pdforge
PDForge (PDF Noodle) API for generating PDFs from templates or HTML via curl.
Install
npx skillscat add vm0-ai/vm0-skills/pdforge Install via the SkillsCat registry.
This skill allows developers to generate PDFs from templates or HTML using the PDForge (PDF Noodle) API via curl commands. It solves the problem of programmatically creating documents like invoices or reports with dynamic data. Use it when building applications that require PDF generation from structured content or HTML sources.
PDForge API (PDF Noodle)
Use the PDForge API via direct curl calls to generate PDFs from templates or raw HTML.
Official docs:
https://docs.pdforge.com/
Note: PDForge has been rebranded to PDF Noodle. Both api.pdforge.com and api.pdfnoodle.com work.
When to Use
Use this skill when you need to:
- Generate PDFs from reusable templates with dynamic data
- Convert HTML to PDF directly
- Create invoices, reports, or documents programmatically
- Export PNG images instead of PDFs
- Batch generate documents using async endpoints with webhooks
Prerequisites
- Sign up at PDF Noodle (formerly PDForge)
- Go to the API Keys menu in the dashboard
- Copy your API key (format:
pdfnoodle_api_xxxxx) - Store it in the environment variable
PDFORGE_API_KEY
export PDFORGE_API_KEY="pdfnoodle_api_your-key-here"Important: When using
$VARin a command that pipes to another command, wrap the command containing$VARinbash -c '...'. Due to a Claude Code bug, environment variables are silently cleared when pipes are used directly.bash -c 'curl -s "https://api.example.com" -H "Authorization: Bearer $API_KEY"' | jq '.field'
How to Use
All examples below assume you have PDFORGE_API_KEY set.
Base URL: https://api.pdfnoodle.com/v1
1. Generate PDF from Template (Sync)
Generate a PDF using a pre-built template with dynamic data.
Write to /tmp/pdforge_request.json:
{
"templateId": "your-template-id",
"data": {
"name": "John Doe",
"date": "2025-01-15",
"items": [
{"description": "Item 1", "price": 100},
{"description": "Item 2", "price": 200}
]
}
}Then run:
bash -c 'curl -s -X POST "https://api.pdfnoodle.com/v1/pdf/sync" --header "Authorization: Bearer ${PDFORGE_API_KEY}" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/pdforge_request.json'Response:
{
"signedUrl": "https://storage.googleapis.com/...",
"executionTime": 1234
}The signedUrl is a temporary URL (expires in 1 hour) to download the generated PDF.
2. Generate PDF from Template (Async)
For batch processing, use the async endpoint with a webhook.
Write to /tmp/pdforge_request.json:
{
"templateId": "your-template-id",
"webhook": "https://your-server.com/webhook",
"data": {
"name": "Jane Doe",
"amount": 500
}
}Then run:
bash -c 'curl -s -X POST "https://api.pdfnoodle.com/v1/pdf/async" --header "Authorization: Bearer ${PDFORGE_API_KEY}" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/pdforge_request.json'Response:
{
"requestId": "abc123"
}The webhook will receive the signedUrl when generation is complete.
3. Convert HTML to PDF (Sync)
Convert raw HTML directly to PDF without a template.
Write to /tmp/pdforge_request.json:
{
"html": "<html><body><h1>Hello World</h1><p>This is a PDF generated from HTML.</p></body></html>"
}Then run:
bash -c 'curl -s -X POST "https://api.pdfnoodle.com/v1/html-to-pdf/sync" --header "Authorization: Bearer ${PDFORGE_API_KEY}" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/pdforge_request.json'4. Convert HTML to PDF with Styling
Include CSS for styled PDFs.
Write to /tmp/pdforge_request.json:
{
"html": "<html><head><style>body { font-family: Arial; } h1 { color: #333; } .invoice { border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 20px; }</style></head><body><div class=\"invoice\"><h1>Invoice #001</h1><p>Amount: $500</p></div></body></html>"
}Then run:
bash -c 'curl -s -X POST "https://api.pdfnoodle.com/v1/html-to-pdf/sync" --header "Authorization: Bearer ${PDFORGE_API_KEY}" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/pdforge_request.json'5. Generate PNG Instead of PDF
Set convertToImage to true to get a PNG.
Write to /tmp/pdforge_request.json:
{
"html": "<html><body><h1>Image Export</h1></body></html>",
"convertToImage": true
}Then run:
bash -c 'curl -s -X POST "https://api.pdfnoodle.com/v1/html-to-pdf/sync" --header "Authorization: Bearer ${PDFORGE_API_KEY}" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/pdforge_request.json'6. Download Generated PDF
After getting the signedUrl, download the PDF:
Replace <your-signed-url> with the actual signed URL from the previous response:
curl -s -o output.pdf "https://storage.googleapis.com/<your-signed-url>"Request Parameters
Template Endpoint Parameters
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
templateId |
string | Yes | Template ID from dashboard |
data |
object | Yes | Variables for the template |
webhook |
string | Async only | Webhook URL for delivery |
convertToImage |
boolean | No | Return PNG instead of PDF |
metadata |
object | No | PDF metadata (title, author, etc.) |
hasCover |
boolean | No | Hide header/footer on first page |
debug |
boolean | No | Enable debug mode |
HTML Endpoint Parameters
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
html |
string | Yes | HTML content to convert |
convertToImage |
boolean | No | Return PNG instead of PDF |
metadata |
object | No | PDF metadata settings |
pdfParams |
object | No | PDF generation options |
Metadata Object
{
"metadata": {
"title": "Invoice #001",
"author": "Company Name",
"subject": "Monthly Invoice",
"keywords": ["invoice", "payment"]
}
}Guidelines
- Use templates for reusable documents: Create templates in the dashboard for invoices, reports, etc.
- Use HTML endpoint for one-off documents: When you don't need a reusable template
- Use async for batch processing: Async endpoint is better for generating many PDFs
- Download promptly: Signed URLs expire in 1 hour
- Include CSS inline: For HTML to PDF, include all styles in the HTML
Categories
Install
npx skillscat add vm0-ai/vm0-skills/pdforge Install via the SkillsCat registry.