AugmentClaude

PDF Text Replace

Replace text in fillable PDF form fields like names, addresses, and dates.

Installation

  1. Make sure Claude is on your device and in your terminal.

    Skills load from ~/.claude/skills/ when Claude Code starts up — so you need it on your machine first. If you don't have it yet, install it once with the command below, then run claude in any terminal to verify.

    One-time setup
    npm i -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

    Already have it? Skip ahead.

  2. Paste into Claude Code or into your terminal.

    This copies the whole skill folder into ~/.claude/skills/pdf-text-replace-instavm/ — the SKILL.md plus any scripts, reference docs, or templates the skill ships with. Safe default: works for every skill.

    Faster alternative (instruction-only skills)

    Skips the clone and grabs only the SKILL.md file. Don't use this if the skill ships Python scripts, reference markdowns, or asset templates — they won't be downloaded and the skill will fail when it tries to load them.

    Quick install (SKILL.md only)
    Sign up to copy
  3. Restart Claude Code.

    Quit and reopen Claude Code (or any other agent that loads from ~/.claude/skills/). New skills are picked up on startup.

  4. Just ask Claude.

    Skills auto-activate when your request matches the skill's description — no slash command needed. Trigger phrases live in the skill's own frontmatter; you can read them in the “What this skill does” section above.

Prefer to read the source first? Open on GitHub.

When Claude uses it

Replace text in fillable PDF forms by updating form field values. This skill should be used when users need to update names, addresses, dates, or other text in PDF form fields.

What this skill does

PDF Text Replace Skill

Replace text in fillable PDF forms by updating form field values.

Description

This skill allows you to search and replace text in PDF files that have fillable form fields. It scans all form fields in the PDF, finds fields containing the search text, and replaces it with the replacement text.

Use Cases

  • Update names in filled tax forms
  • Replace addresses in PDF documents
  • Update dates or reference numbers
  • Batch update form field values

Requirements

  • PDF must have fillable form fields (not flattened)
  • Python 3.7+
  • pypdf library

Usage

Basic Usage

python /app/uploads/skills/public/pdf-text-replace/scripts/replace_text_in_pdf.py \
    /app/uploads/input.pdf \
    "OLD TEXT" \
    "NEW TEXT" \
    /app/uploads/output.pdf

Example: Replace Name in Tax Form

python /app/uploads/skills/public/pdf-text-replace/scripts/replace_text_in_pdf.py \
    /app/uploads/f5472.pdf \
    "MANISH KUMAR" \
    "MANNU KUMAR" \
    /app/uploads/f5472_updated.pdf

Script Details

Script: scripts/replace_text_in_pdf.py

Arguments:

  1. input_pdf - Path to input PDF file
  2. search_text - Text to search for in form fields
  3. replace_text - Text to replace with
  4. output_pdf - Path to save the updated PDF

Output:

  • Creates a new PDF with updated field values
  • Preserves all form fields (not flattened)
  • Reports number of fields modified

Limitations

  • Only works with fillable PDF forms (not scanned/image PDFs)
  • Replaces text in form field values, not static text
  • Case-sensitive search by default
  • Cannot modify flattened PDFs

Dependencies

The script requires the pypdf library, which is included in the container requirements.

Error Handling

The script will report errors if:

  • Input PDF doesn't exist
  • PDF doesn't have fillable form fields
  • Search text is not found
  • Output path is not writable

Related skills