md2pdf2
Generate beautiful, professionally styled PDF documents from Markdown content using customizable Handlebars (HBS) templates and the md2pdf2 CLI tool. Use this skill whenever the user wants to convert markdown to PDF, create a styled PDF report/document from text or markdown, generate a PDF with a custom template or theme, produce professional documents (resumes, reports, newsletters, invoices, briefs) as PDFs from markdown input. Trigger this skill even when the user just says "create a PDF", "export to PDF", "make a nice PDF", or provides markdown and wants a polished document output. Prefer this skill over the plain pdf skill when template customization or markdown-to-PDF conversion is the core need.
Install
npx skillscat add areai51/md2pdf2 Install via the SkillsCat registry.
MD2PDF2 Skill
Convert Markdown to beautiful, professionally styled PDFs using the md2pdf2 CLI tool with Handlebars templates.
Overview
md2pdf2 is a Node.js CLI tool that converts Markdown → HTML (via HBS template) → PDF using Puppeteer. It supports:
- Custom
.hbsHandlebars templates with{{{content}}}for markdown body - CSS styling (inline or external)
- PDF format options (A4, Letter, etc.)
- Frontmatter metadata (title, author, date, etc.)
- Built-in templates:
default,modern,minimal,newsletter,resume
Workflow
Step 1 — Understand the request
Determine:
- Content: Does the user have markdown, or should you generate it from their description?
- Template/Style: Which built-in template fits, or should you create a custom
.hbs? - Output filename: Default to
output.pdfunless specified.
Step 2 — Set up the environment
# Install md2pdf2 globally (or use npx)
npm install -g md2pdf2 2>/dev/null || true
# Verify
which md2pdf2 || npx md2pdf2 --versionIf global install fails (permissions), use npx md2pdf2 in all commands.
Step 3 — Prepare files in /home/claude/
a) Write markdown content to /home/claude/input.md
Always include YAML frontmatter for metadata:
---
title: Document Title
author: Author Name
date: 2024-01-01
---
# Your Content Hereb) Create or select a template
For custom templates, write a .hbs file. See the Template Guide below.
For built-in templates, pass --template <name> (default, modern, minimal, newsletter, resume).
c) Write config if needed to /home/claude/md2pdf2.config.js:
export default {
template: './custom.hbs', // path to HBS template (optional)
pdfOptions: {
format: 'A4', // 'A4' | 'Letter' | 'Legal'
margin: { top: '2cm', right: '2cm', bottom: '2cm', left: '2cm' }
}
}Step 4 — Run the conversion
cd /home/claude && npx md2pdf2 convert input.md -o /mnt/user-data/outputs/output.pdf
# With custom template:
npx md2pdf2 convert input.md --template custom.hbs -o /mnt/user-data/outputs/output.pdf
# With built-in template name:
npx md2pdf2 convert input.md --template modern -o /mnt/user-data/outputs/output.pdfStep 5 — Present the file
Use present_files with the output path.
Template Guide
Minimal valid HBS template
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<style>
body { font-family: Georgia, serif; max-width: 800px; margin: 0 auto; padding: 40px; }
h1 { color: #2c3e50; }
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1>{{title}}</h1>
<p>{{author}} — {{date}}</p>
{{{content}}}
</body>
</html>Key variables available in templates:
{{{content}}}— rendered HTML from markdown (use triple braces — no escaping){{title}}— from frontmatter{{author}}— from frontmatter{{date}}— from frontmatter{{> partialName}}— include a partial fromtemplates/parts/
Built-in Handlebars helpers:
{{currentDate}}— returns current date (e.g., "January 15, 2024"){{slice str start end}}— slice a string (e.g.,{{slice title 0 1}}for first character){{hasPartial "name"}}— check if a partial exists
Beautiful template recipes
See templates/ folder in this skill for ready-to-use templates:
professional-report.hbs— corporate report with cover pageresume.hbs— clean two-column CV layoutnewsletter.hbs— styled newsletter with header/footer
Built-in Templates Quick Reference
| Template | Best For |
|---|---|
default |
General purpose, clean |
modern |
Bold, colorful, Inter font |
minimal |
Simple serif, academic |
newsletter |
Email-style newsletter |
resume |
CV/resume formatting |
Troubleshooting
md2pdf2: command not found → Use npx md2pdf2 instead.
Puppeteer/Chrome errors in sandbox → Add --no-sandbox flag if supported, or check if headless Chrome is available: google-chrome --version || chromium --version.
Template not found → Ensure the .hbs file path is relative to the working directory where you run the command.
Styles not applying → Check CSS is inside <style> tags in the HBS template, not external (external CSS won't load in Puppeteer's sandboxed env without explicit file:// paths).
Example: Full workflow
# 1. Write content
cat > /home/claude/input.md << 'EOF'
---
title: Q4 Sales Report
author: Finance Team
date: 2024-12-31
---
## Executive Summary
Revenue grew 23% YoY...
## Key Metrics
| Metric | Value |
|--------|-------|
| Revenue | $4.2M |
| Growth | 23% |
EOF
# 2. Convert with modern template
cd /home/claude && npx md2pdf2 convert input.md --template modern -o /mnt/user-data/outputs/q4-report.pdf
# 3. Verify
ls -la /mnt/user-data/outputs/q4-report.pdf