create-epub

name	create-epub
description	Convert Markdown files into EPUB e-book documents. Use this skill whenever the user asks to "convert to epub", "create epub", "make an ebook", "generate an epub", or wants to package any Markdown content into an e-reader-friendly format — even if they don't say "epub" explicitly and just want a "book file" or "downloadable book."

create-epub

This skill provides a standardized workflow for converting Markdown documents into EPUB e-book files. It uses a bundled Node.js script that leverages the md-to-epub package, ideal for compiling documentation or books into e-reader-friendly formats.

Prerequisites

The generate_epub.cjs script requires md-to-epub to be installed globally. Check if it's available first, and install if missing:

npm list -g md-to-epub || npm install -g md-to-epub

Quick Start

Run the bundled generation script, passing the path to the Markdown file and an optional output path:

node .skills/create-epub/scripts/generate_epub.cjs path/to/your_file.md [optional/output/path.epub]

The script automatically:

1. Validates the file path and sanitizes encoding issues (e.g. Windows UTF-16 BOMs).
2. Runs the Markdown-to-EPUB converter.
3. Moves the output to the requested location (defaults to the same directory as the input file, with an .epub extension).

Workflow

1. Check dependencies: Run the prerequisite install command above before anything else.
2. Verify the file exists: Confirm the target .md file is accessible before running the script.
3. Execute the script: Run generate_epub.cjs with the correct paths.
4. Confirm output: The script prints Success: EPUB generated at path/to/your_file.epub on completion. If this line doesn't appear, treat it as a failure and surface the error to the user.
5. Notify the user: Share the absolute or relative path to the generated EPUB so they can open it in an e-reader (Apple Books, Calibre, Kindle, etc.).

Troubleshooting

• md-to-epub not found: Run npm install -g md-to-epub and retry.
• Encoding errors: The script handles UTF-16 BOMs automatically. If you still see garbled output, ensure the source file is saved as UTF-8.
• Script exits without printing success: Check stderr for the underlying error — most commonly a bad file path or a malformed Markdown structure.
• Output file not where expected: Without a second argument, the EPUB lands next to the input .md file. Pass an explicit output path to control the destination.