -f html -t markdown input.html

Standalone Documents

To create a complete document with a proper header and footer (e.g., a full HTML file), use the -s or --standalone flag.

pandoc -s -o output.html input.md

Advanced Examples

The following examples are extracted from the official Pandoc User's Guide.

PDF Output

To create a PDF, pandoc typically uses a LaTeX engine. Ensure one is installed.

# Basic PDF creation
pandoc input.md -o output.pdf

# Control PDF engine and style via variables
pandoc input.md -o output.pdf --pdf-engine=xelatex -V geometry:margin=1in -V fontsize=12pt

Document Structure & Metadata

Pandoc can automatically generate a table of contents and use document metadata.

# Create a document with a Table of Contents (up to level 3 headings)
pandoc --toc --toc-depth=3 -o output.docx input.md

# Set metadata fields from the command line
pandoc -M title:"My Report" -M author:"Galactus" -o output.pdf input.md

Templates and Styling

You can control the final output's structure and style with templates and other options.

# Use a custom template for HTML output
pandoc -s --template=my-template.html -o output.html input.md

# For HTML output, link to a custom CSS file
pandoc -s --css=styles.css -o output.html input.md

# For DOCX output, use a reference document for styling
pandoc --reference-doc=reference.docx -o output.docx input.md

Reading from the Web

Pandoc can directly fetch and convert content from a URL.

pandoc -f html -t markdown https://www.fsf.org

Other Useful Options

# Preserve tabs instead of converting them to spaces
pandoc --preserve-tabs ...

# Control line wrapping in the output source code
pandoc --wrap=none ...

# Shift heading levels (e.g., make all H1s into H2s, H2s into H3s)
pandoc --shift-heading-level-by=1 ...

This enhanced documentation provides a more robust foundation for using pandoc.

---name: local-pandocdescription: Converts Markdown files to PDF files using the pandoc command-line utility. Use when a user asks to convert a .md or markdown file to a .pdf file.--- # Local Pandoc Conversion Skill This skill uses the `pandoc` command-line utility to convert documents between numerous markup formats. ## Basic Usage The fundamental structure of a `pandoc` command is: ```bash pandoc [options] [input-file]… ``` ### Simple Conversion To convert a Markdown file to HTML: ```bash pandoc -o output.html input.md ``` ### Specifying Formats While `pandoc` can infer formats from file extensions, you can be explicit with the `-f` (from) and `-t` (to) flags. ```bash # Convert HTML to Markdown pandoc -f html -t markdown input.html ``` ### Standalone Documents To create a complete document with a proper header and footer (e.g., a full HTML file), use the `-s` or `--standalone` flag. ```bash pandoc -s -o output.html input.md ``` ## Advanced Examples The following examples are extracted from the official Pandoc User's Guide. ### PDF Output To create a PDF, `pandoc` typically uses a LaTeX engine. Ensure one is installed. ```bash # Basic PDF creation pandoc input.md -o output.pdf # Control PDF engine and style via variables pandoc input.md -o output.pdf --pdf-engine=xelatex -V geometry:margin=1in -V fontsize=12pt ``` ### Document Structure & Metadata Pandoc can automatically generate a table of contents and use document metadata. ```bash # Create a document with a Table of Contents (up to level 3 headings) pandoc --toc --toc-depth=3 -o output.docx input.md # Set metadata fields from the command line pandoc -M title:"My Report" -M author:"Galactus" -o output.pdf input.md ``` ### Templates and Styling You can control the final output's structure and style with templates and other options. ```bash # Use a custom template for HTML output pandoc -s --template=my-template.html -o output.html input.md # For HTML output, link to a custom CSS file pandoc -s --css=styles.css -o output.html input.md # For DOCX output, use a reference document for styling pandoc --reference-doc=reference.docx -o output.docx input.md ``` ### Reading from the Web Pandoc can directly fetch and convert content from a URL. ```bash pandoc -f html -t markdown https://www.fsf.org ``` ### Other Useful Options ```bash # Preserve tabs instead of converting them to spaces pandoc --preserve-tabs ... # Control line wrapping in the output source code pandoc --wrap=none ... # Shift heading levels (e.g., make all H1s into H2s, H2s into H3s) pandoc --shift-heading-level-by=1 ... ``` This enhanced documentation provides a more robust foundation for using `pandoc`.

Frequently asked questions

Local Pandoc