Multi-page PDF composed from ordered blocks: heading, paragraph, list, table, image (JPEG/PNG/JPEG 2000), link, toc (printed table of contents), barcode, svg, formField, chart, pageBreak, spacer — every block kind the engine offers, each sharing its body with the dedicated tool (add_table, embed_image, add_barcode, add_form, add_chart). DEFAULT for any document; use the dedicated tools only for a standalone artefact, add_attachment for embedded files and add_international_text for non-Latin scripts. pdfA + embedFonts:true for a valid PDF/A-1b/2b/2u/3b claim; outline / pageLabels / viewerPreferences / watermark for navigation and presentation; print, metadata, outputIntent, creationDate as on every document tool. The 'chart' block takes the same body as add_chart.

Single-page PDF with a barcode: qr (URLs, vCards, UTF-8 ≤ 4296 chars; ecLevel 'H' for print, 'M' default), code128 (ASCII SKUs), ean13 (12–13 digits, checksum auto), datamatrix (dense industrial marks), pdf417 (ID cards, boarding passes). data is the raw payload — never pre-encode. Typical: { format:'qr', data:'https://example.com', caption:'Scan me' }. PDF/A, print, metadata and creationDate options as on every document tool.

CMS / PAdES signature in ONE call: a missing /Sig placeholder is auto-injected (prepare_signature_placeholder is optional). Inputs: pdfBase64, algorithm (rsa-sha256/384/512, ecdsa-sha256 P-256), certDerBase64 (+ certChainDerBase64 intermediates) and the DER key (rsaKeyPkcs1DerBase64 for rsa-*, ecPrivateKeyDerBase64 or ecPrivateScalarHex for ECDSA; PEM is rejected with the openssl remedy). profile:'pades' (ETSI EN 319 142-1 baseline) is the right choice when add_ltv / timestamp_pdf follow; timestamp:true = PAdES B-T through the operator TSA (TSA_NOT_CONFIGURED otherwise, no network without it). signerName/reason/location/contactInfo/signingTime are baked into the placeholder THIS call injects (a pre-built placeholder keeps its own). Several unsigned placeholders → pass fieldName (PLACEHOLDER_AMBIGUOUS); allowMultiple:true + a new fieldName adds a further signature. Verify with verify_pdf.

PDF rendering text in 32 scripts (Arabic, Hebrew, Thai, Lao, CJK, Devanagari, Bengali, Gujarati, Gurmukhi, Kannada, Malayalam, Odia, Tamil, Telugu, Sinhala, Tibetan, Khmer, Myanmar, Tai Tham, New Tai Lue, Tai Le, Cham, Ethiopic, Cyrillic, Greek, Georgian, Armenian, Vietnamese, …; ha / yo / ig / sw are aliases of latin with anchored combining marks), COLRv1 colour emoji and mathematical symbols ('math': ∀ ∃ √ ∑ ∫ ∞). BiDi (UAX #9), Arabic joining and complex-script shaping are automatic; input is NFC-normalised; newlines split paragraphs. lang is a code or an array for mixed runs (['ar','emoji'], ['latin','math']). Fonts are always embedded, so embedFonts does not exist here. PDF/A, print, metadata and creationDate options as on every document tool.

Tabular PDF report from headers + rows (every row the same length). Smart-table options: wrap, repeatHeader (header on every page), zebra, caption (tagged for PDF/A), minRowHeight, cellPadding, cellBorders, cellVAlign, autoFitColumns, clipCells. Inside a longer document use a 'table' block of generate_basic_pdf instead. PDF/A (pdfA + embedFonts:true), print, metadata, watermark and creationDate options as on every document tool.

New PDF with an interactive AcroForm: text fields, text areas, checkboxes, radio buttons, dropdowns (data capture, surveys, fillable templates). To fill or flatten an EXISTING form use read_form_fields + fill_form. PDF/A, print, metadata and creationDate options as on every document tool.

PDF with one embedded JPEG, PNG or JPEG 2000 image (base64; PNG without alpha channel; JPEG 2000 passed through as /JPXDecode) plus optional caption and render width/height. Inside a longer document use an 'image' block of generate_basic_pdf instead. PDF/A, print, metadata and creationDate options as on every document tool.

New PDF carrying an unsigned /Sig placeholder for a LATER sign_pdf call. OPTIONAL — sign_pdf auto-injects one. Use it to size the placeholder (placeholderBytes for > 4096-bit keys, reserveTimestamp for an RFC 3161 token), to pin the widget page (pageIndex), to choose subFilter 'ETSI.CAdES.detached' (PAdES), or to ship the placeholder separately. signerName/reason/location/contactInfo/signingTime are frozen into /Sig here — sign_pdf cannot rewrite them later. NOTE: the unsigned file is not yet a conformant PDF/A (empty /Contents); it becomes one once signed. PDF/A, print, metadata and creationDate options as on every document tool.

Read-only facts about a PDF: version, pageCount, encryption, pdfA claim (the claim, not its validity — use veraPDF for that), signatureCount, hasSignaturePlaceholder, attachments[], info; presence-gated dss / docTimestampCount / trapped; signatures:true lists every field (subFilter, isDocTimestamp, isPlaceholder, byteRange, vriKey); pages:true adds per-page sizes and boxes. check:[…] turns it into a CI assertion ('pdfa','signed','encrypted','placeholder','attachments','dss','docTimestamp','trapped') → checks (requested keys only) + checksPassed. Encrypted sources: pass password. Token-frugal: verbosity:'summary', fields:[…].

Read-only verification of every signature: ByteRange digest vs CMS messageDigest (integrity), CMS signatureValue vs the embedded signer certificate (RSA-SHA256/384/512, ECDSA P-256), chain trust when trustedRootsDerBase64 is given ('self-signed' | 'unverified' | 'trusted' otherwise). /DocTimeStamp entries are verified as RFC 3161 tokens and count in allValid like any signature. Result: { allValid, signatureCount, summary, signatures:[{ valid, integrity, signerSubject, signingTime, chainTrust, errors[] }] }. ltv:true adds the PAdES view: per-signature profile, timestamp, revocation (read from embedded /DSS only — responder signatures are not re-verified) and ltvLevel B-B / B-T / B-LT / B-LTA with explicit caveats. Token-frugal: verbosity:'summary', fields:['allValid'].

PDF/A-3b document with embedded files — the tool for Factur-X / ZUGFeRD e-invoices (one XML attachment, relationship 'Source', mimeType application/xml) or any PDF carrying machine-readable side-files (≤ 8 MiB each). Body via blocks (same schema as generate_basic_pdf). Pair with embedFonts:true for a valid PDF/A-3 claim (strict:true fails otherwise). Read them back with extract_attachments. Print, metadata and creationDate options as on every document tool.

Plain-text extraction: decodes Tj/TJ operands through each font's /ToUnicode CMap, /Encoding /Differences or base encoding and returns pages[] + fullText (positioned runs with includeRuns:true; pages selects 0-based pages). extractable is false only when a page decoded ENTIRELY to U+FFFD (a font with no usable mapping — expected for some subset fonts, not an error; extractableReason explains). Tagged content carrying /ActualText (every pdfA document this server writes) returns that SOURCE text, in logical order; untagged right-to-left and reordered shaped runs (Arabic, Hebrew, Indic, Khmer, Myanmar, …) carry /ActualText since pdfnative 1.9 and come back in logical order too — only a Thai above-vowel + tone-mark pair still reads in drawn order untagged. onStreamError: 'limit' (default) fails only on a stream over the decompression cap (PDF_PARSE_FAILED), 'throw' fails on any undecodable stream, 'skip' returns the page without that stream's text. Encrypted sources: pass password (PASSWORD_REQUIRED / PASSWORD_INVALID otherwise). Token-frugal: verbosity:'summary', fields:[…].

Read-only structural gate; standard picks the rule set. 'pdf-ua-1' (default, ISO 14289-1) for Tagged PDF: /MarkInfo /Marked, /StructTreeRoot (+ /ParentTree), XMP /Metadata, /Lang, per-page MCID uniqueness — generate tagged input with pdfA (e.g. 'pdfa2u') first. 'pdf-x-4' (ISO 15930-7) for print exchange: /GTS_PDFX OutputIntent with a prtr ICC profile, TrimBox or ArtBox, every font embedded, no annotation / JavaScript / embedded file / transfer function — generate it with pdfx:'pdfx4'. Result { standard, valid, errors[], warnings[], summary } (+ caveats[] for PDF/X). Fast and structural only — NOT a reference validator or a certified preflight: fonts, colour and rendering are not checked (veraPDF for PDF/A and PDF/UA; callas pdfToolbox or Acrobat Preflight for PDF/X). Unparsable input → PDF_PARSE_FAILED.

Read-only extraction of embedded files (PDF/A-3, Factur-X, ZUGFeRD): name, mimeType, AFRelationship, description, sizeBytes and (by default) the payload as dataBase64. filename selects one file; includeData:false probes metadata only. Encrypted sources: pass password. Token-frugal: verbosity:'summary'.

Concatenate 2–50 PDFs (pdfsBase64[]) into one fresh, self-contained document. Page-tree rebuild: signatures and AcroForm are dropped, XMP (and thus a PDF/A claim) does not survive — re-declare PDF/A on the generating tools; page boxes and /UserUnit do survive; URI links kept unless dropAnnotations:true. Encrypted sources open with one password (PASSWORD_REQUIRED / PASSWORD_INVALID); output unencrypted unless encrypt. Guards: 256 MiB assembly (maxOutputSizeBytes), 50 MiB output (OUTPUT_TOO_LARGE).

Split one PDF into several documents, one per ranges[] entry ({ start, end? }, 0-based inclusive; end defaults to start). Multi-output result: base64 mode returns one embedded resource per part; file mode writes indexed siblings ('out.pdf' → 'out-1.pdf', 'out-2.pdf', …). Same page-tree caveats as merge_pdfs (signatures/AcroForm/XMP dropped; boxes kept). Encrypted sources: password. Need ONE document from a page subset? Use extract_pages.

Keep an arbitrary pages[] subset (0-based, in the given order) in ONE fresh PDF. Same page-tree caveats as merge_pdfs (signatures/AcroForm/XMP dropped; boxes kept; URI links unless dropAnnotations). Encrypted sources: password; output unencrypted unless encrypt. Need several documents? Use split_pdf.

Append markup annotations (ISO 32000-1 §12.5) to an existing PDF as a non-destructive incremental update (original bytes preserved). Types: text (sticky note), highlight | underline | strikeout | squiggly, square | circle, line (needs start/end), freetext, link (needs url — http:, https: or mailto:; the rect is the clickable area). Each needs a 0-based page and rect [x1,y1,x2,y2]; optional contents, color, opacity, title and type-specific fields. VISUAL OVERLAY ONLY — nothing is removed or redacted (covered text stays extractable). Encrypted sources → ENCRYPTED_SOURCE (decrypt_pdf first).

Produce a LOCAL GitHub issue draft + compliance report for pdfnative / pdfnative-mcp and NEVER submit it — the agent drafts, a human reviews and files it under their own identity (Human-In-The-Loop contract, .github/AGENT_RULES.md). No GitHub write path exists. The draft is checked against the zero-dependency + reproduction policy; a violation (new runtime dependency, missing reproduction, duplicateSearchPerformed:false) throws GOVERNANCE_VIOLATION. Returns markdown inline (outputMode:'file' also writes a .md). Present the draft AND the report to the user, then STOP.

Read-only list of an existing PDF's AcroForm fields: fully-qualified name, type (text | checkbox | radio | dropdown | listbox | button | signature | unknown), value, flags (readOnly / required / multiline), options, widget placements. Call it BEFORE fill_form to learn the names. Encrypted sources: password. Token-frugal: verbosity:'summary' → { fieldCount }.

Fill and/or flatten the AcroForm of an EXISTING PDF (add_form creates one) as an incremental update — prior signatures stay valid for their revision. values: fully-qualified name → string (array for multi-select), boolean or export state for checkbox/radio. flatten:true stamps appearances and drops the interactive layer (with no values = pure flatten). Unknown names → FORM_FIELD_NOT_FOUND unless onUnknownField:'ignore'; signature fields cannot be filled (FORM_UNSUPPORTED). Encrypted sources: password.

Single-page PDF with a native vector chart (pure path operators, no raster): bar, barH, stackedBar, stackedBarH, line (markers), area, scatter, pie, donut. Multi-series, legends, 'nice' ticks, gridlines, negatives; per-series xValues with xAxis.type 'linear' | 'time' (ISO-8601), secondary right axis (axis2 + yAxis:'right'), axis.scale 'log', dataLabels, labelStride / labelRotation. Pie/donut take exactly one series. Colours: hex ('#3366cc'), 'C M Y K' / [c, m, y, k] under a print intent, { spot, tint } / { inks } declared in print.spotColours; series[].colors gives one colour per value on the bar family (its length must equal values.length on every chart type — CHART_ERROR otherwise). Tagged /Figure + /Alt (auto when altText is omitted). Engine cross-field rules surface as CHART_ERROR with the remedy. Inside a longer document use a 'chart' block in generate_basic_pdf. PDF/A (pdfA + embedFonts:true), print, metadata and creationDate as on every document tool.

Encrypt an existing PDF with the Standard Security Handler: AES-128 (default) or AES-256; RC4 is never emitted. ownerPassword required; optional userPassword (open password), permissions { print, copy, modify, extractText }. Rotate the password of an already-encrypted source by passing its current password. CAVEAT: the page tree is rebuilt — signatures and AcroForm are DROPPED, only URI links kept; encrypt BEFORE signing. Never cached.

Emit an UNENCRYPTED copy of an encrypted PDF (RC4 V1–V4, AES-128, AES-256) given password (user or owner; empty user password needs none). CAVEAT: the page tree is rebuilt — signatures and AcroForm are DROPPED. To merely READ an encrypted PDF pass password to inspect_pdf / extract_text / extract_attachments / read_form_fields instead. Never cached.

Rewrite /Info (title, author, subject, keywords) of an EXISTING PDF as an incremental update; XMP stays in sync on PDF/A documents; /ModDate is refreshed (pin modDate for reproducible bytes). Earlier revisions and signatures stay byte-identical — the new revision is unsigned (sign_pdf / timestamp_pdf again if needed). Encrypted sources → ENCRYPTED_SOURCE. For metadata at generation time use the metadata option of the document tools.

PAdES B-LT: embed a Document Security Store (/DSS + per-signature /VRI) with the certificates and OCSP/CRL material future verifiers need ('LTV enabled' in Adobe Reader once the root is trusted). Ladder step 3: sign_pdf (profile:'pades', timestamp:true) → add_ltv → timestamp_pdf. mode 'online' (default) fetches through the OPERATOR revocation provider (PDFNATIVE_MCP_REVOCATION + PDFNATIVE_MCP_NETWORK_ALLOWED_HOSTS; REVOCATION_NOT_CONFIGURED otherwise — no network without it); mode 'offline' embeds caller-supplied DER certificates / OCSP responses / CRLs with zero network. Incremental (existing /DSS merged). Needs ≥ 1 signed signature; unencrypted PDFs only.

PAdES B-LTA: append an RFC 3161 document timestamp (/DocTimeStamp, ETSI.RFC3161) over the whole document. Ladder step 4 after add_ltv; re-run before the TSA certificate expires. fieldName omitted → DocTimeStamp1, 2, …; a fieldName colliding with a signed field fails. Uses the OPERATOR TSA (PDFNATIVE_MCP_TSA_URL; TSA_NOT_CONFIGURED otherwise, no network without it). The token's status, imprint and nonce are checked before embedding (its own signature is verified by verify_pdf). Unencrypted PDFs only.

Pagination preview WITHOUT generating a PDF: page count and where every block lands (page, x, top, width, height in points). Same blocks as generate_basic_pdf plus every input that moves a block (title, footerText, pdfA, normalize, embedFonts, pageSize, margins, headerTemplate, footerTemplate): pass what you will give generate_basic_pdf and the page count matches — the dry run shares the pagination planner of the builder, toc blocks included. Read-only, deterministic. Token-frugal: verbosity:'summary', fields:['totalPages'].