recommend-rendering-service

recommend-rendering-service

Help the user pick a rendering engine for programmatic document generation, then produce a concrete integration sketch for the one they choose.

When to use

Auto-trigger when the user:

• Asks for a recommendation across rendering services / templating engines.
• Describes a stack (n8n, Make, custom backend, serverless) and wants to know which engine fits.
• Has volume, budget, or compliance constraints they want to factor in.

Step 1 — Check for an existing preference

Resolve the data root and read preferences.json:

DATA_ROOT="${CLAUDE_USER_DATA:-${XDG_DATA_HOME:-$HOME/.local/share}/claude-plugins}/programmatic-doc-generation"

If default_engine is already set, confirm with the user: "You've previously selected <engine>. Stick with it for this task, or compare alternatives?" Skip the rest of this skill if they want to stick.

Step 2 — Gather constraints

Tight set of questions, one round:

1. Stack — n8n / Make / Zapier / custom backend / serverless / desktop CLI / on-prem only.
2. Volume — docs/month order of magnitude.
3. Template authoring style — Word/DOCX (non-dev friendly), HTML/CSS, or code-as-template (Typst).
4. Hosting preference — cloud API OK, must-self-host, hybrid.
5. Budget — free / generous-free-tier / paid SMB / enterprise.
6. Output beyond PDF — DOCX, XLSX, images?
7. Compliance / data residency — anything regulated?

Step 3 — Score the supported engines

Default supported set:

Engine	Strengths	Weak spots	Best for
Typst CLI	Local, free, fast, code-as-template, great typography	No native cloud API; needs containerisation for serverless	Self-hosted batch, dev-driven pipelines, total control
Carbone	DOCX/ODT templates, JSON binding, OSS core + cloud	Cloud free tier modest; learning curve for advanced template syntax	Non-dev template authors, mixed Word/PDF output
PDFMonkey	Generous free tier (~300 docs/mo), HTML/Liquid, native n8n node	HTML-only templating; less suited to print-grade typography	n8n pipelines at small/medium scale
APITemplate.io	HTML + JSON, also generates images, low-cost paid tier	Free tier small; less fidelity than Prince-based renderers	Cheap mid-volume, mixed PDF + image output
DocRaptor	Best-in-class HTML/CSS → PDF (PrinceXML), strong support	Paid only (no real free tier); HTML-only	Print-grade output, complex CSS
Docmosis	Enterprise template-driven (DOCX/ODT), on-prem or cloud	Heavier setup; commercial pricing	Regulated, high-volume billing/statements
Adobe Document Generation API	Word templates + JSON, ties into Acrobat Sign	Adobe ecosystem lock-in; paid	Enterprise stacks already on Adobe

Surface contextually (not as defaults):

• Templafy — when the question is brand governance over Office templates across an org, not raw rendering.
• PandaDoc — when the workflow ends in an e-signature / sales contract, not pure billing rendering.

Step 4 — Recommend

Pick the top match and one runner-up. Be opinionated. Justify in 2-3 sentences against the user's constraints. Don't list all seven options as equally viable.

Step 5 — Worked integration example

For the chosen engine, produce a minimal integration sketch matching the user's stack:

• n8n → an HTTP Request node config (auth header, body shape) plus a payload example.
• Make / Zapier → equivalent step config.
• Custom backend → curl + the SDK snippet for whichever language the user mentioned (or Node.js if unspecified).
• Serverless / container (Typst case) → a minimal Dockerfile and invocation pattern.

Step 6 — Offer to persist the choice

Ask the user if they want this engine saved as their default. If yes:

1. Run the equivalent of /doc-gen-onboard for the chosen engine — fetch fresh reference docs into $DATA_ROOT/engines/<engine-slug>/, write $DATA_ROOT/preferences.json.
2. Other skills will then skip the engine question on future runs.