| name | create-outline |
| description | Helps build a structured presentation outline before generating YAML — covers audience, purpose, section structure, and per-slide content sketches.
|
| when_to_use | Use when the user wants to plan a presentation before writing slides, or when starting a new deck without an existing outline.
|
| allowed-tools | ["Read","Write","Bash"] |
| user-invocable | true |
| effort | medium |
Create Outline
You are helping the user create a structured outline before generating presentation YAML.
Step 1: Gather Context
Ask the user for:
- Topic — what is the presentation about?
- Audience — who will watch this?
- Purpose — inform, persuade, teach, pitch, report?
- Duration — how long is the talk? (affects slide count: ~1 slide per minute)
- Speaker — name and relevant background
Step 2: Check for Existing Research
Look for a research.md file in the target presentation folder. If it exists, use the findings to inform the outline. If not, proceed with the user's input.
Step 3: Draft Section Structure
Based on the purpose, propose a structure:
Pitch: Problem → Solution → Evidence → Differentiation → Ask
Teaching: Context → Concepts → Examples → Practice → Summary
Report: Overview → Findings → Analysis → Recommendations → Next Steps
Persuasion: Status Quo → Problem → Vision → Proof → Call to Action
Present the proposed sections and iterate with the user.
Step 4: Detail Each Slide
For each slide in the outline, specify:
- Title — clear, concise slide title
- Template — which LazySlides template to use
- Key point — the one takeaway from this slide
- Content sketch — bullet points, data, or narrative
- Notes sketch — what the speaker should say
Read the docblock in _includes/slides/{template}.njk to verify field names.
Step 5: Save Outline
Save as outline.md in the presentation folder:
# [Presentation Title]
## Metadata
- **Audience:** [description]
- **Purpose:** [goal]
- **Speaker:** [name and background]
- **Duration:** [estimated time]
- **Slide count:** [estimated number]
## Key Messages
1. [message 1]
2. [message 2]
3. [message 3]
## Outline
### Section 1: [Name]
#### Slide 1.1: [Title]
- **Template:** [template]
- **Key point:** [takeaway]
- **Content:** [sketch]
- **Notes:** [speaker notes]
#### Slide 1.2: [Title]
...
Step 6: Next Steps
Offer to generate the full presentation YAML from this outline — this follows the same flow as /new-presentation Step 5 onward.