| name | docx |
| description | Use this skill whenever the user wants to create, read, edit, or manipulate Word documents (.docx files). Triggers include: any mention of 'Word doc', 'word document', '.docx', or requests to produce professional documents with formatting like tables of contents, headings, page numbers, or letterheads. Also use when extracting or reorganizing content from .docx files, inserting or replacing images in documents, performing find-and-replace in Word files, working with tracked changes or comments, or converting content into a polished Word document. If the user asks for a 'report', 'memo', 'letter', 'template', or similar deliverable as a Word or .docx file, use this skill. Do NOT use for PDFs, spreadsheets, Google Docs, or general coding tasks unrelated to document generation. |
| license | Proprietary. LICENSE.txt has complete terms |
DOCX creation, editing, and analysis
Overview
A .docx file is a ZIP archive containing XML files.
Quick Reference
| Task | Approach |
|---|
| Read/analyze content | pandoc or unpack for raw XML |
| Create new document | Use docx-js - see Creating New Documents below |
| Edit existing document | Unpack → edit XML → repack - see Editing Existing Documents below |
Converting .doc to .docx
Legacy .doc files must be converted before editing:
python scripts/office/soffice.py --headless --convert-to docx document.doc
Reading Content
pandoc --track-changes=all document.docx -o output.md
python scripts/office/unpack.py document.docx unpacked/
Converting to Images
python scripts/office/soffice.py --headless --convert-to pdf document.docx
pdftoppm -jpeg -r 150 document.pdf page
Accepting Tracked Changes
To produce a clean document with all tracked changes accepted (requires LibreOffice):
python scripts/accept_changes.py input.docx output.docx
Creating New Documents
Generate .docx files with JavaScript, then validate. Install: npm install -g docx
Setup
const { Document, Packer, Paragraph, TextRun, Table, TableRow, TableCell, ImageRun,
Header, Footer, AlignmentType, PageOrientation, LevelFormat, ExternalHyperlink,
InternalHyperlink, Bookmark, FootnoteReferenceRun, PositionalTab,
PositionalTabAlignment, PositionalTabRelativeTo, PositionalTabLeader,
TabStopType, TabStopPosition, Column, SectionType,
TableOfContents, HeadingLevel, BorderStyle, WidthType, ShadingType,
VerticalAlign, PageNumber, PageBreak } = require('docx');
const doc = new Document({ sections: [{ children: [] }] });
Packer.toBuffer(doc).then(buffer => fs.writeFileSync(, buffer));
Validation
After creating the file, validate it. If validation fails, unpack, fix the XML, and repack.
python scripts/office/validate.py doc.docx
Page Size
sections: [{
properties: {
page: {
size: {
width: 12240,
height: 15840
},
margin: { top: 1440, right: 1440, bottom: 1440, left: 1440 }
}
},
children: []
}]
Common page sizes (DXA units, 1440 DXA = 1 inch):
| Paper | Width | Height | Content Width (1" margins) |
|---|
| US Letter | 12,240 | 15,840 | 9,360 |
| A4 (default) | 11,906 | 16,838 | 9,026 |
Landscape orientation: docx-js swaps width/height internally, so pass portrait dimensions and let it handle the swap:
size: {
width: 12240,
height: 15840,
orientation: PageOrientation.LANDSCAPE
},
Styles (Override Built-in Headings)
Use Arial as the default font (universally supported). Keep titles black for readability.
const doc = new Document({
styles: {
default: { document: { run: { font: "Arial", size: 24 } } },
paragraphStyles: [
{ id: "Heading1", name: "Heading 1", basedOn: "Normal", next: "Normal", quickFormat: true,
run: { size: 32, bold: true, font: "Arial" },
paragraph: { spacing: { before: 240, after: 240 }, outlineLevel: 0 } },
{ id: "Heading2", name: "Heading 2", basedOn: "Normal", next: "Normal", quickFormat: true,
run: { size: 28, bold: true, : },
: { : { : , : }, : } },
]
},
: [{
: [
({ : ., : [ ()] }),
]
}]
});
Lists (NEVER use unicode bullets)
new Paragraph({ children: [new TextRun("• Item")] })
new Paragraph({ children: [new TextRun("\u2022 Item")] })
const doc = new Document({
numbering: {
config: [
{ reference: "bullets",
levels: [{ level: 0, format: LevelFormat.BULLET, text: "•", alignment: AlignmentType.LEFT,
style: { paragraph: { indent: { left: 720, hanging: 360 } } } }] },
{ reference: "numbers",
levels: [{ level: 0, format: LevelFormat.DECIMAL, text: "%1.", alignment: AlignmentType.,
: { : { : { : , : } } } }] },
]
},
: [{
: [
({ : { : , : },
: [ ()] }),
({ : { : , : },
: [ ()] }),
]
}]
});
Tables
CRITICAL: Tables need dual widths - set both columnWidths on the table AND width on each cell. Without both, tables render incorrectly on some platforms.
const border = { style: BorderStyle.SINGLE, size: 1, color: "CCCCCC" };
const borders = { top: border, bottom: border, left: border, right: border };
new Table({
width: { size: 9360, type: WidthType.DXA },
columnWidths: [4680, 4680],
rows: [
new TableRow({
children: [
new TableCell({
borders,
width: { size: 4680, type: WidthType.DXA },
shading: { fill: "D5E8F0", type: ShadingType.CLEAR },
margins: { top: 80, : , : , : },
: [ ({ : [ ()] })]
})
]
})
]
})
Table width calculation:
Always use WidthType.DXA — WidthType.PERCENTAGE breaks in Google Docs.
width: { size: 9360, type: WidthType.DXA },
columnWidths: [7000, 2360]
Width rules:
- Always use
WidthType.DXA — never WidthType.PERCENTAGE (incompatible with Google Docs)
- Table width must equal the sum of
columnWidths
- Cell
width must match corresponding columnWidth
- Cell
margins are internal padding - they reduce content area, not add to cell width
- For full-width tables: use content width (page width minus left and right margins)
Images
new Paragraph({
children: [new ImageRun({
type: "png",
data: fs.readFileSync("image.png"),
transformation: { width: 200, height: 150 },
altText: { title: "Title", description: "Desc", name: "Name" }
})]
})
Page Breaks
new Paragraph({ children: [new PageBreak()] })
new Paragraph({ pageBreakBefore: true, children: [new TextRun("New page")] })
Hyperlinks
new Paragraph({
children: [new ExternalHyperlink({
children: [new TextRun({ text: "Click here", style: "Hyperlink" })],
link: "https://example.com",
})]
})
new Paragraph({ heading: HeadingLevel.HEADING_1, children: [
new Bookmark({ id: "chapter1", children: [new TextRun("Chapter 1")] }),
]})
new Paragraph({ children: [new InternalHyperlink({
children: [new TextRun({ text: "See Chapter 1", style: "Hyperlink" })],
anchor: "chapter1",
})]})
Footnotes
const doc = new Document({
footnotes: {
1: { children: [new Paragraph("Source: Annual Report 2024")] },
2: { children: [new Paragraph("See appendix for methodology")] },
},
sections: [{
children: [new Paragraph({
children: [
new TextRun("Revenue grew 15%"),
new FootnoteReferenceRun(1),
new TextRun(" using adjusted metrics"),
new FootnoteReferenceRun(2),
],
})]
}]
});
Tab Stops
new Paragraph({
children: [
new TextRun("Company Name"),
new TextRun("\tJanuary 2025"),
],
tabStops: [{ type: TabStopType.RIGHT, position: TabStopPosition.MAX }],
})
new Paragraph({
children: [
new TextRun("Introduction"),
new TextRun({ children: [
new PositionalTab({
alignment: PositionalTabAlignment.RIGHT,
relativeTo: PositionalTabRelativeTo.MARGIN,
leader: PositionalTabLeader.DOT,
}),
"3",
]}),
],
})
Multi-Column Layouts
sections: [{
properties: {
column: {
count: 2,
space: 720,
equalWidth: true,
separate: true,
},
},
children: []
}]
sections: [{
properties: {
column: {
equalWidth: false,
children: [
new Column({ width: 5400, space: 720 }),
new Column({ width: 3240 }),
],
},
},
children: []
}]
Force a column break with a new section using type: SectionType.NEXT_COLUMN.
Table of Contents
new TableOfContents("Table of Contents", { hyperlink: true, headingStyleRange: "1-3" })
Headers/Footers
sections: [{
properties: {
page: { margin: { top: 1440, right: 1440, bottom: 1440, left: 1440 } }
},
headers: {
default: new Header({ children: [new Paragraph({ children: [new TextRun("Header")] })] })
},
footers: {
default: new Footer({ children: [new Paragraph({
children: [new TextRun("Page "), new TextRun({ children: [PageNumber.CURRENT] })]
})] })
},
children: []
}]
Critical Rules for docx-js
- Set page size explicitly - docx-js defaults to A4; use US Letter (12240 x 15840 DXA) for US documents
- Landscape: pass portrait dimensions - docx-js swaps width/height internally; pass short edge as
width, long edge as height, and set orientation: PageOrientation.LANDSCAPE
- Never use
\n - use separate Paragraph elements
- Never use unicode bullets - use
LevelFormat.BULLET with numbering config
- Images: python-docx
add_picture() is unreliable for existing documents — adds rels but may skip <w:drawing> in document.xml. Use unpack → XML edit → repack instead. See references/image-embedding-workaround.md for the complete recipe.
- PageBreak must be in Paragraph - standalone creates invalid XML
- ImageRun requires
type - always specify png/jpg/etc
- Always set table
width with DXA - never use WidthType.PERCENTAGE (breaks in Google Docs)
- Tables need dual widths -
columnWidths array AND cell width, both must match
- Table width = sum of columnWidths - for DXA, ensure they add up exactly
- Always add cell margins - use
margins: { top: 80, bottom: 80, left: 120, right: 120 } for readable padding
- Use
ShadingType.CLEAR - never SOLID for table shading
- Never use tables as dividers/rules - cells have minimum height and render as empty boxes (including in headers/footers); use
border: { bottom: { style: BorderStyle.SINGLE, size: 6, color: "2E75B6", space: 1 } } on a Paragraph instead. For two-column footers, use tab stops (see Tab Stops section), not tables
- TOC requires HeadingLevel only - no custom styles on heading paragraphs
- Override built-in styles - use exact IDs: "Heading1", "Heading2", etc.
- Include
outlineLevel - required for TOC (0 for H1, 1 for H2, etc.)
Template Filling with python-docx (Alternative to XML Editing)
For the common pattern of filling in an existing template — replacing writing-guide paragraphs and table cells with substantive content — python-docx is simpler than the XML unpack/pack cycle.
When to use this approach: Template has placeholders or writing guides that need to be replaced with real content. You need to preserve the template's formatting, headers/footers, and overall structure. The document already exists and has the right layout.
When to use XML editing instead: You need tracked changes, comments, complex formatting changes, or fine-grained XML manipulation.
Setup
pip install python-docx
python3 -m venv /tmp/docx_venv && /tmp/docx_venv/bin/pip install python-docx
Read Template Structure
First inspect the document to find the paragraph/table indices:
import docx
doc = docx.Document("template.docx")
for i, para in enumerate(doc.paragraphs):
print(f"{i}|{para.style.name}|{repr(para.text[:80])}")
for i, table in enumerate(doc.tables):
for r, row in enumerate(table.rows):
for c, cell in enumerate(row.cells):
print(f"Table {i}, Row {r}, Cell {c}: {repr(cell.text[:80])}")
Replace Paragraph Text (Preserve Formatting)
The key insight: copy formatting from the first existing run, then replace text on that run:
from docx.shared import Pt
def set_para_text(para, new_text):
"""Replace paragraph text while preserving first run's formatting."""
if not para.runs:
run = para.add_run(new_text)
run.font.name = "宋体"
run.font.size = Pt(12)
return
first_run = para.runs[0]
font_name = first_run.font.name if first_run.font.name else "宋体"
font_size = first_run.font.size if first_run.font.size else Pt(12)
bold = first_run.bold
for run in para.runs:
run.text = ""
para.runs[0].text = new_text
para.runs[0].font.name = font_name
para.runs[0].font.size = font_size
if bold is not None:
para.runs[0].bold = bold
Modify Table Cells
def set_cell_text(cell, new_text):
"""Clear all paragraphs in a cell and set content on first paragraph."""
while len(cell.paragraphs) > 1:
p = cell.paragraphs[-1]._element
p.getparent().remove(p)
p = cell.paragraphs[0]
for run in p.runs:
run.text = ""
if p.runs:
p.runs[0].text = new_text
p.runs[0].font.name = "宋体"
p.runs[0].font.size = Pt(12)
else:
run = p.add_run(new_text)
run.font.name = "宋体"
run.font.size = Pt(12)
Embedding Images in Existing Documents (CRITICAL PITFALL)
run.add_picture() does NOT reliably write the <w:drawing> element to document.xml. The image file is added to the zip and the relationship is created in _rels/document.xml.rels, but the actual drawing reference may be silently missing from the document body — the file grows in size (contains the image bytes) but nothing renders in Word.
Detection: After doc.save(), verify the image reference made it into document.xml:
import zipfile
with zipfile.ZipFile("output.docx") as zf:
xml = zf.read("word/document.xml").decode()
has_ref = "rId" in xml
print(f"Image reference in XML: {has_ref}")
Workaround: When add_picture fails, fall back to raw XML editing:
- Unzip the saved docx:
unzip docx -d unpacked/
- Verify the image is at
word/media/imageN.png and its relationship (rId9) exists in word/_rels/document.xml.rels
- Manually insert the
<w:drawing> element into the target cell in word/document.xml — replace empty runs with a drawing run:
<w:r>
<w:rPr><w:noProof/></w:rPr>
<w:drawing>
<wp:inline distT="0" distB="0" distL="0" distR="0" xmlns:wp="...wordprocessingDrawing">
<wp:extent cx="5029200" cy="3352800"/>
<wp:docPr id="1" name="image.png"/>
<a:graphic xmlns:a="...drawingml/2006/main">
<a:graphicData uri="...drawingml/2006/picture">
<pic:pic xmlns:pic="...drawingml/2006/picture">
<pic:nvPicPr>
<pic:cNvPr = =/>
EMU conversion: (e.g., 5.5" width = 5,029,200 EMU).
Save
doc.save("output.docx")
Chinese Content Pitfalls
-
Quotation mark encoding: Chinese curly quotes " (U+201C) and " (U+201D) look like ASCII " (U+0022) in some editors. When writing Python source code with Chinese quotes inside double-quoted strings, Python interprets the first " it encounters as the string terminator. Fix: Use only one type of Python string delimiter (single or triple-quoted) to avoid ambiguity:
text = "明确"为什么学、学什么、怎么学"这三个问题"
text = '明确\u201c为什么学、学什么、怎么学\u201d这三个问题'
text = """明确\u201c为什么学、学什么、怎么学\u201d这三个问题"""
-
Font name: Chinese templates typically use "宋体" (SimSun) as the body font. Always set this explicitly when creating new runs.
-
Multi-paragraph content: Use \n\n in Python strings (which become separate paragraphs in the DOCX) or write separate set_para_text calls for adjacent empty paragraphs.
Multi-Run Blank Filling (CRITICAL)
Pitfall: When a paragraph's blanks (_____) are split across multiple <w:r> elements, searching paragraph.text and replacing in individual runs WILL fail — the positional mapping between concatenated text and run boundaries is fragile.
Fix: Always inspect the template at run-level granularity first, then target each blank by exact (paragraph_index, run_index). Use re.sub(r'_{3,}', answer, run.text, count=1) for single blanks per run.
Full details and verification checklist: references/template-filling-pitfalls.md
Delivery Checklist
Before sending a filled .docx to the user, always:
- Re-load the saved document and verify ALL expected values appear in their paragraphs
- Scan the entire document (paragraphs + tables) for any remaining
_{3,} underscore patterns
- If the user provided specific values (student ID, name, etc.), double-check those first
Editing Existing Documents (XML Approach)
For complex edits (tracked changes, comments, fine-grained formatting), use the 3-step unpack/edit/pack cycle. For simple template filling, prefer python-docx above.
Follow all 3 steps in order.
Step 1: Unpack
python scripts/office/unpack.py document.docx unpacked/
Extracts XML, pretty-prints, merges adjacent runs, and converts smart quotes to XML entities (“ etc.) so they survive editing. Use --merge-runs false to skip run merging.
Fallback when defusedxml is not installed: Use unzip directly:
mkdir unpacked/ && unzip document.docx -d unpacked/
If neither unzip nor defusedxml is available, use Python's zipfile:
import zipfile, os
with zipfile.ZipFile("document.docx") as zf: zf.extractall("unpacked/")
Step 2: Edit XML
Edit files in unpacked/word/. See XML Reference below for patterns.
Use "Claude" as the author for tracked changes and comments, unless the user explicitly requests use of a different name.
Use the Edit tool directly for string replacement. Do not write Python scripts. Scripts introduce unnecessary complexity. The Edit tool shows exactly what is being replaced.
CRITICAL: Use smart quotes for new content. When adding text with apostrophes or quotes, use XML entities to produce smart quotes:
<w:t>Here’s a quote: “Hello”</w:t>
| Entity | Character |
|---|
‘ | ‘ (left single) |
’ | ’ (right single / apostrophe) |
“ | “ (left double) |
” | ” (right double) |
Adding comments: Use comment.py to handle boilerplate across multiple XML files (text must be pre-escaped XML):
python scripts/comment.py unpacked/ 0 "Comment text with & and ’"
python scripts/comment.py unpacked/ 1 "Reply text" --parent 0
python scripts/comment.py unpacked/ 0 "Text" --author "Custom Author"
Then add markers to document.xml (see Comments in XML Reference).
Step 3: Pack
python scripts/office/pack.py unpacked/ output.docx --original document.docx
Validates with auto-repair, condenses XML, and creates DOCX. Use --validate false to skip.
Fallback when pack.py/defusedxml is unavailable: Use Python's zipfile to repack directly — see references/repack-with-zipfile.md.
Auto-repair will fix:
durableId >= 0x7FFFFFFF (regenerates valid ID)
- Missing
xml:space="preserve" on <w:t> with whitespace
Auto-repair won't fix:
- Malformed XML, invalid element nesting, missing relationships, schema violations
Common Pitfalls
- Replace entire
<w:r> elements: When adding tracked changes, replace the whole <w:r>...</w:r> block with <w:del>...<w:ins>... as siblings. Don't inject tracked change tags inside a run.
- Preserve
<w:rPr> formatting: Copy the original run's <w:rPr> block into your tracked change runs to maintain bold, font size, etc.
XML Reference
Schema Compliance
- Element order in
<w:pPr>: <w:pStyle>, <w:numPr>, <w:spacing>, <w:ind>, <w:jc>, <w:rPr> last
- Whitespace: Add
xml:space="preserve" to <w:t> with leading/trailing spaces
- RSIDs: Must be 8-digit hex (e.g.,
00AB1234)
Tracked Changes
Insertion:
<w:ins w:id="1" w:author="Claude" w:date="2025-01-01T00:00:00Z">
<w:r><w:t>inserted text</w:t></w:r>
</w:ins>
Deletion:
<w:del w:id="2" w:author="Claude" w:date="2025-01-01T00:00:00Z">
<w:r><w:delText>deleted text</w:delText></w:r>
</w:del>
Inside <w:del>: Use <w:delText> instead of <w:t>, and <w:delInstrText> instead of <w:instrText>.
Minimal edits - only mark what changes:
<w:r><w:t>The term is </w:t></w:r>
<w:del w:id="1" w:author="Claude" w:date="...">
<w:r><w:delText>30</w:delText></w:r>
</w:del>
<w:ins w:id="2" w:author="Claude" w:date="...">
<w:r><w:t>60</w:t></w:r>
</w:ins>
<w:r><w:t> days.</w:t></w:r>
Deleting entire paragraphs/list items - when removing ALL content from a paragraph, also mark the paragraph mark as deleted so it merges with the next paragraph. Add <w:del/> inside <w:pPr><w:rPr>:
<w:p>
<w:pPr>
<w:numPr>...</w:numPr>
<w:rPr>
<w:del w:id="1" w:author="Claude" w:date="2025-01-01T00:00:00Z"/>
</w:rPr>
</w:pPr>
<w:del w:id="2" w:author="Claude" w:date="2025-01-01T00:00:00Z">
<w:r><w:delText>Entire paragraph content being deleted...</w:delText></w:r>
</w:del>
</w:p>
Without the <w:del/> in <w:pPr><w:rPr>, accepting changes leaves an empty paragraph/list item.
Rejecting another author's insertion - nest deletion inside their insertion:
<w:ins w:author="Jane" w:id="5">
<w:del w:author="Claude" w:id="10">
<w:r><w:delText>their inserted text</w:delText></w:r>
</w:del>
</w:ins>
Restoring another author's deletion - add insertion after (don't modify their deletion):
<w:del w:author="Jane" w:id="5">
<w:r><w:delText>deleted text</w:delText></w:r>
</w:del>
<w:ins w:author="Claude" w:id="10">
<w:r><w:t>deleted text</w:t></w:r>
</w:ins>
Comments
After running comment.py (see Step 2), add markers to document.xml. For replies, use --parent flag and nest markers inside the parent's.
CRITICAL: <w:commentRangeStart> and <w:commentRangeEnd> are siblings of <w:r>, never inside <w:r>.
<w:commentRangeStart w:id="0"/>
<w:del w:id="1" w:author="Claude" w:date="2025-01-01T00:00:00Z">
<w:r><w:delText>deleted</w:delText></w:r>
</w:del>
<w:r><w:t> more text</w:t></w:r>
<w:commentRangeEnd w:id="0"/>
<w:r><w:rPr><w:rStyle w:val="CommentReference"/></w:rPr><w:commentReference w:id="0"/></w:r>
<w:commentRangeStart w:id="0"/>
<w:commentRangeStart w:id="1"/>
<w:r>text
Images
- Add image file to
word/media/
- Add relationship to
word/_rels/document.xml.rels:
<Relationship Id="rId5" Type=".../image" Target="media/image1.png"/>
- Add content type to
[Content_Types].xml:
<Default Extension="png" ContentType="image/png"/>
- Reference in document.xml:
<w:drawing>
<wp:inline>
<wp:extent cx="914400" cy="914400"/>
<a:graphic>
<a:graphicData uri=".../picture">
<pic:pic>
<pic:blipFill><a:blip r:embed="rId5"/></pic:blipFill>
</pic:pic>
</a:graphicData>
</a:graphic>
</wp:inline>
</w:drawing>
Dependencies
- pandoc: Text extraction
- docx:
npm install -g docx (new documents)
- LibreOffice: PDF conversion (auto-configured for sandboxed environments via
scripts/office/soffice.py)
- Poppler:
pdftoppm for images