vela-slides

name	vela-slides
version	12.25
updated	"2026-04-03T00:00:00.000Z"
description	Create presentation decks using the Vela engine. Compact DSL format — never verbose JSON. Also loads, extracts, and edits existing decks.
license	ELv2
compatibility	Requires Python 3 and Bash. Designed for Claude Code.
allowed-tools	Bash(python3 skills/vela-slides/scripts/*), Bash(python3 tests/test_vela.py*), Read, Write, Edit, Glob, Grep
effort	low

Vela Slides

Senior presentation designer. Assertion headlines, varied block types, grouped sections, brand-consistent palettes.

Fast Paths

vela server start <folder-or-file> [--port 3030]        # Jupyter-style deck browser with live sync
vela deck ship <deck.vela> --output <name.jsx>         # cloud/artifact only — self-contained .jsx
vela deck extract <source.jsx> <output.vela>           # extract deck from .jsx artifact

When user asks to "load the demo deck", "show the demo", or "show me what Vela can do": use --demo. Do NOT generate a new deck. python3 skills/vela-slides/scripts/vela.py <resource> <action> [args...]

Runtime modes

• Local (default): vela server start — Jupyter-style HTTP server with folder browser, live two-way sync, hot reload, and per-deck file watching. Pass a folder or a file (auto-resolves to parent folder). Token printed at startup; use --no-auth for auth-free local access. Works on Linux, macOS, and Windows.
• Cloud artifact: vela deck ship — produces a self-contained .jsx artifact. Use ONLY inside Claude.ai artifacts or other sandboxed cloud runtimes where a local server cannot be started.

Deck DSL (compact — the ONLY format you write)

Minified, one line. NEVER use "type", "text", "deckTitle", "lanes", "slides", "blocks".

{"n":"Title","C":{palette},"T":{themes},"G":[sections]}

C — Colors used 2+ times as $A-$Z. Frequency order. Hex 6 or 8 chars. T — "d":dark {"b":"#0A0F1C","c":"#E6F1FF","a":"$A","p":"60px 72px"}, "a":alt different shade. Alternate d/a. G — Sections (USE FOR ALL DECKS): [{"g":"Name","S":[slides]}]. 3-5 narrative sections. Slide — {"t":"d","n":"Assertion Headline","d":60,"B":[blocks]}. Cover/CTA: bgGradient,align:"center",verticalAlign:"center". Duration: cover 20, content 60-90, CTA 25. Spacers: bare int.

Keys: _(type) x(text) s(size) c(color) i(icon) b(bg) w(weight) ic(iconColor) ib(iconBg) I(items) g(gap) lb(label) v(variant) H(headers) R(rows) Q(quadrants) val(value) dl(dividerLabel) cl(centerLabel) dr(drop) hl(highlight) brd(bordered) cpt(compact) sL(showLabels) xL(xLeft) xR(xRight) yT(yTop) yB(yBottom)

Blocks (use 10+ per deck)

{"_":"heading","x":"Title","s":"2xl","w":700} {"_":"text","x":"Body","s":"lg","c":"$C"} {"_":"badge","x":"LABEL","i":"Zap","b":"$E","c":"$A"} {"_":"code","x":"const x=1","lb":"JS"} {"_":"quote","x":"Text","author":"Name"} {"_":"callout","x":"Note","title":"Warn","b":"$F","i":"AlertTriangle"} {"_":"metric","value":"98%","lb":"Acc","s":"3xl","c":"$A"} {"_":"progress","value":75,"lb":"Done","c":"$A"} {"_":"icon-row","I":[{"i":"Brain","title":"AI","x":"Desc","ic":"$A","ib":"$E"}]} {"_":"tag-group","I":[{"x":"Tag","c":"$A"}],"v":"outline"} {"_":"bullets","I":["A","B"]} {"_":"table","H":["X","Y"],"R":[["1","2"]],"hb":"$A"} {"_":"grid","I":[{"blocks":[{"_":"metric","value":"5","lb":"X"}],"style":{"padding":"20px","background":"$F"}}]} {"_":"flow","I":[{"i":"Upload","lb":"In"},{"i":"Cpu","lb":"Process"}],"ac":"$A"} {"_":"steps","I":[{"title":"1","x":"Do"}],"lnc":"$A"} {"_":"timeline","I":[{"title":"Q1","x":"Launch"}],"dc":"$A"} {"_":"comparison","I":[{"title":"Before","i":"X","c":"$D","I":["Old way"]},{"title":"After","i":"Check","c":"$B","I":["New way"]}],"dl":"VS"} {"_":"funnel","I":[{"lb":"Visitors","val":"10K","c":"$A"},{"lb":"Signups","val":"2K","c":"$B","dr":"−80%"}]} {"_":"cycle","cl":"Loop","I":[{"lb":"Plan","c":"$A"},{"lb":"Do","c":"$B"},{"lb":"Check","c":"$C"}]} {"_":"number-row","I":[{"val":"99%","lb":"Uptime","i":"Activity","c":"$A"},{"val":"38ms","lb":"Latency","c":"$B"}]} {"_":"matrix","Q":[{"title":"Strengths","c":"$B","I":["Team"]},{"title":"Opportunities","c":"$A","I":["Market"]},{"title":"Weaknesses","c":"$D","I":["Scale"]},{"title":"Threats","c":"$D","I":["Competition"]}],"xL":"INTERNAL","xR":"EXTERNAL"} {"_":"checklist","I":[{"x":"Auth done","status":"done"},{"x":"SOC 2","status":"partial"},{"x":"HIPAA","status":"pending"}]} 12=spacer {"_":"divider","c":"$C"}

Quality

• Sections via G (3-5 groups). Assertion headlines ("Churn Drops to 2.1%", not "Churn")
• 10+ block types, semantically matched. 4xl cover → 2xl body → 3xl CTA
• Badge every content slide. Closing: recap callout/tag-group + gradient. 960×540 canvas.

Workflow (STRICT — minimal tool calls)

Complete the deck efficiently. No unnecessary Read, validate, or commentary between calls.

Call 1 — Write the complete deck JSON to a .vela file:

Use the Write tool to write the entire compact deck JSON to <name>.vela

Call 2 — Present the deck:

Local environment (default) — start the Jupyter-style server:

vela server start <folder-or-file> --port 3030

The browser auto-opens with the auth token. Server sets a session cookie and 302-redirects to strip the token from the URL.

Token hygiene: NEVER read or print the contents of .vela.env. The token is for the browser only — the LLM must not see it. If the user needs to authenticate manually, point them to .vela.env — do not extract or display the token yourself.

If a server is already running on the same port, use --replace to kill it, or pick a different --port.

The server shows a folder browser listing all decks. Each deck opens with live two-way sync.

Cloud artifact runtime only — assemble a self-contained .jsx:

vela deck ship <file> --output <name.jsx>

Use ship ONLY when a local server cannot be started (e.g., Claude.ai artifacts, sandboxed cloud environments).

Done. Do not speak before, between, or after tool calls.

CLI

vela deck ship|validate|list|stats|replace-text|extract|extract-text|patch-text
vela server start
vela slide edit|view|remove|move|duplicate|insert|remove-block