render-pdf - SKILL.md Agent Skill

name: render-pdf description: Render an XBert working paper as a real .pdf. Use after render-docx has produced a working-paper.docx (preferred path — soffice converts the .docx to PDF preserving styling) or when a consumer plugin (Instalment Variation, Payment Run, Tax Reconciliation, Close Packet, Month-End Pack, FS Pack) emits a payload that needs a standalone authored PDF. Triggers include "PDF working paper", ".pdf", "PDF audit document", "remittance PDF", "render as PDF". Do NOT use for Word working papers (use render-docx) or Excel schedules (use render-xlsx) or chat-only outputs. allowed-tools: Bash(python3 ) Bash(pip install ) Bash(soffice ) Bash(libreoffice ) Write() Read()

Render a PDF working paper

Two paths, picked automatically by the bundled script:

Preferred — convert from an existing .docx. If outputs/<run-id>/working-paper.docx exists (because render-docx ran first), convert it to PDF via LibreOffice headless. The .docx styling carries over.
Fallback — author the PDF from scratch with reportlab. For plugins whose output is PDF-only (remittances, instalment variation notes), build from a payload using reportlab Platypus.

Convert from .docx (preferred)

python3 "${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/render_pdf.py" --from-docx outputs/<check_reference_id>/working-paper.docx --out outputs/<check_reference_id>/working-paper.pdf

Requires LibreOffice on PATH (soffice or libreoffice). If not present the script falls back to reportlab authoring from a payload, if one was provided.

Author from a payload

Same payload schema as render-docx (see render-docx/SKILL.md). Save it as outputs/<check_reference_id>/payload.json.

python3 "${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/render_pdf.py" --payload outputs/<check_reference_id>/payload.json --out outputs/<check_reference_id>/working-paper.pdf

If reportlab is not installed:

pip install --quiet reportlab

Verification gate

The script emits JSON: path, exists, size_bytes, page_count, mode ("docx-convert" or "reportlab"), status.

Report success only when status == "ok" and page_count >= 1.

Output handoff

PDF saved to outputs/INSTVAR-2026Q3-11752-001/working-paper.pdf — 3 pages, authored via reportlab.

What this skill does not do

It does not generate the content; payload comes from the consumer plugin.
It does not produce a Word version (use render-docx first, then optionally this skill to convert).
It does not sign, encrypt, or watermark — out of scope for v1.