anthropics--knowledge-work-plugins/pdf-viewer/commands/fill-form.md

description, argument-hint

description	argument-hint
Fill PDF form fields interactively with live visual feedback	[path-or-url]

If you need to check which tools are connected, see CONNECTORS.md.

Fill Form

Help the user complete a fillable PDF form in the live viewer. Unlike programmatic form tools, this gives the user direct visual feedback on every field as it's filled, with easy undo/edit in the viewer.

Why use this instead of programmatic form filling

• Visual confirmation — the user sees each value land in the right box, not just a success message
• Unnamed/unlabeled fields — many real-world PDFs have fields with machine names like Text1, Field_7, or no name at all. The label ("Date of Birth", "SSN") is printed next to the field on the rendered page, not in the field metadata. Use get_screenshot to see what each field actually is, then fill by name.
• Easy correction — the user can edit or clear any field directly in the viewer, or ask you to fill_form again with new values

Two approaches

User-driven (simple, well-labeled forms)

Call display_pdf with elicit_form_inputs: true. The server detects form fields and prompts the user to enter values before the viewer opens. The filled PDF is then displayed.

AI-assisted (complex forms, unnamed fields, or when you have context)

1. display_pdf (without elicit) — inspect returned formFields (name, type, page, bounding box)
2. If field names are cryptic (Text1, Field_7), use interact → get_screenshot of each page with fields. Look at the visual labels next to each bounding box to understand what each field is.
3. For each field, either:
   • Infer the value from conversation context (name, date, email)
   • Ask the user, describing the field by its visual label ("the 'Date of Birth' box on page 1")
4. interact → fill_form with fields: [{name, value}, ...]
5. interact → get_screenshot of each filled page
6. Show the user, ask them to confirm or edit

Example

User: Help me fill out this W-9

You: display_pdf → formFields: f1_1, f1_2, f1_3, c1_1, ... (cryptic names)

You: interact → get_screenshot page 1 → see f1_1 is next to "Name", f1_2 is "Business name", c1_1 is the "Individual" checkbox

You: "I can see Name, Business name, Address, TIN, and tax classification checkboxes. I'll fill Name and Date from what I know — what's your TIN and business address?"

After answers: interact → fill_form + get_screenshot

You: "Here's the filled form [screenshot]. The signature line is still blank — want to add your signature with /pdf-viewer:sign?"

Notes

• Signature fields are usually separate — fill text first, then hand off to /pdf-viewer:sign for the image
• Checkbox/radio values are true/false or the option string
• The user can always drag & edit fields directly in the viewer