Skill: ivangdavila/word-docx (version 1.0.2)

--- name: Word / DOCX slug: word-docx version: 1.0.2 homepage: https://clawic.com/skills/word-docx description: "Create, inspect, and edit Microsoft Word documents and DOCX files with reliable styles, numbering, tracked changes, tables, sections, and compatibility checks. Use when (1) the task is about Word or `.docx`; (2) the file includes tracked changes, comments, fields, tables, templates, or page layout constraints; (3) the document must survive round-trip editing without formatting drift." changelog: Tightened the skill around fragile review workflows, reference stability, and layout drift after a stricter external audit. metadata: {"clawdbot":{"emoji":"📘","os":["linux","darwin","win32"]}} --- ## When to Use Use when the main artifact is a Microsoft Word document or `.docx` file, especially when tracked changes, comments, headers, numbering, fields, tables, templates, or compatibility matter. ## Core Rules ### 1. Treat DOCX as OOXML, not plain text - A `.docx` file is a ZIP of XML parts, so structure matters as much as visible text. - The critical parts are usually `word/document.xml`, `styles.xml`, `numbering.xml`, headers, footers, and relationship files. - Text may be split across multiple runs; never assume one word or sentence lives in one XML node. - Use different workflows on purpose: structured extraction for quick reading, style-driven generation for new files, and OOXML-aware editing for fragile existing documents. - If the job is mainly reading, extracting, or reviewing, prefer a structure-preserving read path before touching OOXML. - For deep edits, inspect the package layout instead of relying only on rendered output. - Reading, generating, and preserving an existing reviewed document are different jobs even when the format is the same. - Legacy `.doc` inputs usually need conversion before you can trust modern `.docx` assumptions. ### 2. Preserve styles and direct formatting deliberately - Prefer named styles over direct formatting so the document stays editable. - Styles layer: paragraph styles, character styles, and direct formatting do not behave the same. - Removing direct formatting is often safer than stacking more inline formatting on top. - When editing an existing file, extend the current style system instead of inventing a parallel one. - Copying content between documents can silently import foreign styles, theme settings, and numbering definitions. ### 3. Lists and numbering are their own system - Bullets and numbering belong to Word's numbering definitions, not pasted Unicode characters. - `abstractNum`, `num`, and paragraph numbering properties all matter, so restart behavior is rarely "visual only". - Indentation and numbering are related but not identical; a list can have broken numbering even if the indent looks right. - A list that looks correct in one editor can restart, flatten, or renumber itself later if the underlying numbering state is wrong. ### 4. Page layout lives in sections - Margins, orientation, headers, footers, and page numbering are section-level behavior. - First-page and odd/even headers can differ inside the same document, so one header fix may not fix the document. - Set page size explicitly because A4 and US Letter defaults change pagination and table widths. - Use section breaks for layout changes; manual spacing and stray page breaks usually create drift. - Header and footer media use part-specific relationships, so copied IDs often break images or links. - Tables, page breaks, and headers often drift together, so treat layout fixes as document-wide, not local cosmetic edits. - Table geometry depends on page width, margins, and fixed widths, so "close enough" table edits often break later in Google Docs or LibreOffice. ### 5. Track changes, comments, and fields need precise edits - Visible text is not the full document when tracked changes are enabled. - Insertions, deletions, and comments carry metadata that can survive careless edits. - Deleted text may still exist in the XML even when it no longer appears on screen. - Comment anchors and review ranges can break if edits move text without preserving the surrounding structure. - Comment markers and review wrappers do not behave like inline formatting, so moving text carelessly can orphan or misplace them. - Comments, footnotes, bookmarks, and linked media may live in separate parts, not only in the main document body. - Tables of contents, page numbers, dates, cross-references, and mail merge placeholders are fields. - Edit the field source carefully and expect cached display values to lag until refresh. - Hyperlinks, bookmarks, and references can break if IDs or relationships stop matching. - Bookmarks, footnotes, comment ranges, and cross-references depend on stable anchors even when the visible text seems untouched. - A document can look correct while still containing stale field output that refreshes later into something different. - For review workflows, make minimal replacements instead of rewriting whole paragraphs. - In tracked-change workflows, only the changed span should look changed; broad rewrites create noisy reviews and can destroy the original formatting context. - For legal, academic, or business review documents, default to review-style edits over wholesale paragraph rewrites unless the user explicitly wants a rewrite. ### 6. Verify round-trip compatibility before delivery - Complex documents can shift between Word, LibreOffice, Google Docs, and conversion tools. - Tables, headers, embedded fonts, and copied styles are common sources of layout drift. - Treat `.docm` as macro-bearing and higher risk; treat `.doc` as legacy input that may need conversion first. - When layout matters, explicit table widths are safer than auto-fit or percentage-style behavior that different editors reinterpret. - A document that passes a text check can still fail on pagination, table widths, or reference refresh after the recipient opens it. ## Common Traps - Copy-paste can import unwanted styles and numbering definitions. - Header or footer images use part-specific relationships, so reusing IDs blindly breaks them. - Empty paragraphs used as spacing make templates fragile; spacing belongs in paragraph settings. - A clean-looking export can still hide unresolved revisions, comments, or stale field values. - Restarting lists "by eye" usually fails because numbering state lives outside the paragraph text. - One visible phrase can be split across several runs, bookmarks, revision tags, or field boundaries. - Replacing a whole paragraph to change one clause often breaks review quality, bookmarks, comments, or nearby inline formatting. - Deleting all visible text from a paragraph or list item can still leave behind an empty paragraph mark, empty bullet, or unstable numbering. - Table auto-fit and percentage-like width behavior can look acceptable in Word and still drift in Google Docs or LibreOffice. - LibreOffice and Google Docs can shift complex tables, section behavior, and embedded fonts even when Word looks perfect. - Compatibility mode can silently cap newer features or change pagination behavior. - A single change in page size or margin defaults can ripple through tables, headers, TOC, and cross-references. - A revision workflow can look accepted on screen while leftover metadata, comments, or field caches still make the file unstable later. - TOC entries, footnotes, and cross-references can look correct until the recipient updates fields and exposes broken anchors. ## Related Skills Install with `clawhub install <slug>` if user confirms: - `documents` — General document handling and format conversion. - `brief` — Concise business writing and structured summaries. - `article` — Long-form drafting and editorial structure. ## Feedback - If useful: `clawhub star word-docx` - Stay updated: `clawhub sync`


Security scan verdicts — ClawScan: clean | static analysis: clean | VirusTotal: clean | SkillSpector: clean (LOW)