| name | sg-outline |
| effort | low |
| description | Generate a structured presentation outline from research findings. Use when you have research.json and want to create an outline, structure findings into slides, or plan slide structure before drafting. |
| argument-hint | <research.json> [--output path] [--target-slides N] |
| allowed-tools | Bash, Read, Glob, Grep |
Slide Generator: Outline Step
Generate a structured presentation outline from research findings. Uses Claude with extended thinking (budget_tokens=4096) to produce a well-organized slide structure.
Pre-loaded Context
Working directory:
!pwd
Available research files:
!ls -la *.json 2>/dev/null || echo "No JSON files found"
Prerequisites
- Preflight:
sg --version must succeed before proceeding — if sg is missing, stop and tell the user this requires the private davistroy/slide-generator engine (owner-only; see ADR-0008)
slide-generator package installedANTHROPIC_API_KEY set in environment- A
research.json file from the research step (or equivalent structured JSON)
Input Validation
Required:
<research.json> - Path to research findings file
Optional:
--output <path> - Output file path (default: outline.json)--target-slides <N> - Target number of slides (default: 20, configurable via SG_TARGET_SLIDES)--multi-presentation - Allow splitting into multiple presentations if content warrants it
Instructions
- Verify input: Confirm the research JSON file exists and contains valid structured data
- Run outline generation:
sg outline research.json --output outline.json
- Verify output: Confirm
outline.json was created with slide structure
- Report results: Show the outline structure (slide titles, approximate slide count)
Error Handling
| Error | Cause | Fix |
|---|
File not found | Wrong path to research.json | Check file path, list directory |
Invalid JSON | Corrupted or incomplete research file | Re-run research step |
Token limit exceeded | Research too large | Set SG_OUTLINE_MAX_TOKENS=16384 or reduce research scope |
Output
The outline step produces outline.json containing:
- Ordered list of slides with titles
- Bullet point structure per slide
- Speaker notes hints
- Graphics description placeholders
- Logical flow and transitions
Next Step
After outline completes, run the draft step:
sg draft outline.json --output presentation.md
Or use /sg-draft to continue the pipeline.
