# Marp Presentations

> Create professional Marp presentation slides using Markdown. Use when the user requests slide creation, presentations, pitch decks, lecture materials, or Marp documents. Triggers include "create slides", "make a presentation", "Marp document", or requests to "make it look good" for slides. Do NOT use for web- based interactive presentations — use web-artifacts instead.

- Skill: `knuckles-team/marp-presentations` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add knuckles-team/marp-presentations`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/knuckles-team/marp-presentations/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Docs & Writing
- License: MIT
- Author: Knuckles-Team (https://skillmd.com/u/knuckles-team)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/knuckles-team/marp-presentations

---

# Marp Presentation Creator

Create professional, visually appealing presentations using [Marp](https://marp.app/) — a Markdown-to-slides framework. Every Marp file is a plain `.md` file rendered into beautiful slides.

---

## Theme Selection

Choose the appropriate theme based on content type:

| Content Type | Recommended Theme |
|-------------|-------------------|
| Technical/Developer | `tech` or `dark` |
| Business/Corporate | `business` |
| Academic/Minimal | `minimal` |
| Creative/Events | `colorful` or `gradient` |
| General/Unknown | `default` |

---

## Workflow

1. **Understand requirements** — content, audience, formality level
2. **Select theme** — see table above, or ask if unsure
3. **Structure content** — title slide, body slides, conclusion
4. **Apply best practices** — concise titles, 3-5 bullets, adequate whitespace
5. **Add images** — using Marp image syntax
6. **Deliver** — save as `.md` file

---

## Slide Structure

```markdown
---
marp: true
theme: default
paginate: true
---

<!-- _class: lead -->
# Main Title
## Subtitle or Speaker Name

---

## Slide Heading

- Key point one
- Key point two
- Key point three

---

## Slide with Side Image

![bg right:40%](diagram.png)

- Explanation point 1
- Explanation point 2
- Explanation point 3
```

---

## Core Marp Syntax

### Slide Separators

```markdown
---        # New slide
<!-- -->   # Blank slide comment
```

### Directives (Frontmatter)

```markdown
---
marp: true          # Required: enables Marp
theme: default      # Theme: default, gaia, uncover, or custom
paginate: true      # Show page numbers
header: "Title"     # Header text (all slides)
footer: "Company"   # Footer text (all slides)
---
```

### Slide-Scoped Directives

```markdown
<!-- _class: lead -->    # Apply class to this slide only
<!-- _paginate: false --> # Disable pagination on this slide
<!-- _header: "" -->     # Override header for this slide
```

### Image Syntax

```markdown
<!-- Full-page background -->
![bg](image.png)

<!-- Background, right half -->
![bg right:40%](image.png)

<!-- Background, left half -->
![bg left:30%](image.png)

<!-- Sized inline image -->
![w:600px](image.png)
![h:300px](image.png)

<!-- Multiple backgrounds (side-by-side) -->
![bg](img1.png)
![bg](img2.png)
```

### Typography and Emphasis

```markdown
**Bold**, *italic*, `code`

> Blockquotes for key messages

---
<br>      <!-- Extra spacing -->
```

---

## Content Best Practices

- **Slide titles**: Keep to 5-8 words max; avoid full sentences
- **Bullet points**: 3-5 items per slide maximum
- **Text density**: One concept per slide; break up walls of text
- **Visual hierarchy**: Use h2 for slide titles, h3 for sub-sections
- **Whitespace**: Generous spacing keeps slides readable
- **Consistency**: Same structure for all content slides

### Slide Types

1. **Title slide** — `<!-- _class: lead -->` + h1 + h2 subtitle
2. **Agenda/outline** — numbered list of sections
3. **Content slide** — h2 title + bullet points
4. **Image slide** — `![bg right:40%]` layout
5. **Quote slide** — blockquote on clean background
6. **Summary/CTA slide** — key takeaway + next steps

---

## Standard Slide Template

```markdown
---
marp: true
theme: default
paginate: true
---

<!-- _class: lead -->
# [Presentation Title]
## [Subtitle or Author · Date]

---

## Agenda

1. Topic One
2. Topic Two
3. Topic Three
4. Q&A

---

## [Section Title]

- Point one — concise, actionable
- Point two — specific, not vague
- Point three — parallel structure with above

---

<!-- _class: lead -->
# Thank You

Questions?

[contact@example.com](mailto:contact@example.com)
```

---

## Running and Exporting

### Preview

```bash
# Install Marp CLI
npm install -g @marp-team/marp-cli

# Preview in browser (live reload)
marp --preview presentation.md

# Or: Use Marp for VS Code extension
```

### Export

```bash
# Export to HTML
marp presentation.md

# Export to PDF
marp --pdf presentation.md

# Export to PowerPoint
marp --pptx presentation.md

# Export slides as PNG images
marp --images png presentation.md
```

---

## Quality Checklist

Before delivering slides, verify:

- [ ] Appropriate theme selected for audience/content
- [ ] Title slide uses `<!-- _class: lead -->`
- [ ] All slide titles are concise (5-8 words max)
- [ ] Bullet points are 3-5 items per slide
- [ ] Images use correct Marp syntax
- [ ] Pagination enabled in frontmatter
- [ ] Logical flow: intro → body → conclusion

---

## References

- [Marp Official Site](https://marp.app/)
- [Marp CLI](https://github.com/marp-team/marp-cli)
- [Marpit Directives](https://marpit.marp.app/directives)
- [Marpit Image Syntax](https://marpit.marp.app/image-syntax)
- [Marp for VS Code](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=marp-team.marp-vscode)