create-pdf

name	create-pdf
description	Convert Markdown files into professionally formatted PDF documents. Use this skill whenever the user asks to "convert to pdf", "create pdf", "print markdown", "generate a pdf", or wants to export any Markdown content as a shareable document — even if they just say "save this as a file I can print" or "make a PDF version of this."

create-pdf

This skill provides a standardized workflow for converting Markdown documents into beautifully formatted PDF files using a bundled Node.js script powered by md-to-pdf.

Prerequisites

The generate_pdf.cjs script requires md-to-pdf to be installed globally. Check and install in one step:

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

Quick Start

Run the bundled generation script with the path to the target Markdown file:

node workspace/.skills/create-pdf/scripts/generate_pdf.cjs path/to/your_file.md

The script automatically:

1. Validates the file path.
2. Applies a clean, professional CSS stylesheet (typography, margins, code block formatting).
3. Sets appropriate print margins.
4. Saves the PDF to the same directory as the input file, with a .pdf 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_pdf.cjs with the correct path.
4. Confirm output: The script prints Success: PDF generated at path/to/your_file.pdf 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 path to the generated PDF so they can open or print it.

Troubleshooting

• md-to-pdf not found: Run npm install -g md-to-pdf and retry.
• Script exits without printing success: Check stderr for the underlying error — most commonly a bad file path or unsupported Markdown syntax.
• Styling looks off: The bundled stylesheet handles standard Markdown. If the source file uses non-standard extensions (e.g. raw HTML, custom directives), output may vary.
• Output location unclear: The PDF always lands in the same directory as the input .md file — there is no output path argument. Move the file afterward if a different destination is needed.