Office PPTX

Office PPTX

Use the bundled scripts in this skill package to produce editable .pptx decks. The builder writes editable text boxes, image placements, metric cards, tables, timelines, drawn proof charts, and native PowerPoint chart objects. The skill activation metadata includes Skill directory; treat that as SKILL_DIR and run scripts from SKILL_DIR/scripts/.

Story First

Before building slides, identify:

• Audience and decision context.
• Claim spine: what each slide proves.
• Required proof objects: table, metric, comparison, workflow, timeline, or narrative slide.
• Visual rhythm: title, section, bullets, two-column, and appendix slides.

Every slide should have one job.

Workflow

1. Draft the slide list and title-level claims.
2. For explicit control, convert each slide into a structured slide object and run:

python3 "$SKILL_DIR/scripts/check_env.py"
python3 "$SKILL_DIR/scripts/build_pptx.py" --spec spec.json --out output.pptx
python3 "$SKILL_DIR/scripts/inspect_pptx.py" --verify output.pptx
python3 "$SKILL_DIR/scripts/layout_audit.py" output.pptx

3. For a Markdown outline, use # Deck title, ## Slide title, ## Section: Name, and bullet lists, then run:

python3 "$SKILL_DIR/scripts/outline_to_pptx.py" --outline outline.md --out output.pptx
python3 "$SKILL_DIR/scripts/inspect_pptx.py" --verify output.pptx

4. If visual QA matters and LibreOffice is available, run:

python3 "$SKILL_DIR/scripts/render_preview.py" output.pptx

5. To append slides to an existing deck without rebuilding it:

python3 "$SKILL_DIR/scripts/append_pptx.py" --input existing.pptx --spec append.json --out output.pptx
python3 "$SKILL_DIR/scripts/inspect_pptx.py" --verify output.pptx
python3 "$SKILL_DIR/scripts/layout_audit.py" output.pptx --reference existing.pptx

6. For targeted edits to an existing deck, patch text in place to preserve the source package, theme, layouts, media, and animations:

python3 "$SKILL_DIR/scripts/patch_pptx.py" --input existing.pptx --patch patch.json --out output.pptx
python3 "$SKILL_DIR/scripts/layout_audit.py" output.pptx --reference existing.pptx

Patch shape:

{"replace_text": [{"old": "Old title", "new": "New title"}]}

7. For template-following or source-deck workflows, duplicate, drop, or reorder source slides without rebuilding their XML:

python3 "$SKILL_DIR/scripts/duplicate_slide.py" --input template.pptx --slide 2 --out duplicated.pptx
python3 "$SKILL_DIR/scripts/deck_reorder.py" --input duplicated.pptx --order '[2,1,3]' --out reordered.pptx
python3 "$SKILL_DIR/scripts/layout_audit.py" reordered.pptx --reference template.pptx

8. After rendering previews, create a contact sheet when reviewing slide rhythm:

python3 "$SKILL_DIR/scripts/make_contact_sheet.py" --images preview/page-*.png --out contact-sheet.html

9. Deliver the .pptx path or attach it with send_attachment.

Spec Shape

{
  "title": "Deck title",
  "slides": [
    {"type": "title", "title": "Board Update", "subtitle": "Q2"},
    {"type": "section", "title": "What changed"},
    {"type": "bullets", "title": "Retention improved", "bullets": ["Activation rose", "Churn fell"]},
    {"type": "metrics", "title": "Operating pulse", "metrics": [{"label": "ARR", "value": "$12M", "delta": "+18%"}]},
    {"type": "table", "title": "Options", "headers": ["Option", "Pros", "Risks"], "rows": [["A", "Fast", "Low moat"]]},
    {"type": "timeline", "title": "Launch path", "items": [{"date": "Q1", "label": "Pilot"}, {"date": "Q2", "label": "GA"}]},
    {"type": "chart", "title": "Segment mix", "data": [{"label": "SMB", "value": 42}, {"label": "Enterprise", "value": 58}]},
    {"type": "native_chart", "title": "Native segment mix", "chart_type": "pie", "data": [{"label": "SMB", "value": 42}, {"label": "Enterprise", "value": 58}]},
    {"type": "image", "title": "Product screenshot", "image": "screenshot.png", "caption": "Use verified assets only"},
    {"type": "two_column", "title": "Options", "left": ["Option A"], "right": ["Option B"]}
  ]
}

Quality Bar

• Use concise slide titles with a claim, not just a topic label.
• Keep bullets short; move dense material into an appendix or document.
• Avoid invented logos, marks, screenshots, or metrics. Use verified assets or omit them.
• Use native_chart when the deck needs a real editable PowerPoint chart object; use chart only for quick drawn proof-object slides.
• Preserve source-deck style when the user asks for edits to an existing deck; use patch_pptx.py for text-only edits and minimal local changes rather than rebuilding from scratch.
• When duplicating, dropping, or reordering slides, preserve non-slide presentation relationships such as slide masters, layouts, themes, and view properties; do not rebuild presentation.xml.rels from slides only.
• Run the layout audit (layout_audit.py) before delivery; fix blank slides, missing titles, dense text, and out-of-bounds shapes. Preserve source-deck style for template and targeted-edit work.
• If preview rendering fails because LibreOffice or a PDF-to-PNG renderer is missing, state exactly which verification passed; do not imply visual QA passed.