pypdf

name	pypdf
description	Manipulate PDF documents programmatically. Merge, split, rotate, and watermark PDFs. Extract text and metadata. Handle form filling and encryption/decryption.
version	1.0.0
category	data
type	skill
capabilities	["pdf_merging","pdf_splitting","page_rotation","watermarking","text_extraction","metadata_handling","form_filling","encryption_decryption"]
tools	["python","pypdf","reportlab"]
tags	["pdf","document-manipulation","merge","split","watermark","encryption","office-automation"]
platforms	["windows","macos","linux"]
related_skills	["python-docx"]
requires	[]
scripts_exempt	true

Pypdf

Overview

PyPDF is a pure-Python library for working with PDF files. This skill covers comprehensive patterns for PDF manipulation including:

• PDF merging - Combine multiple PDFs into one document
• PDF splitting - Extract specific pages or split into multiple files
• Page rotation - Rotate pages by 90, 180, or 270 degrees
• Watermarking - Add text or image watermarks to pages
• Text extraction - Extract text content from PDF pages
• Metadata handling - Read and modify PDF metadata
• Form filling - Fill PDF form fields programmatically
• Encryption/Decryption - Secure PDFs with passwords

When to Use This Skill

USE when:

• Merging multiple PDF files into a single document
• Splitting large PDFs into smaller files
• Extracting specific pages from PDFs
• Adding watermarks or stamps to documents
• Extracting text content for analysis
• Reading or modifying PDF metadata
• Filling PDF forms programmatically
• Encrypting or decrypting PDF files
• Adding page numbers or headers/footers
• Rotating or reordering pages
• Automating PDF workflows in pipelines

DON'T USE when:

• Creating PDFs from scratch (use reportlab or weasyprint)
• Need advanced text layout control (use reportlab)
• Converting other formats to PDF (use dedicated converters)
• Need OCR for scanned documents (use pytesseract + pdf2image)
• Working with complex form creation (use reportlab)
• Need to edit existing text content (limited support)

Prerequisites

Installation

# Basic installation
pip install pypdf

# Using uv (recommended)
uv pip install pypdf

# With crypto support for encryption
pip install pypdf[crypto]


*See sub-skills for full details.*
### Verify Installation

```python
from pypdf import PdfReader, PdfWriter, PdfMerger
from pypdf.errors import PdfReadError

print("pypdf installed successfully!")
print(f"Version: {pypdf.__version__}")