When to use

Use this skill when you need to:

• Generate image snippets from source code
• Configure reusable snippet rendering defaults
• Batch-render snippet assets for docs, social posts, or changelogs
• Use published snipgrapher from npm to generate snippet images

Quick start

Render a single file to a PNG immediately with no config required:

npx snipgrapher render file.ts -o output.png

For ongoing use, initialise a project config first, then render:

npx snipgrapher init          # creates snipgrapher.config.json
npx snipgrapher render file.ts --profile default -o output.png

After rendering, verify the output exists and is non-zero in size before treating the job as successful:

ls -lh output.png   # confirm file exists and size > 0

How to use

Read these rule files in order:

• rules/setup-and-configuration.md - Install, select executable, initialize config, and define profiles
• rules/rendering-workflows.md - Render single snippets, batch jobs, watch mode, and output practices

Core principles

• Configure first: establish a project config before repeated renders
• Reproducible output: prefer named profiles and explicit output paths
• Portable commands: use command patterns that work with installed binaries and npx
• Automation-friendly: rely on CLI flags/config/env precedence intentionally

Troubleshooting common render failures

If a render fails or produces an unexpected output, check for these common causes:

• Missing fonts: ensure any custom font specified in the profile or config is installed on the system
• Unsupported syntax: confirm the language/extension is supported by snipgrapher; fall back to plain text highlighting if not
• Empty or corrupt output: re-run with --verbose (if supported) to surface error details, and verify the input file is readable and non-empty
• Profile not found: run npx snipgrapher init to regenerate snipgrapher.config.json if the config file is missing or malformed