typst-test-slide

name	typst-test-slide
description	This skill should be used when the user asks to 'test a slide', 'isolate a slide', 'debug a slide', 'preview a single slide', 'test this slide', 'render one slide', or when you need to visually verify a single Typst slide from a presentation in isolation. Provides the exact file setup pattern to avoid access-denied and import errors.

Typst Test Slide - Isolate and Render a Single Slide

Renders a single Typst slide in isolation for debugging or visual verification. This is a recipe, not a workflow.

Why This Exists

Typst cannot access files outside its project root. Creating test files in /tmp/ causes "access denied" on every #import and #image() call. This skill provides the correct pattern.

Common Errors This Prevents

Error	Cause	Fix
access denied on #import "../templates/theme.typ"	Test file is in /tmp/ (outside project root)	Put test file in output/ inside the project
access denied on #image(...)	Image path resolves outside project root	Use ../assets/ from output/ directory
file not found on #import "../../templates/theme.typ"	Wrong relative depth (used sub-slide depth instead of output/ depth)	output/ is one level deep: use ../templates/, not ../../templates/
Slides don't render (just text)	Missing #show: university-theme.with(...) preamble	Include the full preamble (see template below)

The Pattern

1. Create the test file in output/

cat > output/test-slide.typ << 'EOF'
#import "../templates/theme.typ": *
#show: university-theme.with(
  aspect-ratio: "16-9",
  config-info(
    title: [Test],
    author: [Test],
    date: datetime.today(),
    institution: [UVA],
    logo: image("../assets/LawP_horizontal_short_4c_RGB.png"),
  ),
)

#slide[
// paste slide content here
]
EOF

2. Compile with --root . from project root

tinymist compile --root . output/test-slide.typ /tmp/test-slide.png --ppi 144

The --root . flag tells Typst that the project root is the current directory, so ../templates/ from output/ resolves correctly.

3. Clean up

rm -f output/test-slide.typ

Key Rules

• Always create in output/, never /tmp/ or any directory outside the project root.
• Always compile with --root . from the project root directory.
• Paths from output/ go up one level: ../templates/, ../assets/.
• Paths from slides/XX-topic/ go up two levels: ../../templates/, ../../assets/ -- do not confuse these depths.
• Delete the test file when done. output/ is gitignored but keeping test files around causes confusion.