md-to-pdf
md-to-pdf is a Markdown-to-PDF conversion skill (label export) that turns markdown files into professional PDF documents. It supports two rendering engines, customizable styles, test mode, and LLM preprocessing of content before conversion.
Quick start
/brewdoc:md-to-pdf README.mdConverts README.md to README.pdf in the same directory, using the saved or default engine.
Modes
| Mode | Invocation | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| CONVERT | /brewdoc:md-to-pdf file.md | Convert a file to PDF |
| CONVERT+PROMPT | /brewdoc:md-to-pdf file.md "remove section X" | LLM processing, then conversion |
| STYLES | /brewdoc:md-to-pdf styles | Interactive style customization |
| TEST | /brewdoc:md-to-pdf test | Convert a test file to /tmp/ |
| HELP | /brewdoc:md-to-pdf help | Usage help |
Two rendering engines
Lightweight engine — pure Python, minimal dependencies.
| Feature | Value |
|---|---|
| Installation | pip only |
| Quality | Good |
| Speed | Fast |
| Images | Basic support |
| CSS styling | No |
| Code highlighting | No |
Best for quick conversion of text documents that do not require complex formatting.
No system dependencies needed — just pip install reportlab.
/brewdoc:md-to-pdf report.md --engine reportlabFull-featured engine — HTML/CSS pipeline with maximum quality.
| Feature | Value |
|---|---|
| Installation | pip + brew (system dependencies) |
| Quality | Excellent |
| Speed | Moderate |
| Images | Full support |
| CSS styling | Yes |
| Code highlighting | Yes (Pygments) |
Ideal for documents with tables, code blocks, images, and complex structure. Requires system dependencies via brew.
/brewdoc:md-to-pdf report.md --engine weasyprintChoosing an engine
reportlab — choose when you need speed and easy setup. Good for text documents without complex formatting.
weasyprint — choose when quality matters: syntax highlighting, full CSS support, proper rendering of tables and images. Keep in mind the heavier dependencies.
Style customization
Interactive setup via /brewdoc:md-to-pdf styles. Configuration is saved
to .claude/md-to-pdf.config.json (project) or ~/.claude/md-to-pdf.config.json (global).
| Parameter | Options | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Page size | A4, Letter, Legal | A4 |
| Color scheme | Default blue (#1a3a5c), Dark (#2d3748), Custom | Default blue |
| Code theme (weasyprint) | github, monokai, friendly, solarized-dark, solarized-light | github |
| Footer format | Page {page} of {total}, {page}/{total}, Disabled | Page {page} of {total} |
Example saved configuration:
{
"engine": "weasyprint",
"pygments_theme": "monokai"
}LLM preprocessing
The last argument in double quotes is interpreted as an instruction for LLM processing of the content before conversion:
/brewdoc:md-to-pdf spec.md "remove the Dependencies section, rewrite headings in imperative form"The skill reads the file, applies the specified transformations (removing sections, rewriting headings, restructuring), saves to a temporary file, converts to PDF, and removes the temporary file.
Dependency management
On first run, the skill checks whether the selected engine’s dependencies are available via the check_deps.sh script.
- Check
The script determines whether pip packages and system dependencies for the target engine are installed.
- Choose
If dependencies are missing, you are offered to install the current engine, switch to an alternative (if available), or cancel.
- Install
With user consent, the
check_deps.sh installscript installs all required packages. If installation fails, conversion is aborted.
Test mode
/brewdoc:md-to-pdf testConverts the built-in test file test-all-elements.md (contains all supported markdown elements)
to /tmp/md-to-pdf-test-ENGINE.pdf. Use it to verify that the engine is installed correctly
and to preview styles.
Conversion result
After conversion, a report is generated:
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Source | Absolute path to the source MD |
| Output | Absolute path to the output PDF |
| Pages | Number of pages |
| Size | File size |
| Engine | reportlab or weasyprint |
| Preprocessing | LLM processing description or none |