Power Automate Integration - PDF API Documentation

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

Power Automate Premium - The HTTP connector requires a premium license
Basic understanding of Power Automate - Know how to create flows and add actions
A source for PDF files - SharePoint, OneDrive, Outlook attachments, etc.

✅ No API Key Required

Our API is completely free and doesn't require authentication. Just make HTTP requests directly to our endpoints.

Basic HTTP Action Setup

All API calls use the HTTP action in Power Automate. Here's the general pattern:

📁

Get File Content

→

🌐

HTTP Action

→

💾

Save Result

HTTP Action Configuration

Setting	Value
Method	`POST`
URI	`https://thegoodpdf.com/api/{endpoint}`
Headers	`Content-Type: multipart/form-data` (automatic with body)
Body	Multipart form data (see examples below)

⚠️ Important: Binary File Handling

When working with PDF files in Power Automate, use the $content property from file actions, which contains the base64-encoded file content.

Example: Merge PDFs

Combine multiple PDF files into a single document. Perfect for consolidating reports, invoices, or documents.

POST /api/merge

Parameters: files - Multiple PDF files (minimum 2)

Returns: Merged PDF file

Step-by-Step Instructions

1

Add Trigger

Choose your trigger (e.g., "When a file is created" in SharePoint)

2

Get File Contents

Add "Get file content" actions for each PDF you want to merge

3

Add HTTP Action

Configure the HTTP action with the following body:

HTTP Body (JSON)

{
  "$content-type": "multipart/form-data",
  "$multipart": [
    {
      "headers": {
        "Content-Disposition": "form-data; name=\"files\"; filename=\"file1.pdf\""
      },
      "body": @{body('Get_file_content_1')?['$content']}
    },
    {
      "headers": {
        "Content-Disposition": "form-data; name=\"files\"; filename=\"file2.pdf\""
      },
      "body": @{body('Get_file_content_2')?['$content']}
    }
  ]
}

4

Save the Result

Add "Create file" action to save the merged PDF:

Create File Settings

Site Address: Your SharePoint site
Folder Path: /Shared Documents/Output
File Name: @{concat('merged_', utcNow('yyyyMMdd_HHmmss'), '.pdf')}
File Content: @{body('HTTP')}

Example: Add Watermark

Add text watermarks to PDFs for branding or confidentiality marking.

POST /api/watermark

Required: file - PDF file

Optional: text, opacity, fontSize, color, rotation

HTTP Body - Watermark with Custom Text

{
  "$content-type": "multipart/form-data",
  "$multipart": [
    {
      "headers": {
        "Content-Disposition": "form-data; name=\"file\"; filename=\"document.pdf\""
      },
      "body": @{body('Get_file_content')?['$content']}
    },
    {
      "headers": {
        "Content-Disposition": "form-data; name=\"text\""
      },
      "body": "CONFIDENTIAL"
    },
    {
      "headers": {
        "Content-Disposition": "form-data; name=\"opacity\""
      },
      "body": "0.3"
    },
    {
      "headers": {
        "Content-Disposition": "form-data; name=\"color\""
      },
      "body": "#ff0000"
    }
  ]
}

Watermark Parameters

Parameter	Default	Description
`text`	"CONFIDENTIAL"	Watermark text to display
`opacity`	0.3	Transparency (0 to 1)
`fontSize`	50	Font size in points
`color`	#888888	Hex color code
`rotation`	-45	Rotation angle in degrees

Example: Protect PDF with Password

Add password protection to sensitive documents automatically.

POST /api/protect

Required: file - PDF file, password - Password to set

HTTP Body - Password Protection

{
  "$content-type": "multipart/form-data",
  "$multipart": [
    {
      "headers": {
        "Content-Disposition": "form-data; name=\"file\"; filename=\"document.pdf\""
      },
      "body": @{body('Get_file_content')?['$content']}
    },
    {
      "headers": {
        "Content-Disposition": "form-data; name=\"password\""
      },
      "body": "YourSecurePassword123"
    }
  ]
}

💡 Tip: Dynamic Passwords

Use Power Automate variables or Azure Key Vault to manage passwords securely instead of hardcoding them.

Example: Split / Extract Pages

Extract specific pages from a PDF document.

POST /api/split

Required: file - PDF file

Optional: pages - Page range (e.g., "1-3,5,7-9")

HTTP Body - Extract Pages 1-3 and 5

{
  "$content-type": "multipart/form-data",
  "$multipart": [
    {
      "headers": {
        "Content-Disposition": "form-data; name=\"file\"; filename=\"document.pdf\""
      },
      "body": @{body('Get_file_content')?['$content']}
    },
    {
      "headers": {
        "Content-Disposition": "form-data; name=\"pages\""
      },
      "body": "1-3,5"
    }
  ]
}

Page Range Examples

Input	Result
`1-3`	Pages 1, 2, and 3
`1,3,5`	Pages 1, 3, and 5
`1-3,7-9`	Pages 1-3 and 7-9
`5`	Page 5 only

All API Endpoints Reference

Quick reference for all available endpoints you can use in Power Automate:

Endpoint	Description	Key Parameters
`/api/merge`	Combine multiple PDFs	`files` (multiple)
`/api/split`	Extract pages	`file`, `pages`
`/api/protect`	Add password	`file`, `password`
`/api/unlock`	Remove password	`file`, `password`
`/api/watermark`	Add text watermark	`file`, `text`, `opacity`
`/api/rotate`	Rotate pages	`file`, `angle`, `pages`
`/api/compress`	Reduce file size	`file`
`/api/page-numbers`	Add page numbers	`file`, `position`, `format`
`/api/delete-pages`	Remove pages	`file`, `pages`
`/api/info`	Get PDF metadata	`file`
`/api/status`	Check API status	None (GET request)

View Full API Documentation →

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

❌ Error: "BadRequest" or "Invalid file"

Cause: The file content isn't being sent correctly.

Solution: Make sure you're using body('Get_file_content')?['$content'] to get the base64 file content, not the raw output.

❌ Error: "Unsupported Media Type"

Cause: Content-Type header is incorrect.

Solution: Use the $content-type and $multipart structure in the body. Power Automate will set the correct headers automatically.

❌ Output file is corrupted

Cause: The response body isn't being saved correctly.

Solution: Use body('HTTP') directly as the file content. Don't try to parse it as JSON.

❌ "Premium connector required"

Cause: The HTTP action requires Power Automate Premium.

Solution: You need a Power Automate Premium license, or use Power Automate per-flow/per-user plans.

Testing Your Flow

Start with a simple test using the /api/status endpoint (GET request, no file needed)
Check that responses return status 200
Use "Peek code" in Power Automate to verify your JSON structure
Enable "Secure Outputs" to hide sensitive data in run history

🎉 Need More Help?

Check our full API documentation for detailed endpoint information and code examples in multiple languages.