Vibecode PDF Expert
track this build5 steps, step by step0%The core loop is small enough for a capable coding agent to produce a useful local version in one sitting. For PDF Expert, annotate, fill, merge, and lightly edit PDFs in a polished local desktop app. The hard boundary is native apple polish, sync, reliable rendering, and mobile continuity, plus document fidelity, identity, and compliance.
You are building a lean indie version of PDF Expert. Create the following project files first, then implement the application by following them. Keep the files updated as decisions change. Do not collapse this into a single README or prompt. ===== README.md ===== # PDF Expert indie build ## Goal Build the smallest trustworthy replacement for the core PDF Expert workflow for one developer or a tiny team. ## Scope Annotate, fill, merge, and lightly edit PDFs in a local desktop app, preserve originals, generate auditable outputs, and keep files in a user-owned store. ## Quick start 1. Install the documented dependencies. 2. Copy `.env.example` to `.env`. 3. Run the development command chosen during implementation. 4. Complete the acceptance checks in `BUILD_PLAN.md`. ## Honest limits This build deliberately does not replace: - native Apple polish, sync, reliable rendering, and mobile continuity - pixel-perfect proprietary PDF engine - identity verification - qualified trust services - large template and integration ecosystem If those capabilities are essential, use Stirling PDF instead of pretending the gap is solved. ===== AGENTS.md ===== # Agent instructions - Optimize for a working, understandable weekend build. - Prefer the fewest moving parts that satisfy the brief. - Do not invent cryptography, security guarantees, APIs, or compliance claims. - Keep secrets out of source control and logs. - Add focused tests for destructive, security-sensitive, and data-loss paths. - Run the project checks before declaring the build complete. - Record any deliberate shortcut in the README under "Tradeoffs". ===== BUILD_PLAN.md ===== # Build plan ## Original build brief Build a personal replacement for PDF Expert in an empty repository. Use Next.js 15, TypeScript, Python 3.12, FastAPI, pikepdf, LibreOffice headless, and PostgreSQL; do not offer alternative stacks. The core loop is: annotate, fill, merge, and lightly edit PDFs in a local desktop app, preserve originals, generate auditable outputs, and keep files in a user-owned store. Make the first run work locally with one documented command. Store all user data locally by default and make export straightforward. Put secrets in .env, ship .env.example, and never commit credentials. Keep every original immutable and write each operation to a versioned output file. Support merge, split, reorder, rotate, compress, watermark, redact, OCR, and Office-to-PDF conversion. Render page previews and warn when fonts, forms, signatures, or encryption may be altered. For signature mode, place fields, invite signers, record consent, and seal a final PDF hash. Maintain an append-only event log with timestamps, document hashes, and delivery outcomes. Add file expiry, download, deletion, backup, and a prominent low-stakes-use warning. Include clear empty, loading, success, and recoverable error states. Add input validation, safe filenames, and graceful handling of unavailable APIs. Write focused tests for the core transformation and one end-to-end happy path. Create a README with setup, architecture, permissions, data location, and backup steps. Do not add accounts, billing, telemetry, analytics, or a hosted control plane. Deliberately leave out qualified or regulated electronic signatures. Deliberately leave out government identity verification. Deliberately leave out full Acrobat-level editing and enterprise document governance. Finish by running the tests and listing the exact commands used. ## Required capabilities - Docker - PostgreSQL - LibreOffice headless - local or S3-compatible storage - public HTTPS for signature links ## Delivery order 1. Scaffold the smallest runnable application and document its commands. 2. Implement the primary data model and core workflow. 3. Add validation, safe failure states, and persistence. 4. Cover the critical path with automated tests. 5. Exercise a clean install from the README and fix every missing step. ## Done when - A new user can go from clone to first successful workflow using only the README. - The core workflow works without paid infrastructure unless the brief requires it. - Tests cover the highest-risk behavior. - Known limitations are explicit rather than hidden. ===== .env.example ===== # Copy to .env and document every variable when it is introduced. # Never put real credentials in this file. APP_ENV=development # Add only values required by the selected implementation.
You are building a lean indie version of PDF Expert. Create the following project files first, then implement the application by following them. Keep the files updated as decisions change. Do not collapse this into a single README or prompt. ===== README.md ===== # PDF Expert indie build ## Goal Build the smallest trustworthy replacement for the core PDF Expert workflow for one developer or a tiny team. ## Scope Annotate, fill, merge, and lightly edit PDFs in a local desktop app, preserve originals, generate auditable outputs, and keep files in a user-owned store. ## Quick start 1. Install the documented dependencies. 2. Copy `.env.example` to `.env`. 3. Run the development command chosen during implementation. 4. Complete the acceptance checks in `BUILD_PLAN.md`. ## Honest limits This build deliberately does not replace: - native Apple polish, sync, reliable rendering, and mobile continuity - pixel-perfect proprietary PDF engine - identity verification - qualified trust services - large template and integration ecosystem If those capabilities are essential, use Stirling PDF instead of pretending the gap is solved. ===== AGENTS.md ===== # Agent instructions - Optimize for a working, understandable weekend build. - Prefer the fewest moving parts that satisfy the brief. - Do not invent cryptography, security guarantees, APIs, or compliance claims. - Keep secrets out of source control and logs. - Add focused tests for destructive, security-sensitive, and data-loss paths. - Run the project checks before declaring the build complete. - Record any deliberate shortcut in the README under "Tradeoffs". ===== BUILD_PLAN.md ===== # Build plan ## Original build brief Build a personal replacement for PDF Expert in an empty repository. Use Next.js 15, TypeScript, Python 3.12, FastAPI, pikepdf, LibreOffice headless, and PostgreSQL; do not offer alternative stacks. The core loop is: annotate, fill, merge, and lightly edit PDFs in a local desktop app, preserve originals, generate auditable outputs, and keep files in a user-owned store. Make the first run work locally with one documented command. Store all user data locally by default and make export straightforward. Put secrets in .env, ship .env.example, and never commit credentials. Keep every original immutable and write each operation to a versioned output file. Support merge, split, reorder, rotate, compress, watermark, redact, OCR, and Office-to-PDF conversion. Render page previews and warn when fonts, forms, signatures, or encryption may be altered. For signature mode, place fields, invite signers, record consent, and seal a final PDF hash. Maintain an append-only event log with timestamps, document hashes, and delivery outcomes. Add file expiry, download, deletion, backup, and a prominent low-stakes-use warning. Include clear empty, loading, success, and recoverable error states. Add input validation, safe filenames, and graceful handling of unavailable APIs. Write focused tests for the core transformation and one end-to-end happy path. Create a README with setup, architecture, permissions, data location, and backup steps. Do not add accounts, billing, telemetry, analytics, or a hosted control plane. Deliberately leave out qualified or regulated electronic signatures. Deliberately leave out government identity verification. Deliberately leave out full Acrobat-level editing and enterprise document governance. Finish by running the tests and listing the exact commands used. ## Required capabilities - Docker - PostgreSQL - LibreOffice headless - local or S3-compatible storage - public HTTPS for signature links ## Delivery order 1. Scaffold the smallest runnable application and document its commands. 2. Implement the primary data model and core workflow. 3. Add validation, safe failure states, and persistence. 4. Cover the critical path with automated tests. 5. Exercise a clean install from the README and fix every missing step. ## Done when - A new user can go from clone to first successful workflow using only the README. - The core workflow works without paid infrastructure unless the brief requires it. - Tests cover the highest-risk behavior. - Known limitations are explicit rather than hidden. ===== .env.example ===== # Copy to .env and document every variable when it is introduced. # Never put real credentials in this file. APP_ENV=development # Add only values required by the selected implementation.
You are building a production product version of PDF Expert. Create the following project files first, then implement the application by following them. Keep the files updated as decisions change. Do not collapse this into a single README or prompt. ===== PRODUCT.md ===== # PDF Expert product brief ## Problem The core loop is small enough for a capable coding agent to produce a useful local version in one sitting. For PDF Expert, annotate, fill, merge, and lightly edit PDFs in a polished local desktop app. The hard boundary is native apple polish, sync, reliable rendering, and mobile continuity, plus document fidelity, identity, and compliance. ## Product outcome Annotate, fill, merge, and lightly edit PDFs in a local desktop app, preserve originals, generate auditable outputs, and keep files in a user-owned store. ## Target user A serious builder who needs a maintainable product foundation rather than a one-off demo. ## Required capabilities - Docker - PostgreSQL - LibreOffice headless - local or S3-compatible storage - public HTTPS for signature links ## Explicit non-goals for v1 - native Apple polish, sync, reliable rendering, and mobile continuity - pixel-perfect proprietary PDF engine - identity verification - qualified trust services - large template and integration ecosystem ## Success criteria - The primary workflow is measurable end to end. - Setup is reproducible in a clean environment. - Failure, recovery, and support paths are documented. - Product claims match what the implementation actually guarantees. ===== ARCHITECTURE.md ===== # Architecture ## Starting brief Build a personal replacement for PDF Expert in an empty repository. Use Next.js 15, TypeScript, Python 3.12, FastAPI, pikepdf, LibreOffice headless, and PostgreSQL; do not offer alternative stacks. The core loop is: annotate, fill, merge, and lightly edit PDFs in a local desktop app, preserve originals, generate auditable outputs, and keep files in a user-owned store. Make the first run work locally with one documented command. Store all user data locally by default and make export straightforward. Put secrets in .env, ship .env.example, and never commit credentials. Keep every original immutable and write each operation to a versioned output file. Support merge, split, reorder, rotate, compress, watermark, redact, OCR, and Office-to-PDF conversion. Render page previews and warn when fonts, forms, signatures, or encryption may be altered. For signature mode, place fields, invite signers, record consent, and seal a final PDF hash. Maintain an append-only event log with timestamps, document hashes, and delivery outcomes. Add file expiry, download, deletion, backup, and a prominent low-stakes-use warning. Include clear empty, loading, success, and recoverable error states. Add input validation, safe filenames, and graceful handling of unavailable APIs. Write focused tests for the core transformation and one end-to-end happy path. Create a README with setup, architecture, permissions, data location, and backup steps. Do not add accounts, billing, telemetry, analytics, or a hosted control plane. Deliberately leave out qualified or regulated electronic signatures. Deliberately leave out government identity verification. Deliberately leave out full Acrobat-level editing and enterprise document governance. Finish by running the tests and listing the exact commands used. ## Boundaries Separate the product into replaceable modules for interface, application logic, persistence, external integrations, and operational concerns. Keep domain logic independent from delivery frameworks and vendors. ## Production baseline - Configuration: validated at startup with safe local defaults where possible. - Security: least privilege, input validation, secret redaction, rate limits on abuse-prone paths, and no invented security primitives. - Data: explicit schema and migrations, transactional writes where integrity matters, backup and restore instructions. - Integrations: adapters around third-party providers, idempotent webhook or job processing, bounded retries, and timeouts. - Observability: structured logs with request or operation IDs, an error-tracking hook, and health/readiness checks where a server exists. - Quality: unit tests for domain rules, integration tests at module boundaries, and one end-to-end critical-path test. ## Decision records For each major dependency, document why it was chosen, its failure mode, and how it can be replaced. Do not introduce infrastructure until a requirement justifies it. ===== AGENTS.md ===== # Agent instructions - Read `PRODUCT.md` and `ARCHITECTURE.md` before changing code. - Implement milestone by milestone; keep each change reviewable and leave the application runnable. - Treat authentication, payments, encryption, imports, webhooks, and destructive actions as high-risk boundaries when present. - Never invent cryptography or silently weaken a requirement to make a test pass. - Use provider interfaces for external services and deterministic fakes in tests. - Add migrations and rollback or recovery notes for persistent data changes. - Log useful operational context without credentials, tokens, passwords, or personal data. - Update documentation and run all checks before completing a milestone. ===== MILESTONES.md ===== # Delivery milestones ## M0 — Decisions and scaffold - Confirm the runtime, persistence model, threat boundaries, and deployment target. - Create a reproducible local environment and continuous checks. ## M1 — Core workflow - Implement the smallest end-to-end product path with validation and tests. - Keep integrations behind interfaces. ## M2 — Trust layer - Add secure failure behavior, recovery paths, audit-relevant events, and data safeguards. - Test abuse cases and destructive operations. ## M3 — Operability - Add structured logs, error reporting hooks, health signals, backup/restore documentation, and deployment configuration. ## M4 — Release gate - Run a clean-install test, critical-path end-to-end test, dependency review, and documented rollback exercise. - Compare the shipped behavior with `PRODUCT.md` and publish remaining limitations. ===== OPERATIONS.md ===== # Operations ## Before release - Validate configuration and secrets at startup. - Define backup, restore, and rollback procedures and test them. - Document logs, error tracking, health signals, and alert ownership. - Set dependency update and vulnerability review expectations. ## Incident checklist 1. Contain the issue without destroying evidence or user data. 2. Record the timeline and affected scope. 3. Rotate exposed secrets and revoke compromised sessions or credentials. 4. Restore from a verified source when needed. 5. Document the root cause, remediation, and regression test. ## Launch constraint Do not market omitted PDF Expert capabilities as implemented. The v1 non-goals in `PRODUCT.md` remain user-visible limitations until they are deliberately delivered.
# PDF Expert indie build ## Goal Build the smallest trustworthy replacement for the core PDF Expert workflow for one developer or a tiny team. ## Scope Annotate, fill, merge, and lightly edit PDFs in a local desktop app, preserve originals, generate auditable outputs, and keep files in a user-owned store. ## Quick start 1. Install the documented dependencies. 2. Copy `.env.example` to `.env`. 3. Run the development command chosen during implementation. 4. Complete the acceptance checks in `BUILD_PLAN.md`. ## Honest limits This build deliberately does not replace: - native Apple polish, sync, reliable rendering, and mobile continuity - pixel-perfect proprietary PDF engine - identity verification - qualified trust services - large template and integration ecosystem If those capabilities are essential, use Stirling PDF instead of pretending the gap is solved.
# Agent instructions - Optimize for a working, understandable weekend build. - Prefer the fewest moving parts that satisfy the brief. - Do not invent cryptography, security guarantees, APIs, or compliance claims. - Keep secrets out of source control and logs. - Add focused tests for destructive, security-sensitive, and data-loss paths. - Run the project checks before declaring the build complete. - Record any deliberate shortcut in the README under "Tradeoffs".
# Build plan ## Original build brief Build a personal replacement for PDF Expert in an empty repository. Use Next.js 15, TypeScript, Python 3.12, FastAPI, pikepdf, LibreOffice headless, and PostgreSQL; do not offer alternative stacks. The core loop is: annotate, fill, merge, and lightly edit PDFs in a local desktop app, preserve originals, generate auditable outputs, and keep files in a user-owned store. Make the first run work locally with one documented command. Store all user data locally by default and make export straightforward. Put secrets in .env, ship .env.example, and never commit credentials. Keep every original immutable and write each operation to a versioned output file. Support merge, split, reorder, rotate, compress, watermark, redact, OCR, and Office-to-PDF conversion. Render page previews and warn when fonts, forms, signatures, or encryption may be altered. For signature mode, place fields, invite signers, record consent, and seal a final PDF hash. Maintain an append-only event log with timestamps, document hashes, and delivery outcomes. Add file expiry, download, deletion, backup, and a prominent low-stakes-use warning. Include clear empty, loading, success, and recoverable error states. Add input validation, safe filenames, and graceful handling of unavailable APIs. Write focused tests for the core transformation and one end-to-end happy path. Create a README with setup, architecture, permissions, data location, and backup steps. Do not add accounts, billing, telemetry, analytics, or a hosted control plane. Deliberately leave out qualified or regulated electronic signatures. Deliberately leave out government identity verification. Deliberately leave out full Acrobat-level editing and enterprise document governance. Finish by running the tests and listing the exact commands used. ## Required capabilities - Docker - PostgreSQL - LibreOffice headless - local or S3-compatible storage - public HTTPS for signature links ## Delivery order 1. Scaffold the smallest runnable application and document its commands. 2. Implement the primary data model and core workflow. 3. Add validation, safe failure states, and persistence. 4. Cover the critical path with automated tests. 5. Exercise a clean install from the README and fix every missing step. ## Done when - A new user can go from clone to first successful workflow using only the README. - The core workflow works without paid infrastructure unless the brief requires it. - Tests cover the highest-risk behavior. - Known limitations are explicit rather than hidden.
# Copy to .env and document every variable when it is introduced. # Never put real credentials in this file. APP_ENV=development # Add only values required by the selected implementation.
# PDF Expert product brief ## Problem The core loop is small enough for a capable coding agent to produce a useful local version in one sitting. For PDF Expert, annotate, fill, merge, and lightly edit PDFs in a polished local desktop app. The hard boundary is native apple polish, sync, reliable rendering, and mobile continuity, plus document fidelity, identity, and compliance. ## Product outcome Annotate, fill, merge, and lightly edit PDFs in a local desktop app, preserve originals, generate auditable outputs, and keep files in a user-owned store. ## Target user A serious builder who needs a maintainable product foundation rather than a one-off demo. ## Required capabilities - Docker - PostgreSQL - LibreOffice headless - local or S3-compatible storage - public HTTPS for signature links ## Explicit non-goals for v1 - native Apple polish, sync, reliable rendering, and mobile continuity - pixel-perfect proprietary PDF engine - identity verification - qualified trust services - large template and integration ecosystem ## Success criteria - The primary workflow is measurable end to end. - Setup is reproducible in a clean environment. - Failure, recovery, and support paths are documented. - Product claims match what the implementation actually guarantees.
# Architecture ## Starting brief Build a personal replacement for PDF Expert in an empty repository. Use Next.js 15, TypeScript, Python 3.12, FastAPI, pikepdf, LibreOffice headless, and PostgreSQL; do not offer alternative stacks. The core loop is: annotate, fill, merge, and lightly edit PDFs in a local desktop app, preserve originals, generate auditable outputs, and keep files in a user-owned store. Make the first run work locally with one documented command. Store all user data locally by default and make export straightforward. Put secrets in .env, ship .env.example, and never commit credentials. Keep every original immutable and write each operation to a versioned output file. Support merge, split, reorder, rotate, compress, watermark, redact, OCR, and Office-to-PDF conversion. Render page previews and warn when fonts, forms, signatures, or encryption may be altered. For signature mode, place fields, invite signers, record consent, and seal a final PDF hash. Maintain an append-only event log with timestamps, document hashes, and delivery outcomes. Add file expiry, download, deletion, backup, and a prominent low-stakes-use warning. Include clear empty, loading, success, and recoverable error states. Add input validation, safe filenames, and graceful handling of unavailable APIs. Write focused tests for the core transformation and one end-to-end happy path. Create a README with setup, architecture, permissions, data location, and backup steps. Do not add accounts, billing, telemetry, analytics, or a hosted control plane. Deliberately leave out qualified or regulated electronic signatures. Deliberately leave out government identity verification. Deliberately leave out full Acrobat-level editing and enterprise document governance. Finish by running the tests and listing the exact commands used. ## Boundaries Separate the product into replaceable modules for interface, application logic, persistence, external integrations, and operational concerns. Keep domain logic independent from delivery frameworks and vendors. ## Production baseline - Configuration: validated at startup with safe local defaults where possible. - Security: least privilege, input validation, secret redaction, rate limits on abuse-prone paths, and no invented security primitives. - Data: explicit schema and migrations, transactional writes where integrity matters, backup and restore instructions. - Integrations: adapters around third-party providers, idempotent webhook or job processing, bounded retries, and timeouts. - Observability: structured logs with request or operation IDs, an error-tracking hook, and health/readiness checks where a server exists. - Quality: unit tests for domain rules, integration tests at module boundaries, and one end-to-end critical-path test. ## Decision records For each major dependency, document why it was chosen, its failure mode, and how it can be replaced. Do not introduce infrastructure until a requirement justifies it.
# Agent instructions - Read `PRODUCT.md` and `ARCHITECTURE.md` before changing code. - Implement milestone by milestone; keep each change reviewable and leave the application runnable. - Treat authentication, payments, encryption, imports, webhooks, and destructive actions as high-risk boundaries when present. - Never invent cryptography or silently weaken a requirement to make a test pass. - Use provider interfaces for external services and deterministic fakes in tests. - Add migrations and rollback or recovery notes for persistent data changes. - Log useful operational context without credentials, tokens, passwords, or personal data. - Update documentation and run all checks before completing a milestone.
# Delivery milestones ## M0 — Decisions and scaffold - Confirm the runtime, persistence model, threat boundaries, and deployment target. - Create a reproducible local environment and continuous checks. ## M1 — Core workflow - Implement the smallest end-to-end product path with validation and tests. - Keep integrations behind interfaces. ## M2 — Trust layer - Add secure failure behavior, recovery paths, audit-relevant events, and data safeguards. - Test abuse cases and destructive operations. ## M3 — Operability - Add structured logs, error reporting hooks, health signals, backup/restore documentation, and deployment configuration. ## M4 — Release gate - Run a clean-install test, critical-path end-to-end test, dependency review, and documented rollback exercise. - Compare the shipped behavior with `PRODUCT.md` and publish remaining limitations.
# Operations ## Before release - Validate configuration and secrets at startup. - Define backup, restore, and rollback procedures and test them. - Document logs, error tracking, health signals, and alert ownership. - Set dependency update and vulnerability review expectations. ## Incident checklist 1. Contain the issue without destroying evidence or user data. 2. Record the timeline and affected scope. 3. Rotate exposed secrets and revoke compromised sessions or credentials. 4. Restore from a verified source when needed. 5. Document the root cause, remediation, and regression test. ## Launch constraint Do not market omitted PDF Expert capabilities as implemented. The v1 non-goals in `PRODUCT.md` remain user-visible limitations until they are deliberately delivered.
$ choose a build depth, inspect the files, then open the complete pack in your agent · this prompt is generated from the build plan · improve it via PR
People still pay for PDF Expert because the visible editor is reproducible, but reliable rendering and legally defensible signature workflows are not a casual side project. The recurring cost buys format edge cases, fonts, rendering, encryption, signatures, evidence, retention, storage, backups, and legal requirements, not just the visible interface.
xnative Apple polish, sync, reliable rendering, and mobile continuity
xpixel-perfect proprietary PDF engine
xidentity verification
xqualified trust services
xlarge template and integration ecosystem
Don't feel like building it? These folks already made it free.
no votes, no pay-to-list · just what's real
PDF Expert pricing
| plan | monthly | annual (per mo) | what you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| weekly | custom | — | iPhone, iPad and Mac; Premium features including OCR, conversion, editing and PDF Copilot |
| yearly | — | $6.67 | iPhone, iPad and Mac; major updates/new features, PDF Copilot, OCR, conversion and editing |
| lifetime | custom | — | Mac only; one-time $139.99; ongoing fixes, but future major tools may cost extra |
free tierFree download supports basic reading/annotation/form use; official page does not publish numeric free-use caps
billingweekly + annual ($79.99/year in the US App Store) + $139.99 lifetime Mac-only; annual/lifetime have a 30-day guarantee; storefront pricing varies by region
hidden costsLifetime does not cover iPhone/iPad and future major features may require another fee. Weekly USD pricing was not identifiable from the US App Store SKU list, and the website's localized GBP prices differ materially from the US storefront.
verified 2026-08-13 · source ↗
Vibecode PDF Expert
Yes. A competent AI coding agent (Claude Code, Codex, Cursor) can build a usable personal PDF Expert replacement in one session with the prompt on this page. It runs on your own machine or server with no subscription.
How much does PDF Expert cost?
PDF Expert costs about $6.67/month (Premium, checked 2026-07-31), which is $80.03999999999999 per year. That's what you save by replacing it with one prompt.
What do I lose by replacing PDF Expert?
Honestly: native Apple polish, sync, reliable rendering, and mobile continuity; pixel-perfect proprietary PDF engine; identity verification; qualified trust services; large template and integration ecosystem. If any of those are load-bearing for you, keep paying.
Is there an open-source alternative to PDF Expert?
Yes: PDFgear (A polished free local editor for annotation, forms, signatures, merging, conversion, OCR, and light text edits; the most direct answer here.) Preview (Already on every Mac and quietly excellent at viewing, annotating, filling, signing, rearranging, merging, and exporting PDFs; direct text editing is not the deal.) The prompt is for when you want it exactly your way.