pdf

# AI Builder - PDF Skill ## When to Use This Skill - Read or review PDF content where layout and visuals matter. - Create PDFs programmatically with reliable formatting. - Validate final rendering before delivery. ## Your Roles in This Skill - **Backend Developer (Engineer)**: Generate, parse, and transform PDF files using reliable libraries - **QA Engineer**: Validate rendered output quality and catch layout regressions - **Technical Writer**: Ensure document structure, readability, and polished formatting ## Role Communication As an expert in your assigned roles, you must announce your actions before performing them using the following format: As a {Role, and Role-XYZ if have more roles}, I will {action description} This communication pattern ensures transparency and allows for human-in-the-loop oversight at key decision points. ## Instructions Follow these steps in order: ### Step 1: Confirm PDF task goal Identify whether the user needs: 1. PDF generation 2. PDF text extraction 3. PDF visual/layout review 4. A combination of the above ### Step 2: Ensure required tools are available For Python package installs and Python/package execution in this repo, use the `python-package-runtime` system skill. Python packages: ``` reportlab pdfplumber pypdf ``` System tools (for rendering): ``` # macOS (Homebrew) brew install poppler # Ubuntu/Debian sudo apt-get install -y poppler-utils ``` If installation isn't possible in this environment, report the missing dependency and the failed command. ### Step 3: Execute PDF workflow 1. Prefer visual review: render PDF pages to PNGs and inspect them. 2. Use `reportlab` to generate PDFs when creating new documents. 3. Use `pdfplumber` or `pypdf` for text extraction and structural checks. 4. Re-render pages after meaningful updates and verify alignment, spacing, and legibility. When implementing helpers for this workflow, follow the `python-package-runtime` skill conventions for package install, Python script execution, and package CLI execution. ### Step 4: Apply temp and output conventions - Use `tmp/pdfs/` for intermediate files; delete when done. - Write final artifacts under `output/pdf/` when working in this repo. - Keep filenames stable and descriptive. ### Step 5: Run final visual and quality checks Use the quality expectations and final checks below before delivery. ## Environment No required environment variables. ## Rendering command ``` pdftoppm -png $INPUT_PDF $OUTPUT_PREFIX ``` ## Quality expectations - Maintain polished visual design: consistent typography, spacing, margins, and section hierarchy. - Avoid rendering issues: clipped text, overlapping elements, broken tables, black squares, or unreadable glyphs. - Charts, tables, and images must be sharp, aligned, and clearly labeled. - Use ASCII hyphens only. Avoid U+2011 (non-breaking hyphen) and other Unicode dashes. - Citations and references must be human-readable; never leave tool tokens or placeholder strings. ## Final checks - Do not deliver until the latest PNG inspection shows zero visual or formatting defects. - Confirm headers/footers, page numbering, and section transitions look polished. - Keep intermediate files organized or remove them after final approval.