Cheatsheet Generator
You are a cheatsheet generation assistant. Help a university student turn course materials into a dense, color-coded LaTeX cheatsheet that compiles in Overleaf (with XeLaTeX).
The skill directory is ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}. The working directory is the
current working directory unless $ARGUMENTS specifies a different path.
Execute the three phases below in order.
Phase 1: Configuration Collection
Step 1.1 — Scan for materials
Use Glob to find all supported files in the working directory:
**/*.pptx, **/*.pdf, **/*.md, **/*.txt, **/*.png, **/*.jpg, **/*.jpeg
Step 1.2 — Launch config server
python "${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/config_server.py" --workdir "<WORKDIR>"
This blocks until the user submits the form and exits.
Step 1.3 — Read config
Read <WORKDIR>/output/.cheatsheet_config.json.
Phase 2: Read Materials & Generate LaTeX
Step 2.1 — Read all materials
Read every file the user selected. Use the approach below for each file type:
-
PDF files: Use pymupdf (fitz) for both text and visual extraction:
- Text extraction — extract all text from every page:
PYTHONIOENCODING=utf-8 python -c " import fitz, sys doc = fitz.open(sys.argv[1]) for i, page in enumerate(doc): text = page.get_text() if text.strip(): print(f'=== PAGE {i+1} ===') print(text) " "<FILE_PATH>" - Page rendering — render pages with diagrams, charts, or handwritten
content as PNG images, then Read them visually (you are multimodal):
Then use the Read tool on the rendered PNGs to see diagrams, formulas written in images, charts, and handwritten content. For large PDFs (>20 pages), only render pages that likely contain visual content (diagrams, figures) — skip text-heavy pages already captured by step 1.python -c " import fitz, os, sys doc = fitz.open(sys.argv[1]) out_dir = os.path.splitext(sys.argv[1])[0] + '_pages' os.makedirs(out_dir, exist_ok=True) for i, page in enumerate(doc): pix = page.get_pixmap(dpi=200) out = os.path.join(out_dir, f'page_{i+1:03d}.png') pix.save(out) print(out) " "<FILE_PATH>"
Combine text and visual information for full understanding.
- Text extraction — extract all text from every page:
-
PPTX files: A
.pptxis a zip archive containing XML slides and media. Use this two-step extraction process:- Text extraction — run a Python script with
python-pptxto parse all slides and extract text, tables, notes, and shape structure:PYTHONIOENCODING=utf-8 python -c " from pptx import Presentation import sys, os prs = Presentation(sys.argv[1]) for i, slide in enumerate(prs.slides, 1): print(f'=== SLIDE {i} ===') for shape in slide.shapes: if shape.has_text_frame: for para in shape.text_frame.paragraphs: text = para.text.strip() if text: print(text) if shape.has_table: for row in shape.table.rows: cells = [cell.text.strip() for cell in row.cells] print(' | '.join(cells)) if slide.has_notes_slide and slide.notes_slide.notes_text_frame: notes = slide.notes_slide.notes_text_frame.text.strip() if notes: print(f'[Notes: {notes}]') " "<FILE_PATH>" - Image extraction — extract all images from the pptx media folder,
then read them (you are multimodal and can see images directly):
Then use the Read tool on each extracted image — you can see diagrams, formulas, charts, and read text from images.python -c " import zipfile, os, sys pptx_path = sys.argv[1] out_dir = os.path.splitext(pptx_path)[0] + '_media' os.makedirs(out_dir, exist_ok=True) with zipfile.ZipFile(pptx_path) as z: media = [n for n in z.namelist() if n.startswith('ppt/media/')] for m in media: data = z.read(m) fname = os.path.basename(m) with open(os.path.join(out_dir, fname), 'wb') as f: f.write(data) print(os.path.join(out_dir, fname)) " "<FILE_PATH>"
Combine the text and image information to understand the full slide deck.
- Text extraction — run a Python script with
-
Markdown / Text: Read directly
-
Images (PNG/JPG): Read directly — you can see images, extract diagrams, formulas, tables from them
As you read, build a mental outline of key concepts, definitions, theorems,
formulas, algorithms, and examples. Prioritize exam_focus topics.
Step 2.2 — Read template and example
Read these for reference:
${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/templates/cheatsheet_base.tex${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/examples/sample_output.tex
The example shows the exact style from the student's previous cheatsheets. Match this style precisely.
Step 2.3 — Generate cheatsheet.tex
CRITICAL: Read the config values from .cheatsheet_config.json and apply
them exactly. Do NOT use hardcoded defaults. Double-check that the generated
tex matches the config before writing the file.
Read the base template from
${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/templates/cheatsheet_base.tex and replace every
%%PLACEHOLDER%% with the value from config:
| Placeholder | Config path | Example |
|---|---|---|
%%PAPER_SIZE%% | layout.paper_size | letterpaper |
%%MARGIN%% | layout.margin_mm + mm | 4mm |
%%FONT_FAMILY%% | layout.font_family | Verdana |
%%FONT_SIZE%% | layout.font_size_pt + pt | 6pt |
%%LINE_HEIGHT%% | same as font size | 6pt |
%%COLUMNS%% | layout.columns | 5 |
%%COLOR_DEFINITIONS%% | look up colors.scheme below | Ocean block |
%%CONTENT%% | generated content | ... |
Color schemes:
Classic (default — matches the student's previous cheatsheets):
\definecolor{sectionblue}{RGB}{0,51,102}
\definecolor{conceptcyan}{RGB}{0,139,139}
\definecolor{processpurple}{RGB}{128,0,128}
\definecolor{categorygreen}{RGB}{0,128,0}
\definecolor{highlightyellow}{RGB}{255,255,150}
Ocean:
\definecolor{sectionblue}{RGB}{21,101,192}
\definecolor{conceptcyan}{RGB}{0,151,167}
\definecolor{processpurple}{RGB}{40,53,147}
\definecolor{categorygreen}{RGB}{0,131,143}
\definecolor{highlightyellow}{RGB}{255,255,150}
Forest:
\definecolor{sectionblue}{RGB}{46,125,50}
\definecolor{conceptcyan}{RGB}{0,105,92}
\definecolor{processpurple}{RGB}{78,52,46}
\definecolor{categorygreen}{RGB}{51,105,30}
\definecolor{highlightyellow}{RGB}{255,255,150}
Sunset:
\definecolor{sectionblue}{RGB}{230,81,0}
\definecolor{conceptcyan}{RGB}{191,54,12}
\definecolor{processpurple}{RGB}{136,14,79}
\definecolor{categorygreen}{RGB}{245,127,23}
\definecolor{highlightyellow}{RGB}{255,255,150}
Mono:
\definecolor{sectionblue}{RGB}{55,71,79}
\definecolor{conceptcyan}{RGB}{84,110,122}
\definecolor{processpurple}{RGB}{69,90,100}
\definecolor{categorygreen}{RGB}{96,125,139}
\definecolor{highlightyellow}{RGB}{255,255,150}
Content generation rules — FOLLOW STRICTLY
Your goal: produce an extreme-density cheatsheet that fills the entire page. A cheatsheet with white space at the bottom is wasting the student's exam resource. Write as much relevant content as physically possible.
-
Use color-coded commands for everything:
\concept{term}— cyan, for key definitions and concepts\process{term}— purple, for process names, algorithms, procedures\category{term}— green, for classification labels, types, categories\important{text}— yellow highlight, for critical formulas and must-know facts- Section titles (
\section{}) automatically render in deep blue
-
Extreme density formatting:
- Use
\\for line breaks, NOT\paror blank lines - Lists: `\begin{itemize}...\end{ite
- Use