Official agent skill

Pdftk Server

Skill for using the command-line tool pdftk (PDFtk Server) for working with PDF files.

OfficialMITAuto-check: notesDocuments & Office

Install Pdftk Server

skills CLI

$ npx skills add github/awesome-copilot --skill pdftk-server -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install github/awesome-copilot pdftk-server --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/github/awesome-copilot.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/pdftk-server .claude/skills/pdftk-server && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.

Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/

Paste into Claude Code

Install the "pdftk-server" agent skill from https://github.com/github/awesome-copilot/tree/main/skills/pdftk-server into .claude/skills/pdftk-server/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "pdftk-server", then confirm the skill loads.

Claude Code copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

$skill-installer

$skill-installer install https://github.com/github/awesome-copilot/tree/main/skills/pdftk-server

Type this inside Codex. $skill-installer <name> installs a curated skill from openai/skills. The installer writes to $CODEX_HOME/skills (default ~/.codex/skills). Restart Codex if the skill does not show up.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add github/awesome-copilot --skill pdftk-server -a codex

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install github/awesome-copilot pdftk-server --agent codex

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/github/awesome-copilot.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/pdftk-server .agents/skills/pdftk-server && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.

Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/

Paste into Codex

Install the "pdftk-server" agent skill from https://github.com/github/awesome-copilot/tree/main/skills/pdftk-server into .agents/skills/pdftk-server/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "pdftk-server", then confirm the skill loads.

Codex copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add github/awesome-copilot --skill pdftk-server -a cursor

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install github/awesome-copilot pdftk-server --agent cursor

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/github/awesome-copilot.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/pdftk-server .cursor/skills/pdftk-server && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.cursor/skills/ instead of .cursor/skills for a personal install.

Cursor skills documentation · loads skills from .cursor/skills/, .agents/skills/, .claude/skills/, .codex/skills/

Paste into Cursor

Install the "pdftk-server" agent skill from https://github.com/github/awesome-copilot/tree/main/skills/pdftk-server into .cursor/skills/pdftk-server/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "pdftk-server", then confirm the skill loads.

Cursor copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

gemini skills install

$ gemini skills install https://github.com/github/awesome-copilot.git --path skills/pdftk-server

--scope user (default) or --scope workspace; --path is the subfolder of the repo that holds the skill; --consent skips the security confirmation prompt.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add github/awesome-copilot --skill pdftk-server -a gemini-cli

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install github/awesome-copilot pdftk-server --agent gemini-cli

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/github/awesome-copilot.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/pdftk-server .gemini/skills/pdftk-server && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.gemini/skills/ instead of .gemini/skills for a personal install, then run /skills reload.

Gemini CLI skills documentation · loads skills from .gemini/skills/, .agents/skills/

Paste into Gemini CLI

Install the "pdftk-server" agent skill from https://github.com/github/awesome-copilot/tree/main/skills/pdftk-server into .gemini/skills/pdftk-server/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "pdftk-server", then confirm the skill loads.

Gemini CLI copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install github/awesome-copilot pdftk-server

Installs for Copilot at project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Preview a skill first with gh skill preview. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

skills CLI

$ npx skills add github/awesome-copilot --skill pdftk-server -a github-copilot

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/github/awesome-copilot.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/pdftk-server .github/skills/pdftk-server && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.copilot/skills/ instead of .github/skills for a personal install. Commit .github/skills so cloud agent and code review can use it.

GitHub Copilot skills documentation · loads skills from .github/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/

Paste into GitHub Copilot

Install the "pdftk-server" agent skill from https://github.com/github/awesome-copilot/tree/main/skills/pdftk-server into .github/skills/pdftk-server/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "pdftk-server", then confirm the skill loads.

GitHub Copilot copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add github/awesome-copilot --skill pdftk-server -a opencode

OpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install github/awesome-copilot pdftk-server --agent opencode

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/github/awesome-copilot.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/pdftk-server .opencode/skills/pdftk-server && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.config/opencode/skills/ instead of .opencode/skills for a personal install.

OpenCode skills documentation · loads skills from .opencode/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/

Paste into OpenCode

Install the "pdftk-server" agent skill from https://github.com/github/awesome-copilot/tree/main/skills/pdftk-server into .opencode/skills/pdftk-server/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "pdftk-server", then confirm the skill loads.

OpenCode copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

Facts

Skill name: pdftk-server
GitHub stars: 40k
Used in: 1 other repo
Token cost: ~1.2k tokens
SKILL.md length: 435 words
Files: 6 (incl. references)
Skills in repo: 417
Repo updated: Oct 7, 2026
First seen: Oct 7, 2026
Licence: MIT

At a glance

Skill for using the command-line tool pdftk (PDFtk Server) for working with PDF files.

Asked to merge PDFs
SKILL.md covers When to Use This Skill, Prerequisites, Step-by-Step Workflows and Troubleshooting, plus 1 more section
Calls winget, brew and apt-get
Apply watermarks

What it does

Pdftk Server is an agent skill from github/awesome-copilot, published by the product's own GitHub organization. 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.

Its SKILL.md is about 1.2k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. The skill folder holds 6 other files, including reference files (for example `references/download.md`, `references/pdftk-cli-examples.md` and `references/pdftk-man-page.md`).

It sits in Documents & Office, covering PDF. The repository describes itself as: Community-contributed instructions, agents, skills, and configurations to help you make the most of GitHub Copilot. The licence is MIT.

When your agent uses it

Asked to merge PDFs
Apply watermarks
Extract metadata
Burst documents into pages

Example prompts

“/pdftk-server”

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 727ff2e. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

Tool permissions
Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.
From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.
Runs code
Shell commands in SKILL.md call:
- winget
- brew
- apt-get
- dnf
From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.
Network
No URLs in SKILL.md.
From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.
Credentials
Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.
From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

Pdftk Server loads about 1.2k tokens when it runs, and up to ~7.3k if it reads all its reference files. Until then it costs about 95 tokens; SKILL.md has 435 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it: ~95
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches: ~1.2k
With references · SKILL.md plus every file in references/, read only if the agent opens them: ~7.3k

Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.

Safety

Auto-check: notes

The automated check noted patterns worth knowing about, such as sudo or a known installer.

NoteRuns commands with sudoSKILL.md:30

- **Linux (Debian/Ubuntu)**: `sudo apt-get install pdftk`

NoteRuns commands with sudoSKILL.md:31

- **Linux (Red Hat/Fedora)**: `sudo dnf install pdftk`

Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from github/awesome-copilot at commit 727ff2e, republished under its MIT licence (© github). 435 words, ~1,186 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/pdftk-server/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder). This skill also uses 5 other files; get the full folder from GitHub.

name: pdftk-server
description: 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.

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

bash

pdftk file1.pdf file2.pdf cat output merged.pdf

Using handles for more control:

bash

pdftk A=file1.pdf B=file2.pdf cat A B output merged.pdf

Split a PDF into Individual Pages

bash

pdftk input.pdf burst

Extract Specific Pages

Extract pages 1-5 and 10-15:

bash

pdftk input.pdf cat 1-5 10-15 output extracted.pdf

Remove Specific Pages

Remove page 13:

bash

pdftk input.pdf cat 1-12 14-end output output.pdf

Rotate Pages

Rotate all pages 90 degrees clockwise:

bash

pdftk input.pdf cat 1-endeast output rotated.pdf

Encrypt a PDF

Set an owner password and a user password with 128-bit encryption (default):

bash

pdftk input.pdf output secured.pdf owner_pw mypassword user_pw userpass

Decrypt a PDF

Remove encryption using the known password:

bash

pdftk secured.pdf input_pw mypassword output unsecured.pdf

Fill a PDF Form

Populate form fields from an FDF file and flatten to prevent further edits:

bash

pdftk form.pdf fill_form data.fdf output filled.pdf flatten

Apply a Background Watermark

Place a single-page PDF behind every page of the input (input should have transparency):

bash

pdftk input.pdf background watermark.pdf output watermarked.pdf

Stamp an Overlay

Place a single-page PDF on top of every page of the input:

bash

pdftk input.pdf stamp overlay.pdf output stamped.pdf

Show full SKILL.md (167 more words)Show less

Extract Metadata

Export bookmarks, page metrics, and document information:

bash

pdftk input.pdf dump_data output metadata.txt

Repair a Corrupted PDF

Pass a broken PDF through pdftk to attempt automatic repair:

bash

pdftk broken.pdf output fixed.pdf

Collate Scanned Pages

Interleave separately scanned even and odd pages:

bash

pdftk A=even.pdf B=odd.pdf shuffle A B output collated.pdf

Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
`pdftk` command not found	Verify installation; check that pdftk is in your system PATH
Cannot decrypt PDF	Ensure you are providing the correct owner or user password via `input_pw`
Output file is empty or corrupt	Check input file integrity; try running `pdftk input.pdf output repaired.pdf` first
Form fields not visible after fill	Use the `flatten` flag to merge fields into the page content
Watermark not appearing	Ensure the input PDF has transparent regions; use `stamp` for opaque overlays
Permission denied errors	Check file permissions on input and output paths

References

Bundled reference documents in the references/ folder:

pdftk-man-page.md - Complete manual reference with all operations, options, and syntax
pdftk-cli-examples.md - Practical command-line examples for common tasks
download.md - Installation and download instructions for all platforms
pdftk-server-license.md - PDFtk Server licensing information
third-party-materials.md - Third-party library licenses

Files

SKILL.md and 5 other files (references) in skills/pdftk-server of github/awesome-copilot.

SKILL.md
references/download.md
references/pdftk-cli-examples.md
references/pdftk-man-page.md
references/pdftk-server-license.md
references/third-party-materials.md

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 727ff2e

Used in 1 other repository

We found 1 copy of this SKILL.md (exact, near-identical or edited) in other folders, from 1 other GitHub owner. This page covers the copy in github/awesome-copilot, which our catalogue first saw on October 7, 2026.

boshi-xixixi/TraeSkill.trae/Skills/.agents/skills/pdftk-server

Compare with similar skills

Pdftk Server next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.

Pdftk Server compared with similar skills
Skill	Stars	Used in	Tokens	Auto-check	Licence	Repo updated
Pdftk Server this skillgithub/awesome-copilot	40k	1 repos	~1.2k	Automated safety check: Notes	MIT	today
MarkitdownImCa0/just-laws	781	14 repos	~3.2k	Automated safety check: Notes	MIT	8 days ago
Gzh Designisjiamu/gzh-design-skill	3.9k	1 repos	~2.2k	Automated safety check: Pass	AGPL-3.0	4 days ago
GenOffice Document CLIgenspark-ai/genoffice	8.8k	—	~19k	Automated safety check: Pass	Apache-2.0	today
Harness Book Best Practicewquguru/harness-books	3.2k	—	~4.1k	Automated safety check: Pass	None	5 mo ago
Bookforge Korean Ebook PDF Makergongnyang/bookforge	314	1 repos	~1.7k	Automated safety check: Pass	MIT	1 mo ago

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Questions about Pdftk Server

What does Pdftk Server do?

Skill for using the command-line tool pdftk (PDFtk Server) for working with PDF files. Pdftk Server is an agent skill from github/awesome-copilot, published by the product's own GitHub organization. Skill for using the command-line tool pdftk (PDFtk Server) for working with PDF files.

When should I use Pdftk Server?

Pdftk Server fits situations like: asked to merge PDFs; apply watermarks; extract metadata; burst documents into pages.

How do I install Pdftk Server in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add github/awesome-copilot --skill pdftk-server -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/pdftk-server in github/awesome-copilot) into .claude/skills/pdftk-server in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Pdftk Server in Codex?

Run `npx skills add github/awesome-copilot --skill pdftk-server -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/pdftk-server in github/awesome-copilot) into .agents/skills/pdftk-server in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Pdftk Server in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?

Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add github/awesome-copilot --skill pdftk-server -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/pdftk-server, .gemini/skills/pdftk-server, .github/skills/pdftk-server and .opencode/skills/pdftk-server in your project.

What does Pdftk Server need to run?

Going by SKILL.md and its folder, Pdftk Server needs the command-line tools its instructions call (winget, brew, apt-get and dnf).

Does Pdftk Server access the network?

SKILL.md contains no URLs. Any network use would come from the scripts or tools the agent runs. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Pdftk Server safe to install?

Our automated static check of SKILL.md found notes only (runs commands with sudo), nothing it rates as a warning. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.

What licence does Pdftk Server use?

Pdftk Server is published under the MIT licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does Pdftk Server use?

About 1.2k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 4.7k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full. Its references folder adds about 6.1k tokens, read only when the agent opens those files.

What are the alternatives to Pdftk Server?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Pdftk Server: Markitdown (ImCa0/just-laws, 781 stars), Gzh Design (isjiamu/gzh-design-skill, 3.9k stars), GenOffice Document CLI (genspark-ai/genoffice, 8.8k stars) and Harness Book Best Practice (wquguru/harness-books, 3.2k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Pdftk Server?

github (a GitHub organization, an official publisher) maintains it in github/awesome-copilot, which has 39,748 GitHub stars. The repository holds 417 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 7, 2026.

Source: github/awesome-copilot on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.

Install Pdftk Server

Facts

At a glance

What it does

When your agent uses it

Example prompts

What it can do on your machine

Tool permissions

Runs code

Network

Credentials

Context cost

Safety

SKILL.md

PDFtk Server

When to Use This Skill

Prerequisites

Step-by-Step Workflows

Merge Multiple PDFs

Split a PDF into Individual Pages

Extract Specific Pages

Remove Specific Pages

Rotate Pages

Encrypt a PDF

Decrypt a PDF

Fill a PDF Form

Apply a Background Watermark

Stamp an Overlay

Extract Metadata

Repair a Corrupted PDF

Collate Scanned Pages

Troubleshooting

References

Files

Used in 1 other repository

Compare with similar skills

Similar skills

More from github/awesome-copilot

Related

Questions about Pdftk Server