Generate — PDF

/generate pdf is the “print this page” of the artifact system. Point it at a wiki file or a folder and get a quick, shareable PDF — none of the book ceremony, same provenance contract.

flowchart LR
    Start([/generate pdf path]) --> Resolve
    Resolve["Resolve path<br/>(file OR folder)"] --> Sort
    Sort["Filename-order<br/>sort"] --> Hash
    Hash["source-hash<br/>(shared helper)"] --> Bundle
    Bundle["Bundle markdown<br/>resolve wikilinks"] --> Render
    Render["Pandoc → PDF<br/>(article class)"] --> Done([PDF + sidecar])

    classDef engine fill:#5bbcd6,stroke:#2e6c7c,color:#0b0f14
    classDef output fill:#7dcea0,stroke:#2d6a4f,color:#0b0f14
    class Resolve,Sort,Hash,Bundle,Render engine
    class Done output

Usage

/generate pdf <path> [--vault <name>] [--toc] [--template <name>] [--recursive]

<path> is:

Form	Meaning	Example
File	A single `.md` page	`wiki/concepts/attention.md`
Folder	All `.md` in that folder (non-recursive)	`concepts/rag/`
Folder + `--recursive`	Descend into subfolders	`concepts/ --recursive`

Examples

Single page:

/generate pdf wiki/concepts/attention.md --vault llm-wiki-research
# → vaults/llm-wiki-research/artifacts/pdf/attention-2026-04-17.pdf

A folder of related pages:

/generate pdf concepts/rag/ --vault llm-wiki-research
# → vaults/llm-wiki-research/artifacts/pdf/rag-2026-04-17.pdf

With TOC (opt-in):

/generate pdf concepts/ --vault llm-wiki-research --recursive --toc

When To Use /generate pdf vs /generate book

Scenario	Use
Print one page for someone	`pdf`
”Here’s everything we know about X”	`book`
Folder of closely-related pages	`pdf` (folder mode)
Multi-topic compilation	`book`
Needs title page + TOC	`book`
No ceremony, just ship	`pdf`

The two handlers share the same install logic, same source-hash helper, same wikilink resolution, same sidecar schema. They differ only in scope, document class, and output folder.

Output

✅ PDF generated
   Input:       wiki/concepts/attention.md
   Pages:       1
   Source hash: 2dd9ed4a003f
   Output:      vaults/llm-wiki-research/artifacts/pdf/attention-2026-04-17.pdf
   Sidecar:     vaults/llm-wiki-research/artifacts/pdf/attention-2026-04-17.meta.yaml
   Open with:   open vaults/llm-wiki-research/artifacts/pdf/attention-2026-04-17.pdf

Sidecar schema is identical to generate-book — see Artifact conventions.

Dependencies

Same as generate-book:

Tool	Install	Purpose
`pandoc`	`brew install pandoc`	Markdown → LaTeX / HTML
XeLaTeX	`brew install --cask basictex`	PDF engine (HTML fallback if absent)

These are lazy-installed on first invocation. The shared helpers live under .claude/skills/generate/lib/ so both PDF handlers install exactly once per machine.

Customisation

Override the print template:

pandoc -D latex > print.tex
# edit — e.g. simplify margins, change font
mv print.tex .claude/skills/generate-pdf/templates/print.tex

The handler picks it up automatically on the next invocation.

Known Limitations (Phase 2A)

Same as /generate book:

Mermaid diagrams survive as fenced code blocks (Phase 2B renders them).
Wikilinks render as italic inline text, not clickable anchors.
Cross-vault references aren’t resolved.