Skill for using the command-line tool pdftk (PDFtk Server) for working with PDF files. Use when asked to merge PDFs, split PDFs, rotate pages, encrypt or decrypt PDFs, fill PDF forms, apply watermarks, stamp overlays, extract metadata, burst documents into pages, repair corrupted PDFs, attach or ext

PDFtk Server PDFtk Server is a command line tool for working with PDF documents. It can merge, split, rotate, encrypt, decrypt, watermark, stamp, fill forms, extract metadata, and manipulate PDFs in a variety of ways. When to Use This Skill Merging or joining multiple PDF files into one Splitting or bursting a PDF into individual pages Rotating PDF pages Encrypting or decrypting PDF files Filling PDF form fields from FDF/XFDF data Applying background watermarks or foreground stamps Extracting PDF metadata, bookmarks, or form field information Repairing corrupted PDF files Attaching or extracting files embedded in PDFs Removing specific pages from a PDF Collating separately scanned even/odd pages Compressing or decompressing PDF page streams Prerequisites PDFtk Server must be installed on the system Windows : winget install id PDFLabs.PDFtk.Server macOS : brew install pdftk java Linux (Debian/Ubuntu) : sudo apt get install pdftk Linux (Red Hat/Fedora) : sudo dnf install pdftk Access to a terminal or command prompt Verify installation by running pdftk version Step by Step Workflows Merge Multiple PDFs Using handles for more control: Split a PDF into Individual Pages Extract Specific Pages Extract pages 1 5 and 10 15: Remove Specific Pages Remove page 13: Rotate Pages Rotate all pages 90 degrees clockwise: Encrypt a PDF Set an owner password and a user password with 128 bit encryption (default): Decrypt a PDF Remove encryption using the known password: Fill a PDF Form Populate form fields from an FDF file and flatten to prevent further edits: Apply a Background Watermark Place a single page PDF behind every page of the input (input should have transparency): Stamp an Overlay Place a single page PDF on top of every page of the input: Extract Metadata Export bookmarks, page metrics, and document information: Repair a Corrupted PDF Pass a broken PDF through pdftk to attempt automatic repair: Collate Scanned Pages Interleave separately scanned even and odd pages: Troubleshooting Issue Solution pdftk command not found Verify installation; check that pdftk is in your system PATH Cannot decrypt PDF Ensure you are providing the correct owner or user password via input pw Output file is empty or corrupt Check input file integrity; try running pdftk input.pdf output repaired.pdf first Form fields not visible after fill Use the flatten flag to merge fields into the page content Watermark not appearing Ensure the input PDF has transparent regions; use stamp for opaque overlays Permission denied errors Check file permissions on input and output paths References Bundled reference documents in the references/ folder: [pdftk man page.md](references/pdftk man page.md) Complete manual reference with all operations, options, and syntax [pdftk cli examples.md](references/pdftk cli examples.md) Practical command line examples for common tasks [download.md](references/download.md) Installation and download instructions for all platforms [pdftk server license.md](references/pdftk server license.md) PDFtk Server licensing information [third party materials.md](references/third party materials.md) Third party library licenses

pdftk-server