Agent Skills: Python Plot Editable Fonts

Python Plot Editable Fonts

Apply this skill before writing any Python data-visualization code.

Mandatory Rule

For every Python plotting task, configure editable vector-font settings first, unless the user explicitly asks not to.

Quick Use

Insert this block near plotting imports:

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

plt.rcParams['font.sans-serif'] = ['Arial']
plt.rcParams['pdf.fonttype'] = 42
plt.rcParams['ps.fonttype'] = 42
plt.rcParams['svg.fonttype'] = 'none'

Reusable Helper

Use scripts/editable_fonts.py to avoid repeating rcParams setup:

from editable_fonts import enable_editable_vector_fonts

enable_editable_vector_fonts(font_family='Arial')

Workflow

1. Detect whether the plotting stack uses matplotlib rendering (matplotlib/seaborn/pandas plotting).
2. Apply editable-font rcParams before creating figures.
3. Keep these settings in final code unless user requests different font behavior.
4. For exports, prefer vector formats (.pdf, .svg, .eps) when editable text is required.

Limits

For non-matplotlib-native libraries, state that this skill does not guarantee editable text and suggest exporting through matplotlib when feasible.