Transform a complete source text (blog post, tweet thread, meeting notes, talk
transcript, document) into a StellarDeck presentation. Markdown output, Deckset-
compatible, autoflow-first. Preserves the author's original words — restructures,
never invents. Ends with a 0-100 score and feedback on both the deck and the
source text. Only generates the .md file; for running/exporting/embedding see
https://stellardeck.dev.
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Transform a complete source text (blog post, tweet thread, meeting notes, talk
transcript, document) into a StellarDeck presentation. Markdown output, Deckset-
compatible, autoflow-first. Preserves the author's original words — restructures,
never invents. Ends with a 0-100 score and feedback on both the deck and the
source text. Only generates the .md file; for running/exporting/embedding see
https://stellardeck.dev.
allowed-tools
["Read","Write","Edit","Bash","Glob"]
StellarDeck: Turn Source Text into Slides
You are helping a user turn a complete source text into a StellarDeck presentation. Your job is to restructure their words into slides — not to write new content for them.
Scope
What this skill does:
Generate a .md file in Deckset/StellarDeck format from source text
Validate the result via npm run export -- --validate file.md
Score the deck (0-100) and suggest improvements to both the deck and the source
What this skill does NOT do:
Invent facts, data, quotes, or content not in the source
"Create a presentation about X" without a real source text to work from
Refuse if the user asks for a presentation without providing a source, or if the source is too thin (less than ~200 words of substance). Say something like: "I need a source text to work from — a blog post, talk transcript, tweet thread, notes. Without real content, I'd have to invent things and this skill doesn't do that. Do you have a draft?"
The four principles
1. Preserve the author's words
Slide text should be recognizable fragments of the original. Edits allowed:
Shorten long sentences by removing asides, not by rewording the substance
Edits not allowed: paraphrasing, adding examples, inventing transitions, filling gaps with new claims, changing the author's voice or register.
2. One idea per slide
Long paragraphs become multiple slides. A typical slide has 1–4 short lines. If a sentence contains three distinct ideas, make three slides. If the source has a single dense paragraph, split it at natural clause boundaries.
From 331 real decks we analyzed: median 9 words per slide, 50% of slides have ≤9 words, only 3.6% exceed 50 words. Aim for that density.
3. Autoflow handles layout — by default
Autoflow picks layouts from content shape:
Four short lines → Z-pattern
Single image next to text → split layout
Two paragraphs ending in questions → diagonal
1-2 word slide → giant divider
First slide with short title + subtitle → centered title
3+ short paragraphs → alternating colors
The #1 failure mode of this skill is over-directing. Earlier iterations sprinkled [.alternating-colors: true], [.autoscale: true], #[top-left], and per-slide directives everywhere. Result: every slide showed "autoflow skipped: has explicit directives" and the deck became visually monotonous because autoflow's anti-monotony engine never ran.
Rule: do NOT emit [.alternating-colors], [.autoscale], [.heading-align], [.background-color], #[top-left], #[bottom-right], etc. unless the content genuinely cannot trigger the right autoflow rule from its shape alone. Trust autoflow. Make the content shape right (short paragraphs, question marks, single-word slides, image-next-to-text) and let autoflow do its job.
Frontmatter is also optional and unusual in real decks — Paulo's actual presentations have NO frontmatter at all. Only add theme: / footer: / slidenumbers: if the user explicitly asks. Autoflow is on by default in StellarDeck; you do not need autoflow: true.
4. Balance visuals with text
Aim for ~50% image density across the deck (Paulo's benchmark from real decks). If the source mentions a person, product, tool, or concept with an obvious image, suggest  or . Don't invent stock photos — only reference images that make sense for the content.
Deckset markdown reference
Frontmatter is OPTIONAL and uncommon in real decks. The example below shows what's available, but Paulo's actual presentations skip frontmatter entirely and let StellarDeck pick defaults. Only add frontmatter when the user asks for a specific theme or footer.
footer: Conference 2026
slidenumbers: true
theme: nordic
scheme: 1
#[fit] Big Title
Subtitle below
---
# Normal heading
Plain text content.
- Bullet point
- Another bullet
---
# Split layout
Text on the left, image on the right. `![left]` flips it.
---
#[fit] Text over background
Dark overlay makes white text readable.
---
[.background-color: #1e3a5f]
#[fit] Custom color
When autoflow guesses wrong, override.
Separators and headings
--- on its own line = slide separator
#[fit] = heading auto-fits slide width (the signature StellarDeck move — used on ~38% of real slides)
#[top-left], #[bottom-right], etc. = positioned headings
Images
 /  = split layout (image on one side, text on the other)
 = inline image (most common in real decks — 32% of all image refs)
 = background with dark overlay for text readability
 = background contained within slide bounds
 = background image, no overlay
Links and content
[text](https://url) = standard markdown link
^ This is a speaker note = speaker notes (only visible in presenter mode)
``` code blocks with language specifier for syntax highlighting
$E = mc^2$ inline math, $$...$$ block math (KaTeX)
Directives (use sparingly — autoflow usually wins)
[.background-color: #hex] = per-slide background
[.autoscale: true] = reduce font for text-heavy slides
[.alternating-colors: true] = accent color per paragraph
[.build-lists: true] = progressive reveal of list items
[.heading-align: center] = heading alignment
Common patterns with examples
Pattern: statement slide
Source:
"The most important thing I learned after ten years building companies is that culture eats strategy for breakfast, but execution eats culture for lunch."
Slide:
---
#[fit] Culture eats strategy for breakfast
Execution eats culture for lunch
^ From ten years building companies. Opening idea.
Pattern: split layout with photo
Source:
"Emmet Louis is one of the top mobility coaches in the world. He trained circus artists in Montreal for a decade before teaching online."
Slide:
---
# Emmet Louis
Top mobility coach
Ten years training circus artists in Montreal
The fit modifier (![right fit]) is what Paulo uses 90% of the time — it contains the image inside its half without cropping. Plain ![right] covers the half (good for full-bleed portraits, bad for charts).
Side choice — cluster, don't ping-pong. Real decks don't strictly alternate ![right] / ![left] slide-by-slide. Sides cluster by section: a stretch of 3-5 right-split slides, then a section break, then a couple of left-splits. Use ![right] 2-3× more often than ![left] overall (real ratio 2.4:1), but keep neighboring split slides on the same side unless there's a section transition between them.
Pattern: bullets (from a list)
Source:
"Our three biggest wins this quarter: the Nubank partnership closed in March, we shipped the mobile app to 50k users, and we hired a new CTO."
Slide:
---
# Q1 wins- Nubank partnership closed in March
- Mobile app shipped to 50k users
- New CTO hired
Pattern: accent bold and italic emphasis
Two related tricks:
**word** (bold) → renders in the theme's accent color. Strong emphasis.
These are the main visual tools when you can't add an image. Use them sparingly — 1-3 per slide max. Real decks use them strategically inside longer prose, not on every word.
Source:
"The thing nobody tells you about raising a Series A is that it takes about six months of your life, most of which is spent answering the same questions in slightly different ways."
Slide:
---
Raising a Series A takes about **six months** of your life
Most of which is spent answering the **same questions** in slightly different ways
Italic example (from Paulo's ia/transformacao.md, contrast pair from the Agile Manifesto):
---
#[fit]*Indivíduos e Interações*#[fit]versus#[fit]*Processos e Ferramentas*
Three stacked #[fit] headings, italics on the contrasted phrases. The versus line is a bridge.
Pattern: long quote block (when the source quote is too good to split)
Sometimes the source has a passage that works best as one block. Use > blockquote syntax with bold accents on the key phrases. The long quote becomes the center of the slide; the attribution gets its own small line.
Source:
From a 2018 interview: "What I learned from building three companies is that the first year is always about finding a market that cares, the second year is about finding customers who pay, and the third year is finally about building the thing they asked for."
Slide:
---
> What I learned from building three companies> is that the **first year** is about finding a market that cares,> the **second year** is about finding customers who pay,> and the **third year** is finally about building the thing they asked for.
— 2018 interview
Autoflow detects the long block and applies [.autoscale: true] automatically so the text fits. The bold phrases pull visual attention. Use this sparingly — maximum one or two quote-block slides per deck, or they lose impact.
Pattern: text-only deck (no image references)
Most sources won't mention specific images. That's fine — text-only decks work. The visual variety comes from:
Mixing slide types: statements, bullets, quote blocks, dividers. Autoflow does most of this for you if the content shape varies.
Accent bold: pull key phrases with **. Every slide can have 1-3 accent phrases.
#[fit] for punch: short phrases get giant treatment.
Dividers: a single-word slide between sections becomes a huge transition moment via autoflow's divider rule.
Background colors: [.background-color: #hex] on section-divider slides breaks up the rhythm without needing images.
Example text-only deck shape (no images at all):
---
#[fit] The Middle Path
Between speed and craft
---
# Speed without craft
Ships things that break
Feels productive for a week
---
# Craft without speed
Ships things that rot
Feels productive for a month
---
[.background-color: #1e3a5f]
#[fit] The middle path
---
# What it looks like- Write tests **before** you need them
- Refactor **while** the context is fresh
- Ship **small pieces** often
---
#[fit] Craft is a **rhythm**, not a ritual
Notice: seven slides, zero images, varied visual rhythm from the mix of fit-titles, bullets, background-color divider, and accent bolds. This is the default shape for most decks generated from long text.
Pattern: alternating colors from prose
Source:
"Three forces are reshaping tech work: AI agents that write code, vibe coders who don't have CS degrees, and companies hiring by problem-solving instead of resume keywords."
Slide:
---
Three forces reshaping tech work
AI agents that write code
Vibe coders who don't have CS degrees
Companies hiring by problem-solving, not keywords
Pattern: breaking a dense paragraph into multiple slides
Source (a single dense paragraph from a blog post):
"Most engineering managers fail at the first promotion because they don't realize that their job is no longer to write code. They feel unproductive because they don't ship commits anymore, so they start micromanaging. Their team feels the pressure and either pushes back or goes passive. Either way, trust erodes and the manager blames themselves for not being technical enough when the real issue is that they never let go of being an IC."
One slide would overflow. Six short slides, each one idea, words preserved:
---
# Why most new managers fail
---
Their job is **no longer** to write code
But nobody told them that
---
They feel unproductive
because they don't ship commits anymore
So they start **micromanaging**
---
The team either **pushes back** or goes **passive**
Either way, trust erodes
---
The manager blames themselves for not being technical enough
---
But the real issue is they **never let go** of being an IC
One dense paragraph → 6 slides, ~15 words each. Original words preserved. Accent bold highlights the key turn in each slide. Autoflow will pick statement/diagonal layouts from the content shape.
Autoflow sees 3+ short paragraphs → applies [.alternating-colors: true].
Pattern: image-only slide (impact)
Source mentions a specific photo or chart:
---
#[fit] The room that started it
Background image with dark filter + single fit heading is a strong impact slide.
Pattern: diagonal (question/answer)
Source:
"How do you know when a startup is going to work? Usually by how fast the team ships."
Slide:
---
How do you know when a startup is going to work?
Usually by how fast the team ships
Two paragraphs, one ends with ? → autoflow applies diagonal layout automatically.
Pattern: question series (parallel questions)
Paulo's actual style: instead of pairing questions with answers on the same slide, he poses a series of parallel questions across consecutive slides, building expectation. The "answer" arrives 2-5 slides later as evidence (image, quote, or counter-argument). This is a stronger move than the diagonal Q→A pair.
From ia/ia-educacao.md slides 6-13:
---
# Qual skill você ganhou nos últimos 5 anos?
---
#[fit]Desde que o *Wikipedia* surgiu,#[fit]o que você aprendeu + rápido?
---
#[fit]Desde que o *Smartphone* surgiu,#[fit]o que você aprendeu + rápido?
---
#[fit]Desde que o *ChatGPT* surgiu,#[fit]o que você aprendeu + rápido?
Three structurally identical questions, only the noun changes. Autoflow renders them as title-style. The repetition itself is the rhetorical device. Look for patterns like this in the source: "What if X? What if Y? What if Z?" → emit each as its own slide.
Pattern: divider (multi-line #[fit] negation)
Paulo's dividers are NOT single words — they're 3-5 word phrases, often negations, often a sequence repeated with the noun changing.
Pattern: stack 3 #[fit] lines. Middle line has the negation in __*italic-bold*__ for visual contrast. Repeat the structure with only the last word changing. This is one of Paulo's signature moves for section breaks that also make an argument.
Pattern: bio slide (slide 2)
Almost every Paulo deck has a bio slide as slide 2 (after a filtered-image opening). It's 1 line for the name + 2-4 short lines of credentials.
---
# Paulo Silveira
CEO Grupo Alun
Alura · FIAP · PM3 · StartSe
[@paulo_caelum](https://x.com/paulo_caelum)
Don't elaborate. The audience reads it in 3 seconds and you move on.
Pattern: YouTube video reference
StellarDeck doesn't render inline YouTube embeds, but for conference talks it's common to reference a video. Use a QR code or a link:
---
# Watch the full talk
[youtube.com/watch?v=abc123](https://youtube.com/watch?v=abc123)
Or just a link slide:
---
#[fit] Full talk
[youtube.com/watch?v=abc123](https://youtube.com/watch?v=abc123)
Pattern: QR code for links
QR codes are rendered at runtime from a :::qr block (if the engine supports it) or via a pre-generated image:
Paulo's actual closing pattern (used in nearly every deck): a full-bleed applause/celebration image + #[fit] greeting + smaller #### lines for contact. The #### (h4) is the signature — it gives the contact lines a quieter weight than the main thank-you.
Some decks add 1-2 "bonus" slides AFTER the close — usually a philosophical quote (Bill Gates, Karl Popper, Clarice Lispector) or a signature concept slide (e.g. the T-shaped skill set). These work as encore moments while the audience claps.
Theme and color scheme selection
StellarDeck has 10 themes and 3-7 color schemes per theme. Use npm run export -- --list-themes and npm run export -- --list-schemes <theme> to see them programmatically.
Guide to picking based on content:
Theme
Feel
Good for
default (Inter)
Clean, modern
General talks, product demos, safe default
nordic
Muted, professional
Business, strategy, corporate
serif
Editorial, thoughtful
Essays, long-form, literary topics
minimal
Very clean, bold
Tech talks, clarity-focused
hacker
Dark, code-friendly
Developer talks, technical deep-dives
poster
Loud, display
Keynotes, attention-grabbing
borneli
Editorial purple
Brand-specific (Borneli)
alun
Orange/pink bold
Brand-specific (Alun)
keynote
Apple-inspired
Product reveals, keynote style
letters-from-brazil
Warm, bright
Cultural, Brazilian topics
Default choice: if unsure, theme: nordic with scheme: 1 works for most business/tech content. Only pick something else if the content has a clear tonal fit.
Macro rhythm — what a real deck spine looks like
Before drafting, plan the spine of the deck — a one-line summary of each slide in order. The goal is variety: no three consecutive slides should be the same type. Paulo's actual spine for a 27-slide AI-in-education talk (ia/ia-educacao.md):
1. [filtered image] — emotional opening
2. # Paulo Silveira — bio (name + credentials)
3. [right portrait] — section setup
4. #[fit] Human in the Loop — concept divider (3 words)
5. # Code, infra, deploy — bullets (3 items)
6. # Qual skill nos últimos 5 anos? — open question (no answer)
7. #[fit] Desde *Wikipedia*…? — parallel question 1
8. #[fit] Desde *Smartphone*…? — parallel question 2
9. [right portrait] — bridge
10. > Paulo Blikstein quote — long quote slide
11. [right image] — chart
12. > Sebastian Thrun quote — long quote slide
13. #[fit] Desde *ChatGPT*…? — parallel question 3 (closes trilogy)
14-16. [3 chart images in a row] — visual evidence stack
17-18. # Shots, Contexts — heading + prose
19. # Isso vai ajudar? + sublinha — statement + counter
20. [filtered image] — visual break
21. - bullets (3 timeline items) — list
22. ![right] + #[fit] Disrupção? — split + fit question
23. ![right] + concept — split
24. #[fit] Ensinar / Aprender — concept divider
25. - bullets (5 learning methods) — list
26. # Próximos passos — heading + 3 bullets
27. ![] + #[fit] Obrigado + #### — closing
What to notice:
Variety per pair: image → text → image → text. Almost never two same-type slides in a row.
Question trilogy interrupted by quotes (slides 7→13). Tension built and resolved over 6 slides, not on one slide.
Visual evidence stack (14-16) — three image-only slides on the same idea.
Two dividers placed strategically (slides 4 and 24) to mark sections.
Closes with applause image + #[fit] Obrigado + #### contact.
When you build your spine, mark each line with the slide TYPE: [image] [bio] [bullets] [statement] [#[fit]] [divider] [quote] [split-right] [split-left] [close]. Then count: if any one type is more than ~30% of the deck, redistribute.
Process: source text → deck
Read the source end to end. Don't generate yet.
Identify the spine. What's the hook? What are the 3-5 main points? What's the ending? Look for: rhetorical questions, contrast pairs, lists of 3, long quotes, counter-arguments. These all map to specific slide patterns.
Write the spine as a typed list — one line per slide, type tag in brackets. Aim 15-30 slides total (Paulo's median is 18). Walk through it and check: no three consecutive slides of the same type, at least one divider per major section, ends with a closer.
Draft the markdown. For each slide:
Use original words from the source
Keep text short (aim for ≤10 words, max 30)
Add  /  when the source references something visual
Use #[fit] for short titles, dividers, and statement slides
Cluster split sides per section (3-5 right-splits, then a break, then maybe a few left-splits — don't ping-pong every slide)
Emit content shapes that trigger autoflow rules (see Rhythm checklist below) — do NOT emit [.alternating-colors], [.autoscale], [.heading-align], #[top-left], etc.
Run the Rhythm checklist (next section). If any check fails, edit before validating.
Validate: run npm run export -- --validate deck.md and read the warnings.
Fix warnings: overflow → split the slide or shorten. Missing image → fix path or remove reference. Theme mismatch → correct the theme name.
Score and report. See Scoring section.
Rhythm checklist (run before validate)
Walk through this list. Each "no" is a signal to edit before finishing.
Variety: walking through the deck, do I see at least 5 different slide types? (title, bullets, statement, split, divider, image-only, quote, close)
No 3-in-a-row of same type: any stretch of 3 consecutive slides that look the same? Break them up.
At least 1 divider per ~10 slides — a 3-5 word #[fit] slide marking a section break. Bonus: a parallel-divider series (e.g. "X is not Y / X is not Z / X is not W").
At least 1 accent bold or italic per text-heavy slide. Use **word** (accent color) or *word* (italic) to pull key phrases out of prose.
At least 1 question slide — even better, a series of 2-3 parallel questions across consecutive slides.
No explicit autoflow-disabling directives — search the deck for [.alternating-colors, [.autoscale, [.heading-align, #[top-left], #[bottom-right]. If you find any, ask: can the content shape alone trigger the same layout? Almost always yes — delete the directive.
Split sides cluster, don't ping-pong — neighboring ![right] slides stay on the right; switch sides only at section breaks.
No frontmatter unless explicitly asked — let StellarDeck pick defaults. Real decks don't have it.
One idea per slide — no slide has more than ~30 words. If a slide is dense, split it. The remaining slides will feel lighter and the reading flow improves.
Scoring
At the end, print a 0-100 score in this format:
Score: XX/100
- Conciseness: XX/25 (median N words/slide; M slides over 40 words)
- Visual balance: XX/25 (N% of slides have images; target 30-60%)
- Narrative: XX/25 (title slide: yes/no; closing: yes/no; section mix: OK/skewed)
- Autoflow fit: XX/25 (N slides too dense for autoflow; #[fit] on M%)
To improve the DECK:
- <specific slide-level fixes>
To improve the SOURCE TEXT (for a better deck next time):
- <specific changes the author can make to their original text>
Scoring rubric (based on 331-deck analysis of Paulo's real presentations)
Conciseness (25 pts) — count median words per slide:
≤10 words: 25/25
11-15 words: 22/25
16-20 words: 18/25
21-30 words: 12/25
31+ words: 5/25
Penalize 2 pts per slide with >50 words (max deduction 10)
The skill uses these commands to validate its output:
# Validate (fast, no export — returns diagnostics as JSON)
npm run export -- --validate deck.md
# List available themes
npm run export -- --list-themes
# List schemes for a theme
npm run export -- --list-schemes nordic
For full export commands, point the user to the CLI guide above. This skill doesn't run exports — the user decides when to export.
