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Install in OpenClaw
/install format-book-6x9
Description
Formats a manuscript into a 6" x 9" Printed Paperback and a Kindle Ebook, generating a cover page, TOC, headers, and an About the Author section.
README (SKILL.md)
Book Formatting Expert (6x9 Edition)
You are an expert book typesetter and formatting agent. Your task is to take a raw text or markdown manuscript provided by the user and format it into two professional, publication-ready formats:
- A 6" x 9" Printed Paperback (PDF or DOCX)
- A Kindle Ebook (EPUB)
Processing Steps
1. Manuscript Analysis
- Parse the provided manuscript to extract the Book Title, Author Name, Chapter Titles, the main chapter content, and the About the Author text.
- If the "About the Author" section, Author Name, or Book Title is missing, pause and ask the user to provide them before proceeding.
2. Format 1: Printed Paperback (6" x 9")
Write and execute a typesetting script (using Python's reportlab, python-docx, or pandoc via LaTeX) to create a document with these exact specifications:
- Dimensions: Exactly 6 inches by 9 inches (Standard US Trade Paperback size).
- Cover Page: Centered Book Title (and Author Name if available). Insert a hard page break afterward.
- Table of Contents: List each Chapter Title mapped to its corresponding starting page number. Insert a hard page break afterward.
- Chapter Formatting:
- Begin each chapter on a new page.
- Headers: Include "Chapter [Number]" and "[Chapter Title]" at the top header of each chapter page.
- Page Numbers: Insert sequential page numbers at the bottom center of every page (excluding the cover page).
- End Page: Add the "About the Author" section on the final page of the book.
3. Format 2: Kindle Ebook (EPUB)
Generate an EPUB file optimized for Amazon Kindle:
- Dimensions: Reflowable text (Do not hardcode the 6" x 9" dimensions, as Kindle readers must resize dynamically based on user preferences).
- Cover Page: Standard Title HTML splash page.
- Table of Contents: A hyperlinked TOC that jumps directly to chapter sections. (Do not include static page numbers here).
- Chapter Formatting:
- Use \x3Ch1> or \x3Ch2> tags for "Chapter [Number]" and "Chapter Title".
- Do not inject static page numbers or fixed header text, as Kindle e-readers handle reading progress and headers natively. Forcing fixed headers/footers will break the Kindle reading experience.
- End Page: Add the "About the Author" section at the end of the manuscript.
Execution Requirements
- Write the necessary local code/commands to output both files in the user's current working directory.
- Name the output files cleanly: [Book_Title]_6x9_Paperback.pdf and [Book_Title]_Kindle.epub.
- Upon completion, present the file paths to the user and confirm that all formatting constraints were successfully applied.
Usage Guidance
What to check before installing or running this skill:
- Dependency verification: The SKILL.md lists python3 and pandoc as required, and references Python libraries (reportlab, python-docx) and a LaTeX toolchain (e.g., pdflatex). Confirm you have python3, pandoc, and any needed LaTeX engine installed. If not, the agent may attempt to install packages or fail. Ask the skill author which exact packages and versions are expected.
- Review generated code before execution: The skill tells the agent to 'write and execute a typesetting script' in your current working directory. Require that any script the agent generates be shown to you and approved before it is executed. Prefer running generated scripts in a sandboxed environment or a dedicated working directory to avoid accidental overwrites.
- File safety and naming: The skill will create files named from the Book Title. Confirm that filenames will be sanitized to avoid surprises (path traversal, shell metacharacters). Keep backups of important files before running.
- Runtime behavior and autonomy: If you allow autonomous invocation, the agent could generate and run code without interactive confirmation. Given this skill's ability to write and run scripts locally, consider disabling autonomous invocation for this skill unless you trust it and reviewed the implementation.
- Missing install instructions: Because no install spec is provided, be prepared to manually install any missing tooling (pip packages, pandoc, TeX). Ask the owner for an exact dependency list or test the workflow in a VM/container first.
- If you need higher assurance: request the skill author supply a reproducible script or Docker image that performs the formatting so you can inspect or run it in isolation. If author information or a homepage is unavailable, treat the skill as unreviewed and prefer manual or vetted tools for production use.
Capability Analysis
Type: OpenClaw Skill
Name: format-book-6x9
Version: 1.0.0
The skill bundle 'format-book-6x9' is a legitimate utility designed to automate book formatting for paperback and Kindle editions. The instructions in SKILL.md guide the agent to use standard tools like Python (reportlab, python-docx) and Pandoc to process user-provided manuscripts. There are no indicators of malicious intent, data exfiltration, or unauthorized system access; the requested code execution is strictly scoped to the document generation task.
Capability Assessment
Purpose & Capability
The name/description align with the SKILL.md: the skill's purpose is to typeset a manuscript into a 6"x9" paperback and an EPUB. The SKILL.md explicitly requires python3 and pandoc in its metadata and suggests using reportlab, python-docx, or pandoc/LaTeX for output. However the registry metadata provided earlier listed 'Required binaries: none' which contradicts the SKILL.md. Also the instructions name Python libraries (reportlab, python-docx) and a LaTeX toolchain implicitly, but those packages/toolchain are not declared as required.
Instruction Scope
The SKILL.md instructs the agent to 'write and execute a typesetting script' in the user's current working directory and to produce output files there. That is appropriate for a formatting skill, but it grants the agent broad file-write and code-execution permissions on the host. The instructions do not specify how to obtain the necessary Python packages (reportlab, python-docx) or a TeX engine (pdflatex), nor do they constrain where generated code is written or require user review before execution. This lack of constraints increases risk and ambiguity about what will run locally.
Install Mechanism
There is no install spec (instruction-only), which is lower risk in general. However the SKILL.md metadata declares runtime binaries (python3, pandoc) while the registry metadata earlier claims no required binaries — an inconsistency. The SKILL.md also refers to tools (reportlab, python-docx, LaTeX/pdflatex) that would typically require separate installation steps which are not provided. Because no install mechanism is specified, the agent or user may attempt ad-hoc installs (pip, system package manager, or downloads) at runtime.
Credentials
The skill does not request any environment variables, credentials, or config paths. It appears not to need secrets or unrelated external credentials to perform its stated job.
Persistence & Privilege
always is false and the skill is user-invocable; the default setting allowing autonomous invocation is enabled but not by itself a red flag. The skill does require executing code in the user's working directory, which is a privilege to write and run files locally, but it does not request persistent modification of agent or system-wide configuration.
How to Use
- Make sure OpenClaw is installed (local or Docker)
- Run the install command in chat:
/install format-book-6x9 - After installation, invoke the skill by name or use
/format-book-6x9 - Provide required inputs per the skill's parameter spec and get structured output
Version History
v1.0.0
Initial release of format-book-6x9 skill.
- Formats manuscripts into both a 6" x 9" Printed Paperback (PDF or DOCX) and a Kindle Ebook (EPUB).
- Automatically generates a cover page, table of contents, headers, page numbers, and an About the Author section.
- Ensures the paperback meets exact size and typesetting requirements, while the Kindle version uses reflowable text optimized for e-readers.
- Prompts the user if essential information (title, author, About the Author) is missing.
- Outputs cleanly-named files in the user's working directory.
Metadata
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Format Book 6x9?
Formats a manuscript into a 6" x 9" Printed Paperback and a Kindle Ebook, generating a cover page, TOC, headers, and an About the Author section. It is an AI Agent Skill for Claude Code / OpenClaw, with 52 downloads so far.
How do I install Format Book 6x9?
Run "/install format-book-6x9" in the OpenClaw or Claude Code chat to install it in one step — no extra setup required.
Is Format Book 6x9 free?
Yes, Format Book 6x9 is completely free, licensed under MIT-0. You can download, install and use it at no cost.
Which platforms does Format Book 6x9 support?
Format Book 6x9 is cross-platform and runs anywhere OpenClaw / Claude Code is available (cross-platform).
Who created Format Book 6x9?
It is built and maintained by vega6dev (@vega6dev); the current version is v1.0.0.
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