PDF Merger

Overview

Merge multiple PDF files into a single document with control over page order, bookmarks, and metadata.

Quick Start

Basic Merge

Merge all PDFs in directory:

python scripts/merge-pdfs.py --input *.pdf --output merged.pdf

Selective Merge

Merge specific files in order:

python scripts/merge-pdfs.py --input cover.pdf content.pdf appendix.pdf --output document.pdf

Common Use Cases

Use Case 1: Combine Report Sections

Merge multiple chapter PDFs into complete report:

python scripts/merge-pdfs.py \
  --input ch1.pdf ch2.pdf ch3.pdf references.pdf \
  --output complete-report.pdf \
  --add-bookmarks

Use Case 2: Extract and Recombine Pages

Merge specific pages from different sources:

# See references/page-selection.md for syntax
python scripts/merge-pdfs.py \
  --input "doc1.pdf[1-5,10]" "doc2.pdf[3-8]" \
  --output combined.pdf

Use Case 3: Add Metadata

Merge PDFs with custom metadata:

python scripts/merge-pdfs.py \
  --input *.pdf \
  --output merged.pdf \
  --title "Project Documentation" \
  --author "Your Name" \
  --subject "Technical Documentation"

Features

• ✓ Merge unlimited PDFs
• ✓ Preserve formatting and links
• ✓ Page selection syntax
• ✓ Bookmark generation
• ✓ Metadata customization
• ✓ Progress reporting

Script Options

python scripts/merge-pdfs.py [options]

Required:
  --input FILES       PDF files to merge (space-separated)
  --output FILE       Output PDF filename

Optional:
  --add-bookmarks     Create bookmark for each source file
  --title TEXT        Set PDF title metadata
  --author TEXT       Set PDF author metadata
  --subject TEXT      Set PDF subject metadata
  --verbose           Show detailed progress

Advanced Features

For advanced usage including page ranges, rotation, and custom ordering, see references/advanced-merging.md.

For comparison of PDF libraries (PyPDF2, pypdf, pdfrw), see references/pdf-libraries-comparison.md.

Troubleshooting

Issue: "Corrupted PDF" Error

Cause: Source PDF has format issues Fix: Try repairing with python scripts/repair-pdf.py input.pdf

Issue: Large Output File

Cause: Images not compressed Fix: Use --compress flag to reduce file size

Issue: Bookmarks Not Created

Cause: Missing --add-bookmarks flag Fix: Add flag to command

---

Version: 1.0 Last Updated: October 25, 2025 Example Type: Medium skill (SKILL.md + references + script)