CLI API Reference

Complete reference for all repo2pdf CLI commands, flags, and options

Overview

repo2pdf is a command-line tool that converts GitHub repositories into formatted PDF documents. This page provides a complete reference for all available commands and options.

Command

repo2pdf

The main command launches an interactive CLI that guides you through the PDF generation process.

Alternative Execution Methods

NPX (Recommended)

npx repo2pdf

Runs the latest version without installation

Local Installation

npm install -g repo2pdf
repo2pdf

Install globally for repeated use

Interactive Prompts

When you run repo2pdf, you’ll be guided through an interactive configuration process:

Repository Source

localRepo · choice · required

Choose between using a local repository or cloning from GitHub.

Choices:

• No - Clone from a GitHub URL
• Yes - Use a local repository path

Local Repository Path

localRepoPath · string

The full filesystem path to your local repository.

When shown: Only appears if you select “Yes” for local repository

Validation: Path must exist on your filesystem

Example: /home/user/projects/my-repo

GitHub Repository URL

repoUrl · string

The GitHub repository URL to clone and convert.

When shown: Only appears if you select “No” for local repository

Format: Must be a valid GitHub URL: https://github.com/username/repository

Example: https://github.com/BankkRoll/repo2pdf

Features Selection

features · array · required

Multi-select checkbox for PDF generation features.

Available options:

Add line numbers

Adds line numbers to the left side of all code in the PDF. The line numbers are automatically padded to align properly based on the total number of lines.

Use case: Code reviews, teaching, referencing specific lines

Add highlighting

Applies syntax highlighting to code based on file extension. Uses highlight.js to detect and colorize code syntax.

Supported languages: JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, Java, C++, and 180+ other languages

Add page numbers

Adds page numbers at the bottom center of each page in the format “Page: X of Y”.

Note: Only available when generating a single PDF (not with “One PDF per file”)

Remove comments

Strips all comments from code files before adding to the PDF. Uses the strip-comments library to remove:

• Single-line comments (//, #, etc.)
• Multi-line comments (/* */, """ """, etc.)

Use case: Focus on code logic, reduce PDF size

Remove empty lines

Removes blank lines from code files to create more compact output.

Use case: Reduce PDF page count, maximize code density

One PDF per file

Generates a separate PDF for each file in the repository instead of a single combined PDF.

Output: Creates a folder with individual PDFs named after each source file

Output File Name

outputFileName · string · default: "output.pdf"

The name of the generated PDF file.

When shown: Only when “One PDF per file” is NOT selected

Default: output.pdf

Example: my-project-documentation.pdf

Output Folder Name

outputFolderName · string · default: "./output"

The folder where individual PDF files will be saved.

When shown: Only when “One PDF per file” IS selected

Default: ./output

Example: ./project-pdfs

Keep Cloned Repository

keepRepo · choice

Whether to keep the cloned repository on your filesystem after PDF generation.

When shown: Only when cloning from GitHub (not for local repositories)

Choices:

• No - Delete the cloned repository after PDF generation
• Yes - Keep the repository in ./tempRepo directory

Default: No

Configuration File

repo2pdf.ignore

Create a repo2pdf.ignore file in the root of your repository to customize which files and directories are excluded from the PDF.

File format: JSON

Example:

{
  "ignoredFiles": ["tsconfig.json", "dist", "node_modules"],
  "ignoredExtensions": [".raw", ".log"]
}

ignoredFiles · array

Array of file names or directory names to exclude.

Example: ["package-lock.json", "node_modules", "dist", ".env"]

ignoredExtensions · array

Array of file extensions to exclude (including the dot).

Example: [".raw", ".log", ".tmp", ".cache"]

Default Exclusions

repo2pdf automatically excludes common files and directories:

Default excluded directories:

• .git
• node_modules
• .next
• dist
• build

Default excluded extensions:

• Images: .png, .jpg, .jpeg, .gif, .svg, .ico
• Archives: .zip, .tar, .gz
• Binaries: .exe, .dll, .so, .dylib
• Media: .mp4, .mp3, .wav

Requirements

node · version · required

Minimum version: Node.js 18.0.0 or higher

Check your version:

node --version

git · binary

Required for: Cloning repositories from GitHub

Not required for: Local repositories

Check if installed:

git --version

Dependencies

repo2pdf uses the following core dependencies:

Package	Version	Purpose
pdfkit	^0.13.0	PDF generation
highlight.js	^11.9.0	Syntax highlighting
simple-git	^3.18.0	Git operations
inquirer	^9.2.6	Interactive CLI prompts
chalk	^5.2.0	Terminal styling
ora	^6.3.1	Loading spinners
prettier	^3.0.3	Code formatting
strip-comments	^2.0.1	Comment removal
isbinaryfile	^5.0.0	Binary file detection

Exit Codes

Code	Description
0	Success
1	General error (validation failure, file system error, etc.)

Examples

Basic Usage

npx repo2pdf

Then follow the prompts:

1. Select “No” for local repository
2. Enter: https://github.com/username/repo
3. Select desired features (e.g., “Add line numbers”, “Add highlighting”)
4. Enter output filename: my-project.pdf
5. Select “No” to remove cloned repository

Local Repository

npx repo2pdf

1. Select “Yes” for local repository
2. Enter path: /home/user/projects/my-app
3. Select features
4. Enter output filename: local-project.pdf

Multiple PDFs

npx repo2pdf

1. Select repository source
2. Select “One PDF per file” in features
3. Enter output folder: ./pdfs
4. Each file will be saved as a separate PDF in the ./pdfs directory