minimax-pdf

name	minimax-pdf
description	Use this skill when visual quality and design identity matter for a PDF. CREATE (generate from scratch), FILL (complete form fields), or REFORMAT (apply design to an existing doc). Uses token-based design system.
license	MIT
metadata	{"version":"1.0","category":"document-generation"}

minimax-pdf

Three tasks. One skill.

Read design/design.md before any CREATE or REFORMAT work.

---

Route table

User intent	Route	Scripts used
Generate a new PDF from scratch	CREATE	palette.py → cover.py → render_cover.js → render_body.py → merge.py
Fill / complete form fields in an existing PDF	FILL	fill_inspect.py → fill_write.py
Reformat / re-style an existing document	REFORMAT	reformat_parse.py → then full CREATE pipeline

Rule: when in doubt between CREATE and REFORMAT, ask whether the user has an existing document to start from. If yes → REFORMAT. If no → CREATE.

---

Route A: CREATE

Full pipeline — content → design tokens → cover → body → merged PDF.

bash scripts/make.sh run \
  --title "Q3 Strategy Review" --type proposal \
  --author "Strategy Team" --date "October 2025" \
  --accent "#2D5F8A" \
  --content content.json --out report.pdf

Doc types: report · proposal · resume · portfolio · academic · general · minimal · stripe · diagonal · frame · editorial · magazine · darkroom · terminal · poster

Type	Cover pattern	Visual identity
report	fullbleed	Dark bg, dot grid, Playfair Display
proposal	split	Left panel + right geometric, Syne
resume	typographic	Oversized first-word, DM Serif Display
portfolio	atmospheric	Near-black, radial glow, Fraunces
academic	typographic	Light bg, classical serif, EB Garamond
general	fullbleed	Dark slate, Outfit
minimal	minimal	White + single 8px accent bar, Cormorant Garamond
stripe	stripe	3 bold horizontal color bands, Barlow Condensed
diagonal	diagonal	SVG angled cut, dark/light halves, Montserrat
frame	frame	Inset border, corner ornaments, Cormorant
editorial	editorial	Ghost letter, all-caps title, Bebas Neue
magazine	magazine	Warm cream bg, centered stack, hero image, Playfair Display
darkroom	darkroom	Navy bg, centered stack, grayscale image, Playfair Display
terminal	terminal	Near-black, grid lines, monospace, neon green
poster	poster	White bg, thick sidebar, oversized title, Barlow Condensed

Cover extras (inject into tokens via --abstract, --cover-image):

• --abstract "text" — abstract text block on the cover (magazine/darkroom)
• --cover-image "url" — hero image URL/path (magazine, darkroom, poster)

Color overrides — always choose these based on document content:

• --accent "#HEX" — override the accent color; accent_lt is auto-derived by lightening toward white
• --cover-bg "#HEX" — override the cover background color

Accent color selection guidance:

You have creative authority over the accent color. Pick it from the document's semantic context — title, industry, purpose, audience — not from generic "safe" choices. The accent appears on section rules, callout bars, table headers, and the cover: it carries the document's visual identity.

Context	Suggested accent range
Legal / compliance / finance	Deep navy #1C3A5E, charcoal #2E3440, slate #3D4C5E
Healthcare / medical	Teal-green #2A6B5A, cool green #3A7D6A
Technology / engineering	Steel blue #2D5F8A, indigo #3D4F8A
Environmental / sustainability	Forest #2E5E3A, olive #4A5E2A
Creative / arts / culture	Burgundy #6B2A35, plum #5A2A6B, terracotta #8A3A2A
Academic / research	Deep teal #2A5A6B, library blue #2A4A6B
Corporate / neutral	Slate #3D4A5A, graphite #444C56
Luxury / premium	Warm black #1A1208, deep bronze #4A3820

Rule: choose a color that a thoughtful designer would select for this specific document — not the type's default. Muted, desaturated tones work best; avoid vivid primaries. When in doubt, go darker and more neutral.

content.json block types:

Block	Usage	Key fields
h1	Section heading + accent rule	text
h2	Subsection heading	text
h3	Sub-subsection (bold)	text
body	Justified paragraph; supports <b> <i> markup	text
bullet	Unordered list item (• prefix)	text
numbered	Ordered list item — counter auto-resets on non-numbered blocks	text
callout	Highlighted insight box with accent left bar	text
table	Data table — accent header, alternating row tints	headers, rows, col_widths?, caption?
image	Embedded image scaled to column width	path/src, caption?
figure	Image with auto-numbered "Figure N:" caption	path/src, caption?
code	Monospace code block with accent left border	text, language?
math	Display math — LaTeX syntax via matplotlib mathtext	text, label?, caption?
chart	Bar / line / pie chart rendered with matplotlib	chart_type, labels, datasets, title?, x_label?, y_label?, caption?, figure?
flowchart	Process diagram with nodes + edges via matplotlib	nodes, edges, caption?, figure?
bibliography	Numbered reference list with hanging indent	items [{id, text}], title?
divider	Accent-colored full-width rule	—
caption	Small muted label	text
pagebreak	Force a new page	—
spacer	Vertical whitespace	pt (default 12)

chart / flowchart schemas:

{"type":"chart","chart_type":"bar","labels":["Q1","Q2","Q3","Q4"],
 "datasets":[{"label":"Revenue","values":[120,145,132,178]}],"caption":"Q results"}

{"type":"flowchart",
 "nodes":[{"id":"s","label":"Start","shape":"oval"},
          {"id":"p","label":"Process","shape":"rect"},
          {"id":"d","label":"Valid?","shape":"diamond"},
          {"id":"e","label":"End","shape":"oval"}],
 "edges":[{"from":"s","to":"p"},{"from":"p","to":"d"},
          {"from":"d","to":"e","label":"Yes"},{"from":"d","to":"p","label":"No"}]}

{"type":"bibliography","items":[
  {"id":"1","text":"Author (Year). Title. Publisher."}]}

---

Route B: FILL

Fill form fields in an existing PDF without altering layout or design.

# Step 1: inspect
python3 scripts/fill_inspect.py --input form.pdf

# Step 2: fill
python3 scripts/fill_write.py --input form.pdf --out filled.pdf \
  --values '{"FirstName": "Jane", "Agree": "true", "Country": "US"}'

Field type	Value format
text	Any string
checkbox	"true" or "false"
dropdown	Must match a choice value from inspect output
radio	Must match a radio value (often starts with /)

Always run fill_inspect.py first to get exact field names.

---

Route C: REFORMAT

Parse an existing document → content.json → CREATE pipeline.

bash scripts/make.sh reformat \
  --input source.md --title "My Report" --type report --out output.pdf

Supported input formats: .md .txt .pdf .json

---

Environment

bash scripts/make.sh check   # verify all deps
bash scripts/make.sh fix     # auto-install missing deps
bash scripts/make.sh demo    # build a sample PDF

Tool	Used by	Install
Python 3.9+	all .py scripts	system
reportlab	render_body.py	pip install reportlab
pypdf	fill, merge, reformat	pip install pypdf
Node.js 18+	render_cover.js	system
playwright + Chromium	render_cover.js	npm install -g playwright && npx playwright install chromium