Professional PDF toolkit with four production lines: Report - structured documents via ReportLab (reports, proposals, contracts, white papers) Creative - visual design via JSON Blueprint → design_engine.py → Playwright snapshot (posters, infographics, invitations, dashboards). Academic - scholarly work via LaTeX/Tectonic (papers, theses, math-heavy documents) Process - manipulate existing PDFs (extract, merge, split, fill forms, convert) Auto-routes based on document type. Includes ATS/creative/academic resume sub-paths.
Installation
Install with Codex or Claude Copy this prompt, paste it into Codex, Claude, or another assistant, and let it review the skill page and install it for you.
Professional PDF toolkit with four production lines: Report - structured documents via ReportLab (reports, proposals, contracts, white papers) Creative - visual design via JSON Blueprint → design_engine.py → Playwright snapshot (posters, infographics, invitations, dashboards). Academic - scholarly work via LaTeX/Tectonic (papers, theses, math-heavy documents) Process - manipulate existing PDFs (extract, merge, split, fill forms, convert) Auto-routes based on document type. Includes ATS/creative/academic resume sub-paths.
Determine task weight to control how much context to load:
Weight
Triggers
What to Load
Light
Format conversion, form fill, text extract, merge/split, simple certificate
SKILL.md + briefs/process.md only
Standard
Multi-page report, poster, academic paper, resume, reformat - any document with design decisions
SKILL.md + matched brief + typesetting assets on demand
Light tasks skip typesetting files entirely. Standard tasks load them on demand per the brief's instructions.
⚠️ Pre-Routing Checks (run BEFORE matching brief)
Emoji Check - Scan user content for intentional emoji (decorative 📊🎯🔥, not OS-level emoji input). If found → force Creative brief regardless of document type. ReportLab renders emoji as □ squares; LaTeX drops them entirely.
CJK Check - Chinese/Japanese/Korean content needs font coverage. Report brief must use UniSong/UniHei registered fonts; Creative brief must load Google Fonts Noto Sans SC with font-display: swap; Academic brief must use \usepackage{ctex}.
Size Check - Non-standard page sizes (not A4/Letter/A3) → prefer Creative brief (Playwright handles any dimension). ReportLab can do custom sizes but pagination is manual.
Character Safety Check - Before writing any content string, scan for Japanese kana (の、が、は etc.), unusual Unicode symbols, or non-CJK characters that may corrupt during encoding transit (especially when code is written via heredoc/base64/LLM output). Replace with plain Chinese equivalents: の→之/的/缔, 々→omit or write full character. If content must preserve Japanese, use only standard CJK Unified Ideographs (U+4E00-U+9FFF) and common kana; avoid rare/private-use codepoints.
Briefing
Match the user's intent to a production brief. Each brief contains the full workflow, tech stack specifics, and references to shared typesetting assets.
Below is an exhaustive map of every known PDF request type to its handling strategy. If a scenario is not listed, route to the closest match or ask the user.
📄 Creation (Generate PDF from scratch)
Scenario
Route
Notes
Report / white paper / analysis
report.md
ReportLab structured document
Report with emoji
creative.md
🚨 Emoji rule override
Business proposal
report.md
Structured + data tables
Contract / legal document
report.md
Add signature placeholders (dotted line + label)
Invoice / receipt
report.md
Table-heavy, precision alignment
Exam / quiz / test paper / worksheet
report.md
Indented options, answer space reservation, structured numbering (see Exam Paper Rules in report.md)
Math exam / math worksheet (with formulas/equations)
academic.md
LaTeX for proper math typesetting. See §Exam Paper Rules in academic.md
Poster / flyer
creative.md + poster.md
Visual design + poster density/sizing rules
Invitation / greeting card
creative.md
Non-standard size, decorative
Certificate / award
creative.md
Single page, centered layout, decorative border
Business card
creative.md
Tiny size (90×54mm), Playwright native support
Envelope / label
creative.md
Non-standard size, simple layout
Menu / price list
creative.md
Visual layout + may contain emoji
Resume (ATS)
report.md
Plain text structure
Resume (creative)
creative.md
Visual design
Resume (academic CV)
academic.md
Publication list + BibTeX
Academic paper
academic.md
LaTeX/Tectonic
Math-heavy document
academic.md
LaTeX typesetting
Presentation / PPT-style
creative.md
Landscape (1280×720), one topic per page
Book / long document
report.md
Add TOC + chapter numbering, validate with toc_validate.py
🚨 Emoji rule (CRITICAL - check FIRST): Content with intentional emoji (📊🎯🔥💡 etc.) → force briefs/creative.md regardless of document type. ReportLab renders emoji as □ squares; LaTeX silently drops them. This rule overrides all other routing. Even if the user says "report" - if the content has emoji, use Creative pipeline.
Non-standard page size rule: Dimensions other than A4/Letter/A3 → strongly prefer briefs/creative.md. Playwright handles any arbitrary page size natively. ReportLab requires manual pagination math.
Academic auto-detect: Papers, theses, or heavy math → briefs/academic.md even without explicit "LaTeX" mention.
Template-guided rule: When the user uploads a PDF and says "match this template" / "follow this style" / "reformat like this" → briefs/process.md Template-Guided Reformat section. This is a Standard triage (not Light), because it involves design decisions.
Resume routing: Default to Report brief (ATS-safe). Creative industry → Creative brief. Academic CV with publications → Academic brief.
Shared Assets
These are referenced by multiple briefs. Do not load upfront - each brief tells you when and what to load.
Asset
Path
Used By
Purpose
Palette & Typography
typesetting/palette.md
Report, Creative
Color system, font rules, anti-patterns, spacing
Cover Layout System V2.1
typesetting/cover.md
Report + Creative + Academic
7 industrial-grade templates with absolute anchor grid, Z-index layers, typography weight system, mandatory Summary Block, code-level safety (5 checks), base unit U = W*0.05. Unified HTML/Playwright cover system for all routes.
Font families per pipeline (Google Fonts, ReportLab, LaTeX)
Content Rules
Language: Match user's query language. Chinese query → Chinese PDF. All generated text (report body, PDF pages, plot/diagram titles, legends, labels) MUST be consistent with the user's input language — no language mixing.
Outline: User-provided outlines are sacred. No reordering without asking.
Citations: No fabrication. Chinese → GB/T 7714, English → APA. Search to verify.
Multi-part requests: Generate ALL parts - never silently drop a component.
Cover page language: All text on the cover (title, subtitle, tags, author, footer) MUST match the user's prompt language. Chinese prompt → Chinese cover; English prompt → English cover. Mixing is forbidden.
Charts and figures language: Before generating any chart or figure, determine the user's language. Ensure that the title, legend, labels, and other textual elements are consistent with the user's language. If any element cannot use the user's language, explicitly explain the reason.
Content Depth and Richness Standards (Anti-Shallow Writing)
PROBLEM TO AVOID: Shallow content with paragraphs containing only 1-2 sentences, or sections with minimal text under headings.
Minimum Content Standards
Paragraph Depth
Each paragraph MUST contain at least 3-5 sentences
Single-sentence paragraphs are FORBIDDEN (except for transitional statements)
Each paragraph should develop ONE complete idea with supporting details
Section Completeness
Each section heading MUST be followed by substantial content (minimum 150-200 words)
NEVER create a section with only 1-2 short sentences
If a section cannot meet minimum length, merge it with related sections
Content Enrichment Techniques
Include specific examples, data points, or case studies
Provide context and background information
Explain the "why" and "how", not just the "what"
Add comparisons, contrasts, or alternative perspectives where relevant
Include implications, consequences, or recommendations
Writing Quality Checklist
Before finalizing ANY written document, verify:
No paragraph has fewer than 3 sentences
No section has fewer than 150 words of body content
Each main point is supported by examples or evidence
Technical terms are explained when first introduced
Transitions connect ideas between paragraphs and sections
Content Expansion Strategies
When writing feels thin, apply these techniques:
For Analysis/Reports:
Add background context (history, current state, trends)
Include multiple perspectives or stakeholder views
Provide specific metrics, statistics, or quantitative data
Discuss limitations, challenges, or counterarguments
Offer actionable recommendations with rationale
For Explanatory Content:
Use analogies to clarify complex concepts
Provide step-by-step breakdowns where applicable
Include real-world applications or use cases
Address common questions or misconceptions
Add visual descriptions or diagram explanations
FORBIDDEN PATTERNS:
Section with heading followed by only 1-3 sentences
Bullet lists without explanatory context
Conclusions that merely restate the introduction
Sections that say "as mentioned above" without adding new value
HTML Image Source Path Rules
When embedding images in HTML documents (Creative pipeline, Playwright-rendered diagrams, or any HTML→PDF flow):
Image location
<img src> value
Example
Local file
Relative path from the HTML file's directory
<img src="images/chart.png"> or <img src="./diagram.png">
Remote URL
Full URL (no change needed)
<img src="https://example.com/photo.jpg">
Iron rules:
NEVER use absolute paths for local files in HTML <img>, <source>, CSS url(), or any other asset reference (e.g. /Users/alice/project/img.png). Absolute paths break portability across machines and environments.
Always use relative paths anchored to the HTML file's own directory. If the image lives in a subdirectory, use images/foo.png or ./images/foo.png.
Remote URLs (http:// / https://) are fine as-is — do not convert them to local paths.
When generating HTML from a script or blueprint, ensure all referenced assets are either (a) in the same directory as the output HTML, or (b) in a clearly named subdirectory (e.g. assets/, images/), and referenced with relative paths.
If a build script needs to resolve paths programmatically, compute relative paths at generation time (e.g. os.path.relpath(image_path, html_dir)) rather than embedding absolute filesystem paths.
Figure & Diagram Embedding (All Briefs)
Iron Rule: Figures Are Block-Level
Figures, diagrams, and charts MUST be independent block elements occupying full width. Never float/wrap figures alongside body text - this causes the text-diagram overlap badcase.
The rules above handle how to embed diagrams in PDF. For what the diagram itself looks like (node layout, connector routing, color, readability), follow the charts skill rules:
Before generating ANY flowchart/diagram for PDF embedding, check these:
Connectors must not pass through nodes - If 3+ layers exist, connect adjacent layers only (top→mid, mid→bottom). Never draw top→bottom lines through middle nodes. Use detour paths if cross-layer links are needed.
Multiple arrows into one node must not pile up - Distribute entry points evenly along target edge, or use merge-then-enter pattern (sources converge to a vertical merge line, then single arrow to target).
Low-saturation fills only - Node backgrounds must be pale (#EFF6FF, #F0FDF4). High-saturation colors (#3B82F6, #10B981) only for borders or small accents. No children's-art color schemes.
Phase titles vs sub-steps must be visually distinct - Different background color, font size, and font weight. Never same-style boxes for both.
Font sizes must be readable at final output size - Sizes depend on the embedding context:
Output context
Node title min
Description min
Label min
Standalone PNG (web/presentation, ≥1200px wide)
14px
12px
11px
Embedded in A4 PDF (ReportLab/LaTeX, ~450pt content width)
10pt
8pt
7pt
Embedded in slide deck (landscape, ~720pt wide)
12pt
10pt
9pt
Principle: After embedding, the smallest text in the diagram must still be legible when the document is viewed at 100% zoom. If the diagram is scaled down to fit page width, recalculate: effective_size = original_size × (display_width / canvas_width). If effective size drops below the minimum, either increase original font size or reduce diagram complexity.
Legend/annotations must not overlap content - Separate container, ≥ 40px gap from last node, fully within canvas bounds.
For Playwright-rendered diagrams: Use low-saturation fills (#EFF6FF, #F0FDF4), CSS flexbox/grid for node layout, SVG <line>/<path> for connectors, and verify no overlap at final render size.
For ReportLab-drawn diagrams: Same principles apply - use Drawing() with explicit coordinates, check node bounding boxes for overlap before finalizing.
Diagram Generation Strategy (Per-Brief)
Diagram rendering depends on the target brief - NOT a one-size-fits-all TikZ pipeline.
Target Brief
Diagram Method
Rationale
Report (ReportLab)
Playwright+CSS → PNG → Image()
No LaTeX compiler in this route; HTML/CSS handles any layout natively
Creative (Playwright)
Directly in HTML (CSS flexbox/grid + JS connectors)
Already in browser context
Academic (Tectonic) - simple (≤6 nodes)
TikZ native tikzpicture
Vector output, font consistency, LaTeX-native
Academic (Tectonic) - complex (>6 nodes)
Playwright+CSS → PNG @2× → \includegraphics
TikZ branch logic is error-prone for models; 300dpi PNG is publication-ready
# 1. Write diagram HTML (CSS grid/flexbox + connectors)cat > diagram.html << 'EOF'
<!-- LLM generates: nodes as divs, arrows as SVG/CSS -->
EOF
# 2. Screenshot at 2× for print quality (300dpi equivalent)
python3 "$PDF_SKILL_DIR/scripts/pdf.py" convert.blueprint diagram.html --device-scale-factor 2 --output diagram.png
# Or via Playwright directly:# page.screenshot(path='diagram.png', scale='device', device_scale_factor=2)# 3a. Embed in ReportLab (Report brief)
from reportlab.platypus import Image
img = Image('diagram.png', width=450) # auto height via aspect ratio
story.append(img)
# 3b. Embed in LaTeX (Academic brief, complex diagrams only)# \includegraphics[width=\columnwidth]{diagram.png}
🚫 FORBIDDEN for Report/Creative briefs: Do NOT use TikZ standalone → compile → pdftoppm → PNG pipeline. This route has no LaTeX compiler and the extra compilation steps are error-prone.
TikZ remains valid ONLY for:
Academic brief with simple diagrams (≤6 nodes, linear/hierarchical)
Direct tikzpicture embedding in LaTeX documents
Math-annotated diagrams where LaTeX math rendering matters
See briefs/academic.md Scenario B for TikZ templates (simple diagrams only).
Vector Rendering Iron Rule
The final PDF MUST be generated via page.pdf() (Playwright) or ReportLab/LaTeX native output - NEVER via screenshot-to-PDF.
Scenario
Correct Method
Forbidden
Creative pipeline (single/multi-page)
page.pdf() via convert.blueprint or html2pdf-next.js
Why:page.pdf() produces vector text + vector shapes. Text remains selectable, sharp at any zoom, and file size is smaller. Screenshot-based PDFs are raster images - blurry when zoomed, unsearchable, and 3-5× larger.
The ONLY place screenshot/PNG embedding is acceptable:
Diagrams embedded as sub-elements inside a larger document (e.g., flowcharts in a Report). These use page.screenshot() at 2× device scale factor for 300dpi print quality, then embed via Image() (ReportLab) or \includegraphics (LaTeX).
Chart images generated by matplotlib/plotly saved as PNG, then embedded.
These are sub-elements, not the document itself. The document-level PDF output must always be vector.
Quick test: Open the generated PDF, zoom to 400%. If text is blurry, you used a screenshot pipeline. Fix it.
HTML→PDF Engine Selection Rules
There are two dedicated scripts for HTML→PDF. Choose based on document type:
Auto overflow:hidden, auto height measurement, zero margin, single-page output
Cover pages (Report/Academic route)
html2poster.js
Covers are single-page fixed layouts with absolute positioning — same nature as posters. html2pdf-next.js would convert absolute→static and destroy the layout
Syncs html/body background with poster background color
Measures .poster scrollHeight and uses it as PDF height
Generates a single-page vector PDF with exact content dimensions
Use this for ANY fixed-width, dynamic-height, single-page design.
Documents / Multi-Page → html2pdf-next.js
node "$PDF_SKILL_DIR/scripts/html2pdf-next.js" input.html --output output.pdf --width 210mm --height 297mm
# Or via pdf.py wrapper:
python3 "$PDF_SKILL_DIR/scripts/pdf.py" convert.html input.html --output output.pdf
Pre-render hooks auto-handle @page injection, overflow detection, cover adaptation, font loading, and pdf-lib metadata.
⚠️ Iron Rule: No Hand-Written Playwright Scripts
Common issues with hand-written Python page.pdf() (the dedicated scripts handle these automatically):
Missing @page rule → browser default margin causes content overflow to second page or white edges
Oversized elements not fixed → large elements with break-inside: avoid block pagination, content gets truncated
Rendering before fonts are loaded → Chinese text displays as squares or falls back to wrong font
No overflow detection → content exceeds page boundary without awareness
No metadata → PDF title, author, and other info missing
Iron rule: Posters and cover pages use html2poster.js, multi-page documents use html2pdf-next.js. Do not write hand-written Python Playwright scripts.
⚠️ Cover page gotcha: Cover HTML uses position: absolute for layout. html2pdf-next.js pre-render hooks convert absolute-positioned elements to static flow (to prevent multi-page overlap), which destroys cover layouts. Always use html2poster.js for cover pages.
No overflow:hidden on Fixed-Size Pages (html2pdf-next.js only)
When using html2pdf-next.js for documents, NEVER set overflow: hidden on html, body, or the main page container.
Note: This rule does NOT apply to posters rendered via html2poster.js — that script automatically adds overflow: hidden to .poster/.page containers to clip decorative overflow. You don't need to add or remove it manually.
Problem
Cause
Fix
Browser preview cuts off bottom content, can't scroll
overflow: hidden on container + viewport < design height
Remove overflow: hidden
html2pdf-next.js "Fixed vertical overflow" warning, layout may break
Always pair fixed-size pages with @media screen auto-scale so the full page is visible in any browser window without scrolling. See briefs/creative.md § 0.5 for the CSS pattern.
Full-Bleed Rule (No White Margins)
When generating HTML for Playwright page.pdf(), the content MUST fill the entire page with zero margins. White side margins = broken layout.
Missing @page { margin: 0 } - browser default margins kick in (~1cm each side)
Content width doesn't match page width - e.g., canvas is 720px but page is A4 (794px)
Missing @page { size } declaration in the HTML
Content has explicit max-width that's narrower than the page
For blueprint pipeline:design_engine.py now injects @page { size: var(--canvas-w) var(--canvas-h); margin: 0; } automatically.
For raw HTML: YOU must include the @page rule. No exceptions.
For direct Playwright: Pass margin: { top: 0, right: 0, bottom: 0, left: 0 } to page.pdf().
Background Color Consistency (No Color Mismatch)
html / body background color must match the content canvas background color.
Playwright page.pdf({ printBackground: true }) renders the body background color. If body is white while the content area is gray/colored, color-inconsistent borders/gaps will appear in the PDF.
Single-color documents (all pages same background)
/* MANDATORY: body background = content background */html, body {
margin: 0;
padding: 0;
background: var(--c-bg); /* Same color as content canvas */
}
Multi-page documents with mixed backgrounds (e.g. dark cover + white body pages)
Root cause: Playwright resolves .page { width: 210mm } and @page { size: 210mm } to slightly different sub-pixel values (e.g. 793.688px vs 793.701px). This creates a <1px gap at the right/bottom edge of each .page div where body's background shows through. On dark pages, a white body background makes this gap visible as a white edge.
Fix — set body background to the document's dominant dark color:
Dark pages: sub-pixel gap reveals dark body → gap invisible.
White pages: .page-white { background: #ffffff } fully covers body → dark body never visible.
The gap is <1px — even on white pages, the dark body at the extreme pixel edge is imperceptible after anti-aliasing.
Rule: when generating multi-page HTML with mixed backgrounds, always set html, body { background } to the darkest page's background color. If all pages are light/white, use the lightest content background (e.g. #f8fafc). Never leave body background unset (browser default = white = guaranteed white edges on dark pages).
### Content Centering (No Left/Right Drift)
**After HTML-to-PDF conversion, content must be centered, no left or right drift allowed.**
Common drift causes:
1. `@page { margin }` not 0 — browser default margin causes drift
2. `.safe-zone` or content container `inset` / `padding` left-right asymmetric
3. Content container has `max-width` but no `margin: 0 auto`
4. Grid components only occupy partial column width (e.g. `1/1 → X/7` only uses left half)
5. **Decorative elements overflow page boundary** — elements with `width > 100%` or negative offsets (e.g. glow circles, gradient overlays) inflate `scrollWidth` beyond page width. Playwright shrinks all content to fit, causing left-shift. **Fix: add `overflow: hidden` to `.page` containers.** See `typesetting/overflow.md` §3.5 for horizontal flex overflow rules.
### Anti-Void Edges (No Large Blank Margins)
**Content should not have large meaningless whitespace at page edges, top, or bottom.**
- Content should make full use of page area; do not cram all content in the top half while leaving the bottom blank
- For multi-page documents, each page's fill rate should be ≥ 60% (see `pagination.md` last page ≥ 40% rule)
- For single-page posters/infographics, fill rate should be ≥ 70%
---
## Preflight (Quality Assurance)
Every PDF must pass preflight checks before delivery. Each brief specifies the exact commands.
### HTML Pre-Render Validation (MANDATORY for ALL HTML→PDF paths)
**Before** calling `html2pdf-next.js`, `html2poster.js`, `convert.blueprint`, or any Playwright `page.pdf()`, run:
```bash
python3 "$PDF_SKILL_DIR/scripts/poster_validate.py" check-html <your_file>.html
Result
Action
PASS (no errors)
Proceed to PDF generation
ERROR items
Must fix before generating PDF. Use --fix --output <file>.html for auto-repair
WARNING items
Review; non-blocking but should be addressed
Key checks:
OVERFLOW_HIDDEN_CONTAINER (error): overflow:hidden on html/body/.page clips content in browser preview and triggers html2pdf-next.js auto-fix that may break layout
HTML→PDF route deliverables (MANDATORY — applies to ALL briefs that use Playwright/HTML to generate PDF):
Whenever the HTML→PDF pipeline is used (Creative route, Report cover bypass, Direct HTML Flow posters, or any Playwright page.pdf() path), you MUST deliver both files to the user:
HTML — the source HTML file, so the user can edit and reuse the design
PDF — the final vector PDF (page.pdf() output)
Optionally also provide:
3. Image — a full-page screenshot/preview image (PNG or JPG) for quick sharing on chat/social media
All file paths must be reported to the user. Never deliver only the PDF without the HTML source.
OVERFLOW_HIDDEN_CONTAINER (error): overflow:hidden on html/body/.page/.poster — clips content
FIXED_SIZE_NO_SCREEN_ADAPT (warning): fixed-size page without @media screen auto-scale
SCREEN_ADAPT_NO_SCALE (warning): @media screen exists but lacks scale/transform/zoom
FONT_NO_FALLBACK (error): font-family without generic fallback (sans-serif/serif)
COLOR_CONTRAST (warning): text/background contrast ratio < 3:1
BG_COLOR_MISMATCH (warning): body background differs from .canvas/.poster background
SCREEN_BG_MISMATCH (warning): @media screen html background differs from body/canvas background
MULTIPAGE_BODY_BG_MISSING (warning): multi-page document with dark .page backgrounds but no html/body background color. Sub-pixel gaps at page edges reveal white body, causing visible white edges on dark pages. Resolves var() references via :root variables.
SCREEN_NO_BG (warning): fixed-size page's @media screen block lacks html background color
OVERFLOW_DECORATION (warning): negative position values may cause black edges
NO_PAGE_SIZE / MISSING_MARGIN_RESET / WHITE_BACKGROUND / TINY_FONT / etc.
check-tex checks include:
BARE_TABULAR_OVERFLOW (error): \begin{tabular} with 5+ columns in two-column layout, not wrapped in resizebox/adjustbox/table*
RESIZEBOX_TEXTWIDTH (error): \resizebox{\textwidth} used inside single-column float in two-column layout. \textwidth = full page width, but table float is one column. Fix: use \resizebox{\columnwidth} or table*
TABULAR_OVERFLOW_RISK (warning): 4-column tabular in two-column layout without width constraint
TABULAR_WIDE (warning): 7+ column tabular in single-column layout without width constraint
TABULAR_NO_FLOAT (warning): tabular not inside table/table* float environment
TABULARX_NOT_LOADED (warning): document has tabular but tabularx package not loaded
IMAGE_NO_WIDTH (warning): \includegraphics without width/height/scale constraint
EQUATION_DUAL_ON_LINE (warning): equation environment has 2+ equations joined by \quad without line breaks. Guaranteed overflow in dual-column
EQUATION_OVERFLOW_RISK (warning): equation body has >80 math characters. Likely overflows single column
ALGORITHM_NO_SMALL_FONT (warning): algorithm environment in dual-column without \SetAlFnt{\small}
ALGORITHM_LONG_IO (warning): Algorithm Input/Output line >120 chars. Will overflow narrow column
CJK_ASCII_QUOTES (error): ASCII " found adjacent to CJK characters. LaTeX interprets " as right double quote, so "北漂" renders incorrectly. Skips verbatim/lstlisting/minted environments and \texttt{}/\url{}/\href{}{}/\verb|| inline commands.
⚠️ Cascade palette is the preferred palette system. It enforces area ∝ 1/saturation (larger areas = lower saturation) and outputs unified color subsets for cover, body, and charts from one base hue. Use palette.cascade instead of palette.generate for new documents.
⚠️ Report route MUST call palette.cascade (or palette.generate) before writing any ReportLab code. The output is copy-paste ready - no manual hex picking allowed.
Note: design_engine.py compile produces HTML from a JSON blueprint. To get a PDF, use pdf.py convert.blueprint which internally calls compile → Playwright render → PDF output. In the Creative pipeline, always use convert.blueprint for the final PDF.
Tech Stack per Brief
Brief
Primary Tool
Secondary
Emoji Support
Custom Page Size
Report
ReportLab + pypdf
Playwright (cover)
❌ (tofu □)
Manual pagination
Creative
Playwright
html2pdf-next.js (pdf-lib for post-processing)
✅ native
✅ any size
Academic
Tectonic + pypdf
Playwright (cover)
❌ (dropped)
Template-dependent
Process
pikepdf, pdfplumber
LibreOffice (soffice)
N/A
N/A
Unified Cover System: All routes generate covers via HTML/Playwright. Report uses Templates 01–07, Academic uses Templates 08–10 (dark backgrounds, scholarly typography), Creative generates cover + body in one HTML document. Cover PDFs are merged with body PDFs via pypdf.
Fallback: If Report brief content has emoji → reroute to Creative.
File Map
SKILL.md ← You are here
briefs/
report.md ← Report production: ReportLab workflow + API + resume(ATS)
creative.md ← Creative production: 5-phase generative design workflow
poster.md ← Poster scene rules: density, font sizing, fill constraints (overlay on creative.md)
academic.md ← Academic production: LaTeX workflow + templates + resume(CV)
process.md ← PDF processing: extract/merge/split/form/convert/reformat
process-advanced.md ← Advanced reference (encrypted/corrupted/OCR/batch/perf) - load on demand
configs/
visual_framework.md ← Palette mode, color harmony, SVG background params
components.md ← Non-grid composition components (floating cards, etc.)
fonts.md ← Font stacks per pipeline (Creative/Report/Academic)
typesetting/
palette.md ← Color system + typography + anti-patterns + spacing
cover.md ← Cover page layout system (7 layouts × 2-3 variants) + typography scale + color rules
cover-backgrounds.md ← Cover background rendering rules + transparency constraints
charts.md ← Chart styling + anti-stacking rules + axis/grid/legend treatment
overflow.md ← Bounding box system, text/image/table overflow prevention
pagination.md ← Cross-page integrity, orphan/widow control, CJK punctuation
typography.md ← Font size scale, line-height, spacing system
geometry.md ← Geometric anchor system (decorative elements, lines, shapes)
fill-engine.md ← Adaptive anti-void layout engine V2.0
scripts/
pdf.py ← CLI tool (30 subcommands)
pdf_qa.py ← PDF quality checker (metadata, fonts, overflow, margins, tables, formulas)
design_engine.py ← Generative SVG + palette engine (palette/svg/compile/derive/audit)
poster_validate.py ← HTML/PDF validator
toc_validate.py ← TOC validator
html2pdf-next.js ← Playwright + pdf-lib HTML→PDF converter for documents (no Paged.js)
html2poster.js ← Playwright HTML→PDF converter for posters/single-page (auto overflow:hidden, dynamic height)
cover_validate.js ← Cover-ONLY overlap detection (text vs decorative lines). Do NOT run on posters or documents — only on cover HTML in Report/Academic pipelines.
references/
resume-altacv.tex ← AltaCV dual-column resume template (creative/tech)
resume-academic.tex ← Academic CV template (PhD/academic)
Loading Protocol
Always read: This file (SKILL.md)
Read ONE brief: The matched brief file - it contains the complete workflow
Read typesetting on demand: Only when the brief says to (standard tasks)
Never load all files upfront - briefs reference what they need
Script Path Setup (MANDATORY before any script call)
All paths are relative to $PDF_SKILL_DIR — the single root variable for this skill. Resolve it once before calling any script:
PDF_SKILL_DIR="<skill_directory>"# ← parent directory of this SKILL.md# Then all commands use $PDF_SKILL_DIR:
python3 "$PDF_SKILL_DIR/scripts/pdf.py" code.sanitize generate_pdf.py
python3 "$PDF_SKILL_DIR/scripts/pdf.py" meta.brand output.pdf
python3 "$PDF_SKILL_DIR/scripts/pdf.py" font.check output.pdf
python3 "$PDF_SKILL_DIR/scripts/pdf.py" toc.check output.pdf
python3 "$PDF_SKILL_DIR/scripts/pdf.py" pages.clean output.pdf -o output_clean.pdf
python3 "$PDF_SKILL_DIR/scripts/pdf_qa.py" output.pdf
python3 "$PDF_SKILL_DIR/scripts/poster_validate.py" check-html page.html
python3 "$PDF_SKILL_DIR/scripts/poster_validate.py" check-pdf output.pdf
For Python imports (when generation code needs to import skill modules):
import sys, os
PDF_SKILL_DIR = "<skill_directory>"
_scripts = os.path.join(PDF_SKILL_DIR, "scripts")
if _scripts notin sys.path:
sys.path.insert(0, _scripts)
⚠️ NEVER use bare python3 scripts/pdf.py ... - it only works if cwd happens to be the skill directory. Always use $PDF_SKILL_DIR/scripts/ as the absolute prefix.
8. Quality Checklist (Mandatory after every PDF generation)
The following checks come from the typesetting/ spec files and are mandatory quality gates.
Automated Detection (Must Run)
python3 "$PDF_SKILL_DIR/scripts/pdf_qa.py" <output.pdf>
python3 "$PDF_SKILL_DIR/scripts/pdf_qa.py" --poster <output.pdf> # poster mode: skip content fill ratio, check all pages for full-bleed
python3 "$PDF_SKILL_DIR/scripts/pdf_qa.py" --skip-cover --formulas <output.pdf> # academic mode: skip cover for margin check, enable formula overflow
python3 "$PDF_SKILL_DIR/scripts/pdf_qa.py" --no-tables <output.pdf> # creative mode: skip table centering check
Dependency: Requires pymupdf (pip install pymupdf). If not installed, skip automated detection and use the manual checklist below.
Run pdf_qa.py after generating a PDF. It auto-detects: metadata completeness, page size consistency, blank pages, CJK punctuation placement, color count, font embedding status, content overflow, content fill ratio, cover full-bleed, margin symmetry, table centering, formula overflow.
--poster mode: skips content fill ratio check (poster last page naturally has less content), checks ALL pages for full-bleed (not just cover)
--skip-cover: skips page 1 when checking margin symmetry (for documents with separately-generated covers)
--no-tables: disables table centering check (for creative/poster documents that rarely have traditional tables)
--formulas: enables formula overflow detection (checks if formula-like content extends past right content margin)
Result PASS → deliver directly
Result WARN → evaluate whether fix is needed, non-blocking
Result FAIL → must fix and regenerate
Pagination & Layout (pagination.md)
Last page fill ratio ≥ 40%: No large blank areas on the final page. If insufficient, backtrack to compress spacing/line-height/font-size
Major section 3/4 threshold: H1-level headings must NOT start in the bottom 25% of a page. If remaining space < 25%, force page break and start on fresh page. Use CondPageBreak(available_height * 0.25) in ReportLab, \needspace{0.25\textheight} in LaTeX
Tables don’t split across pages: Table header and data rows must stay together. Small tables: break-inside: avoid. Large tables: thead { display: table-header-group }
Punctuation placement rules: Commas, periods, etc. must not appear at line start. Set line-break: strict in CSS
No orphan headings: Headings must not appear alone at page bottom. Use break-after: avoid
Cards/images not cut: break-inside: avoid
Overflow Prevention (overflow.md)
All table cells use Paragraph() wrapping (ReportLab): Never plain strings - they don't wrap and overflow
sum(colWidths) ≤ available_width: Verified in code, not assumed
Images/charts proportionally scaled: Never inserted at original dimensions; always fit_image() or max-width: 100%
Long tables have repeatRows=1: Table header repeats on every page when table breaks across pages
Heading + first paragraph in KeepTogether: Prevents orphan headings at page bottom
Chart + caption in KeepTogether: Prevents chart on one page, caption on next
CJK text uses wordWrap='CJK': Required for proper line-breaking of Chinese/Japanese/Korean
URLs/long strings have word-break: overflow-wrap: break-word (HTML) or manual splitting (ReportLab)
Font degradation fallback: Tight columns can shrink font by up to 3pt before clipping
Color (palette.md) - Report & Creative only
Academic (LaTeX) documents are exempt from this color system. LaTeX uses template-defined styling.
All colors traceable to primary: Secondary and accent derived via lightness/saturation/micro-hue shift
Sibling elements not differentiated by different hues: Use opacity/lightness/borders instead
Gradient endpoints hue difference < 20°: No warm-to-cool gradients
No high-saturation color blocks: Avoid eye strain
Cover V2 (cover.md)
Evaluate whether a cover is needed: Reports, proposals, analysis, white papers, manuals ≥ 3 pages → always add cover (default ON). Skip cover ONLY for: resumes, CVs, letters, memos, forms, checklists, invoices, internal notes, or documents ≤ 2 pages
Single PDF output: Cover is merged into the final PDF as page 1. Report/Academic: cover generated via HTML/Playwright → merged as page 0 via pypdf. Creative: cover is part of the same HTML document. NEVER deliver a separate cover file
Page isolation: Cover NEVER shares a page with TOC or body content. Report/Academic: inherent via pypdf merge (separate PDFs). Creative: CSS page-break ensures isolation
Absolute Anchor Grid: All elements use percentage Y-anchors (Part 0, A0.1). NO flow-based layout
Mandatory Summary Block 🆕: Every cover MUST include a Summary/Description drawer (2-4 lines). If user provides none, auto-generate placeholder text (S3.5)
Safety checks: Hero title overflow (max 3 lines, auto-reduce font S3.1); Zone collision detection (S3.2); Uppercase lock for Latin kickers/footers/watermarks (S3.3); Hard width boundary enforcement (S3.4); Summary auto-generation (S3.5); Background watermark full-display enforcement (S3.6)
Background watermark complete 🆕: All background layer watermark text (year, document type, sidebar text) must be 100% visible within page bounds - auto-shrink font if needed, NEVER clip/truncate
Data binding correct 🆕: Hero Title = company/entity name (biggest, heaviest text); Kicker = report type/subtitle (small decorative text). NEVER reverse this mapping
Fill Engine applied 🆕: Font floor enforced (body ≥ 14pt single-col / 12pt dual-col, H1 ≥ 32pt, H2 ≥ 24pt, H3 ≥ 18pt); Fill Ratio calculated; inflation triggered when < 65%; Y-axis golden-ratio anchor when < 40%
Selected one of 7+4 templates: General templates 01–07 + Academic templates 08–10 + Institutional template 11. Autonomously select the best-fit template by analyzing document intent (Calm/Tension/Energy/Authority/Warmth) and document type per Part 2 Intent × Type matrix. Thesis proposals/dissertations/institutional submissions → default Template 11. No global default - every selection must be a deliberate design decision
Typography weight hierarchy: Hero 45-65pt Heavy, Meta 20-22pt Regular, Kicker/Footer 16pt with 3pt letter-spacing + 60% opacity, Summary 16-18pt Regular
Base spacing unit: U = W * 0.05 - all spacing should be multiples of U
Bounding box via absolute anchors: Each block anchored to fixed Y%, grows only within its own zone, never pushes adjacent blocks
Safe zone margin: 8-12% on all sides per template spec (corner marks for Template 04 at 8%)
Cover colors consistent with body: No independent color scheme; white/light backgrounds only
Clip-path on Layer 1: All background decorative elements must be clipped to page bounds
Clip scope = Layer 1 ONLY �F: saveState()/clipPath() must restoreState() BEFORE rendering Layer 2 lines and Layer 3 text. Text rendered inside clip scope = text gets cut off
No page border/frame �F: Cover page must have showBoundary=0, no canvas.rect(0,0,W,H), no CSS border/outline on cover container
Line-to-text minimum gap �F: Decorative lines (Layer 2) must be at least U (= W * 0.05) away from any text content
No dark/gradient backgrounds: No dark fills, no gradients, no high-saturation schemes
Hard width enforcement: Text wraps vertically at zone boundary, NEVER bleeds horizontally past assigned width
🚫 NEVER use ReportLab for covers — ALL covers (Report, Creative, Academic) are generated via HTML/Playwright. See cover.md for the 10-template system. If you catch yourself writing canvas.setFillColor() + canvas.rect() for a cover background, STOP — switch to HTML/Playwright.
Line-length alignment (S3.7): Vertical lines match text block height (± 1U); horizontal lines ≥ widest text element width (never shorter than text)
Vertical balance (S3.8): No >40% dead whitespace at bottom; sparse content uses centered distribution; CJK titles 15-20% larger than Latin equivalent
Percentage positioning safety (S3.9): Every element with top: XX% must have a containing block with deterministic height (height: 100%, inset: 0, or top+bottom pair). Wrappers without explicit height + percentage-positioned children = overlap bug. Prefer px values over percentages
Cover colors from palette system: All :root CSS variables populated by palette.cascade output. Template HTML uses --c-bg, --c-accent, --c-text, --c-muted — no hardcoded hex values in generated HTML
Geometric Anchors (geometry.md)
Anchors use only the primary color: Layer via opacity, don't mix colors
Strokes over fills: Solid elements ≤ 30%
Ultra-thin lines: stroke-width 0.3-0.8px
Asymmetric placement: Offset creates tension
Elements ≤ 8: Restraint, don't clutter
Charts (charts.md)
No text stacking/overlap: All chart labels, values, and legends must be collision-free
Chart-to-text separation: Minimum 24pt gap above and below charts; 8pt between chart and caption; 30pt between consecutive charts
Legend-to-chart non-overlap: Legend MUST NOT overlap chart data area. Use bbox_to_anchor or external placement
Value label anti-collision: Adjacent value labels that overlap must be staggered, rotated, or selectively hidden
Pie charts → Donut by default: hole_ratio 60-70%, center shows total/core metric
Small pie slices handled: Slices < 5% use leader lines, < 3% merge to "Others", or strip labels to rich legend
Bar chart auto-rotation: If X-axis labels avg > 5 CJK chars (or 10 Latin), auto-convert to horizontal bars
Line chart labeling: Only label start, end, max, min points - NOT every data point
Axis cleanup: Top/right spines deleted, grid lines dashed at 0.5pt/20% opacity (or hidden if values labeled)
Bar micro-rounding: Top border-radius 2-4px, bar-to-gap ratio 1.5:1 or 2:1
Legend de-boxed: No border on legend, horizontal layout, small circle markers
Chart title hierarchy: Bold main title left-aligned above chart, lighter subtitle below it
Global Layout
Margin symmetry: left_margin == right_margin - asymmetric margins cause off-center content (ReportLab, LaTeX, HTML all checked)
Full-bleed enforcement (Playwright): HTML includes @page { size: <w> <h>; margin: 0; } and html,body { margin:0; padding:0; }. No white side margins in the output PDF
Background color consistency (Playwright): html, body { background } set explicitly. Single-color docs: match content canvas. Multi-page mixed docs: use the darkest page's background color. Mismatch or missing = sub-pixel white edges on dark pages
Content centering (Playwright): Content is centered in PDF, not drifting left or right. Check: symmetric inset/padding, full-width grid columns, no unbalanced max-width
Anti-void edges: No large meaningless blank areas at top, bottom, or sides. Content fills ≥ 60% of page (multi-page) or ≥ 70% (single-page poster/infographic)
Fill Engine applied: Pages with < 80% fill ratio trigger the fill engine (see fill-engine.md)
Table centering: ALL tables must be horizontally centered on the page. ReportLab: use hAlign='CENTER' on Table flowable. LaTeX: use \centering inside table environment. HTML: use margin: 0 auto on table element. NEVER let tables float left with right-side whitespace
Table column width: Table total width should be 85-100% of content area width. Avoid narrow tables (< 60% width) that look lost on the page. If table is narrow, expand column widths proportionally or use colWidths to fill available space
Exam / Quiz / Test Paper Rules
Question numbering: Use hierarchical numbering (一、二、三 for sections; 1. 2. 3. for questions; (1)(2)(3) or A B C D for sub-questions/options)
Option indentation: Multiple-choice options MUST be indented relative to the question stem. Minimum leftIndent = 24pt (2em). Options must NEVER start at the same X position as the question number
Option layout: ≤4 short options (≤4 chars each) → 2×2 grid or single row. >4 options or long text → vertical list, one per line. Each option on its own line gets consistent indentation
Answer space reservation: MUST reserve blank space for handwritten answers. Calculation: short answer = 2-3 blank lines (40-60pt); paragraph/essay = 8-15 blank lines (160-300pt); math work = 6-10 blank lines (120-200pt); fill-in-the-blank = inline underline (min 80pt width). Use Spacer(1, height) in ReportLab
Answer line style: Use light gray dashed or dotted horizontal lines for answer areas, NOT solid black lines. Line weight ≤ 0.5pt, color = #cccccc or lighter
Score marking area: Each question should have a score indicator in the margin or after the question number, e.g., “(10分)” or “[10 pts]”
Page density: Exam papers should NOT be cramped. Minimum spaceBefore=12pt between questions. Section headers get spaceBefore=24pt
Design Restraint (Anti-Gaudy)
Decorative elements ≤ 3 per page: Maximum 3 decorative/non-functional visual elements per page (lines, shapes, icons, patterns). Cover page exempt
No gratuitous icons/emoji in headers: Section headers should use typography hierarchy (size, weight, color) for emphasis — NOT emoji, icons, or decorative bullets unless the user explicitly requested them
No rainbow/multi-color schemes: Stick to the single-family palette system. If you find yourself using 4+ distinct hue families in one document, STOP and simplify
No decorative borders on body pages: Body content pages must NOT have decorative borders, corner ornaments, or page frames. Clean margins only. (Cover page Template 11 border is the sole exception)
No texture/pattern backgrounds on body pages: Body pages use solid white or ultra-light tinted backgrounds only. No dot grids, crosshatch, diagonal lines, or any pattern fills
Whitespace is design: Empty space between elements is intentional and valuable. Do NOT fill every gap with decorative elements, horizontal rules, or filler content
Typography over decoration: Create visual hierarchy through font size, weight, spacing, and color — not through adding more visual elements. If a design looks busy, REMOVE elements rather than rearranging them
2-typeface maximum: Entire document uses at most 2 font families (one serif, one sans-serif). No mixing 3+ fonts for “variety”
🚫 NO stock images / clipart / AI-generated decorations: NEVER embed watercolor flowers, floral borders, gold frames, stock photos, clipart illustrations, or AI-generated artwork for decoration. Use geometric shapes (CSS/SVG from geometry.md) + typography for all visual design. Only user-provided content images (photos, logos, diagrams) are allowed. See visual_framework.md Stock Image Ban
LaTeX-Specific (academic.md)
Curly quotes: No straight " quotes - use text'' for double and `text' `` for single
Title page isolation: \end{titlepage} followed by \newpage/\clearpage - TOC/body NEVER on same page as title
Resume column overlap: AltaCV paracol entries checked for vertical overflow; max 3-4 bullets per \cvevent; explicit \newpage for 2-page resumes
\geometry symmetry: left=X, right=X must be equal values
Output Cleanliness (All Pipelines)
No process artifacts in output: NEVER include version numbers ("V3"), iteration markers, draft labels ("DRAFT"), "CONFIDENTIAL"/"机密" stamps, "Generated by AI"/"本文档由AI生成", or internal comments in the final PDF unless the user explicitly requested them
No auto-generated boilerplate labels: Do not add ANY watermarks, generation notices, version numbers, timestamps, or tool names that the user didn't ask for
No debug output in content: Console logs, file paths, generation timestamps, tool names, or error messages must never appear in the PDF body
Clean metadata only: PDF metadata (author, title, subject) should reflect the document content, not the generation process
