Slide Deck Skill
This produces a real, editable .pptx — not a markdown outline — by writing and running a
python-pptx script. It turns a brief, doc, or outline into a deck that follows good slide hygiene:
a headline that states the point (not a vague title), one idea per slide, concise bullets, and
consistent styling — so the user opens an actual PowerPoint they can present and edit.
Environment: produces a binary file, so it needs code execution — Claude Code, the
API code-execution tool, or Claude.ai. In the browser playground (no code execution), the
existing PPTX export turns any skill's markdown into slides; this skill is for a built-from-brief deck.
Required Inputs
Ask for these only if they aren't already provided:
- Deck type & goal — pitch, board update, sales deck, training, readout — and the one thing the audience should do/believe.
- The content — an outline, doc, or notes (the skill structures it into slides).
- Audience & length — who's watching and roughly how many slides.
- Brand — any colours/font (defaults to a clean, neutral theme otherwise).
Process
- Storyline first — turn the content into a slide-by-slide narrative: title → context → the few key points → the ask/close. One idea per slide; confirm the flow if it's a high-stakes deck.
- Write a
python-pptx script that:
- Builds a title slide, then content slides each with an assertion headline (the takeaway, e.g. "Activation is the bottleneck — not signups") and 3–5 tight bullets or a simple visual.
- Applies consistent styling: a colour accent, readable font sizes, generous spacing; uses the brand colour if given.
- Avoids text walls — bullets are phrases, not paragraphs; speaker detail goes in notes.
- Saves to a clearly named
.pptx.
- Run it, then summarise the deck and flag any slide that needs a chart/image the user must add.
Output Format
- The generated
.pptx file.
- A short deck outline (slide titles + the one-line message of each) and notes on anything to add (data, visuals).
Quality Checks
Anti-Patterns
Based On
Presentation practice — assertion-evidence / one-idea-per-slide, Duarte/Minto narrative structure — implemented with python-pptx.
Programmatic Helper
This skill ships scripts/pptx_tool.py — zero-dependency (stdlib zip+XML) generation of a real .pptx from a markdown outline:
python3 scripts/pptx_tool.py build deck.pptx --outline-file deck.md
Outline: # Title (+ next line = subtitle) · ## Slide title · - bullet (two-space indent = sub-bullet) · > speaker note. Ships a clean 16:9 dark-title theme that opens in PowerPoint/Keynote/Slides. Design the narrative first (per this skill), then emit the outline and build. Honest limits: one theme, no images/charts — it's the restylable skeleton; for designed decks use the playground's slide export.
1---2name: slide-deck3description: Build a real, editable PowerPoint (.pptx) deck from an outline or brief. Use when asked to make a slide deck, a PowerPoint, a pitch/board/sales deck as an actual file, or to turn a doc/notes into slides. Produces an actual .pptx via a generated python-pptx script — a title slide, one idea per content slide with a clear headline and concise bullets, and consistent styling. Requires a code-execution environment (Claude Code, the API code tool, or Claude.ai).4---5
6# Slide Deck Skill
7
8This produces a *real, editable* `.pptx` — not a markdown outline — by **writing and running a
9`python-pptx` script**. It turns a brief, doc, or outline into a deck that follows good slide hygiene:
10a headline that states the point (not a vague title), one idea per slide, concise bullets, and
11consistent styling — so the user opens an actual PowerPoint they can present and edit.
12
13> **Environment:** produces a binary file, so it needs code execution — **Claude Code**, the
14> **API code-execution tool**, or **Claude.ai**. In the browser playground (no code execution), the
15> existing PPTX export turns any skill's markdown into slides; this skill is for a built-from-brief deck.
16
17## Required Inputs
18
19Ask for these only if they aren't already provided:
20
21- **Deck type & goal** — pitch, board update, sales deck, training, readout — and the one thing the audience should do/believe.
22- **The content** — an outline, doc, or notes (the skill structures it into slides).
23- **Audience & length** — who's watching and roughly how many slides.
24- **Brand** — any colours/font (defaults to a clean, neutral theme otherwise).
25
26## Process
27
281. **Storyline first** — turn the content into a slide-by-slide narrative: title → context → the few key points → the ask/close. One idea per slide; confirm the flow if it's a high-stakes deck.
292. **Write a `python-pptx` script** that:
30 - Builds a **title slide**, then content slides each with an **assertion headline** (the takeaway, e.g. "Activation is the bottleneck — not signups") and 3–5 tight bullets or a simple visual.
31 - Applies **consistent styling**: a colour accent, readable font sizes, generous spacing; uses the brand colour if given.
32 - Avoids text walls — bullets are phrases, not paragraphs; speaker detail goes in notes.
33 - Saves to a clearly named `.pptx`.
343. **Run it**, then summarise the deck and flag any slide that needs a chart/image the user must add.
35
36## Output Format
37
38- The **generated `.pptx` file**.
39- A short **deck outline** (slide titles + the one-line message of each) and notes on anything to add (data, visuals).
40
41## Quality Checks
42
43- [ ] Each slide has an **assertion headline** (states the point), not a topic label
44- [ ] One idea per slide; bullets are concise phrases, not paragraphs
45- [ ] Styling is consistent (accent, fonts, spacing) and uses brand colour if provided
46- [ ] The deck has a clear narrative arc and ends on the ask
47- [ ] The script runs and the file opens cleanly in PowerPoint/Keynote/Slides
48
49## Anti-Patterns
50
51- [ ] Do not write topic-label titles ("Metrics") — use the takeaway ("Retention drove 80% of growth")
52- [ ] Do not cram multiple ideas onto one slide — split them; one point per slide
53- [ ] Do not paste paragraphs as bullets — phrases on the slide, detail in speaker notes
54- [ ] Do not vary styling slide to slide — consistency is what makes a deck look professional
55- [ ] Do not claim a file exists without code execution — fall back to the outline / the playground's PPTX export
56
57## Based On
58
59Presentation practice — assertion-evidence / one-idea-per-slide, Duarte/Minto narrative structure — implemented with python-pptx.
60
61## Programmatic Helper
62
63This skill ships `scripts/pptx_tool.py` — **zero-dependency** (stdlib zip+XML) generation of a real `.pptx` from a markdown outline:
64
65```bash
66python3 scripts/pptx_tool.py build deck.pptx --outline-file deck.md
67```
68
69Outline: `# Title` (+ next line = subtitle) · `## Slide title` · `- bullet` (two-space indent = sub-bullet) · `> speaker note`. Ships a clean 16:9 dark-title theme that opens in PowerPoint/Keynote/Slides. Design the narrative first (per this skill), then emit the outline and build. Honest limits: one theme, no images/charts — it's the restylable skeleton; for designed decks use the playground's slide export.
Mohit Aggarwal