carousel-pdf-cli

Deterministic text-to-carousel PDF generator for LinkedIn and X. Converts markdown, notes, and articles into high-resolution multi-page slide decks. Zero browser overhead.

carousel-pdf-cli transforms plain markdown, notes, or blog summaries into publication-ready, multi-page PDF documents formatted specifically for LinkedIn document carousels.

It features a 100% deterministic, script-based rendering pipeline with zero headless browser requirements, compiling vector SVG layouts into high-DPI PDFs in milliseconds.

Part of the PostReady.org open-source content repurposing toolkit.

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Highlights

• Standard LinkedIn 4:5 Aspect Ratio: Optimized for the 1080x1350 vertical portrait dimension that dominates mobile feeds (also supports 1080x1080 square).
• Zero Browser Overhead: Renders complete 5–10 page carousel decks in under 2 seconds using native Rust @resvg/resvg-js and PDFKit.
• Intelligent Deck Auto-Splitter: Accepts raw unformatted articles and automatically produces cohesive Cover, Content, and Outro slides.
• Developer Palettes: Four minimalist themes (dark, light, terminal, gold) designed to match high-authority technical personal brands.
• Web App Ready: Shared pure SVG rendering architecture allows instant client-side preview in React/Next.js before triggering server-side PDF export.

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Quick Start (CLI)

Generate a carousel PDF directly with npx:

# Compile a markdown file into a dark-themed carousel PDF
npx carousel-pdf-cli article.md -t dark -o linkedin-carousel.pdf

# Target square ratio (1080x1080) with terminal theme
npx carousel-pdf-cli notes.txt --ratio square -t terminal

# Pipe text directly from terminal and export individual PNG slides too
cat blog.md | npx carousel-pdf-cli -t gold --images ./slides

Install globally:

npm install -g carousel-pdf-cli

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Input Formats

1. Structured Markdown (Recommended)

Separate slides with --- on its own line. Headings (#) automatically become slide titles, while bullet points (-) render as structured cards:

# How We Built an AI Content Studio
Lessons learned from shipping 4 developer tools in 24 hours.
---
# 1. Deterministic Over Non-Deterministic
- Core rendering should run on deterministic scripts.
- Eliminates recurring API fees and model hallucinations.
- Guarantees 10ms execution times.
---
# 2. Strict Input Validation
- Validate all subprocess and shell arguments.
- Never trust client parameters directly.
- Defense in depth at the boundary.
---
# Actionable Summary
Explore PostReady at postready.org today.

2. Raw Plain Text

Paste an unformatted blog post or notes document. The built-in parser will automatically extract the title, group body paragraphs into clean sequential slides, and generate an outro call-to-action slide.

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Programmatic API

Install locally:

npm install carousel-pdf-cli

Usage in Node.js / TypeScript:

import {
  splitTextToDeck,
  generateCarouselPdf,
  renderSlideSvg
} from 'carousel-pdf-cli';

// 1. Parse text into structured slide data
const slides = splitTextToDeck(rawArticleText, {
  brand: 'POSTREADY.ORG',
  author: 'eco-null',
  url: 'postready.org'
});

// 2. Generate multi-page PDF document
await generateCarouselPdf(slides, './output/carousel.pdf', {
  theme: 'dark',
  ratio: 'portrait'
});

// 3. Render raw SVG for real-time browser preview
const svgPreview = renderSlideSvg(slides[0], 1, slides.length, {
  theme: 'dark'
});

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Web Integration Guide

Looking to integrate this tool into your SaaS or Next.js website? Read the comprehensive step-by-step documentation in INTEGRATION_GUIDE.md for React components, serverless API routes, and connecting to AI credit engines.

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About PostReady

This tool was created by PostReady.org — the AI content repurposing studio that turns blog articles, podcasts, and notes into publish-ready X threads, LinkedIn posts, and newsletter drafts.

Explore other tools in the suite:

• social-preview-cli — Fast Rust-backed social card generator.
• md-to-thread — Split markdown files into X threads and carousels.
• awesome-tech-hooks — 500+ curated viral hooks and opening lines.
• git-recap — Turn git commits into user-facing release notes.
• clean-repo — Fast repository hygiene auditor and secret sentinel.

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License

MIT © eco-null