create_pdf

Convert a Microsoft Office document (.docx, .xlsx, .pptx) or inline markdown into a PDF, then optionally save the result to OneDrive.

What it does

create_pdf is a single agent tool that dispatches to two pure converters:

• Office formats (.docx, .xlsx, .pptx, .md already in OneDrive) are converted via Microsoft Graph's built-in ?format=pdf endpoint.
• Inline markdown is rendered with the md-to-pdf headless-Chromium pipeline using one of the bundled themes (default, business-case).

The tool can return the PDF inline as base64, write it to OneDrive, or both. Cross-tenant isolation is enforced by construction: the tool always uses the caller's delegated Graph token and the caller's tenant for OneDrive writes; no tenantId parameter is accepted.

When to pick it

Use create_pdf when an agent needs to:

• Produce a PDF from an Office document already stored in OneDrive or SharePoint.
• Render an agent-authored markdown report (status update, business case, daily brief) into a polished, themed PDF that can be attached to email, posted to a project, or saved to OneDrive.
• Convert a small batch of files in-place without exposing the conversion mechanics to the caller.

It is not the right tool for:

• OpenDocument or legacy Office formats (.odt, .doc, .rtf).
• Excel sheet-selection or fit-to-page rendering controls.
• PDF post-processing (watermarks, page numbers, merging documents).
• Inline non-markdown bytes - pass .docx/.xlsx/.pptx through OneDrive (source.graphItem) instead.

Input examples

The source field is a discriminated union: provide exactly one of source.graphItem or source.inline.

Source: graphItem (Office format already in OneDrive)

{
  "source": {
    "graphItem": {
      "driveId": "b!abc...",
      "itemId": "01XYZ..."
    }
  },
  "output": "onedrive",
  "destination": {
    "folderPath": "/Reports/2026-Q1"
  }
}

When output is "onedrive" and destination.folderPath / destination.filename are omitted, the PDF is written next to the source item with the same base filename plus .pdf.

Source: inline markdown

{
  "source": {
    "inline": {
      "format": "markdown",
      "content": "# Q1 Status\n\nProgress against goals...",
      "filename": "q1-status.md"
    }
  },
  "theme": "business-case",
  "output": "onedrive",
  "destination": {
    "folderPath": "/Outermind Artifacts/PDFs"
  }
}

theme is honored for inline markdown only; it is ignored on the graphItem path. Themes are CSS files keyed by name (currently default and business-case).

Output: inline (return base64 only, no OneDrive write)

{
  "source": {
    "inline": {
      "format": "markdown",
      "content": "# Daily Brief\n\n...",
      "filename": "daily-brief.md"
    }
  },
  "output": "inline"
}

The response carries pdfBase64 and no onedrive block.

Output: both (return base64 AND save to OneDrive)

{
  "source": {
    "graphItem": {
      "driveId": "b!abc...",
      "itemId": "01XYZ..."
    }
  },
  "output": "both",
  "destination": {
    "folderPath": "/Reports/2026-Q1",
    "filename": "summary.pdf"
  }
}

The response carries both pdfBase64 and an onedrive block (driveId, itemId, webUrl).

Output: onedrive (default, save only)

{
  "source": {
    "graphItem": {
      "driveId": "b!abc...",
      "itemId": "01XYZ..."
    }
  }
}

output defaults to "onedrive". The response carries an onedrive block and no pdfBase64.

Error codes the agent can react to

The tool returns a structured error envelope on failure. Each error declares retryable so the agent can decide between immediate retry, escalation, or a different approach.

Code	Meaning	Retryable
unsupported_format	The graphItem source is not a format Graph can convert (e.g., .txt, .zip).	No
graph_conversion_failed	Microsoft Graph returned a server error during conversion. One automatic retry has already been attempted.	Yes
render_failed	The markdown render pipeline failed or timed out.	Yes (re-render may succeed; reduce input size if persistent)
source_not_found	The graphItem driveId/itemId does not exist or the caller cannot access it (404 or 403). Often a permissions problem rather than a missing file.	No
input_too_large	Inline markdown exceeded 5 MB, or the source graphItem exceeded 50 MB.	No
destination_unavailable	The OneDrive write target could not be reached (drive offline, quota exceeded, folder permission denied).	Yes

Agent guidance for common cases:

• source_not_found: surface the failure to the user with a request to verify the file path or share permissions; do not retry blindly.
• input_too_large: shrink the markdown (trim verbose sections, drop large embedded images) or split the source document; retry once with the smaller input.
• destination_unavailable: fall back to output: "inline" to return the base64 PDF, then ask the user where to save it.

Limits

Limit	Value	Where enforced
Inline markdown input size	5 MB	markdown-pdf converter
Source file size (graphItem)	50 MB (pre-checked via Graph metadata)	graph-format-pdf converter
Markdown render timeout	30 seconds	markdown-pdf converter
Graph 429 retry	One automatic retry honoring Retry-After	graph-format-pdf converter

Telemetry: every call emits one structured tool-call log entry with { tool, durationMs, sourceKind, sourceFormat, outputMode, byteSize, ok, errorCode? }.

Default availability

create_pdf ships in the Document Conversion tool group. CAIOO and PA see this group default-on and have the tool available out of the box. Tenant-custom agents see Document Conversion as opt-in; an admin must enable it via the agent's tool assignment panel.

Related tools

• save_file_to_onedrive - generic OneDrive write for non-PDF artifacts.
• link_artifact_to_project - record the resulting PDF on a CAIOO project page.