---
name: minimax-pdf
description: >
  Use this skill when visual quality and design identity matter for a PDF.
  CREATE (generate from scratch): "make a PDF", "generate a report", "write a proposal",
  "create a resume", "beautiful PDF", "professional document", "cover page",
  "polished PDF", "client-ready document".
  FILL (complete form fields): "fill in the form", "fill out this PDF",
  "complete the form fields", "write values into PDF", "what fields does this PDF have".
  REFORMAT (apply design to an existing doc): "reformat this document", "apply our style",
  "convert this Markdown/text to PDF", "make this doc look good", "re-style this PDF".
  This skill uses a token-based design system: color, typography, and spacing are derived
  from the document type and flow through every page. The output is print-ready.
  Prefer this skill when appearance matters, not just when any PDF output is needed.
license: MIT
metadata:
  version: "1.0"
  category: document-generation
---

# minimax-pdf

Three tasks. One skill.

## Read `design/design.md` before any CREATE or REFORMAT work.

---

## Route table

| User intent | Route | Scripts used |
|---|---|---|
| Generate a new PDF from scratch | **CREATE** | `palette.py` → `cover.py` → `render_cover.js` → `render_body.py` → `merge.py` |
| Fill / complete form fields in an existing PDF | **FILL** | `fill_inspect.py` → `fill_write.py` |
| Reformat / re-style an existing document | **REFORMAT** | `reformat_parse.py` → then full CREATE pipeline |

**Rule:** when in doubt between CREATE and REFORMAT, ask whether the user has an existing document to start from. If yes → REFORMAT. If no → CREATE.

---

## Route A: CREATE

Full pipeline — content → design tokens → cover → body → merged PDF.

```bash
bash scripts/make.sh run \
  --title "Q3 Strategy Review" --type proposal \
  --author "Strategy Team" --date "October 2025" \
  --accent "#2D5F8A" \
  --content content.json --out report.pdf
```

**Long content (>2000 chars): write Markdown, NOT JSON.**
When the total text content exceeds ~2000 Chinese characters (or ~4000 English words), you MUST NOT write content.json directly. Instead, write a Markdown file and use the REFORMAT pipeline to convert it:

```
Step 1: write_file(path="draft.md", content="# Chapter 1\n\nFirst paragraphs...")
Step 2: write_file(path="draft.md", content="\n\n# Chapter 2\n\nMore text...", append=true)
Step 3: (repeat append until all content is written)
Step 4: bash make.sh reformat --input draft.md --title "Title" --type TYPE --out output.pdf
```

Rules:
- Write content as plain Markdown (.md) — headings, paragraphs, lists, blockquotes
- Use `append=true` to add more content in chunks (plain text append is safe, unlike JSON)
- Each chunk should contain no more than ~2000 characters of text content
- When all content is written, use `make.sh reformat` to convert and generate PDF in one step
- The reformat pipeline handles Markdown → content.json → PDF automatically
- Supported Markdown: `#` headings, `**bold**`, `- bullet` lists, `> blockquote` (→ callout), `| tables |`

**Why Markdown instead of JSON?** Appending plain text is safe — no brackets, commas, or escaping to maintain. JSON append across 30+ chunks is fragile and will break on long documents.

**IMPORTANT: Do NOT use the old chunked JSON approach for long content.** The JSON append method (writing `[`, appending blocks with commas, closing `]`) is unreliable for documents over 2000 characters and WILL fail on large documents.

**Doc types:** `report` · `proposal` · `resume` · `portfolio` · `academic` · `general` · `minimal` · `stripe` · `diagonal` · `frame` · `editorial` · `magazine` · `darkroom` · `terminal` · `poster`

| Type | Cover pattern | Visual identity |
|---|---|---|
| `report` | `fullbleed` | Dark bg, dot grid, Playfair Display |
| `proposal` | `split` | Left panel + right geometric, Syne |
| `resume` | `typographic` | Oversized first-word, DM Serif Display |
| `portfolio` | `atmospheric` | Near-black, radial glow, Fraunces |
| `academic` | `typographic` | Light bg, classical serif, EB Garamond |
| `general` | `fullbleed` | Dark slate, Outfit |
| `minimal` | `minimal` | White + single 8px accent bar, Cormorant Garamond |
| `stripe` | `stripe` | 3 bold horizontal color bands, Barlow Condensed |
| `diagonal` | `diagonal` | SVG angled cut, dark/light halves, Montserrat |
| `frame` | `frame` | Inset border, corner ornaments, Cormorant |
| `editorial` | `editorial` | Ghost letter, all-caps title, Bebas Neue |
| `magazine` | `magazine` | Warm cream bg, centered stack, hero image, Playfair Display |
| `darkroom` | `darkroom` | Navy bg, centered stack, grayscale image, Playfair Display |
| `terminal` | `terminal` | Near-black, grid lines, monospace, neon green |
| `poster` | `poster` | White bg, thick sidebar, oversized title, Barlow Condensed |

Cover extras (inject into tokens via `--abstract`, `--cover-image`):
- `--abstract "text"` — abstract text block on the cover (magazine/darkroom)
- `--cover-image "url"` — hero image URL/path (magazine, darkroom, poster)

**Color overrides — always choose these based on document content:**
- `--accent "#HEX"` — override the accent color; `accent_lt` is auto-derived by lightening toward white
- `--cover-bg "#HEX"` — override the cover background color

**Accent color selection guidance:**

You have creative authority over the accent color. Pick it from the document's semantic context — title, industry, purpose, audience — not from generic "safe" choices. The accent appears on section rules, callout bars, table headers, and the cover: it carries the document's visual identity.

| Context | Suggested accent range |
|---|---|
| Legal / compliance / finance | Deep navy `#1C3A5E`, charcoal `#2E3440`, slate `#3D4C5E` |
| Healthcare / medical | Teal-green `#2A6B5A`, cool green `#3A7D6A` |
| Technology / engineering | Steel blue `#2D5F8A`, indigo `#3D4F8A` |
| Environmental / sustainability | Forest `#2E5E3A`, olive `#4A5E2A` |
| Creative / arts / culture | Burgundy `#6B2A35`, plum `#5A2A6B`, terracotta `#8A3A2A` |
| Academic / research | Deep teal `#2A5A6B`, library blue `#2A4A6B` |
| Corporate / neutral | Slate `#3D4A5A`, graphite `#444C56` |
| Luxury / premium | Warm black `#1A1208`, deep bronze `#4A3820` |

**Rule:** choose a color that a thoughtful designer would select for this specific document — not the type's default. Muted, desaturated tones work best; avoid vivid primaries. When in doubt, go darker and more neutral.

**content.json block types:**

| Block | Usage | Key fields |
|---|---|---|
| `h1` | Section heading + accent rule | `text` |
| `h2` | Subsection heading | `text` |
| `h3` | Sub-subsection (bold) | `text` |
| `body` | Justified paragraph; supports `<b>` `<i>` markup | `text` |
| `bullet` | Unordered list item (• prefix) | `text` |
| `numbered` | Ordered list item — counter auto-resets on non-numbered blocks | `text` |
| `callout` | Highlighted insight box with accent left bar | `text` |
| `table` | Data table — accent header, alternating row tints | `headers`, `rows`, `col_widths`?, `caption`? |
| `image` | Embedded image scaled to column width | `path`/`src`, `caption`? |
| `figure` | Image with auto-numbered "Figure N:" caption | `path`/`src`, `caption`? |
| `code` | Monospace code block with accent left border | `text`, `language`? |
| `math` | Display math — LaTeX syntax via matplotlib mathtext | `text`, `label`?, `caption`? |
| `chart` | Bar / line / pie chart rendered with matplotlib | `chart_type`, `labels`, `datasets`, `title`?, `x_label`?, `y_label`?, `caption`?, `figure`? |
| `flowchart` | Process diagram with nodes + edges via matplotlib | `nodes`, `edges`, `caption`?, `figure`? |
| `bibliography` | Numbered reference list with hanging indent | `items` [{id, text}], `title`? |
| `divider` | Accent-colored full-width rule | — |
| `caption` | Small muted label | `text` |
| `pagebreak` | Force a new page | — |
| `spacer` | Vertical whitespace | `pt` (default 12) |

**chart / flowchart schemas:**
```json
{"type":"chart","chart_type":"bar","labels":["Q1","Q2","Q3","Q4"],
 "datasets":[{"label":"Revenue","values":[120,145,132,178]}],"caption":"Q results"}

{"type":"flowchart",
 "nodes":[{"id":"s","label":"Start","shape":"oval"},
          {"id":"p","label":"Process","shape":"rect"},
          {"id":"d","label":"Valid?","shape":"diamond"},
          {"id":"e","label":"End","shape":"oval"}],
 "edges":[{"from":"s","to":"p"},{"from":"p","to":"d"},
          {"from":"d","to":"e","label":"Yes"},{"from":"d","to":"p","label":"No"}]}

{"type":"bibliography","items":[
  {"id":"1","text":"Author (Year). Title. Publisher."}]}
```

---

## Route B: FILL

Fill form fields in an existing PDF without altering layout or design.

```bash
# Step 1: inspect
python3 scripts/fill_inspect.py --input form.pdf

# Step 2: fill
python3 scripts/fill_write.py --input form.pdf --out filled.pdf \
  --values '{"FirstName": "Jane", "Agree": "true", "Country": "US"}'
```

| Field type | Value format |
|---|---|
| `text` | Any string |
| `checkbox` | `"true"` or `"false"` |
| `dropdown` | Must match a choice value from inspect output |
| `radio` | Must match a radio value (often starts with `/`) |

Always run `fill_inspect.py` first to get exact field names.

---

## Route C: REFORMAT

Parse an existing document → content.json → CREATE pipeline.

```bash
bash scripts/make.sh reformat \
  --input source.md --title "My Report" --type report --out output.pdf
```

**Supported input formats:** `.md` `.txt` `.pdf` `.json`

---

## Environment

```bash
bash scripts/make.sh check   # verify all deps
bash scripts/make.sh fix     # auto-install missing deps
bash scripts/make.sh demo    # build a sample PDF
```

| Tool | Used by | Install |
|---|---|---|
| Python 3.9+ | all `.py` scripts | system |
| `reportlab` | `render_body.py` | `pip install reportlab` |
| `pypdf` | fill, merge, reformat | `pip install pypdf` |
| Node.js 18+ | `render_cover.js` | system |
| `playwright` + Chromium | `render_cover.js` | `npm install -g playwright && npx playwright install chromium` |
