Use this skill whenever the user wants to create, read, edit, or manipulate Word documents (.docx files). Triggers include: any mention of 'Word doc', 'word document', '.docx', or requests to produce professional documents with formatting like tables of contents, headings, page
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SKILL.md
docx.SKILL.md
---name: docx
description: "Use this skill whenever the user wants to create, read, edit, or manipulate Word documents (.docx files). Triggers include: any mention of 'Word doc', 'word document', '.docx', or requests to produce professional documents with formatting like tables of contents, headings, page numbers, or letterheads. Also use when extracting or reorganizing content from .docx files, inserting or replacing images in documents, performing find-and-replace in Word files, working with tracked changes or comments, or converting content into a polished Word document. If the user asks for a 'report', 'memo', 'letter', 'template', or similar deliverable as a Word or .docx file, use this skill. Do NOT use for PDFs, spreadsheets, Google Docs, or general coding tasks unrelated to document generation."
license: Proprietary. LICENSE.txt has complete terms
---# DOCX creation, editing, and analysis
## Overview
A .docx file is a ZIP archive containing XML files.
## Quick Reference
| Task | Approach |
|------|----------|
| Read/analyze content | `pandoc` or unpack for raw XML |
| Create new document | Use `docx-js` - see Creating New Documents below |
| Edit existing document | Unpack → edit XML → repack - see Editing Existing Documents below |
### Converting .doc to .docx
Legacy `.doc` files must be converted before editing:
```bash
python scripts/office/soffice.py --headless --convert-to docx document.doc
new Paragraph({ numbering: { reference: "bullets", level: 0 },
children: [new TextRun("Bullet item")] }),
new Paragraph({ numbering: { reference: "numbers", level: 0 },
children: [new TextRun("Numbered item")] }),
]
}]
});
// ⚠️ Each reference creates INDEPENDENT numbering
// Same reference = continues (1,2,3 then 4,5,6)
// Different reference = restarts (1,2,3 then 1,2,3)
```
### Tables
**CRITICAL: Tables need dual widths** - set both `columnWidths` on the table AND `width` on each cell. Without both, tables render incorrectly on some platforms.
```javascript
// CRITICAL: Always set table width for consistent rendering
// CRITICAL: Use ShadingType.CLEAR (not SOLID) to prevent black backgrounds
children: [new TextRun("Page "), new TextRun({ children: [PageNumber.CURRENT] })]
})] })
},
children: [/* content */]
}]
```
### Critical Rules for docx-js
- **Set page size explicitly** - docx-js defaults to A4; use US Letter (12240 x 15840 DXA) for US documents
- **Landscape: pass portrait dimensions** - docx-js swaps width/height internally; pass short edge as `width`, long edge as `height`, and set `orientation: PageOrientation.LANDSCAPE`
- **Never use `\n`** - use separate Paragraph elements
- **Never use unicode bullets** - use `LevelFormat.BULLET` with numbering config
- **PageBreak must be in Paragraph** - standalone creates invalid XML
- **Use `ShadingType.CLEAR`** - never SOLID for table shading
- **Never use tables as dividers/rules** - cells have minimum height and render as empty boxes (including in headers/footers); use `border: { bottom: { style: BorderStyle.SINGLE, size: 6, color: "2E75B6", space: 1 } }` on a Paragraph instead. For two-column footers, use tab stops (see Tab Stops section), not tables
- **TOC requires HeadingLevel only** - no custom styles on heading paragraphs
- **Override built-in styles** - use exact IDs: "Heading1", "Heading2", etc.
- **Include `outlineLevel`** - required for TOC (0 for H1, 1 for H2, etc.)
Extracts XML, pretty-prints, merges adjacent runs, and converts smart quotes to XML entities (`“` etc.) so they survive editing. Use `--merge-runs false` to skip run merging.
### Step 2: Edit XML
Edit files in `unpacked/word/`. See XML Reference below for patterns.
**Use "Claude" as the author** for tracked changes and comments, unless the user explicitly requests use of a different name.
**Use the Edit tool directly for string replacement. Do not write Python scripts.** Scripts introduce unnecessary complexity. The Edit tool shows exactly what is being replaced.
**CRITICAL: Use smart quotes for new content.** When adding text with apostrophes or quotes, use XML entities to produce smart quotes:
```xml
<!-- Use these entities for professional typography -->
<w:t>Here’s a quote: “Hello”</w:t>
```
| Entity | Character |
|--------|-----------|
| `‘` | ‘ (left single) |
| `’` | ’ (right single / apostrophe) |
| `“` | “ (left double) |
| `”` | ” (right double) |
**Adding comments:** Use `comment.py` to handle boilerplate across multiple XML files (text must be pre-escaped XML):
```bash
python scripts/comment.py unpacked/ 0 "Comment text with & and ’"
**Inside `<w:del>`**: Use `<w:delText>` instead of `<w:t>`, and `<w:delInstrText>` instead of `<w:instrText>`.
**Minimal edits** - only mark what changes:
```xml
<!-- Change "30 days" to "60 days" -->
<w:r><w:t>The term is </w:t></w:r>
<w:del w:id="1" w:author="Claude" w:date="...">
<w:r><w:delText>30</w:delText></w:r>
</w:del>
<w:ins w:id="2" w:author="Claude" w:date="...">
<w:r><w:t>60</w:t></w:r>
</w:ins>
<w:r><w:t> days.</w:t></w:r>
```
**Deleting entire paragraphs/list items** - when removing ALL content from a paragraph, also mark the paragraph mark as deleted so it merges with the next paragraph. Add `<w:del/>` inside `<w:pPr><w:rPr>`:
```xml
<w:p>
<w:pPr>
<w:numPr>...</w:numPr> <!-- list numbering if present -->
