Markdown → PDF via Pandoc + Typst Skill

Markdown → PDF via Pandoc + Typst

This skill describes the open-source pandoc + typst workflow. (The youwu.today article it was modeled on advertises a paid Typst template; this skill works without that template, and explains how to plug one in if the user has it.)

Prerequisites

pandoc --version   # need >= 3.1.7 for built-in --pdf-engine=typst
typst --version    # any recent version (0.10+)

If missing on NixOS, run via nix-shell -p pandoc typst --run '...'. On other systems suggest the user install via their package manager (brew install pandoc typst, apt install pandoc && cargo install typst-cli, etc.) — do not install silently.

Basic conversion

pandoc input.md -o output.pdf --pdf-engine=typst

That single command handles: headings, lists, tables, code blocks with syntax highlighting (via Pandoc's built-in highlighter), images, footnotes, blockquotes, and inline/display math ( $...$ and $$...$$).

Common options

Pass Typst document variables with -V:

pandoc input.md -o output.pdf \
  --pdf-engine=typst \
  -V papersize=a4 \
  -V margin-top=2cm -V margin-bottom=2cm \
  -V margin-left=2.5cm -V margin-right=2.5cm \
  -V mainfont="DejaVu Serif" \
  -V monofont="JetBrains Mono" \
  -V fontsize=11pt \
  -V linkcolor=blue \
  --toc --toc-depth=3 \
  --number-sections

Equivalent settings can live in a YAML metadata block at the top of the .md:

---
title: "My Document"
author: "Author Name"
date: "2026-05-11"
papersize: a4
mainfont: "DejaVu Serif"
monofont: "JetBrains Mono"
fontsize: 11pt
toc: true
toc-depth: 3
numbersections: true
---

CJK text

Typst handles CJK natively — just pick a font that has the glyphs. Do not use the LaTeX-style CJKmainfont variable; Typst's pandoc writer uses mainfont for everything. For mixed CJK + Latin, choose a CJK font that also covers Latin (e.g. Noto Sans CJK), or set mainfont to a CJK font:

pandoc cn.md -o cn.pdf --pdf-engine=typst \
  -V mainfont="Noto Serif CJK SC" \
  -V monofont="Noto Sans Mono CJK SC"

List installed fonts Typst can see:

typst fonts

Code highlighting

Pandoc's default highlight style works. Pick a different one with --highlight-style=<name>. Available: pygments, tango, espresso, zenburn, kate, monochrome, breezedark, haddock, or a path to a custom .theme file. Disable with --no-highlight.

pandoc input.md -o out.pdf --pdf-engine=typst --highlight-style=tango

Custom Typst template

For full control over layout, pass --template=path/to/template.typ. Pandoc fills the template with metadata and the rendered body. A minimal template:

#set document(title: "$title$", author: "$author$")
#set page(paper: "$papersize$", margin: 2cm)
#set text(font: "$mainfont$", size: $fontsize$)

#align(center)[
  #text(size: 1.6em, weight: "bold")[$title$] \
  #text(size: 1em)[$author$ · $date$]
]

$body$

Use pandoc --print-default-template=typst > default.typ to dump and customize Pandoc's stock template.

If the user has the paid youwu.today themekit package, they install it as a Typst local package at $XDG_DATA_HOME/typst/packages/local/themekit/<version>/ (or platform equivalent: ~/.local/share/typst/packages/local/... on Linux, ~/Library/Application Support/typst/packages/local/... on macOS, %APPDATA%\typst\packages\local\... on Windows) and pass --template=$XDG_DATA_HOME/typst/packages/local/themekit/<version>/pandoc/<theme>.typ.

Math, tables, images

Math: works out of the box. Pandoc translates LaTeX math into Typst math. Display: $$...$$. Inline: $...$ .
Tables: grid tables and pipe tables both render. For column widths, use a YAML block or Pandoc's {tbl-colwidths="[20, 80]"} attribute.
Images: ![alt](path.png){width=80%} — relative paths are resolved against the input file's directory. SVG, PNG, and JPEG are supported.

Gotchas

mainfont is mandatory, even for Latin-only docs. Omitting it triggers error: font fallback list must not be empty from Typst's pandoc template. Set e.g. -V mainfont="DejaVu Serif".
Nested template keys (margin.x, margin.y) need a YAML metadata file. Pandoc's -M margin.x=1.5cm does not create nested structures — it sets a flat key called literally margin.x. To set margins use:
```
# meta.yaml
margin:
  x: 1.5cm
  y: 1.5cm
```
then pass --metadata-file=meta.yaml.
Pandoc wraps every table in align(center)[#table(...)], so columns declared align: auto inherit center alignment from the wrapper — text columns look centered. Override with a header file (-H header.typ):
```
#show figure.where(kind: table): it => align(left, it.body)
#show table: set align(left)
```
Explicit align: right cells (numeric columns) keep their right alignment.
Variable fonts (e.g. Noto Sans CJK on NixOS) work despite a warning. Typst prints variable fonts are not currently supported and may render incorrectly, but the PDF compiles and CJK glyphs render correctly. Do not abort on this warning.
Prefer this skill over any2pdf when CJK fonts are only available as variable OTF/TTC. ReportLab (any2pdf's engine) cannot load fonts with PostScript (CFF) outlines and falls back to Helvetica, producing □/black rectangles for CJK. Typst handles them natively.

Debugging

If conversion fails, run with --verbose and inspect the intermediate Typst source:

pandoc input.md -o out.typ -t typst   # produce .typ instead of .pdf
typst compile out.typ                  # then compile manually to see errors

Common errors:

"font not found" — check typst fonts for the exact name; Typst is picky about font family strings (case- and space-sensitive).
"unknown variable" — a -V name doesn't match anything Pandoc's typst template references. Dump the template (see above) to see valid names.
Pandoc < 3.1.7 — --pdf-engine=typst is unrecognized; upgrade Pandoc.

Agent Skills: Markdown → PDF via Pandoc + Typst

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