Outlining a deck from a brief
The goal is an outline the user can walk through and say "yes, that arc". Not a generic skeleton; a deck shaped by what kind of deck this is.
The mandatory prelude
Every outlining call starts with:
recall_deck_style — load the user's deck-style rulebook. If empty, use defaults (3-5 bullets per slide, <=10 words each, parallel verb-led phrasing) and tell the user "I haven't learned your deck style yet — this is generic; keep what works and I'll learn."plan_deck_outline(brief, target_slide_count=10) — get the intent (pitch / training / report / status / general), the intro/body/closing slide budget, and intent-specific hints.
If the user gave no slide count, default to 10. If the brief mentions a constraint ("3-minute pitch" → ~5 slides, "30-minute training" → ~15), respect it.
The pattern: detect intent → set ratios → draft headings → expand
- Detect intent.
plan_deck_outline does this from keywords. If the result feels wrong (the brief mentions "pitch" but the user clearly means a status update), override the intent in your draft, but say so explicitly: "I read this as a status update, not a pitch — tell me if you want pitch shaping instead."
- Honour the ratios. The scaffold returns
{"intro": N, "body": N, "closing": N}. Build that many slides in each section; don't pad and don't trim without saying why.
- Draft headings. One title per slide. Statement titles ("Q3 revenue beat plan by 8%") beat label titles ("Q3 revenue"). Keep titles to <=10 words.
- Expand each slide. 3-5 bullets, <=10 words each, parallel phrasing. 2-4 lines of speaker notes that carry the narration — not a repeat of the bullets.
Anti-patterns
- Too many sections. If you're proposing >5 top-level sections in a 10-slide deck, you're slicing the arc too thin. Merge.
- Hidden CTA. The ask should be on its own slide, near the end, with a verb-led title. If it's buried in a "Next steps" bullet on the wrap-up, it'll get missed.
- Missing agenda for long decks. Anything over 8 slides needs a one-line agenda right after the title. Skip for short decks.
- "Thanks / Questions?" as the closing slide. That's not a closing — it's a placeholder. Put the CTA there, or leave the deck closing on the strongest takeaway.
- Three threads, one deck. A deck does one thing. If the brief mentions three goals, ask which is primary; the other two go in an appendix or a separate deck.
- Speaker notes that echo the bullets. Notes are for what the speaker says; bullets are what stays visible after they look away. Echo = wasted real estate.
Output shape
Return the outline as a structured block:
Slide 1 — Title: <title>
Bullets:
- <bullet>
- <bullet>
Notes: <2-4 lines>
Slide 2 — Title: …
…
The taskpane parses this to surface per-slide "Insert as new slide" buttons. Keep titles, bullets, and notes on their own lines.
When the brief is thin
If the brief is one sentence ("a deck about onboarding"), ask exactly one clarifying question — audience or duration — and proceed with reasonable defaults if the user doesn't answer. Don't outline blind on a vague brief.
1---2name: deck-outlining3description: Pattern for turning a brief into a coherent deck outline — intent detection, section ratios, draft headings, expansion4---56# Outlining a deck from a brief78The goal is an outline the user can walk through and say "yes, that arc". Not a generic skeleton; a deck shaped by what kind of deck this *is*.910## The mandatory prelude1112Every outlining call starts with:13141. `recall_deck_style` — load the user's deck-style rulebook. If empty, use defaults (3-5 bullets per slide, <=10 words each, parallel verb-led phrasing) and tell the user "I haven't learned your deck style yet — this is generic; keep what works and I'll learn."152. `plan_deck_outline(brief, target_slide_count=10)` — get the intent (pitch / training / report / status / general), the intro/body/closing slide budget, and intent-specific hints.1617If the user gave no slide count, default to 10. If the brief mentions a constraint ("3-minute pitch" → ~5 slides, "30-minute training" → ~15), respect it.1819## The pattern: detect intent → set ratios → draft headings → expand20211. **Detect intent.** `plan_deck_outline` does this from keywords. If the result feels wrong (the brief mentions "pitch" but the user clearly means a status update), override the intent in your draft, but say so explicitly: "I read this as a status update, not a pitch — tell me if you want pitch shaping instead."222. **Honour the ratios.** The scaffold returns `{"intro": N, "body": N, "closing": N}`. Build that many slides in each section; don't pad and don't trim without saying why.233. **Draft headings.** One title per slide. Statement titles ("Q3 revenue beat plan by 8%") beat label titles ("Q3 revenue"). Keep titles to <=10 words.244. **Expand each slide.** 3-5 bullets, <=10 words each, parallel phrasing. 2-4 lines of speaker notes that carry the narration — not a repeat of the bullets.2526## Anti-patterns2728- **Too many sections.** If you're proposing >5 top-level sections in a 10-slide deck, you're slicing the arc too thin. Merge.29- **Hidden CTA.** The ask should be on its own slide, near the end, with a verb-led title. If it's buried in a "Next steps" bullet on the wrap-up, it'll get missed.30- **Missing agenda for long decks.** Anything over 8 slides needs a one-line agenda right after the title. Skip for short decks.31- **"Thanks / Questions?" as the closing slide.** That's not a closing — it's a placeholder. Put the CTA there, or leave the deck closing on the strongest takeaway.32- **Three threads, one deck.** A deck does one thing. If the brief mentions three goals, ask which is primary; the other two go in an appendix or a separate deck.33- **Speaker notes that echo the bullets.** Notes are for what the speaker *says*; bullets are what stays visible after they look away. Echo = wasted real estate.3435## Output shape3637Return the outline as a structured block:3839```40Slide 1 — Title: <title>41 Bullets:42 - <bullet>43 - <bullet>44 Notes: <2-4 lines>4546Slide 2 — Title: …47 …48```4950The taskpane parses this to surface per-slide "Insert as new slide" buttons. Keep titles, bullets, and notes on their own lines.5152## When the brief is thin5354If the brief is one sentence ("a deck about onboarding"), ask exactly one clarifying question — audience or duration — and proceed with reasonable defaults if the user doesn't answer. Don't outline blind on a vague brief.
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