PDF Workflows

---
name: "pdf"
description: "Use when tasks involve reading, creating, or reviewing PDF files where rendering and layout matter; prefer visual checks by rendering pages (Poppler) and use Python tools such as `reportlab`, `pdfplumber`, and `pypdf` for generation and extraction."
---


# PDF Skill

## When to use
- Read or review PDF content where layout and visuals matter.
- Create PDFs programmatically with reliable formatting.
- Validate final rendering before delivery.

## Workflow
1. Prefer visual review: render PDF pages to PNGs and inspect them.
   - Use `pdftoppm` if available.
   - If unavailable, install Poppler or ask the user to review the output locally.
2. Use `reportlab` to generate PDFs when creating new documents.
3. Use `pdfplumber` (or `pypdf`) for text extraction and quick checks; do not rely on it for layout fidelity.
4. After each meaningful update, re-render pages and verify alignment, spacing, and legibility.

## 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.