| name | pdf_protect |
| description | Add or remove password protection on PDF files. Use when: user asks to encrypt, password-protect, unlock, or decrypt a PDF. Supports owner and user passwords with permission controls. NOT for: digital signatures, certificate-based encryption, or DRM. |
| dependencies | PyPDF2 |
| metadata | {"emoji":"🔒"} |
PDF Protect Skill
Add or remove password protection on PDF files using PyPDF2.
When to Use
✅ USE this skill when:
- "Password protect this PDF"
- "Encrypt report.pdf"
- "Remove password from this PDF"
- "Unlock this PDF — password is 1234"
- User wants to add or remove PDF encryption
When NOT to Use
❌ DON'T use this skill when:
- Digital signatures → use dedicated signing tools
- Certificate-based encryption → use specialized PKI tools
- DRM protection → not supported
- Reading PDF content → use
pdf_reader
Usage/Commands
Encrypt a PDF
python {skill_path}/protect_pdf.py encrypt INPUT_PDF OUTPUT_PDF --password SECRET [options]
Options:
--password SECRET — user password (required to open the PDF)--owner-password SECRET — owner password (for permissions; defaults to user password)--no-print — disable printing--no-copy — disable text copying--format json — output result as JSON
Decrypt a PDF
python {skill_path}/protect_pdf.py decrypt INPUT_PDF OUTPUT_PDF --password SECRET [options]
Options:
--password SECRET — password to unlock the PDF--format json — output result as JSON
Examples
- "Protect with password" →
python {skill_path}/protect_pdf.py encrypt doc.pdf protected.pdf --password mypass
- "Restrict printing" →
python {skill_path}/protect_pdf.py encrypt doc.pdf out.pdf --password pass --no-print
- "Unlock PDF" →
python {skill_path}/protect_pdf.py decrypt locked.pdf unlocked.pdf --password pass123
Notes
- Install dependency:
pip install PyPDF2
- AES-128 encryption is used by default
- If owner password is not set, it defaults to the user password
