pdf

name	pdf
description	Export markdown as professional PDF using pandoc + typst (no LaTeX needed). Use when the user asks to: create a PDF, export markdown to PDF, generate a report/handout/document as PDF, or when they mention PDF, pandoc, print-ready, or document export.

Markdown to PDF

Export markdown files as professional PDFs using pandoc + typst. Typst is the default engine: it needs no LaTeX toolchain, is fast, and handles full Unicode (including æ/ø/å) out of the box. An optional eisvogel + xelatex path is available for a branded colored title page when a LaTeX install is present.

Prerequisites

• pandoc (3.0+): brew install pandoc
• typst (0.11+): brew install typst

That's it for the default path. Everything below works with just pandoc + typst.

Optional (only for the branded --engine xelatex title-page path):

• LaTeX with xelatex: brew install --cask basictex
• Eisvogel template: download eisvogel.latex from https://github.com/Wandmalfarbe/pandoc-latex-template/releases into ~/.local/share/pandoc/templates/
• LaTeX packages: tlmgr --usermode install adjustbox babel-german background bidi collectbox csquotes everypage filehook footmisc footnotebackref framed fvextra letltxmacro ly1 mdframed mweights needspace pagecolor sourcecodepro sourcesanspro titling ucharcat ulem unicode-math upquote xecjk xurl zref

Mermaid diagrams (optional): npm install -g @mermaid-js/mermaid-cli

Quick Export

bash ~/.claude/skills/pdf/scripts/md-to-pdf.sh \
  -o report.pdf \
  -t "Report Title" \
  -s "Subtitle" \
  -a "Author Name" \
  --lang nb \
  --toc \
  input.md

Defaults to the typst engine. Hyperlinks render blue automatically. For the branded colored title page instead, add --engine xelatex (requires the optional LaTeX install above).

Script Flags

Flag	Default	Description
-o, --output	(required)	Output PDF path
-t, --title	"Untitled"	Document title
-s, --subtitle	""	Subtitle
-a, --author	""	Author name
-d, --date	today	Date (DD.MM.YYYY)
--engine	typst	typst (default) or xelatex (branded title page)
--lang	en	Document language code (e.g. nb for Norwegian Bokmål)
--toc	off	Include table of contents
--highlight-style	tango	Code syntax theme
--mainfont	engine default	Body font (e.g. "Helvetica Neue")
--monofont	engine default	Code font (e.g. "Menlo")
--fontsize	11pt	Font size
--margin	1in	Page margins
--mermaid	off	Pre-render mermaid diagrams (requires mmdc)
--title-color	1e293b	Title-page background hex (xelatex only)
--text-color	ffffff	Title-page text hex (xelatex only)
--no-titlepage	off	Skip title page (xelatex only; typst has no separate title page)

Multiple input files are concatenated with page breaks between them.

Custom Export Workflow (typst)

When assembling a document by hand or needing fine control, call pandoc directly.

Step 1: Write or Assemble Markdown

Standard markdown features:

• # for major sections, ## for subsections
• Standard markdown tables
• Fenced code blocks with a language ID for syntax highlighting
• [colored text]{color="red"} for colored text (via color-spans.lua; works in typst)
• Markdown links render blue automatically

Step 2: Run Pandoc with the typst engine

pandoc input.md -o output.pdf \
  --from=markdown+bracketed_spans \
  --pdf-engine=typst \
  --syntax-highlighting=tango \
  --toc --toc-depth=3 \
  --lua-filter=~/.claude/skills/pdf/scripts/color-spans.lua \
  -V margin-x=2cm \
  -V margin-y=2.2cm \
  -V fontsize=11pt \
  -V 'header-includes=#show link: set text(fill: blue)' \
  --metadata title="Title" \
  --metadata subtitle="Subtitle" \
  --metadata author="Author" \
  --metadata date="19.06.2026" \
  --metadata lang=nb

The header-includes show rule is what makes links blue under typst. Drop it for default black links.

typst variables (via -V)

Variable	Example	Notes
margin-x / margin-y	2cm	Horizontal / vertical page margins
papersize	a4	Defaults to a4
fontsize	11pt	Body font size
mainfont	Helvetica Neue	System font name (macOS resolves these)
monofont	Menlo	Code font
section-numbering	1.1.1	Numbered headings
header-includes	#show link: set text(fill: blue)	Raw typst injected into the preamble

Title, subtitle, author, and date come from --metadata; the typst template renders them as a centered heading block at the top of page one.

Optional: Branded Title Page (eisvogel + xelatex)

Only when you specifically want the colored full-page title and a LaTeX toolchain is installed (see optional Prerequisites). Add --engine xelatex to the script, or run pandoc directly:

pandoc input.md -o output.pdf \
  --from=markdown+bracketed_spans \
  --template=eisvogel \
  --pdf-engine=xelatex \
  --syntax-highlighting=tango \
  --toc --toc-depth=3 \
  --lua-filter=~/.claude/skills/pdf/scripts/color-spans.lua \
  -V titlepage=true \
  -V titlepage-color="1e293b" \
  -V titlepage-text-color="ffffff" \
  -V titlepage-rule-color="ffffff" \
  -V titlepage-rule-height=2 \
  -V toc-own-page=true \
  -V colorlinks=true -V linkcolor=blue -V urlcolor=blue \
  -V mainfont="Helvetica Neue" -V monofont="Menlo" \
  -V fontsize=11pt -V geometry:margin=1in \
  --metadata title="Title" --metadata author="Author"

If xelatex is not installed this path fails with xelatex not found — use the default typst engine instead.

Mermaid Diagrams

If the markdown contains mermaid code blocks, use the --mermaid flag with md-to-pdf.sh. It pre-processes mermaid blocks into SVG before PDF generation. Requires mmdc (mermaid-cli): npm install -g @mermaid-js/mermaid-cli.

Highlight Styles

Available syntax themes: pygments, tango, espresso, zenburn, kate, monochrome, breezedark, haddock.

Bundled Scripts

File	Purpose
scripts/md-to-pdf.sh	One-command markdown to PDF export (typst default, --engine xelatex optional)
scripts/color-spans.lua	Enables [text]{color="red"} syntax (typst + LaTeX + HTML)
scripts/render-mermaid.sh	Pre-renders mermaid blocks to SVG