Evals / pdf / Stamp and number

Merge, number and stamp in one go

Combine fw9.pdf and f1040.pdf, number the pages like 1/8, stamp every page with the word DRAFT, and save the result as packet.pdf.

hardmulti-stepdeft pdf mergedeft pdf numberdeft pdf watermark

The task

The reference answer shows the job can be done with deft. It is not an agent run.

deft pdf merge fw9.pdf f1040.pdf -o a.pdf
deft pdf number a.pdf --format {n}/{total} -o b.pdf
deft pdf watermark b.pdf --text DRAFT -o packet.pdf

Input

f1040.pdf 215.1 KB · 2 pages
Page 1Page 2
fw9.pdf 137.5 KB · 6 pages
Page 1Page 2Page 3

Reference output

a.pdf 191.3 KB · 8 pages
Page 1Page 2Page 3
b.pdf 204.3 KB · 8 pages
Page 1Page 2Page 3
packet.pdf 217.4 KB · 8 pages
Page 1Page 2Page 3
How a result is judged (3 checks)
  • pdf_pages: file = "packet.pdf", pages = 8
  • pdf_text: file = "packet.pdf", contains = ["1/8", "8/8"], visible = true
  • pdf_changed: file = "packet.pdf", from = "fw9.pdf", page = 2, min_difference = 0.3

Runs

CodexWithout deftPassed2026-11-07

Time
52s
New tokens
14.6k
Total input
145.9k
Output tokens
2.3k
Commands
8
Failed
1

Trace

  1. I’ll check the two PDFs, combine them in the requested order, then add page numbers and a DRAFT stamp to every page and save `packet.pdf` here.

  2. ls -l fw9.pdf f1040.pdf && command -v qpdf || true && command -v pdftk || true && command -v python3 || true
    output
    -rw-r--r--@ 1 user  staff  220237 Nov  5 21:11 f1040.pdf
-rw-r--r--@ 1 user  staff  140815 Nov  5 21:11 fw9.pdf
/usr/local/bin/python3
  3. python3 -c \"import importlib.util as u; print({m:bool(u.find_spec(m)) for m in ['pypdf','PyPDF2','reportlab']})\"
    output
    {'pypdf': False, 'PyPDF2': False, 'reportlab': False}
  4. 'for c in gs mutool pdfunite pdftoppm convert magick swift; do command -v "$c" || true; done python3 -m pip list --format=columns | rg -i '"'pdf|fitz|pymupdf|pike' || true"
    output
    /usr/local/bin/gs
/usr/bin/swift
  5. gs -q -dNOSAFER -dNODISPLAY -c "(fw9.pdf) (r) file runpdfbegin pdfpagecount = quit"
    output
    6

  6. Ghostscript is available, and the PDFs contain 8 pages in total. I’m using it to merge them in the given order and apply the same stamp and `n/8` footer across the combined document.

  7. gs -q -dNOSAFER -dNODISPLAY -c "(fw9.pdf) (r) file runpdfbegin pdfpagecount = (f1040.pdf) (r) file runpdfbegin pdfpagecount = quit"
    output
    6
2
  8. gs -dBATCH -dNOPAUSE -dNOSAFER -sDEVICE=pdfwrite -dCompatibilityLevel=1.5 -sOutputFile=packet.pdf -c '/PacketPage 0 def << /BeginPage { pop pop userdict /PacketPage userdict /PacketPage get 1 add put gsave clippath pathbbox /ury exch def /urx exch def /lly exch def /llx exch def /cx llx urx add 2 div def /cy lly ury add 2 div def 0.78 setgray /Helvetica-Bold findfont 64 scalefont setfont cx cy translate 35 rotate -110 -20 moveto (DRAFT) show grestore gsave /Helvetica findfont 10 scalefont setfont 0.25 setgray cx 12 sub lly 24 add moveto userdict /PacketPage get 20 string cvs show (/8) show grestore true } bind >> setpagedevice' fw9.pdf f1040.pdf (exit 1)
    output
    GPL Ghostscript 9.55.0 (2021-09-27)
Copyright (C) 2021 Artifex Software, Inc.  All rights reserved.
This software is supplied under the GNU AGPLv3 and comes with NO WARRANTY:
see the file COPYING for details.
Loading NimbusSans-Bold font from /usr/local/share/ghostscript/9.55.0/Resource/Font/NimbusSans-Bold... 5262732 3667504 2049272 736936 1 done.
Loading NimbusSans-Regular font from /usr/local/share/ghostscript/9.55.0/Resource/Font/NimbusSans-Regular... 5328844 3840288 2049272 740395 1 done.
Error: /undefined in fw9.pdf
Operand stack:

Execution stack:
   %interp_exit   .runexec2   --nostringval--   --nostringval--   --nostringval--   2   %stopped_push   --nostringval--   --nostringval--   --nostringval--   false   1   %stopped_push   .runexec2   --nostringval--   --nostringval--   --nostringval--   2   %stopped_push   --nostringval--
Dictionary stack:
   --dict:767/1123(ro)(G)--   --dict:0/20(G)--   --dict:82/200(L)--
Current allocation mode is local
GPL Ghostscript 9.55.0: Unrecoverable error, exit code 1
  9. gs -dBATCH -dNOPAUSE -dNOSAFER -sDEVICE=pdfwrite -dCompatibilityLevel=1.5 -sOutputFile=packet.pdf -c '/PacketPage 0 def << /BeginPage { pop pop userdict /PacketPage userdict /PacketPage get 1 add put gsave clippath pathbbox /ury exch def /urx exch def /lly exch def /llx exch def /cx llx urx add 2 div def /cy lly ury add 2 div def 0.78 setgray /Helvetica-Bold findfont 64 scalefont setfont cx cy translate 35 rotate -110 -20 moveto (DRAFT) show grestore gsave /Helvetica findfont 10 scalefont setfont 0.25 setgray cx 12 sub lly 24 add moveto userdict /PacketPage get 20 string cvs show (/8) show grestore true } bind >> setpagedevice' -f fw9.pdf f1040.pdf
    output
    GPL Ghostscript 9.55.0 (2021-09-27)
Copyright (C) 2021 Artifex Software, Inc.  All rights reserved.
This software is supplied under the GNU AGPLv3 and comes with NO WARRANTY:
see the file COPYING for details.
Loading NimbusSans-Bold font from /usr/local/share/ghostscript/9.55.0/Resource/Font/NimbusSans-Bold... 5262732 3667386 2049272 736936 1 done.
Loading NimbusSans-Regular font from /usr/local/share/ghostscript/9.55.0/Resource/Font/NimbusSans-Regular... 5328844 3840274 2049272 740395 1 done.
Processing pages 1 through 6.
Page 1
Page 2
Page 3
Page 4
Page 5
Page 6
Processing pages 1 through 2.
Page 1
Page 2
  10. ls -lh packet.pdf && gs -q -dNOSAFER -dNODISPLAY -c "(packet.pdf) (r) file runpdfbegin pdfpagecount = quit"
    output
    -rw-r--r--@ 1 user  staff   102K Nov  6 17:21 packet.pdf
8

  11. Created [packet.pdf](packet.pdf) by combining `fw9.pdf` followed by `f1040.pdf`. It has 8 pages, each stamped `DRAFT` and numbered `n/8`.

Output

packet.pdf 102.3 KB · 8 pages
Page 1Page 2Page 3

CodexWith deft, skill installedPassedRead the skillUsed deft2026-11-07

Time
23s
New tokens
15.1k
Total input
88.9k
Output tokens
0.6k
Commands
5
Failed
0

Trace

  1. I’ll use the `deft` skill for this PDF merge and stamping task, then save `packet.pdf` in the current directory.

  2. cat '.agents/skills/deft/SKILL.md'
    output
    ---
name: deft
description: "Use deft instead of writing a script for file jobs: PDF merge/split/compress/watermark, image resize/convert/compress, video and audio trim/convert/compress, spreadsheets, Markdown to PDF/HTML, and YouTube downloads and subtitles."
---

# deft

One local command for file jobs. Prefer it over writing Python or shell scripts.

Syntax: `deft <group> <command> [inputs] [-o output] [--options]`

Groups:
- `pdf`: Merge, split, compress, encrypt, forms, OCR, compare, convert
- `image`: Resize, crop, convert, compress, filters, montage, OCR
- `video`: Trim, crop, speed, convert, compress, GIF, frames (ffmpeg)
- `audio`: Convert, trim, merge, fade, speed, tag, normalize (ffmpeg)
- `doc`: Word/ODT/RTF: to text, Markdown, HTML, PDF; find and replace
- `slides`: PowerPoint: extract text, Markdown outline, PDF handout
- `data`: JSON/YAML/TOML/XML: convert, query with jq syntax, merge, diff
- `sheet`: Excel/CSV/ODS tables: filter, sort, join, pivot, convert
- `md`: Markdown to PDF, HTML, Word, EPUB; table of contents
- `html`: HTML to Markdown, text, Word, PDF; screenshots
- `epub`: E-books: info, to text, Markdown and PDF
- `email`: EML files: headers, text, attachments
- `contact`: VCF address books: to and from CSV
- `calendar`: ICS calendars: to and from CSV
- `gps`: GPX and KML tracks: convert, distance and time
- `youtube`: Info, download, audio, subtitles, thumbnail (yt-dlp)
- `file`: Any file: hash, duplicates, batch rename, base64, encoding
- `qr`: Cre
… 728 more characters
  3. deft pdf
    output
    deft pdf - commands (input -> output)
  info            pdf -> report       Pages, size, metadata, fonts, images
  compare         pdf... -> report    Compare two PDFs: text and pixels
  compress        pdf -> pdf          Make smaller: --level, --target-size 2MB
  crop            pdf -> pdf          Trim pages: --margin, --box, --auto
  decrypt         pdf -> pdf          Remove a password you know
  delete          pdf -> pdf          Remove pages: --pages 2,5-7
  encrypt         pdf -> pdf          Protect with a password (AES-256)
  extract-images  pdf -> image...     Save embedded pictures, unchanged
  extract-sheets  pdf -> csv|xlsx...  Save each table apart [beta]
  fields          pdf -> report       List form fields
  fill            pdf -> pdf          Fill a form from JSON: --data values.json
  flatten         pdf -> pdf          Bake forms into pages
  from-images     image... -> pdf     One page per image
  from-md         md -> pdf           Typeset Markdown as PDF
  grayscale       pdf -> pdf          Remove colour (Ghostscript)
  merge           pdf... -> pdf       Join PDFs in the given order
  meta            pdf -> pdf          Read or set metadata and bookmarks
  number          pdf -> pdf          Add page numbers: --format
  ocr             pdf -> pdf|txt      Make a scan searchable
  redact          pdf -> pdf          Black out for good: --box or --text
  repair          pdf -> pdf          Rebuild a damaged PDF (Ghostscript)
  resize          pdf -> p
… 892 more characters
  4. deft pdf number --help
    output
    deft pdf number - Add page numbers: --format

Usage: deft pdf number <pdf>... [-o <pdf|dir>] [options]
In: pdf (each handled separately)   Out: pdf (default <name>.numbered.<ext>)

Options:
  --format <text>              Template with {n} and {total} (default {n})
  --position <position>        Where on the page (default bottom)
  --margin <length>            Distance from the page edge (default 10mm)
  --font-size <number>         Text size in points (default 10)
  --color <color>              Text color (default black)
  --first-page <n>             First page that gets a number (default 1)
  --start <n>                  Number shown on that page (default 1)
  --password <text>            Password of an encrypted input
Common: -o --force --dry-run --json -j   (deft help common)

Examples:
  deft pdf number three-pages.pdf -o numbered.pdf
  deft pdf number report.pdf --format "Page {n} of {total}" --first-page 2

Result fields: numbered
  5. deft pdf watermark --help && deft pdf info fw9.pdf f1040.pdf
    output
    deft pdf watermark - Stamp text or an image on pages

Usage: deft pdf watermark <pdf>... [-o <pdf|dir>] [options]
In: pdf (each handled separately)   Out: pdf (default <name>.watermarked.<ext>)
Any script works. Latin text stays selectable; other scripts are drawn as an image.

Options:
  --text <text>                Watermark text
  --image <path>               Watermark image (PNG with transparency works best)
  --opacity <n>                Opacity in percent (default 20)
  --angle <number>             Rotation in degrees, counter-clockwise (default 45)
  --position <position>        Where on the page (default center)
  --color <color>              Text color (default gray)
  --font-size <number>         Text size in points (default: fits the page)
  --font <text>                Font family for non-Latin text
  --scale <number>             Image width as a fraction of the page width (default 0.5)
  --pages <pages>              Pages to stamp (default all)
  --password <text>            Password of an encrypted input
Common: -o --force --dry-run --json -j   (deft help common)

Examples:
  deft pdf watermark three-pages.pdf --text DRAFT -o draft.pdf
  deft pdf watermark report.pdf --text SECRET --color red -o secret.pdf
  deft pdf watermark report.pdf --image photo-1.jpg --opacity 10 --angle 0 -o branded.pdf

Result fields: pages
Errors: BAD_VALUE
ok pdf.info fw9.pdf  6 pages, letter, PDF 1.7
pages=6 version=1.7 width=612.0 height=792.0 paper=letter title="Form W-9 (Rev. Marc
… 283 more characters

  6. Both inputs are present: `fw9.pdf` has 6 pages and `f1040.pdf` has 2, so the combined packet will have 8. I’m merging in the order you gave, then adding `1/8` through `8/8` and a DRAFT stamp to every page.

  7. deft pdf merge fw9.pdf f1040.pdf -o packet-merged.pdf && deft pdf number packet-merged.pdf --format '{n}/{total}' -o packet-numbered.pdf && deft pdf watermark packet-numbered.pdf --text DRAFT --opacity 20 --angle 45 --position center -o packet.pdf
    output
    ok pdf.merge fw9.pdf f1040.pdf -> packet-merged.pdf  8 pages  0.01s
ok pdf.number packet-merged.pdf -> packet-numbered.pdf  8 pages numbered  0.01s
ok pdf.watermark packet-numbered.pdf -> packet.pdf  8 pages stamped  0.01s

  8. Created [packet.pdf](packet.pdf) with both PDFs in the requested order, page numbers from 1/8 to 8/8, and a DRAFT stamp on every page.

Output

packet-merged.pdf 238.3 KB · 8 pages
Page 1Page 2Page 3
packet-numbered.pdf 251.4 KB · 8 pages
Page 1Page 2Page 3
packet.pdf 264.5 KB · 8 pages
Page 1Page 2Page 3

CodexWith deft, skill as AGENTS.mdPassed2026-11-05

Time
16s
New tokens
7.1k
Total input
79.3k
Output tokens
0.5k
Commands
4
Failed
0

Trace

  1. I’ll inspect the two PDFs and the available `deft` PDF commands, then create `packet.pdf` in the current directory.

  2. deft pdf
    output
    deft pdf - commands (input -> output)
  info         pdf -> report      Pages, size, metadata, fonts, images
  compress     pdf -> pdf         Make a PDF smaller: --level, --target-size 2MB
  delete       pdf -> pdf         Remove pages: --pages 2,5-7
  from-images  image... -> pdf    One page per image, in the given order
  from-md      md -> pdf          Typeset a PDF with headings, tables, code, images
  merge        pdf... -> pdf      Join PDFs in the given order
  number       pdf -> pdf         Add page numbers: --format "{n} of {total}"
  rotate       pdf -> pdf         Turn pages clockwise: --angle 90, --pages
  select       pdf -> pdf         Keep and reorder pages: --pages 3,1-2
  split        pdf -> pdf...      One file per page, or --every N, --ranges 1-3,4-
  to-images    pdf -> png|jpg...  Render pages to images: --dpi, --pages
  to-text      pdf -> txt         Extract text (form feed between pages)
  watermark    pdf -> pdf         Stamp text or an image on pages: --text, --image
More: deft pdf <command> --help
  3. deft pdf number --help && deft pdf watermark --help
    output
    deft pdf number - Add page numbers: --format "{n} of {total}"

Usage: deft pdf number <pdf>... [-o <pdf|dir>] [options]
In: pdf (each handled separately)   Out: pdf (default <name>.numbered.<ext>)

Options:
  --format <text>              Template with {n} and {total} (default {n})
  --position <position>        Where on the page (default bottom)
  --margin <length>            Distance from the page edge (default 10mm)
  --font-size <number>         Text size in points (default 10)
  --color <color>              Text color (default black)
  --first-page <n>             First page that gets a number (default 1)
  --start <n>                  Number shown on that page (default 1)
  --password <text>            Password of an encrypted input
Common: -o --force --dry-run --json -j   (deft help common)

Examples:
  deft pdf number three-pages.pdf -o numbered.pdf
  deft pdf number report.pdf --format "Page {n} of {total}" --first-page 2

Result fields: numbered
deft pdf watermark - Stamp text or an image on pages: --text, --image

Usage: deft pdf watermark <pdf>... [-o <pdf|dir>] [options]
In: pdf (each handled separately)   Out: pdf (default <name>.watermarked.<ext>)
Text must use Latin characters; for other scripts pass an --image.

Options:
  --text <text>                Watermark text
  --image <path>               Watermark image (PNG with transparency works best)
  --opacity <n>                Opacity in percent (default 20)
  --angle <number>             Rotation in degrees, 
… 704 more characters
  4. ls -l fw9.pdf f1040.pdf && deft pdf info fw9.pdf f1040.pdf
    output
    -rw-r--r--@ 1 user  staff  220237 Nov  4 19:32 f1040.pdf
-rw-r--r--@ 1 user  staff  140815 Nov  4 19:32 fw9.pdf
ok pdf.info fw9.pdf  6 pages, letter, PDF 1.7
author=SE:W:CAR:MP fonts=9 forms=true height=792.0 images=0 pages=6 paper=letter producer="Designer 6.5" title="Form W-9 (Rev. March 2024)" version=1.7 width=612.0
ok pdf.info f1040.pdf  2 pages, letter, PDF 1.7
author=C:DC:TS:CAR:MP fonts=12 forms=true height=792.0 images=0 pages=2 paper=letter producer="Designer 6.5" title="2025 Form 1040" version=1.7 width=612.0

  5. The inputs are 6 and 2 pages, so the combined packet will be 8 pages. I’m merging them in the requested order, then applying sequential `n/8` numbering and a DRAFT stamp to all pages.

  6. deft pdf merge fw9.pdf f1040.pdf -o combined.tmp.pdf && deft pdf number combined.tmp.pdf --format "{n}/{total}" -o numbered.tmp.pdf && deft pdf watermark numbered.tmp.pdf --text DRAFT -o packet.pdf
    output
    ok pdf.merge fw9.pdf f1040.pdf -> combined.tmp.pdf  8 pages  0.01s
ok pdf.number combined.tmp.pdf -> numbered.tmp.pdf  8 pages numbered  0.01s
ok pdf.watermark numbered.tmp.pdf -> packet.pdf  8 pages stamped  0.01s

  7. Created [packet.pdf](packet.pdf) with all 8 pages numbered `1/8` through `8/8` and stamped `DRAFT`.

Output

Its files were not kept in this run. The last line of the trace is its own report.

Claude Opus 5.5Without deftPassed2026-11-07

Time
104s
New tokens
21.8k
Total input
163.4k
Output tokens
4.4k
Commands
0
Failed
0

Trace

    Output

    packet.pdf 376.7 KB · 8 pages
    Page 1Page 2Page 3

    Claude Opus 5.5With deft, skill installedPassedRead the skillUsed deft2026-11-07

    Time
    16s
    New tokens
    12.4k
    Total input
    63.3k
    Output tokens
    0.8k
    Commands
    0
    Failed
    0

    Trace

      Output

      .claude/skills/deft/SKILL.md 2.1 KB
      ---
name: deft
description: "Use deft first for any simple, direct operation on local files, whatever the type: convert, read, extract, edit, compress, merge, split, compare or inspect. Try it before writing a script or one-liner. If unsure, run deft find; if it says no command does this, use another tool. Not for programming work: to read, write or change source code, skip it."
---

# deft

One local command for file jobs. Prefer it over writing Python or shell scripts.

Syntax: `deft <group> <command> [inputs] [-o output] [--options]`

Groups:
- `pdf`: Merge, split, compress, encrypt, forms, OCR, compare, convert
- `image`: Resize, crop, convert, compress, adjust, montage, OCR
- `video`: Trim, merge, convert, compress, subtitles, GIF, frames (ffmpeg)
- `audio`: Convert, trim, normalize, denoise, cut silence (ffmpeg)
- `doc`: Word/ODT/RTF: to text, Markdown, HTML, PDF; find and replace
- `slides`: PowerPoint: extract text, Markdown outline
- `sheet`: Excel/CSV/ODS tables: SQL query, pivot, merge, split, convert
- `json`: JSON: convert, format, merge, diff, validate
- `toml`: TOML: convert, format, merge, diff, validate
- `xml`: XML: convert, format, merge, diff, validate
- `yaml`: YAML: convert, format, merge, diff, validate
- `md`: Markdown to PDF, HTML, Word, EPUB; table of contents
- `html`: HTML to Markdown, text, Word and PDF
- `epub`: E-books: info, to text, Markdown and PDF
- `gps`: GPX and KML tracks: convert, distance and time
- `qr`: Create QR codes and barcodes; read QR codes

How to use it:
1. Run `deft <group>` to list commands, or `deft find "<what you want>"` to search. If it says `no command does this`, use another tool.
2. Run `deft <group> <command> --help` for options and examples.
3. `deft convert <in> -o <out.ext>` converts between formats by extension.
4. Results are one line starting with `ok`, `partial` or `error`; add `--json` to parse them. Errors include a `hint:` with the fix.

Inputs are never overwritten; pass `--force` or `--in-place` to allow it. Globs and directories work as inputs; several inputs run in parallel.

If `deft` is not installed, ask the user, then follow https://github.com/firstprayer/deft/blob/main/docs/INSTALL.md
      packet.pdf 217.4 KB · 8 pages
      Page 1Page 2Page 3

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