Problem-first free tool playbooks
A tool catalog answers “what can this site do?” Scenarios answer “I have this exact problem — what should I do next?” Every page below maps a concrete trigger to an existing verified workflow, tells you when to stop, and keeps one-off work free.
Each scenario starts from the language of a real job or failure mode instead of forcing you to know the name of a tool first.
Scenario data resolves against the canonical workflow registry, which already resolves every step against the live free-tool catalog.
A useful free tool should also tell you when the problem has crossed into compliance, security, audit or managed-workflow territory.
CSV import rescue
Find delimiter, header and obvious column-quality problems before a spreadsheet, accounting import or automation gets the file.
Use this when
You have a CSV that opens strangely, shifts columns, has unclear headers or is about to enter a system you do not want to debug after import.
Routes to: CSV data preflight · 4 steps
Open scenarioDocument submission prep
Remove irrelevant pages, restore the intended order and correct page rotation without uploading the packet to a third-party editing service.
Use this when
Your PDF contains blank or duplicate pages, has the wrong sequence, or includes sideways pages that make the packet look unfinished.
Routes to: PDF packet cleanup · 3 steps
Open scenarioConfiguration preflight
Catch parser errors and suspicious top-level shape before configuration text is handed to a deployment, integration or support workflow.
Use this when
A YAML file came from a template, customer, generated process or older environment and you want a cheap independent check before it is consumed elsewhere.
Routes to: YAML configuration sanity check · 3 steps
Open scenarioE-invoice triage
Separate malformed XML and obvious UBL structure surprises from deeper EN16931, Peppol or platform-specific validation work.
Use this when
A UBL invoice is failing somewhere downstream and you first need to know whether the problem is basic XML, document shape or common invoice fields.
Routes to: UBL invoice XML preflight · 3 steps
Open scenarioMigration prep
Validate and map an unfamiliar XML sample before converting it, so a transformation does not hide a source problem you never understood.
Use this when
You need a JSON view or downstream mapping, but the source XML is unfamiliar and you do not want conversion to be the first time you inspect its structure.
Routes to: XML migration prep · 3 steps
Open scenarioAPI payload preflight
Catch cheap country-code, currency-code and timestamp mistakes before spending a debugging cycle on a remote API request.
Use this when
A sample payload is almost ready, but its geography, currency or timestamp fields came from a spreadsheet, mapping table or customer-provided source.
Routes to: API reference-field preflight · 3 steps
Open scenarioCommerce asset prep
Fix composition first and output width second, avoiding repeated resizing and unnecessary upload-service hops.
Use this when
A product photo needs cleaner framing and a practical web size before it enters a storefront, catalogue or marketplace listing.
Routes to: Product image publish prep · 2 steps
Open scenarioEvidence preparation
Remove unrelated framing and reduce file size locally while keeping the original evidence image off an upload service.
Use this when
A site or field photo contains the evidence you need but also unnecessary surrounding content and an impractically large file size.
Routes to: Field evidence photo prep · 2 steps
Open scenarioPhoto file prep
Create a correctly framed and dimensioned candidate file locally before checking the official biometric and submission rules that actually govern acceptance.
Use this when
You have a portrait image that needs a deliberate crop and exact pixel dimensions before it is checked against the relevant authority rules.
Routes to: Passport photo file prep · 2 steps
Open scenarioWeb asset security prep
Strip common script/event risk signals, review metadata removal and optimize markup in a deliberate order before web handoff.
Use this when
An SVG came from a design export, customer, generator or external source and you want a bounded preflight before committing it to a web codebase.
Routes to: SVG web handoff · 3 steps
Open scenarioPortable text check
Create a bounded gzip/Base64 representation and decode it again locally so transport-format mistakes are visible before integration handoff.
Use this when
You need to hand over or debug a small text sample represented as gzip + Base64 and want to prove that your example roundtrips before blaming the other system.
Routes to: Gzip portable-text roundtrip check · 2 steps
Open scenarioWeb image prep
Set the composition first and downscale once afterward, keeping the source image local while avoiding repeated destructive edits.
Use this when
An image is framed badly or far larger than the website, post or content surface needs.
Routes to: Image publish prep · 2 steps
Open scenarioSkip the scenario framing and go straight to the workflow recipe, builder or full 700+ atomic tool catalog.