document-gen-dual-backendlisted

# Document Generation: Dual-Backend Workflow (Unicode-Safe) ## When to Use **Default Approach: Lightweight Direct Execution (Recommended for 90% of tasks)** For most document generation tasks, use direct `write_file` + `run_shell` **without** `shell_agent`: - Generating documents in standard formats (`.docx`, `.pdf`, `.html`) from Markdown - Content is straightforward with minimal special characters - You already know the pandoc/ReportLab commands needed - Quick single-format or multi-format output is needed **Fallback Approach: shell_agent Delegation (For Complex Scenarios Only)** Use `shell_agent` delegation only when: - Automated fallback handling between backends requires complex logic - Dynamic content generation needs programmatic decision-making - You need to capture and analyze error messages for intelligent retry logic ### When shell_agent May Be Useful (Optional) Only consider `shell_agent` delegation for: - Complex error recovery requiring automated backend switching - Dynamic workflows with conditional branching based on generation results ## Core Technique **For simple tasks (default):** Use direct `write_file` + `run_shell` with pandoc or ReportLab (no shell_agent needed) **For complex tasks requiring fallback logic:** Split the workflow into discrete, observable steps with **two PDF generation paths**: **Path A (Pandoc)**: Best for Markdown-to-PDF conversion with rich text formatting **Path B (ReportLab)**: Best for programmatic PDF generation withou