---
name: pdf
metadata:
  author: Z.AI
  version: "1.0"
description: Professional PDF toolkit with four production lines: (1) Report - structured documents via ReportLab (reports, proposals, contracts, white papers) (2) Creative - visual design via JSON Blueprint → design_engine.py → Playwright snapshot (posters, infographics, invitations, dashboards). The LLM acts as Art Director outputting ONLY JSON spatial blueprints; convert.blueprint compiles to pixel-perfect PDF. (3) Academic - scholarly work via LaTeX/Tectonic (papers, theses, math-heavy documents) (4) Process - manipulate existing PDFs (extract, merge, split, fill forms, convert) Auto-routes based on document type. Includes ATS/creative/academic resume sub-paths.
license: Proprietary. LICENSE.txt has complete terms
---

# PDF - Document Production Workbench

## Quick Setup

```bash
bash "$PDF_SKILL_DIR/scripts/setup.sh"          # Interactive environment check + install
python3 "$PDF_SKILL_DIR/scripts/pdf.py" env.check  # Detailed dependency status (JSON: add -j)
python3 "$PDF_SKILL_DIR/scripts/pdf.py" env.fix     # Auto-install missing Python packages
```

## Triage

Determine task weight to control how much context to load:

| Weight | Triggers | What to Load |
|--------|----------|--------------|
| **Light** | Format conversion, form fill, text extract, merge/split, simple certificate | SKILL.md + `briefs/process.md` only |
| **Standard** | Multi-page report, poster, academic paper, resume, reformat - any document with design decisions | SKILL.md + matched brief + typesetting assets on demand |

Light tasks skip typesetting files entirely. Standard tasks load them on demand per the brief's instructions.

### ⚠️ Pre-Routing Checks (run BEFORE matching brief)

1. **Emoji Check** - Scan user content for intentional emoji (decorative 📊🎯🔥, not OS-level emoji input). If found → **force Creative brief** regardless of document type. ReportLab renders emoji as □ squares; LaTeX drops them entirely.
2. **CJK Check** - Chinese/Japanese/Korean content needs font coverage. Report brief must use `UniSong`/`UniHei` registered fonts; Creative brief must load Google Fonts Noto Sans SC with `font-display: swap`; Academic brief must use `\usepackage{ctex}`.
3. **Size Check** - Non-standard page sizes (not A4/Letter/A3) → prefer Creative brief (Playwright handles any dimension). ReportLab can do custom sizes but pagination is manual.
4. **Character Safety Check** - Before writing any content string, scan for Japanese kana (の、が、は etc.), unusual Unicode symbols, or non-CJK characters that may corrupt during encoding transit ( Especially when code is written via heredoc/base64/LLM output). Replace with plain Chinese equivalents: `の`→`之/的/缔`, `々`→omit or write full character. **If content must preserve Japanese, use only standard CJK Unified Ideographs (U+4E00-U+9FFF) and common kana; avoid rare/private-use codepoints.**

---

## Briefing

Match the user's intent to a production brief. Each brief contains the full workflow, tech stack specifics, and references to shared typesetting assets.

```
User Request
│
├─ Work with existing PDF? ─────────────┬─ Extract/merge/split/fill/convert → briefs/process.md
│                                       ├─ Reformat/redesign → briefs/process.md (extract) → delegate to report or creative brief
│                                       └─ User provides a PDF template/reference to match style
│                                          → briefs/process.md "Template-Guided Reformat" → delegate to matched brief
│
├─ Report / proposal / white paper / contract / analysis?
│  └─ ────────────────────────────────── → briefs/report.md   (ReportLab)
│
├─ Poster / invitation / infographic / dashboard / creative layout?
│  └─ ────────────────────────────────── → briefs/creative.md  (Playwright)
│
├─ Academic paper / thesis / math / IEEE / ACM / LaTeX?
│  └─ ────────────────────────────────── → briefs/academic.md  (Tectonic)
│
├─ Math-heavy doc / TikZ diagram / algorithm pseudocode / Beamer slides?
│  └─ ────────────────────────────────── → briefs/academic.md  (Tectonic, Scenarios A-D)
│
├─ Document needs complex embedded diagrams (flowcharts, architecture, neural nets)?
│  └─ Route by target brief:
│     ├─ Report → Playwright+CSS → PNG → ReportLab Image() flowable
│     ├─ Creative → directly in HTML (CSS flexbox/grid + connectors)
│     └─ Academic → complexity-based:
│        ├─ Simple (≤6 nodes, linear/tree) → TikZ native (vector)
│        └─ Complex (>6 nodes, branches, annotations) → Playwright+CSS → PNG → \includegraphics
│
└─ Resume / CV?
   ├─ ATS-safe / corporate ─────────── → briefs/report.md     (resume sub-section)
   ├─ Creative / design industry ────── → briefs/creative.md   (resume sub-section)
   └─ Academic CV / publications ────── → briefs/academic.md   (resume sub-section)
```

### Detection Keywords

| Brief | Keywords |
|-------|----------|
| Report | 报告, report, 分析, analysis, 白皮书, white paper, 提案, proposal, 合同, contract, 方案, 规划, 发票, invoice, 收据, receipt, 试卷, exam, quiz, test paper, 练习, exercise, worksheet, 考试, 测验 |
| Creative | 海报, poster, 邀请函, invitation, 信息图, infographic, 仪表盘, dashboard, 传单, flyer, 证书, certificate, 菜单, menu, 名片, business card, 奖状, award, 标签, label, 信封, envelope, 贺卡, greeting card |
| Creative (Poster) | 海报, poster, 传单, flyer, 宣传页, 宣传单 → additionally load `briefs/poster.md` scene layer rules |
| Academic | 论文, paper, 学术, academic, LaTeX, 数学, math, IEEE, ACM, 毕业, thesis, 研究, research, Beamer, slides, 开题报告, 学位, dissertation, proposal |
| Process | 提取, extract, 合并, merge, 拆分, split, 填写, fill, 转换, convert, OCR, 重排, reformat, 重新排版, redesign, 模板, template, 参照, 照着这个做, match this style, 压缩, compress, 水印, watermark, 加密, encrypt, 签名, sign |

### Complete Scenario Routing Matrix

Below is an exhaustive map of every known PDF request type to its handling strategy. If a scenario is not listed, route to the closest match or ask the user.

#### 📄 Creation (Generate PDF from scratch)

| Scenario | Route | Notes |
|----------|-------|-------|
| Report / white paper / analysis | report.md | ReportLab structured document |
| Report with emoji | **creative.md** | 🚨 Emoji rule override |
| Business proposal | report.md | Structured + data tables |
| Contract / legal document | report.md | Add signature placeholders (dotted line + label) |
| Invoice / receipt | report.md | Table-heavy, precision alignment |
| Exam / quiz / test paper / worksheet | report.md | Indented options, answer space reservation, structured numbering (see Exam Paper Rules in report.md) |
| Math exam / math worksheet (with formulas/equations) | academic.md | LaTeX for proper math typesetting. See §Exam Paper Rules in academic.md |
| Poster / flyer | creative.md + **poster.md** | Visual design + poster density/sizing rules |
| Invitation / greeting card | creative.md | Non-standard size, decorative |
| Certificate / award | creative.md | Single page, centered layout, decorative border |
| Business card | creative.md | Tiny size (90×54mm), Playwright native support |
| Envelope / label | creative.md | Non-standard size, simple layout |
| Menu / price list | creative.md | Visual layout + may contain emoji |
| Resume (ATS) | report.md | Plain text structure |
| Resume (creative) | creative.md | Visual design |
| Resume (academic CV) | academic.md | Publication list + BibTeX |
| Academic paper | academic.md | LaTeX/Tectonic |
| Math-heavy document | academic.md | LaTeX typesetting |
| Presentation / PPT-style | creative.md | Landscape (1280×720), one topic per page |
| Book / long document | report.md | Add TOC + chapter numbering, validate with toc_validate.py |
| CJK vertical text | creative.md | HTML `writing-mode: vertical-rl` + `text-orientation: upright` + `white-space: nowrap` + Playwright |
| RTL document (Arabic/Hebrew) | creative.md | HTML `dir="rtl"` + Playwright |
| Batch generation (mail merge) | report.md | Python loop + template variable substitution |
| Infographic | creative.md | Data visualization + design |
| Calendar / schedule | creative.md | Grid layout + custom dimensions |

#### 🔧 Processing (Manipulate existing PDF)

| Scenario | Route | Command / Method |
|----------|-------|------------------|
| Merge multiple PDFs | process.md | `pages.merge a.pdf b.pdf -o out.pdf` |
| Split PDF | process.md | `pages.split input.pdf -o ./output/` |
| Extract text | process.md | `extract.text input.pdf` |
| Extract tables | process.md | `extract.table input.pdf` |
| Extract images | process.md | `extract.image input.pdf` |
| Fill forms | process.md | `form.fill input.pdf` |
| Office → PDF | process.md | `convert.office input.docx` |
| HTML → PDF (documents) | process.md | `convert.html input.html` or `node html2pdf-next.js` |
| HTML → PDF (posters) | poster.md | `node html2poster.js poster.html` |
| Image → PDF | process.md | pikepdf: one image per page, embed as XObject |
| PDF → image | process-advanced.md | pypdfium2 render each page to PNG |
| Encrypt / decrypt | process-advanced.md | pikepdf encryption |
| Add watermark | process.md | pikepdf overlay: create watermark page → merge onto each page |
| Compress PDF | process.md | Ghostscript: `gs -sDEVICE=pdfwrite -dPDFSETTINGS=/screen` |
| OCR scanned PDF | process-advanced.md | ocrmypdf or Tesseract |
| Rotate pages | process.md | `pages.rotate input.pdf 90 -o out.pdf` |
| Crop pages | process.md | `pages.crop input.pdf l,b,r,t -o out.pdf` |
| Remove blank pages | process.md | `pages.clean input.pdf` |
| Reformat by template | process.md → delegate | Extract content → regenerate via report/creative |
| PDF diff / compare | process.md | `diff-pdf` CLI or Python per-page text comparison |
| Digital signature | process.md | `pyhanko` library (requires extra install) |
| Edit metadata | process.md | `meta.set input.pdf -o out.pdf -d '{...}'` |

### Special Routing Rules

**🚨 Emoji rule (CRITICAL - check FIRST)**: Content with intentional emoji (📊🎯🔥💡 etc.) → force **briefs/creative.md** regardless of document type. ReportLab renders emoji as □ squares; LaTeX silently drops them. This rule overrides all other routing. Even if the user says "report" - if the content has emoji, use Creative pipeline.

**Non-standard page size rule**: Dimensions other than A4/Letter/A3 → strongly prefer **briefs/creative.md**. Playwright handles any arbitrary page size natively. ReportLab requires manual pagination math.

**Academic auto-detect**: Papers, theses, or heavy math → **briefs/academic.md** even without explicit "LaTeX" mention.

**Template-guided rule**: When the user uploads a PDF and says "match this template" / "follow this style" / "reformat like this" → **briefs/process.md** Template-Guided Reformat section. This is a Standard triage (not Light), because it involves design decisions.

**Resume routing**: Default to Report brief (ATS-safe). Creative industry → Creative brief. Academic CV with publications → Academic brief.

---

## Shared Assets

These are referenced by multiple briefs. **Do not load upfront** - each brief tells you when and what to load.

| Asset | Path | Used By | Purpose |
|-------|------|---------|---------|
| Palette & Typography | `typesetting/palette.md` | Report, Creative | Color system, font rules, anti-patterns, spacing |
| Cover Layout System V2.1 | `typesetting/cover.md` | **Report + Creative + Academic** | 7 industrial-grade templates with absolute anchor grid, Z-index layers, typography weight system, mandatory Summary Block, code-level safety (5 checks), base unit `U = W*0.05`. **Unified HTML/Playwright cover system for all routes.** |
| Chart Styling & Anti-Stacking | `typesetting/charts.md` | Report, Creative, Academic | Chart defaults, collision prevention, axis/grid/legend rules |
| Overflow Prevention | `typesetting/overflow.md` | Report, Creative, Academic | Bounding box system, text/image/table overflow prevention, fallback strategies |
| **Fill Engine (Anti-Void)** | `typesetting/fill-engine.md` | **Report, Creative, Academic** | **Anti-Void Engine V2.0: font floor enforcement, fill ratio calculation, paragraph inflation, component elevation, Y-axis golden-ratio anchoring** |
| Pagination & Flow Control | `typesetting/pagination.md` | Report, Creative | Cross-page integrity, orphan/widow control, CJK punctuation rules |
| Typography System | `typesetting/typography.md` | Report, Creative | Font size scale, line-height, spacing hierarchy |
| Geometric Anchors | `typesetting/geometry.md` | Creative + Report | Decorative geometric elements, anchor placement rules |
| Cover Backgrounds | `typesetting/cover-backgrounds.md` | **Report + Creative + Academic** | Cover background rendering, transparency constraints |
| Visual Framework | `configs/visual_framework.md` | Creative | Palette mode, color harmony, SVG background params |
| Components Library | `configs/components.md` | Creative | Non-grid composition components (floating cards, oversized text, etc.) |
| Font Stacks | `configs/fonts.md` | All pipelines | Font families per pipeline (Google Fonts, ReportLab, LaTeX) |

---

## Content Rules

- **Language**: Match user's query language. Chinese query → Chinese PDF.
- **Page/word count**: Respect explicit constraints (±20%). Unspecified → completeness over brevity.
- **Outline**: User-provided outlines are sacred. No reordering without asking.
- **Citations**: No fabrication. Chinese → GB/T 7714, English → APA. Search to verify.
- **Multi-part requests**: Generate ALL parts - never silently drop a component.

### HTML Image Source Path Rules

When embedding images in HTML documents (Creative pipeline, Playwright-rendered diagrams, or any HTML→PDF flow):

| Image location | `<img src>` value | Example |
|---|---|---|
| **Local file** | **Relative path** from the HTML file's directory | `<img src="images/chart.png">` or `<img src="./diagram.png">` |
| **Remote URL** | Full URL (no change needed) | `<img src="https://example.com/photo.jpg">` |

**Iron rules:**
1. **NEVER use absolute paths** for local files in HTML `<img>`, `<source>`, CSS `url()`, or any other asset reference (e.g. `/Users/alice/project/img.png`). Absolute paths break portability across machines and environments.
2. **Always use relative paths** anchored to the HTML file's own directory. If the image lives in a subdirectory, use `images/foo.png` or `./images/foo.png`.
3. **Remote URLs (`http://` / `https://`) are fine as-is** — do not convert them to local paths.
4. When generating HTML from a script or blueprint, ensure all referenced assets are either (a) in the same directory as the output HTML, or (b) in a clearly named subdirectory (e.g. `assets/`, `images/`), and referenced with relative paths.
5. If a build script needs to resolve paths programmatically, compute relative paths at generation time (e.g. `os.path.relpath(image_path, html_dir)`) rather than embedding absolute filesystem paths.

---

## Figure & Diagram Embedding (All Briefs)

### Iron Rule: Figures Are Block-Level

Figures, diagrams, and charts MUST be independent block elements occupying full width. **Never** float/wrap figures alongside body text - this causes the text-diagram overlap badcase.

| Brief | Correct embedding | Forbidden |
|-------|-------------------|-----------|
| Report (ReportLab) | `story.append(Image(...))` as standalone Flowable | Placing images inside Paragraph text, simulating float |
| Creative (Playwright) | `<figure style="display:block; width:100%; margin:2em auto">` | `float:right`, `display:flex` with text, `wrapfigure`-style CSS |
| Academic (LaTeX) | `\begin{figure}[t] ... \end{figure}` | Bare `\includegraphics` in text body (no figure env), bare `tikzpicture` in multi-column |

### Complex Diagram Strategy

When a diagram has **>12 nodes, >3 subgroups, or intricate connections**, do NOT try to render it as one giant figure. Instead:

1. **Table for details** - structured data (phases, components, specs) goes into a proper table
2. **Simplified overview diagram** - a stripped-down flowchart/Mermaid showing only the top-level flow (≤8 nodes)
3. **Cross-reference** - table caption + diagram caption reference each other

This "table + simple diagram" pattern prevents:
- Diagrams overflowing page boundaries
- Text becoming unreadably small to fit everything
- Layout engines mishandling oversized graphics

### Diagram Content Quality Rules (Cross-reference: charts)

The rules above handle **how** to embed diagrams in PDF. For **what the diagram itself looks like** (node layout, connector routing, color, readability), follow the `charts` skill rules:

**Before generating ANY flowchart/diagram for PDF embedding, check these:**

1. **Connectors must not pass through nodes** - If 3+ layers exist, connect adjacent layers only (top→mid, mid→bottom). Never draw top→bottom lines through middle nodes. Use detour paths if cross-layer links are needed.
2. **Multiple arrows into one node must not pile up** - Distribute entry points evenly along target edge, or use merge-then-enter pattern (sources converge to a vertical merge line, then single arrow to target).
3. **Low-saturation fills only** - Node backgrounds must be pale (`#EFF6FF`, `#F0FDF4`). High-saturation colors (`#3B82F6`, `#10B981`) only for borders or small accents. No children's-art color schemes.
4. **Phase titles vs sub-steps must be visually distinct** - Different background color, font size, and font weight. Never same-style boxes for both.
5. **Font sizes must be readable at final output size** - Sizes depend on the embedding context:
   | Output context | Node title min | Description min | Label min |
   |---------------|----------------|-----------------|-----------|
   | Standalone PNG (web/presentation, ≥1200px wide) | 14px | 12px | 11px |
   | Embedded in A4 PDF (ReportLab/LaTeX, ~450pt content width) | 10pt | 8pt | 7pt |
   | Embedded in slide deck (landscape, ~720pt wide) | 12pt | 10pt | 9pt |

   **Principle**: After embedding, the smallest text in the diagram must still be legible when the document is viewed at 100% zoom. If the diagram is scaled down to fit page width, recalculate: `effective_size = original_size × (display_width / canvas_width)`. If effective size drops below the minimum, either increase original font size or reduce diagram complexity.
6. **Legend/annotations must not overlap content** - Separate container, ≥ 40px gap from last node, fully within canvas bounds.

**For Playwright-rendered diagrams**: Use low-saturation fills (`#EFF6FF`, `#F0FDF4`), CSS flexbox/grid for node layout, SVG `<line>`/`<path>` for connectors, and verify no overlap at final render size.
**For ReportLab-drawn diagrams**: Same principles apply - use `Drawing()` with explicit coordinates, check node bounding boxes for overlap before finalizing.

### Diagram Generation Strategy (Per-Brief)

Diagram rendering depends on the target brief - **NOT** a one-size-fits-all TikZ pipeline.

| Target Brief | Diagram Method | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| **Report** (ReportLab) | Playwright+CSS → PNG → `Image()` | No LaTeX compiler in this route; HTML/CSS handles any layout natively |
| **Creative** (Playwright) | Directly in HTML (CSS flexbox/grid + JS connectors) | Already in browser context |
| **Academic** (Tectonic) - simple (≤6 nodes) | TikZ native `tikzpicture` | Vector output, font consistency, LaTeX-native |
| **Academic** (Tectonic) - complex (>6 nodes) | Playwright+CSS → PNG @2× → `\includegraphics` | TikZ branch logic is error-prone for models; 300dpi PNG is publication-ready |

**Playwright+CSS diagram pipeline (Report & Academic-complex):**

```bash
# 1. Write diagram HTML (CSS grid/flexbox + connectors)
cat > diagram.html << 'EOF'
<!-- LLM generates: nodes as divs, arrows as SVG/CSS -->
EOF

# 2. Screenshot at 2× for print quality (300dpi equivalent)
python3 "$PDF_SKILL_DIR/scripts/pdf.py" convert.blueprint diagram.html --device-scale-factor 2 --output diagram.png
# Or via Playwright directly:
# page.screenshot(path='diagram.png', scale='device', device_scale_factor=2)

# 3a. Embed in ReportLab (Report brief)
from reportlab.platypus import Image
img = Image('diagram.png', width=450)  # auto height via aspect ratio
story.append(img)

# 3b. Embed in LaTeX (Academic brief, complex diagrams only)
# \includegraphics[width=\columnwidth]{diagram.png}
```

**🚫 FORBIDDEN for Report/Creative briefs:** Do NOT use TikZ standalone → compile → pdftoppm → PNG pipeline. This route has no LaTeX compiler and the extra compilation steps are error-prone.

**TikZ remains valid ONLY for:**
- Academic brief with simple diagrams (≤6 nodes, linear/hierarchical)
- Direct `tikzpicture` embedding in LaTeX documents
- Math-annotated diagrams where LaTeX math rendering matters

See `briefs/academic.md` Scenario B for TikZ templates (simple diagrams only).

---

## Vector Rendering Iron Rule

**The final PDF MUST be generated via `page.pdf()` (Playwright) or ReportLab/LaTeX native output - NEVER via screenshot-to-PDF.**

| Scenario | Correct Method | Forbidden |
|----------|---------------|-----------|
| Creative pipeline (single/multi-page) | `page.pdf()` via `convert.blueprint` or `html2pdf-next.js` | `page.screenshot()` → image → wrap as PDF |
| Report cover (HTML/Playwright) | `page.pdf()` → merge via pypdf | Screenshot cover → embed as image |
| Academic cover | `page.pdf()` → merge via pypdf | Screenshot → `\includegraphics` for cover |
| Full-page posters/infographics | `html2poster.js` (auto overflow:hidden + height measurement + `page.pdf()`) | Any raster pipeline for the final output |

**Why:** `page.pdf()` produces vector text + vector shapes. Text remains selectable, sharp at any zoom, and file size is smaller. Screenshot-based PDFs are raster images - blurry when zoomed, unsearchable, and 3-5× larger.

**The ONLY place screenshot/PNG embedding is acceptable:**
- **Diagrams** embedded as sub-elements inside a larger document (e.g., flowcharts in a Report). These use `page.screenshot()` at 2× device scale factor for 300dpi print quality, then embed via `Image()` (ReportLab) or `\includegraphics` (LaTeX).
- **Chart images** generated by matplotlib/plotly saved as PNG, then embedded.

These are sub-elements, not the document itself. The document-level PDF output must always be vector.

**Quick test:** Open the generated PDF, zoom to 400%. If text is blurry, you used a screenshot pipeline. Fix it.

### HTML→PDF Engine Selection Rules

There are **two dedicated scripts** for HTML→PDF. Choose based on document type:

| Document type | Script | Reason |
|---------------|--------|--------|
| **Posters, infographics, long-image single-page designs** | `html2poster.js` | Auto overflow:hidden, auto height measurement, zero margin, single-page output |
| **Cover pages (Report/Academic route)** | `html2poster.js` | Covers are single-page fixed layouts with absolute positioning — same nature as posters. `html2pdf-next.js` would convert absolute→static and destroy the layout |
| **Multi-page documents, reports, academic papers, resumes** | `html2pdf-next.js` | A4/custom pagination, 20mm margin fallback, cover adaptation, pdf-lib metadata |
| **Creative pipeline (Blueprint → HTML → PDF)** | `html2pdf-next.js` via `convert.blueprint` | Called internally by design_engine pipeline |

#### Poster / Single-Page Long-Image → `html2poster.js`

```bash
node "$PDF_SKILL_DIR/scripts/html2poster.js" poster.html --output poster.pdf --width 720px
```

`html2poster.js` automatically:
- Forces `overflow: hidden` on `.poster` / `.page` containers (clips decorative overflow)
- Injects `@page { margin: 0 }` (zero margins always)
- Syncs `html/body` background with poster background color
- Measures `.poster` scrollHeight and uses it as PDF height
- Generates a single-page vector PDF with exact content dimensions

**Use this for ANY fixed-width, dynamic-height, single-page design.**

#### Documents / Multi-Page → `html2pdf-next.js`

```bash
node "$PDF_SKILL_DIR/scripts/html2pdf-next.js" input.html --output output.pdf --width 210mm --height 297mm
# Or via pdf.py wrapper:
python3 "$PDF_SKILL_DIR/scripts/pdf.py" convert.html input.html --output output.pdf
```

Pre-render hooks auto-handle @page injection, overflow detection, cover adaptation, font loading, and pdf-lib metadata.

#### ⚠️ Iron Rule: No Hand-Written Playwright Scripts

Common issues with hand-written Python `page.pdf()` (the dedicated scripts handle these automatically):
1. **Missing `@page` rule** → browser default margin causes content overflow to second page or white edges
2. **Oversized elements not fixed** → large elements with `break-inside: avoid` block pagination, content gets truncated
3. **Rendering before fonts are loaded** → Chinese text displays as squares or falls back to wrong font
4. **No overflow detection** → content exceeds page boundary without awareness
5. **No metadata** → PDF title, author, and other info missing

**Iron rule: Posters and cover pages use `html2poster.js`, multi-page documents use `html2pdf-next.js`. Do not write hand-written Python Playwright scripts.**

> **⚠️ Cover page gotcha:** Cover HTML uses `position: absolute` for layout. `html2pdf-next.js` pre-render hooks convert absolute-positioned elements to `static` flow (to prevent multi-page overlap), which **destroys** cover layouts. Always use `html2poster.js` for cover pages.

### No overflow:hidden on Fixed-Size Pages (html2pdf-next.js only)

When using `html2pdf-next.js` for documents, **NEVER set `overflow: hidden` on `html`, `body`, or the main page container**.

> **Note:** This rule does NOT apply to posters rendered via `html2poster.js` — that script automatically adds `overflow: hidden` to `.poster`/`.page` containers to clip decorative overflow. You don't need to add or remove it manually.

| Problem | Cause | Fix |
|---------|-------|-----|
| Browser preview cuts off bottom content, can't scroll | `overflow: hidden` on container + viewport < design height | Remove `overflow: hidden` |
| html2pdf-next.js "Fixed vertical overflow" warning, layout may break | Pre-render detects `scrollHeight > clientHeight` + hidden overflow, force-expands container | Remove `overflow: hidden` |

**Always pair fixed-size pages with `@media screen` auto-scale** so the full page is visible in any browser window without scrolling. See `briefs/creative.md` § 0.5 for the CSS pattern.

### Full-Bleed Rule (No White Margins)

When generating HTML for Playwright `page.pdf()`, the content **MUST fill the entire page** with zero margins. White side margins = broken layout.

**Mandatory CSS for any HTML → PDF:**
```css
@page {
  size: <width> <height>;  /* e.g., 720px 960px, or A4 */
  margin: 0;
}
html, body {
  margin: 0;
  padding: 0;
}
```

**Common causes of white margins:**
1. Missing `@page { margin: 0 }` - browser default margins kick in (~1cm each side)
2. Content width doesn't match page width - e.g., canvas is 720px but page is A4 (794px)
3. Missing `@page { size }` declaration in the HTML
4. Content has explicit `max-width` that's narrower than the page

**For blueprint pipeline:** `design_engine.py` now injects `@page { size: var(--canvas-w) var(--canvas-h); margin: 0; }` automatically.
**For raw HTML:** YOU must include the `@page` rule. No exceptions.
**For direct Playwright:** Pass `margin: { top: 0, right: 0, bottom: 0, left: 0 }` to `page.pdf()`.

### Background Color Consistency (No Color Mismatch)

**`html` / `body` background color must match the content canvas background color.**

Playwright `page.pdf({ printBackground: true })` renders the body background color. If body is white while the content area is gray/colored, color-inconsistent borders/gaps will appear in the PDF.

#### Single-color documents (all pages same background)

```css
/* MANDATORY: body background = content background */
html, body {
  margin: 0;
  padding: 0;
  background: var(--c-bg);  /* Same color as content canvas */
}
```

#### Multi-page documents with mixed backgrounds (e.g. dark cover + white body pages)

**Root cause:** Playwright resolves `.page { width: 210mm }` and `@page { size: 210mm }` to slightly different sub-pixel values (e.g. 793.688px vs 793.701px). This creates a <1px gap at the right/bottom edge of each `.page` div where `body`'s background shows through. On dark pages, a white `body` background makes this gap visible as a white edge.

**Fix — set `body` background to the document's dominant dark color:**

```css
:root {
  --primary: #0f172a;  /* darkest page background */
}
html, body {
  margin: 0;
  padding: 0;
  width: 210mm;  /* match @page size */
  background: var(--primary);  /* fallback for sub-pixel gaps */
}
```

**Why this works and doesn't break white pages:**
- Dark pages: sub-pixel gap reveals dark `body` → gap invisible.
- White pages: `.page-white { background: #ffffff }` fully covers `body` → dark body never visible.
- The gap is <1px — even on white pages, the dark body at the extreme pixel edge is imperceptible after anti-aliasing.

**Rule: when generating multi-page HTML with mixed backgrounds, always set `html, body { background }` to the darkest page's background color.** If all pages are light/white, use the lightest content background (e.g. `#f8fafc`). Never leave `body` background unset (browser default = white = guaranteed white edges on dark pages).
```

### Content Centering (No Left/Right Drift)

**After HTML-to-PDF conversion, content must be centered, no left or right drift allowed.**

Common drift causes:
1. `@page { margin }` not 0 — browser default margin causes drift
2. `.safe-zone` or content container `inset` / `padding` left-right asymmetric
3. Content container has `max-width` but no `margin: 0 auto`
4. Grid components only occupy partial column width (e.g. `1/1 → X/7` only uses left half)
5. **Decorative elements overflow page boundary** — elements with `width > 100%` or negative offsets (e.g. glow circles, gradient overlays) inflate `scrollWidth` beyond page width. Playwright shrinks all content to fit, causing left-shift. **Fix: add `overflow: hidden` to `.page` containers.** See `typesetting/overflow.md` §3.5 for horizontal flex overflow rules.

### Anti-Void Edges (No Large Blank Margins)

**Content should not have large meaningless whitespace at page edges, top, or bottom.**

- Content should make full use of page area; do not cram all content in the top half while leaving the bottom blank
- For multi-page documents, each page's fill rate should be ≥ 60% (see `pagination.md` last page ≥ 40% rule)
- For single-page posters/infographics, fill rate should be ≥ 70%

---

## Preflight (Quality Assurance)

Every PDF must pass preflight checks before delivery. Each brief specifies the exact commands.

### HTML Pre-Render Validation (MANDATORY for ALL HTML→PDF paths)

**Before** calling `html2pdf-next.js`, `html2poster.js`, `convert.blueprint`, or any Playwright `page.pdf()`, run:

```bash
python3 "$PDF_SKILL_DIR/scripts/poster_validate.py" check-html <your_file>.html
```

| Result | Action |
|--------|--------|
| **PASS** (no errors) | Proceed to PDF generation |
| **ERROR** items | Must fix before generating PDF. Use `--fix --output <file>.html` for auto-repair |
| **WARNING** items | Review; non-blocking but should be addressed |

**Key checks:**
- `OVERFLOW_HIDDEN_CONTAINER` (error): `overflow:hidden` on html/body/.page clips content in browser preview and triggers html2pdf-next.js auto-fix that may break layout
- `FIXED_SIZE_NO_SCREEN_ADAPT` (warning): fixed-size page without `@media screen` auto-scale — browser preview requires scrolling
- `SCREEN_ADAPT_NO_SCALE` (warning): `@media screen` exists but lacks scale/transform/zoom
- `FONT_NO_FALLBACK` (error): font-family without generic fallback
- `COLOR_CONTRAST` (warning): text/background contrast ratio < 3:1
- Plus: remote images, absolute paths, missing margin reset, tiny fonts, background mismatch, etc.

This applies to **all three HTML routes**: Creative blueprint pipeline, Report HTML covers, and bypass/custom HTML.

### Overflow Prevention System

**→ Full spec: `typesetting/overflow.md`** - read it for any document with tables, images, or multi-column layouts.

Core principles:
1. **Measure first, draw second** - never render content without pre-calculating its dimensions
2. **Bounding Box constraint** - every element's width ≤ its parent container's `Max_Width`
3. **Text: use font metrics**, not character count, for width calculation
4. **Images: proportional scaling** - never insert at original size
5. **Tables: weight-based column width** + `Paragraph()` wrapping (never plain strings)
6. **Fallback ladder**: wrap → shrink font (max -3pt) → reduce padding → split element → log warning
7. **Vertical: KeepTogether** for heading+body, chart+caption; `repeatRows=1` for long tables

### Table Overflow Prevention (ReportLab)
**Most common layout bug: table columns exceed page margins.**

Before building any ReportLab Table:
1. Calculate `available_width = page_width - left_margin - right_margin`
2. Use proportional colWidths (`[0.25, 0.40, 0.20, 0.15]` × available_width) or fixed+flex pattern
3. `sum(colWidths)` must be ≤ `available_width` - **verify this in code**
4. Long text columns must use `Paragraph()` wrapping, not plain strings (plain strings don't wrap)
5. CJK text is wider: budget ~12pt per character at 10pt font size

See `briefs/report.md` § "Table Width Management" for code patterns.

### Table Overflow Prevention (LaTeX/Academic)
**Most common bug in dual-column papers: wide tables overflow single-column width.**

Before writing any LaTeX table:
1. Count data columns - ≤ 4 fits single column; 5-6 needs `\small`; 7-8 needs `\resizebox`; ≥ 9 use `table*` (full width)
2. Use `tabular*{\columnwidth}` or `tabularx{\columnwidth}` instead of plain `tabular` for 5+ columns
3. Never use plain `tabular` with 8+ columns in twocolumn layout - guaranteed overflow
4. `\resizebox{\columnwidth}{!}` as last resort - verify smallest text ≥ 6pt after scaling

See `briefs/academic.md` § "Table width management" for LaTeX patterns.

### Playwright PDF CSS Blacklist
These CSS properties **silently break** in Playwright's PDF renderer:
- `backdrop-filter` / `-webkit-backdrop-filter` - **drops entire element content**. Use solid `rgba()` backgrounds.
- `overflow: hidden` on content containers - clips content. Only safe on small decorative elements (< 200px).

After generating any Playwright PDF, **verify every page has content** (pypdf text extraction, check non-empty).

### PDF Metadata (all briefs)
ALL PDFs must have: Title, Author (default "Z.ai"), Creator, Subject.

### Delivery Summary (all briefs)
Report to user: file path, size, page count. Academic adds word/image count. Creative adds per-page verification.

**HTML→PDF route deliverables (MANDATORY — applies to ALL briefs that use Playwright/HTML to generate PDF):**
Whenever the HTML→PDF pipeline is used (Creative route, Report cover bypass, Direct HTML Flow posters, or any Playwright `page.pdf()` path), you MUST deliver **both files** to the user:
1. **HTML** — the source HTML file, so the user can edit and reuse the design
2. **PDF** — the final vector PDF (`page.pdf()` output)

Optionally also provide:
3. **Image** — a full-page screenshot/preview image (PNG or JPG) for quick sharing on chat/social media

All file paths must be reported to the user. **Never deliver only the PDF without the HTML source.**

---

## Tooling Reference

### CLI: `python3 "$PDF_SKILL_DIR/scripts/pdf.py" <command>`

```bash
# Environment
env.check                    # Check deps
env.fix                      # Auto-install missing

# Quality
code.sanitize <script>       # Sanitize forbidden Unicode
content.sanitize <file> [--apply]  # Fix content issues (CJK, encoding)
meta.brand <pdf>             # Add Z.ai metadata
font.check <pdf>             # Scan for missing glyphs
toc.check <pdf>              # Validate TOC

# Conversion
convert.blueprint <llm_json_response.md> -o final.pdf  # CRITICAL FOR CREATIVE: Auto-extracts JSON, compiles, and renders PDF.
convert.html <html>          # HTML → PDF (Playwright)
convert.latex <tex>           # LaTeX → PDF (Tectonic). Bundled binary is macOS arm64 only; see academic.md for other-platform install.
convert.office <file>         # Office → PDF (LibreOffice)

# Processing
extract.text <pdf>            # Extract text
extract.table <pdf>           # Extract tables
extract.image <pdf>           # Extract images
pages.merge a.pdf b.pdf -o out.pdf
pages.split <pdf>
pages.clean <pdf>             # Remove blank pages
form.info <pdf>               # Inspect form fields
form.fill <pdf>               # Fill form
form.annotate <pdf>           # Fill via annotations
meta.get <pdf>
meta.set <pdf> -o out.pdf -d '{"Title": "..."}'
```

### Poster/HTML/LaTeX Validator: `python3 "$PDF_SKILL_DIR/scripts/poster_validate.py"`
```bash
check-html <html>                              # Pre-render validation (overflow:hidden, @media screen, fonts, contrast, etc.)
check-html <html> --fix --output <fixed.html>  # Auto-fix errors (remove overflow:hidden, add font fallback)
check-pdf <pdf> --source-html <html>           # Post-render validation
check-pdf <pdf> --poster                       # Poster mode: suppress ORPHAN_PAGE warning
check-tex <tex>                                # LaTeX source validation (table overflow, image width, etc.)
```

**check-html checks include:**
- `OVERFLOW_HIDDEN_CONTAINER` (error): overflow:hidden on html/body/.page/.poster — clips content
- `FIXED_SIZE_NO_SCREEN_ADAPT` (warning): fixed-size page without @media screen auto-scale
- `SCREEN_ADAPT_NO_SCALE` (warning): @media screen exists but lacks scale/transform/zoom
- `FONT_NO_FALLBACK` (error): font-family without generic fallback (sans-serif/serif)
- `COLOR_CONTRAST` (warning): text/background contrast ratio < 3:1
- `BG_COLOR_MISMATCH` (warning): body background differs from .canvas/.poster background
- `SCREEN_BG_MISMATCH` (warning): @media screen html background differs from body/canvas background
- `MULTIPAGE_BODY_BG_MISSING` (warning): multi-page document with dark `.page` backgrounds but no `html/body` background color. Sub-pixel gaps at page edges reveal white body, causing visible white edges on dark pages. Resolves `var()` references via `:root` variables.
- `SCREEN_NO_BG` (warning): fixed-size page's @media screen block lacks html background color
- `OVERFLOW_DECORATION` (warning): negative position values may cause black edges
- `NO_PAGE_SIZE` / `MISSING_MARGIN_RESET` / `WHITE_BACKGROUND` / `TINY_FONT` / etc.

**check-tex checks include:**
- `BARE_TABULAR_OVERFLOW` (error): `\begin{tabular}` with 5+ columns in two-column layout, not wrapped in resizebox/adjustbox/table*
- `RESIZEBOX_TEXTWIDTH` (error): `\resizebox{\textwidth}` used inside single-column float in two-column layout. `\textwidth` = full page width, but `table` float is one column. Fix: use `\resizebox{\columnwidth}` or `table*`
- `TABULAR_OVERFLOW_RISK` (warning): 4-column tabular in two-column layout without width constraint
- `TABULAR_WIDE` (warning): 7+ column tabular in single-column layout without width constraint
- `TABULAR_NO_FLOAT` (warning): tabular not inside table/table* float environment
- `TABULARX_NOT_LOADED` (warning): document has tabular but tabularx package not loaded
- `IMAGE_NO_WIDTH` (warning): `\includegraphics` without width/height/scale constraint
- `EQUATION_DUAL_ON_LINE` (warning): `equation` environment has 2+ equations joined by `\quad` without line breaks. Guaranteed overflow in dual-column
- `EQUATION_OVERFLOW_RISK` (warning): equation body has >80 math characters. Likely overflows single column
- `ALGORITHM_NO_SMALL_FONT` (warning): `algorithm` environment in dual-column without `\SetAlFnt{\small}`
- `ALGORITHM_LONG_IO` (warning): Algorithm Input/Output line >120 chars. Will overflow narrow column
- `CJK_ASCII_QUOTES` (error): ASCII `"` found adjacent to CJK characters. LaTeX interprets `"` as right double quote, so `"北漂"` renders incorrectly. Skips verbatim/lstlisting/minted environments and `\texttt{}`/`\url{}`/`\href{}{}`/`\verb||` inline commands.

### Design Engine: `python3 "$PDF_SKILL_DIR/scripts/design_engine.py"`
```bash
compile --blueprint <json_file> --output poster.html  # CRITICAL: Compile JSON blueprint to HTML
derive "document title or description"         # Auto-derive intent from content
palette --intent calm --mode dark               # Generate HSL-locked palette
palette-cascade --intent cold --mode minimal    # Generate role-based cascade palette (V2, preferred)
svg --intent flow --dimensions 720x960         # Generate SVG background
full --intent energy --mode dark --dimensions 720x960 --output-dir ./assets/
audit --palette-json palette.json              # Check palette constraints
```

### Palette Generator (for Report route): `python3 "$PDF_SKILL_DIR/scripts/pdf.py" palette.generate`
```bash
palette.generate --title "document title" --mode minimal   # Output: ready-to-paste ReportLab Python code
palette.generate --title "..." --format json               # Output: raw JSON
palette.generate --title "..." --format css                # Output: CSS custom properties
palette.generate --title "..." --mode dark --harmony complementary --seed 42
```

### Cascade Palette (V2 - Preferred): `python3 "$PDF_SKILL_DIR/scripts/pdf.py" palette.cascade`
```bash
palette.cascade --title "document title" --mode minimal    # Output: summary table with all 12 roles
palette.cascade --title "..." --format json                # Full structured JSON (roles + cover + body + charts + semantic)
palette.cascade --title "..." --format css                 # CSS custom properties by tier
palette.cascade --title "..." --format reportlab           # Ready-to-paste ReportLab Python code
```
**⚠️ Cascade palette is the preferred palette system.** It enforces area ∝ 1/saturation (larger areas = lower saturation) and outputs unified color subsets for cover, body, and charts from one base hue. Use `palette.cascade` instead of `palette.generate` for new documents.

**⚠️ Report route MUST call `palette.cascade` (or `palette.generate`) before writing any ReportLab code.** The output is copy-paste ready - no manual hex picking allowed.

> **Note**: `design_engine.py compile` produces **HTML** from a JSON blueprint. To get a **PDF**, use `pdf.py convert.blueprint` which internally calls `compile` → Playwright render → PDF output. In the Creative pipeline, always use `convert.blueprint` for the final PDF.

### Tech Stack per Brief

| Brief | Primary Tool | Secondary | Emoji Support | Custom Page Size |
|-------|-------------|-----------|---------------|-----------------|
| Report | ReportLab + pypdf | **Playwright (cover)** | ❌ (tofu □) | Manual pagination |
| Creative | Playwright | html2pdf-next.js (pdf-lib for post-processing) | ✅ native | ✅ any size |
| Academic | Tectonic + pypdf | **Playwright (cover)** | ❌ (dropped) | Template-dependent |
| Process | pikepdf, pdfplumber | LibreOffice (soffice) | N/A | N/A |

> **Unified Cover System**: All routes generate covers via HTML/Playwright. Report uses Templates 01–07, Academic uses Templates 08–10 (dark backgrounds, scholarly typography), Creative generates cover + body in one HTML document. Cover PDFs are merged with body PDFs via pypdf.
>
> **Fallback**: If Report brief content has emoji → reroute to Creative.

---

## File Map

```
SKILL.md                            ← You are here
briefs/
  report.md                         ← Report production: ReportLab workflow + API + resume(ATS)
  creative.md                       ← Creative production: 5-phase generative design workflow
  poster.md                          ← Poster scene rules: density, font sizing, fill constraints (overlay on creative.md)
  academic.md                       ← Academic production: LaTeX workflow + templates + resume(CV)
  process.md                        ← PDF processing: extract/merge/split/form/convert/reformat
  process-advanced.md               ← Advanced reference (encrypted/corrupted/OCR/batch/perf) - load on demand
configs/
  visual_framework.md               ← Palette mode, color harmony, SVG background params
  components.md                     ← Non-grid composition components (floating cards, etc.)
  fonts.md                          ← Font stacks per pipeline (Creative/Report/Academic)
typesetting/
  palette.md                        ← Color system + typography + anti-patterns + spacing
  cover.md                          ← Cover page layout system (7 layouts × 2-3 variants) + typography scale + color rules
  cover-backgrounds.md              ← Cover background rendering rules + transparency constraints
  charts.md                         ← Chart styling + anti-stacking rules + axis/grid/legend treatment
  overflow.md                       ← Bounding box system, text/image/table overflow prevention
  pagination.md                     ← Cross-page integrity, orphan/widow control, CJK punctuation
  typography.md                     ← Font size scale, line-height, spacing system
  geometry.md                       ← Geometric anchor system (decorative elements, lines, shapes)
  fill-engine.md                    ← Adaptive anti-void layout engine V2.0
scripts/
  pdf.py                            ← CLI tool (30 subcommands)
  pdf_qa.py                         ← PDF quality checker (metadata, fonts, overflow, margins, tables, formulas)
  design_engine.py                  ← Generative SVG + palette engine (palette/svg/compile/derive/audit)
  poster_validate.py                ← HTML/PDF validator
  toc_validate.py                   ← TOC validator
  html2pdf-next.js                  ← Playwright + pdf-lib HTML→PDF converter for documents (no Paged.js)
  html2poster.js                    ← Playwright HTML→PDF converter for posters/single-page (auto overflow:hidden, dynamic height)
  cover_validate.js                 ← Cover-ONLY overlap detection (text vs decorative lines). Do NOT run on posters or documents — only on cover HTML in Report/Academic pipelines.
references/
  resume-altacv.tex                 ← AltaCV dual-column resume template (creative/tech)
  resume-academic.tex               ← Academic CV template (PhD/academic)
```

### Loading Protocol

1. **Always read**: This file (SKILL.md)
2. **Read ONE brief**: The matched brief file - it contains the complete workflow
3. **Read typesetting on demand**: Only when the brief says to (standard tasks)
4. **Never load all files upfront** - briefs reference what they need

### Script Path Setup (MANDATORY before any script call)

All paths are relative to `$PDF_SKILL_DIR` — the single root variable for this skill. Resolve it once before calling any script:

```bash
PDF_SKILL_DIR="<skill_directory>"   # ← parent directory of this SKILL.md

# Then all commands use $PDF_SKILL_DIR:
python3 "$PDF_SKILL_DIR/scripts/pdf.py" code.sanitize generate_pdf.py
python3 "$PDF_SKILL_DIR/scripts/pdf.py" meta.brand output.pdf
python3 "$PDF_SKILL_DIR/scripts/pdf.py" font.check output.pdf
python3 "$PDF_SKILL_DIR/scripts/pdf.py" toc.check output.pdf
python3 "$PDF_SKILL_DIR/scripts/pdf.py" pages.clean output.pdf -o output_clean.pdf
python3 "$PDF_SKILL_DIR/scripts/pdf_qa.py" output.pdf
python3 "$PDF_SKILL_DIR/scripts/poster_validate.py" check-html page.html
python3 "$PDF_SKILL_DIR/scripts/poster_validate.py" check-pdf output.pdf
```

**For Python imports** (when generation code needs to import skill modules):

```python
import sys, os
PDF_SKILL_DIR = "<skill_directory>"
_scripts = os.path.join(PDF_SKILL_DIR, "scripts")
if _scripts not in sys.path:
    sys.path.insert(0, _scripts)
```

**⚠️ NEVER use bare `python3 scripts/pdf.py ...`** - it only works if cwd happens to be the skill directory. Always use `$PDF_SKILL_DIR/scripts/` as the absolute prefix.

---

## 8. Quality Checklist (Mandatory after every PDF generation)

> The following checks come from the `typesetting/` spec files and are **mandatory** quality gates.

### Automated Detection (Must Run)

```bash
python3 "$PDF_SKILL_DIR/scripts/pdf_qa.py" <output.pdf>
python3 "$PDF_SKILL_DIR/scripts/pdf_qa.py" --poster <output.pdf>   # poster mode: skip content fill ratio, check all pages for full-bleed
python3 "$PDF_SKILL_DIR/scripts/pdf_qa.py" --skip-cover --formulas <output.pdf>   # academic mode: skip cover for margin check, enable formula overflow
python3 "$PDF_SKILL_DIR/scripts/pdf_qa.py" --no-tables <output.pdf>   # creative mode: skip table centering check
```

> **Dependency**: Requires `pymupdf` (`pip install pymupdf`). If not installed, skip automated detection and use the manual checklist below.

Run `pdf_qa.py` after generating a PDF. It auto-detects: metadata completeness, page size consistency, blank pages, CJK punctuation placement, color count, font embedding status, content overflow, content fill ratio, cover full-bleed, margin symmetry, table centering, formula overflow.
- **`--poster` mode**: skips content fill ratio check (poster last page naturally has less content), checks ALL pages for full-bleed (not just cover)
- **`--skip-cover`**: skips page 1 when checking margin symmetry (for documents with separately-generated covers)
- **`--no-tables`**: disables table centering check (for creative/poster documents that rarely have traditional tables)
- **`--formulas`**: enables formula overflow detection (checks if formula-like content extends past right content margin)
- Result PASS → deliver directly
- Result WARN → evaluate whether fix is needed, non-blocking
- Result FAIL → **must fix and regenerate**

### Pagination & Layout (pagination.md)

- [ ] **Last page fill ratio ≥ 40%**: No large blank areas on the final page. If insufficient, backtrack to compress spacing/line-height/font-size
- [ ] **Major section 3/4 threshold**: H1-level headings must NOT start in the bottom 25% of a page. If remaining space < 25%, force page break and start on fresh page. Use `CondPageBreak(available_height * 0.25)` in ReportLab, `\needspace{0.25\textheight}` in LaTeX
- [ ] **Tables don’t split across pages**: Table header and data rows must stay together. Small tables: `break-inside: avoid`. Large tables: `thead { display: table-header-group }`
- [ ] **Punctuation placement rules**: Commas, periods, etc. must not appear at line start. Set `line-break: strict` in CSS
- [ ] **No orphan headings**: Headings must not appear alone at page bottom. Use `break-after: avoid`
- [ ] **Cards/images not cut**: `break-inside: avoid`

### Overflow Prevention (overflow.md)

- [ ] **All table cells use Paragraph() wrapping** (ReportLab): Never plain strings - they don't wrap and overflow
- [ ] **sum(colWidths) ≤ available_width**: Verified in code, not assumed
- [ ] **Images/charts proportionally scaled**: Never inserted at original dimensions; always `fit_image()` or `max-width: 100%`
- [ ] **Long tables have repeatRows=1**: Table header repeats on every page when table breaks across pages
- [ ] **Heading + first paragraph in KeepTogether**: Prevents orphan headings at page bottom
- [ ] **Chart + caption in KeepTogether**: Prevents chart on one page, caption on next
- [ ] **CJK text uses wordWrap='CJK'**: Required for proper line-breaking of Chinese/Japanese/Korean
- [ ] **URLs/long strings have word-break**: `overflow-wrap: break-word` (HTML) or manual splitting (ReportLab)
- [ ] **Font degradation fallback**: Tight columns can shrink font by up to 3pt before clipping

### Color (palette.md) - Report & Creative only

> **Academic (LaTeX) documents are exempt** from this color system. LaTeX uses template-defined styling.
- [ ] **Entire document ≤ 5 colors**: Primary + secondary + accent + neutral + background
- [ ] **All colors traceable to primary**: Secondary and accent derived via lightness/saturation/micro-hue shift
- [ ] **Sibling elements not differentiated by different hues**: Use opacity/lightness/borders instead
- [ ] **Gradient endpoints hue difference < 20°**: No warm-to-cool gradients
- [ ] **No high-saturation color blocks**: Avoid eye strain

### Cover V2 (cover.md)

- [ ] **Evaluate whether a cover is needed**: Reports, proposals, analysis, white papers, manuals ≥ 3 pages → **always add cover (default ON)**. Skip cover ONLY for: resumes, CVs, letters, memos, forms, checklists, invoices, internal notes, or documents ≤ 2 pages
- [ ] **Single PDF output**: Cover is merged into the final PDF as page 1. **Report/Academic**: cover generated via HTML/Playwright → merged as page 0 via pypdf. **Creative**: cover is part of the same HTML document. NEVER deliver a separate cover file
- [ ] **Page isolation**: Cover NEVER shares a page with TOC or body content. **Report/Academic**: inherent via pypdf merge (separate PDFs). **Creative**: CSS page-break ensures isolation
- [ ] **Absolute Anchor Grid**: All elements use percentage Y-anchors (Part 0, A0.1). NO flow-based layout
- [ ] **Z-Index Layers**: Render in strict order: Layer 0 (bg fill) → Layer 1 (decorative, CLIPPED) → Layer 2 (structure lines) → Layer 3 (text)
- [ ] **Typography Weight System**: Use weight/spacing/opacity hierarchy per A0.2 (Kicker: 16pt+3pt spacing+60% opacity; Hero: 45-65pt Heavy; Meta: 20-22pt; Summary: 16-18pt Regular line-height 1.6)
- [ ] **Mandatory Summary Block** 🆕: Every cover MUST include a Summary/Description drawer (2-4 lines). If user provides none, auto-generate placeholder text (S3.5)
- [ ] **Safety checks**: Hero title overflow (max 3 lines, auto-reduce font S3.1); Zone collision detection (S3.2); Uppercase lock for Latin kickers/footers/watermarks (S3.3); Hard width boundary enforcement (S3.4); Summary auto-generation (S3.5); **Background watermark full-display enforcement (S3.6)**
- [ ] **Background watermark complete** 🆕: All background layer watermark text (year, document type, sidebar text) must be 100% visible within page bounds - auto-shrink font if needed, NEVER clip/truncate
- [ ] **Data binding correct** 🆕: Hero Title = company/entity name (biggest, heaviest text); Kicker = report type/subtitle (small decorative text). NEVER reverse this mapping
- [ ] **Fill Engine applied** 🆕: Font floor enforced (body ≥ 14pt single-col / 12pt dual-col, H1 ≥ 32pt, H2 ≥ 24pt, H3 ≥ 18pt); Fill Ratio calculated; inflation triggered when < 65%; Y-axis golden-ratio anchor when < 40%
- [ ] **Selected one of 7+4 templates**: General templates 01–07 + Academic templates 08–10 + Institutional template 11. Autonomously select the best-fit template by analyzing document intent (Calm/Tension/Energy/Authority/Warmth) and document type per Part 2 Intent × Type matrix. Thesis proposals/dissertations/institutional submissions → **default Template 11**. No global default - every selection must be a deliberate design decision
- [ ] **Typography weight hierarchy**: Hero 45-65pt Heavy, Meta 20-22pt Regular, Kicker/Footer 16pt with 3pt letter-spacing + 60% opacity, Summary 16-18pt Regular
- [ ] **Base spacing unit**: `U = W * 0.05` - all spacing should be multiples of U
- [ ] **Bounding box via absolute anchors**: Each block anchored to fixed Y%, grows only within its own zone, never pushes adjacent blocks
- [ ] **Safe zone margin**: 8-12% on all sides per template spec (corner marks for Template 04 at 8%)
- [ ] **Cover whitespace ≥ 60%**: Restraint > clutter (but Summary block fills mid-page void intentionally)
- [ ] **Cover colors consistent with body**: No independent color scheme; white/light backgrounds only
- [ ] **Clip-path on Layer 1**: All background decorative elements must be clipped to page bounds
- [ ] **Clip scope = Layer 1 ONLY** �F: `saveState()`/`clipPath()` must `restoreState()` BEFORE rendering Layer 2 lines and Layer 3 text. Text rendered inside clip scope = text gets cut off
- [ ] **No page border/frame** �F: Cover page must have `showBoundary=0`, no `canvas.rect(0,0,W,H)`, no CSS border/outline on cover container
- [ ] **Line-to-text minimum gap** �F: Decorative lines (Layer 2) must be at least `U` (= `W * 0.05`) away from any text content
- [ ] **No dark/gradient backgrounds**: No dark fills, no gradients, no high-saturation schemes
- [ ] **Hard width enforcement**: Text wraps vertically at zone boundary, NEVER bleeds horizontally past assigned width
- [ ] **🚫 NEVER use ReportLab for covers** — ALL covers (Report, Creative, Academic) are generated via HTML/Playwright. See cover.md for the 10-template system. If you catch yourself writing `canvas.setFillColor()` + `canvas.rect()` for a cover background, STOP — switch to HTML/Playwright.
- [ ] **Line-length alignment (S3.7)**: Vertical lines match text block height (± 1U); horizontal lines ≥ widest text element width (never shorter than text)
- [ ] **Vertical balance (S3.8)**: No >40% dead whitespace at bottom; sparse content uses centered distribution; CJK titles 15-20% larger than Latin equivalent
- [ ] **Percentage positioning safety (S3.9)**: Every element with `top: XX%` must have a containing block with deterministic height (`height: 100%`, `inset: 0`, or `top+bottom` pair). Wrappers without explicit height + percentage-positioned children = overlap bug. Prefer px values over percentages
- [ ] **Cover colors from palette system**: All `:root` CSS variables populated by `palette.cascade` output. Template HTML uses `--c-bg`, `--c-accent`, `--c-text`, `--c-muted` — no hardcoded hex values in generated HTML

### Geometric Anchors (geometry.md)

- [ ] **Anchors use only the primary color**: Layer via opacity, don't mix colors
- [ ] **Strokes over fills**: Solid elements ≤ 30%
- [ ] **Ultra-thin lines**: stroke-width 0.3-0.8px
- [ ] **Asymmetric placement**: Offset creates tension
- [ ] **Elements ≤ 8**: Restraint, don't clutter

### Charts (charts.md)

- [ ] **No text stacking/overlap**: All chart labels, values, and legends must be collision-free
- [ ] **Chart-to-text separation**: Minimum 24pt gap above and below charts; 8pt between chart and caption; 30pt between consecutive charts
- [ ] **Legend-to-chart non-overlap**: Legend MUST NOT overlap chart data area. Use `bbox_to_anchor` or external placement
- [ ] **Value label anti-collision**: Adjacent value labels that overlap must be staggered, rotated, or selectively hidden
- [ ] **Pie charts → Donut by default**: hole_ratio 60-70%, center shows total/core metric
- [ ] **Small pie slices handled**: Slices < 5% use leader lines, < 3% merge to "Others", or strip labels to rich legend
- [ ] **Bar chart auto-rotation**: If X-axis labels avg > 5 CJK chars (or 10 Latin), auto-convert to horizontal bars
- [ ] **Line chart labeling**: Only label start, end, max, min points - NOT every data point
- [ ] **Axis cleanup**: Top/right spines deleted, grid lines dashed at 0.5pt/20% opacity (or hidden if values labeled)
- [ ] **Bar micro-rounding**: Top border-radius 2-4px, bar-to-gap ratio 1.5:1 or 2:1
- [ ] **Legend de-boxed**: No border on legend, horizontal layout, small circle markers
- [ ] **Chart title hierarchy**: Bold main title left-aligned above chart, lighter subtitle below it

### Global Layout

- [ ] **Margin symmetry**: `left_margin == right_margin` - asymmetric margins cause off-center content (ReportLab, LaTeX, HTML all checked)
- [ ] **Full-bleed enforcement (Playwright)**: HTML includes `@page { size: <w> <h>; margin: 0; }` and `html,body { margin:0; padding:0; }`. No white side margins in the output PDF
- [ ] **Background color consistency (Playwright)**: `html, body { background }` set explicitly. Single-color docs: match content canvas. Multi-page mixed docs: use the darkest page's background color. Mismatch or missing = sub-pixel white edges on dark pages
- [ ] **Content centering (Playwright)**: Content is centered in PDF, not drifting left or right. Check: symmetric inset/padding, full-width grid columns, no unbalanced max-width
- [ ] **Anti-void edges**: No large meaningless blank areas at top, bottom, or sides. Content fills ≥ 60% of page (multi-page) or ≥ 70% (single-page poster/infographic)
- [ ] **Fill Engine applied**: Pages with < 80% fill ratio trigger the fill engine (see `fill-engine.md`)
- [ ] **Table centering**: ALL tables must be horizontally centered on the page. ReportLab: use `hAlign='CENTER'` on Table flowable. LaTeX: use `\centering` inside table environment. HTML: use `margin: 0 auto` on table element. NEVER let tables float left with right-side whitespace
- [ ] **Table column width**: Table total width should be 85-100% of content area width. Avoid narrow tables (< 60% width) that look lost on the page. If table is narrow, expand column widths proportionally or use `colWidths` to fill available space

### Exam / Quiz / Test Paper Rules

- [ ] **Question numbering**: Use hierarchical numbering (一、二、三 for sections; 1. 2. 3. for questions; (1)(2)(3) or A B C D for sub-questions/options)
- [ ] **Option indentation**: Multiple-choice options MUST be indented relative to the question stem. Minimum `leftIndent = 24pt` (2em). Options must NEVER start at the same X position as the question number
- [ ] **Option layout**: ≤4 short options (≤4 chars each) → 2×2 grid or single row. >4 options or long text → vertical list, one per line. Each option on its own line gets consistent indentation
- [ ] **Answer space reservation**: MUST reserve blank space for handwritten answers. Calculation: short answer = 2-3 blank lines (40-60pt); paragraph/essay = 8-15 blank lines (160-300pt); math work = 6-10 blank lines (120-200pt); fill-in-the-blank = inline underline (min 80pt width). Use `Spacer(1, height)` in ReportLab
- [ ] **Answer line style**: Use light gray dashed or dotted horizontal lines for answer areas, NOT solid black lines. Line weight ≤ 0.5pt, color = #cccccc or lighter
- [ ] **Score marking area**: Each question should have a score indicator in the margin or after the question number, e.g., “(10分)” or “[10 pts]”
- [ ] **Page density**: Exam papers should NOT be cramped. Minimum `spaceBefore=12pt` between questions. Section headers get `spaceBefore=24pt`

### Design Restraint (Anti-Gaudy)

- [ ] **Decorative elements ≤ 3 per page**: Maximum 3 decorative/non-functional visual elements per page (lines, shapes, icons, patterns). Cover page exempt
- [ ] **No gratuitous icons/emoji in headers**: Section headers should use typography hierarchy (size, weight, color) for emphasis — NOT emoji, icons, or decorative bullets unless the user explicitly requested them
- [ ] **No rainbow/multi-color schemes**: Stick to the single-family palette system. If you find yourself using 4+ distinct hue families in one document, STOP and simplify
- [ ] **No decorative borders on body pages**: Body content pages must NOT have decorative borders, corner ornaments, or page frames. Clean margins only. (Cover page Template 11 border is the sole exception)
- [ ] **No texture/pattern backgrounds on body pages**: Body pages use solid white or ultra-light tinted backgrounds only. No dot grids, crosshatch, diagonal lines, or any pattern fills
- [ ] **Whitespace is design**: Empty space between elements is intentional and valuable. Do NOT fill every gap with decorative elements, horizontal rules, or filler content
- [ ] **Typography over decoration**: Create visual hierarchy through font size, weight, spacing, and color — not through adding more visual elements. If a design looks busy, REMOVE elements rather than rearranging them
- [ ] **2-typeface maximum**: Entire document uses at most 2 font families (one serif, one sans-serif). No mixing 3+ fonts for “variety”
- [ ] **🚫 NO stock images / clipart / AI-generated decorations**: NEVER embed watercolor flowers, floral borders, gold frames, stock photos, clipart illustrations, or AI-generated artwork for decoration. Use geometric shapes (CSS/SVG from geometry.md) + typography for all visual design. Only user-provided content images (photos, logos, diagrams) are allowed. See `visual_framework.md` Stock Image Ban

### LaTeX-Specific (academic.md)

- [ ] **Curly quotes**: No straight `"` quotes - use `` ``text'' `` for double and `` `text' `` for single
- [ ] **Title page isolation**: `\end{titlepage}` followed by `\newpage`/`\clearpage` - TOC/body NEVER on same page as title
- [ ] **Resume column overlap**: AltaCV `paracol` entries checked for vertical overflow; max 3-4 bullets per `\cvevent`; explicit `\newpage` for 2-page resumes
- [ ] **`\geometry` symmetry**: `left=X, right=X` must be equal values

### Output Cleanliness (All Pipelines)

- [ ] **No process artifacts in output**: NEVER include version numbers ("V3"), iteration markers, draft labels ("DRAFT"), "CONFIDENTIAL"/"机密" stamps, "Generated by AI"/"本文档由AI生成", or internal comments in the final PDF unless the user explicitly requested them
- [ ] **No auto-generated boilerplate labels**: Do not add ANY watermarks, generation notices, version numbers, timestamps, or tool names that the user didn't ask for
- [ ] **No debug output in content**: Console logs, file paths, generation timestamps, tool names, or error messages must never appear in the PDF body
- [ ] **Clean metadata only**: PDF metadata (author, title, subject) should reflect the document content, not the generation process
