# Trying to export a penpot file using penpot-export and modify it in place

**URL:** <https://community.penpot.app/t/trying-to-export-a-penpot-file-using-penpot-export-and-modify-it-in-place/5634>\
**Category:** Ask the community\
**Created:** [June 7, 2024, 6:17pm UTC](https://community.penpot.app/t/trying-to-export-a-penpot-file-using-penpot-export-and-modify-it-in-place/5634 "2024-06-07T18:17:21Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![ymolists](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex017/user_avatar/community.penpot.app/ymolists/32/427_2.png) [@ymolists](https://community.penpot.app/u/ymolists)\
**Post date:** [June 7, 2024, 6:17pm UTC](https://community.penpot.app/t/trying-to-export-a-penpot-file-using-penpot-export-and-modify-it-in-place/5634/1 "2024-06-07T18:17:22Z")

</div>

Hi All.

I am trying to automate exporting and modifying a penpot file and modify it. I am also trying to basically generate png files using a single penpot file as a template.

1. i have seen the docs for getting the actual file but nothing about the file format so far. Where are the docs on the file format once i donload it . is it just json ? is that json documented anywhere ?

2. this is the error i am getting when i do penpot-export now. i tried with node 20 (as shown below) and node 22. both resulting in the same error.

```auto
-→ penpot-export 

/home/ymo/3rdp/github/penpot/penpot-samples/test00/node_modules/node-fetch/lib/index.js:273
                                return Body.Promise.reject(new FetchError(`invalid json response body at ${_this2.url} reason: ${err.message}`, 'invalid-json'));
                                                           ^
FetchError: invalid json response body at https://design.penpot.app/api/rpc/command/get-file reason: Expected property name or '}' in JSON at position 878
    at /home/ymo/3rdp/github/penpot/penpot-samples/test00/node_modules/node-fetch/lib/index.js:273:32
    at process.processTicksAndRejections (node:internal/process/task_queues:95:5) {
  type: 'invalid-json'
}

Node.js v20.12.2

```