Skill

Official

Fail

Audit score 45

pdf

openai/skills

Read, create, and review PDFs with visual rendering and Python tools for layout-aware processing.

What is pdf?

Use this skill when working with PDF files where layout, formatting, and visual appearance matter. It combines visual rendering (via Poppler) with Python libraries (reportlab, pdfplumber, pypdf) for generation, extraction, and validation.

Render PDF pages to PNG images for visual inspection and layout verification
Generate PDFs programmatically with reliable formatting using reportlab
Extract text and metadata from PDFs using pdfplumber and pypdf
Validate final rendering before delivery to catch formatting defects
Maintain organized workflows with temp and output file conventions

How to install pdf

npx skills add https://github.com/openai/skills --skill pdf

Prerequisites

Python 3 with uv or pip package manager
Poppler system tools (pdftoppm) for rendering; installable via Homebrew on macOS or apt on Ubuntu/Debian
Python packages: reportlab, pdfplumber, pypdf

Claude Code

Cursor

Windsurf

Cline

How to use pdf

1.Install dependencies: run `uv pip install reportlab pdfplumber pypdf` and system Poppler tools
2.For PDF creation: use reportlab to generate new PDFs with specified formatting
3.For PDF review: render pages to PNG using `pdftoppm -png` and inspect visually
4.For text extraction: use pdfplumber or pypdf to extract content and metadata
5.After each update: re-render pages and verify alignment, spacing, and legibility before final delivery

Use cases

Good for

Creating formatted reports or documents with consistent typography and spacing
Reviewing PDF layouts to ensure text alignment, tables, and images render correctly
Extracting structured data from PDFs while preserving layout information
Validating that generated PDFs have no clipped text, overlapping elements, or rendering issues
Building automated PDF generation pipelines with quality checks

Who it's for

Developers building PDF generation systems
Data analysts extracting information from complex PDF documents
QA engineers validating document formatting and visual appearance
Automation engineers creating report generation workflows

pdf FAQ

When should I use this skill instead of just reading PDF text?

Use this skill when layout, visual design, spacing, typography, or image placement matters. For simple text extraction without layout concerns, basic text tools may suffice.

What if Poppler is not available in my environment?

The skill will notify you which dependency is missing. You can install Poppler locally (via Homebrew on macOS or apt on Ubuntu/Debian) or review the rendered output on your local machine.

Which library should I use for text extraction?

Use pdfplumber or pypdf for text extraction and quick checks. However, do not rely on them for layout fidelity; use visual rendering (PNG inspection) to verify formatting.

Where should I store intermediate and final PDF files?

Use `tmp/pdfs/` for intermediate files (delete when done) and `output/pdf/` for final artifacts. Keep filenames stable and descriptive.

What quality issues should I watch for?

Avoid clipped text, overlapping elements, broken tables, black squares, unreadable glyphs, and Unicode dashes. Ensure headers, footers, page numbering, and section transitions look polished.

Full instructions (SKILL.md)

Source of truth, from openai/skills.

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

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.
Use reportlab to generate PDFs when creating new documents.
Use pdfplumber (or pypdf) for text extraction and quick checks; do not rely on it for layout fidelity.
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.

Dependencies (install if missing)

Prefer uv for dependency management.

Python packages:

uv pip install reportlab pdfplumber pypdf

If uv is unavailable:

python3 -m pip install 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, tell the user which dependency is missing and how to install it locally.

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.