Agent skill · software engineering · github
pdftk-server
Skill for using the command-line tool pdftk (PDFtk Server) for working with PDF files. Use when asked to merge PDFs, split PDFs, rotate pages, encrypt or decrypt PDFs, fill PDF forms, apply watermarks, stamp overlays, extract metadata, burst documents into pages, repair corrupted PDFs, attach or extract files, or perform any PDF manipulation from the command line.
Why this skill is useful
Adds specific command-line usage patterns for PDF manipulation that the AI wouldn't reliably generate on its own.
What it needs
Requires pdftk installed locally. About 3k tokens when loaded. Last updated 2026-08-07. 37,534 stars on the source repository.
What this skill does
PDFtk Server PDFtk Server is a command-line tool for working with PDF documents. It can merge, split, rotate, encrypt, decrypt, watermark, stamp, fill forms, extract metadata, and manipulate PDFs in a variety of ways. When to Use This Skill Merging or joining multiple PDF files into one Splitting or bursting a PDF into individual pages Rotating PDF pages Encrypting or decrypting PDF files Filling PDF form fields from FDF/XFDF data Applying background watermarks or foreground stamps Extracting PDF metadata, bookmarks, or form field information Repairing corrupted PDF files Attaching or extracting files embedded in PDFs Removing specific pages from a PDF Collating separately scanned even/odd pages Compressing or decompressing PDF page streams Prerequisites PDFtk Server must be installed on the system Windows: winget install --id PDFLabs.PDFtk.Server macOS: brew install pdftk-java Linux (Debian/Ubuntu): sudo apt-get install pdftk Linux (Red Hat/Fedora): sudo dnf install pdftk Access to a terminal or command prompt Verify installation by running pdftk --version Step-by-Step Workflows Merge Multiple PDFs Using handles for more control: Split a PDF into Individual Pages Extract Specific Pages Extract pages 1-5 and 10-15: Remove Specific Pages Remove page 13: Rotate Pages Rotate all pages 90 degrees clockwise: Encrypt a PDF Set an owner password and a user password with 128-bit encryption (default): Decrypt a PDF Remove encryption using the known password: Fill a PDF Form Populate form fields from an FDF file and flatten to prevent further edits: Apply a Background Watermark Place a single-page PDF behind every page of the input (input should have transparency): Stamp an Overlay Place a single-page PDF on top of every page of the input: Extract Metadata Export bookmarks, page metrics, and document information: Repair a Corrupted PDF Pass a broken PDF through pdftk to attempt automatic repair: Collate Scanned Pages Interleave separately scanned even and odd pages: Troublesh …
How to use it
Reference it in AdaL, Claude Code, Cursor or any coding agent — nothing to install:
@skills github/pdftk-server