slidify

name	slidify
description	End-to-end PowerPoint generator. Use whenever the user wants to create, edit, or export a .pptx (or convert to PDF), add watermarks/logos/footers, apply brand templates, build a deck from any content, generate charts/diagrams, fetch stock images, or add animations/transitions. Always use this skill rather than writing pptxgenjs/python-pptx from memory. Triggers on: 'make a presentation', 'create slides', 'generate pptx', 'export to pdf', 'add watermark', 'apply template', 'add chart', '/slidify', or any .pptx request.
domain	process
composable	true
yields_to	["craft"]

Slidify

You generate production-quality PowerPoint presentations using a two-layer architecture:

1. Slide Spec (JSON) — you write and edit this; humans can read and tweak it
2. Code Layer (JS) — generated from the spec; you run it

This separation makes the pipeline AI-friendly: editing means editing JSON, not wrestling with pptxgenjs internals.

---

Core Philosophy: Images Over Text

1 image > 2 slides of text. Visuals are processed 60,000x faster than text. Every slide with more than 4 bullet points is a candidate for an image replacement.

Before writing any slide, ask: "Can this be a chart, diagram, or image instead of text?"

If the content is...	Replace with...
5+ bullet points with data	Bar chart or comparison visual
A process with 3+ steps	Flowchart diagram
A timeline of events	Timeline visual
Statistics/numbers	Stat callout cards with big numbers
Before/after comparison	Side-by-side visual
Overlapping concepts	Venn diagram
Feature list	Icon grid
Trend over time	Line chart
Part-of-whole data	Pie/donut chart
Hero/intro slide	Searched stock image

Use scripts/gen_images.py to generate charts from data. Use scripts/fetch_images.py to find stock images from the web. See references/images.md for the full catalog.

---

When to Use

• User asks to create, edit, or export a presentation
• User mentions slides, deck, pptx, PowerPoint, or PDF export
• User wants watermarks, logos, brand colors, or footers on slides
• User provides content (paper, report, outline) and wants it as slides
• User wants charts, diagrams, or data visualizations in slides
• User wants stock images or illustrations fetched from the web
• User says "/slidify"

---

Workflow

Step 1 — Resolve Template

Does the user have a template requirement (university logo, company brand, conference theme)?

Yes → Read references/templates.md, pick or create a template config in assets/templates/. No → Use default template (clean white, no watermark).

Templates live as JSON in assets/templates/. The generator reads them at runtime.

Step 2 — Write Slide Spec

Read references/slide-spec.md for the full schema.

Write slides.json:

{
  "meta": {
    "title": "My Presentation",
    "author": "Your Name",
    "template": "default",
    "output": "output.pptx"
  },
  "slides": [
    { "type": "title", "title": "...", "subtitle": "..." },
    { "type": "content", "title": "...", "layout": "bullets", "items": ["..."], "notes": "Speaker notes here" }
  ]
}

The spec is the single source of truth. All edits go here, never in generated code.

Step 2b — Generate Speaker Notes (MANDATORY)

Every slide MUST have a notes field. Speaker notes appear in the PPTX notes panel below each slide and are essential for presenting — they serve as the presenter's script.

When writing slides.json, add "notes" to every slide object. Generate notes automatically based on the slide content:

What good speaker notes contain:

Element	Example
Opening line	"Today I'll walk you through our approach to..."
Key talking points	Expand on each bullet/visual — what to say, not just what's on screen
Emphasis cues	"Make sure to pause on this stat — it's the core finding"
Transitions	"This leads us directly into the results section..."
Context for visuals	"The chart shows a 4x improvement — let me explain why..."
Q&A prep	"If asked about limitations, mention the dataset size constraint"

Notes format — keep them scannable for a presenter:

{
  "type": "content",
  "title": "Key Results",
  "layout": "stats",
  "stats": [
    { "value": "4x", "label": "Token efficiency" },
    { "value": "~2x", "label": "Perplexity gain" }
  ],
  "notes": "OPEN: Let's look at the numbers that matter.\n- 4x token efficiency: this is vs Phi-4 on Hindi — the core contribution.\n- ~2x perplexity: TokenAdapt halves the gap to English-quality models.\nEMPHASIS: Pause on the 4x stat — it's the headline.\nTRANSITION: Now let me show you how we got here..."
}

Slide-type-specific notes:

Slide Type	Notes Should Include
title	Welcome line, self-intro prompt, topic framing
content (bullets)	Expand each bullet into 1-2 spoken sentences
content (stats)	Explain what each number means and why it matters
content (chart)	Describe the chart trend, highlight key comparisons
content (cards)	Walk through each card with a real-world example
content (timeline)	Narrate the story arc across the timeline
section	Preview what's coming in this section
image-full	Describe what the audience should notice in the image
closing	Wrap-up statement, invite questions, share contact info

Step 3 — Generate PPTX

node scripts/gen_pptx.js slides.json
# → output.pptx

The generator reads slides.json + the template config and produces a .pptx.

Step 3b — Generate Images (Optional but Recommended)

If the slide spec has an "images" block, generate charts and fetch stock images:

# Generate charts/diagrams from data
python scripts/gen_images.py images-config.json assets/generated/

# Fetch stock images from the web
python scripts/fetch_images.py fetch-config.json assets/fetched/

Then reference the generated images in the slide spec:

{
  "type": "content",
  "title": "Results",
  "layout": "image-right",
  "image": { "path": "assets/generated/perf_chart.png" },
  "notes": "The chart shows our 4x improvement..."
}

When to generate images:

Slide Content	Generate	Type
Data comparisons	Yes	bar or grouped_bar
Statistics	Yes	stat_callout
Process/workflow	Yes	flowchart
Timeline	Yes	timeline
Trends	Yes	line
Hero/intro	Fetch	Stock image via fetch_images.py

See references/images.md for all chart types and options.

Step 3c — Add Animations (Optional)

If the user wants animations or transitions, add an "animations" block to slides.json (see references/slide-spec.md for full schema). Then post-process:

node scripts/add_animations.js output.pptx animations.json output-animated.pptx

See references/animations.md for the full effect catalog.

Step 4 — Export (Optional)

bash scripts/export.sh output.pptx pdf    # → PDF
bash scripts/export.sh output.pptx all    # → PDF + PPT + images

Step 5 — QA

# Text content check
python scripts/extract_text.py output.pptx

# Visual check — convert to images
bash scripts/export.sh output.pptx images

Fix issues in slides.json → re-run generator → re-check. Never edit generated code directly.

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Slide Types Quick Reference

Type	Use For	Key Fields
title	Opening slide	title, subtitle, presenter, affiliation, date
content	General slides	title, layout, items/stats/cards/steps/chart
section	Section dividers	title, subtitle
image-full	Full-bleed image	path, caption
closing	Final slide	title, contact, links

Content layouts: bullets, two-column, image-right, image-left, cards, stats, timeline, chart, blank

---

Critical Rules

Rule	Why
No # in hex colors	"FF0000" not "#FF0000" — corrupts the file
No unicode bullets	Use bullet: true, never the • character
No 8-char hex opacity	Use opacity: 0.15 field, never "00000020"
No reused option objects	Use factory () => ({...}) for shadows/styles
No placeholder text in output	Grep for "TODO", "lorem", "XXX" before shipping
Watermark on EVERY slide	Template applier loops all slides, not just first
Edit spec only	Never modify generated .js — edit slides.json and regenerate
Speaker notes on EVERY slide	Every slide object must have a notes field — presenter's script

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Editing an Existing Deck

1. Edit slides.json — change content, reorder, add/remove slides
2. Change template? Update meta.template → all slides update automatically
3. Re-run generator — full regeneration from spec (idempotent)

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File Map

Need	Read
Slide spec format	references/slide-spec.md
Template system	references/templates.md
pptxgenjs API cheatsheet	references/pptxgenjs-cheatsheet.md
Images & charts	references/images.md
Animations & transitions	references/animations.md
Export options	references/export.md
Ready-made templates	assets/templates/*.json

---

Composability — Working With Other Skills

See PROTOCOL.md (SIP) at skills root for full interop contract.

Domain Declaration

domain: process
composable: true
yields_to: [craft]

Slidify owns process — the workflow for generating PowerPoint presentations from structured specs. It controls the slide spec format, generation pipeline, and export steps.

When Slidify Leads

• Any request to create, edit, or export a .pptx file
• Any request involving slide decks, presentations, or PowerPoint
• Template creation or modification for presentations

When Slidify Defers

Other Skill's Domain	What Slidify Does
Craft (e.g. painter)	Slidify handles structure and content. Visual design decisions (color palettes, layout aesthetics, typography choices) defer to craft skills.
Content (e.g. researcher, documenter)	Slidify handles slide structure. The actual content substance comes from content skills.
Voice (e.g. blogger)	Slidify handles slide layout. Tone and wording of slide text defers to voice skills.

Conflict Signal

⚠️ Process conflict: visual design request overlaps with craft domain. Slidify handles slide structure; craft skill handles aesthetic decisions. Which approach?