MD to PDF

Converts Markdown files to professional PDF using one of two rendering engines.

Step 0: Parse Arguments

Parse $ARGUMENTS to determine mode and components.

Component Required Description

md_file

per mode Path to .md file

--engine

No reportlab or weasyprint (overrides saved config)

custom_prompt

No Last argument in double quotes = LLM preprocessing instructions

Mode detection rules:

Condition Mode

Empty or help

HELP

styles or config

STYLES

test

TEST

Path to .md file + quoted string at end CONVERT+PROMPT

Path to .md file (no quoted string) CONVERT

Extract --engine <name> from anywhere in arguments if present. Remove it before further parsing.

Step 1: Dependency Check

Determine the target engine (from --engine flag, saved config, or default reportlab ).

EXECUTE using Bash tool:

bash "${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/check_deps.sh" check ENGINE_NAME 2>&1; echo "EXIT_CODE=$?"

Replace ENGINE_NAME with the target engine.

If output contains MISSING_PIP or MISSING_SYSTEM :

Use AskUserQuestion presenting the engine comparison table:

Feature reportlab weasyprint

Install pip only pip + brew

Quality Good Excellent

Speed Fast Moderate

Images Basic Full

CSS Styling No Yes

Code highlight No Yes (Pygments)

Options:

• "Install ENGINE_NAME dependencies"

• "Switch to OTHER_ENGINE" (if the other engine is available)

• "Cancel"

If user chooses install, EXECUTE using Bash tool:

bash "${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/check_deps.sh" install ENGINE_NAME 2>&1 && echo "---INSTALL_OK---" || echo "---INSTALL_FAILED---"

STOP if INSTALL_FAILED -- report error and exit.

If user cancels -- STOP.

Step 2: Engine Selection (first run only)

Check for saved config in order:

• Project: .claude/md-to-pdf.config.json

• Global: ~/.claude/md-to-pdf.config.json

If --engine flag was provided -- use it (skip config lookup).

If no saved preference and no --engine flag -- use AskUserQuestion with the engine comparison table from Step 1. Save the choice:

{ "engine": "reportlab", "pygments_theme": "github" }

Write to project config .claude/md-to-pdf.config.json (create .claude/ dir if needed).

Step 3: Mode Execution

HELP Mode

Print formatted usage:

MD to PDF Converter

Usage: /brewdoc:md-to-pdf <file.md> Convert with saved engine/style /brewdoc:md-to-pdf <file.md> --engine weasyprint Convert with specific engine /brewdoc:md-to-pdf <file.md> "remove section X" Preprocess MD then convert /brewdoc:md-to-pdf styles Configure page/color/font /brewdoc:md-to-pdf test Convert bundled test file /brewdoc:md-to-pdf help Show this help

Engines: reportlab -- Pure Python, fast, no system deps (pip install reportlab) weasyprint -- HTML/CSS pipeline, best quality (pip + brew deps)

EXIT after printing.

CONVERT Mode

• Read the input MD file with Read tool. If not found -- STOP with error.

• Determine output path: same directory, same name, .pdf extension.

• Build the config path argument (if project or global config exists, add --config CONFIG_PATH ).

EXECUTE using Bash tool:

python3 "${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/md_to_pdf.py" "INPUT_PATH" "OUTPUT_PATH" --engine ENGINE --quiet 2>&1 && echo "---CONVERT_OK---" || echo "---CONVERT_FAILED---"

Replace INPUT_PATH , OUTPUT_PATH , ENGINE with actual values. Add --config CONFIG_PATH if a style config JSON exists. Add --pygments-theme THEME for weasyprint if configured.

STOP if CONVERT_FAILED -- read error output, attempt fix, retry once. If still failing -- report error.

• Parse structured output lines: STATUS , OUTPUT , PAGES , SIZE , ENGINE .

CONVERT+PROMPT Mode

• Read the input MD file with Read tool.

• Apply LLM transformations per the custom_prompt instructions (delete sections, rewrite headings, restructure, etc.).

• Write modified content to temp file: {original_dir}/.tmp_{original_name}.md

• Run the converter on the temp file (same command as CONVERT mode, using temp file as input, original name for output).

• Delete the temp file.

EXECUTE using Bash tool:

rm -f "TEMP_FILE_PATH"

• Proceed to Step 4 with preprocessing: true .

STYLES Mode

Run interactive configuration via AskUserQuestion dialogs:

Question 1 -- Page size: Options: A4 (default), Letter , Legal

Question 2 -- Color scheme: Options: Default blue (primary #1a3a5c), Dark (primary #2d3748), Custom (ask for hex values)

Question 3 -- Code theme (weasyprint only): Options: github (default), monokai , friendly , solarized-dark , solarized-light

Question 4 -- Footer format: Options: Page {page} of {total} (default), {page}/{total} , Disabled

Build JSON config matching styles/default.json structure, overriding changed values. Write to .claude/md-to-pdf.config.json .

Report saved settings table and EXIT.

TEST Mode

• Use bundled test file at ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/test/test-all-elements.md as INPUT_PATH.

• Determine output path: /tmp/md-to-pdf-test-ENGINE.pdf

• Run converter (same command as CONVERT mode, using test file as input, /tmp/ output).

• Proceed to Step 4.

Step 4: Report Results

Parameter Value

Source absolute path to input MD

Output absolute path to output PDF

Pages from PAGES= in script output

Size from SIZE= in script output

Engine reportlab or weasyprint

Preprocessing custom_prompt summary (if used) or none