---
name: pdforge
description: PDForge (PDF Noodle) API for generating PDFs from templates or HTML via curl.
vm0_secrets:
- PDFORGE_API_KEY
---
# 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
1. Sign up at [PDF Noodle](https://pdfnoodle.com/) (formerly PDForge)
2. Go to the API Keys menu in the dashboard
3. Copy your API key (format: `pdfnoodle_api_xxxxx`)
4. Store it in the environment variable `PDFORGE_API_KEY`
```bash
export PDFORGE_API_KEY="pdfnoodle_api_your-key-here"
```
---
> **Important:** When using `$VAR` in a command that pipes to another command, wrap the command containing `$VAR` in `bash -c '...'`. Due to a Claude Code bug, environment variables are silently cleared when pipes are used directly.
> ```bash
> 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`:
```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
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:**
```json
{
"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`:
```json
{
"templateId": "your-template-id",
"webhook": "https://your-server.com/webhook",
"data": {
"name": "Jane Doe",
"amount": 500
}
}
```
Then run:
```bash
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:**
```json
{
"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`:
```json
{
"html": "Hello World
This is a PDF generated from HTML.
"
}
```
Then run:
```bash
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`:
```json
{
"html": ""
}
```
Then run:
```bash
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`:
```json
{
"html": "Image Export
",
"convertToImage": true
}
```
Then run:
```bash
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 `` with the actual signed URL from the previous response:
```bash
curl -s -o output.pdf "https://storage.googleapis.com/"
```
---
## 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
```json
{
"metadata": {
"title": "Invoice #001",
"author": "Company Name",
"subject": "Monthly Invoice",
"keywords": ["invoice", "payment"]
}
}
```
---
## Guidelines
1. **Use templates for reusable documents**: Create templates in the dashboard for invoices, reports, etc.
2. **Use HTML endpoint for one-off documents**: When you don't need a reusable template
3. **Use async for batch processing**: Async endpoint is better for generating many PDFs
4. **Download promptly**: Signed URLs expire in 1 hour
5. **Include CSS inline**: For HTML to PDF, include all styles in the HTML