| name | pptx |
| description | Use this skill any time a .pptx file is involved in any way - as input, output, or both. This includes: creating slide decks, pitch decks, or presentations; reading, parsing, or extracting text from any .pptx file; editing, modifying, or updating existing presentations; combining or splitting slide files; working with templates, layouts, speaker notes, or comments. Trigger whenever the user mentions "deck", "slides", "presentation", or references a .pptx filename. |
| dependencies | {"commands":["python3"],"tools":["skillScriptTool","skillFileTool","delegateToAgent"]} |
| platforms | ["macos","linux","windows"] |
Important: All scripts/ paths are relative to this skill directory.
Use run_skill_script tool to execute scripts, or run with: cd {this_skill_dir} && python scripts/...
PPTX Skill
Prerequisites
- markitdown[pptx]: text extraction from presentations
- Pillow: thumbnail grid generation
- pptxgenjs (
npm install -g pptxgenjs): creating presentations from scratch
- LibreOffice (
soffice): presentation-to-PDF conversion
- pdftoppm (poppler-utils): PDF-to-image conversion for thumbnail/visual workflows
- If
pdftoppm is unavailable, a Python fallback path may use pdf2image.
Quick Reference
| Task | Guide |
|---|
| Read/analyze content | python -m markitdown presentation.pptx |
| Edit or create from template | Unpack → manipulate → pack workflow |
| Create from scratch | Use pptxgenjs (npm) |
Reading Content
python -m markitdown presentation.pptx
python scripts/thumbnail.py presentation.pptx
python scripts/office/unpack.py presentation.pptx unpacked/
Editing Workflow
- Analyze template with
thumbnail.py
- Unpack:
python scripts/office/unpack.py presentation.pptx unpacked/
- Add/remove slides:
python scripts/add_slide.py unpacked/ --source <slide_num>
- Edit XML content in
unpacked/ppt/slides/
- Clean orphans:
python scripts/clean.py unpacked/
- Pack:
python scripts/office/pack.py unpacked/ output.pptx --original presentation.pptx
Adding Slides
python scripts/add_slide.py unpacked/ --source 2
python scripts/add_slide.py unpacked/ --layout 1
Cleaning Up
python scripts/clean.py unpacked/
Creating Thumbnails
python scripts/thumbnail.py presentation.pptx
python scripts/thumbnail.py presentation.pptx --output thumbs.png --cols 4
Creating from Scratch
Use pptxgenjs (Node.js) when no template is available. Install: npm install -g pptxgenjs
Design Ideas
Don't create boring slides. Plain bullets on a white background won't impress anyone.
Before Starting
- Pick a bold, content-informed color palette: should feel designed for THIS topic
- Dominance over equality: One color should dominate (60-70%), with 1-2 supporting tones
- Dark/light contrast: Dark backgrounds for title + conclusion, light for content
- Commit to a visual motif: Pick ONE distinctive element and repeat it
Color Palettes
| Theme | Primary | Secondary | Accent |
|---|
| Midnight Executive | 1E2761 (navy) | CADCFC (ice blue) | FFFFFF (white) |
| Forest & Moss | 2C5F2D (forest) | 97BC62 (moss) | F5F5F5 (cream) |
| Coral Energy | F96167 (coral) | F9E795 (gold) | 2F3C7E (navy) |
| Warm Terracotta | B85042 (terracotta) | E7E8D1 (sand) | A7BEAE (sage) |
| Ocean Gradient | 065A82 (deep blue) | 1C7293 (teal) | 21295C (midnight) |
| Charcoal Minimal | 36454F (charcoal) | F2F2F2 (off-white) | 212121 (black) |
| Teal Trust | 028090 (teal) | 00A896 (seafoam) | 02C39A (mint) |
| Berry & Cream | 6D2E46 (berry) | A26769 (dusty rose) | ECE2D0 (cream) |
| Sage Calm | 84B59F (sage) | 69A297 (eucalyptus) | 50808E (slate) |
| Cherry Bold | 990011 (cherry) | FCF6F5 (off-white) | 2F3C7E (navy) |
For Each Slide
Every slide needs a visual element - image, chart, icon, or shape.
Layout options:
- Two-column (text left, illustration on right)
- Icon + text rows (icon in colored circle, bold header, description below)
- 2x2 or 2x3 grid
- Half-bleed image with content overlay
Data display:
- Large stat callouts (big numbers 60-72pt with small labels below)
- Comparison columns (before/after, pros/cons)
- Timeline or process flow (numbered steps, arrows)
Typography
| Header Font | Body Font |
|---|
| Georgia | Calibri |
| Arial Black | Arial |
| Calibri | Calibri Light |
| Cambria | Calibri |
| Trebuchet MS | Calibri |
| Element | Size |
|---|
| Slide title | 36-44pt bold |
| Section header | 20-24pt bold |
| Body text | 14-16pt |
| Captions | 10-12pt muted |
Spacing
- 0.5" minimum margins
- 0.3-0.5" between content blocks
- Leave breathing room
Avoid (Common Mistakes)
- Don't repeat the same layout across slides
- Don't center body text - left-align paragraphs and lists
- Don't skimp on size contrast
- Don't default to blue - pick topic-appropriate colors
- Don't create text-only slides - add visual elements
- Don't forget text box padding
- NEVER use accent lines under titles - hallmark of AI-generated slides
QA (Required)
Assume there are problems. Your job is to find them.
Content QA
python -m markitdown output.pptx
Check for missing content, typos, wrong order. Check for leftover placeholder text:
python -m markitdown output.pptx | grep -iE "xxxx|lorem|ipsum"
Visual QA
Convert slides to images, then inspect:
python scripts/office/soffice.py --headless --convert-to pdf output.pptx
pdftoppm -jpeg -r 150 output.pdf slide
Look for: overlapping elements, text overflow, low-contrast text, uneven gaps, insufficient margins.
Subagent Visual QA (Fresh Eyes)
For high-stakes presentations, delegate a visual inspection to a separate agent that has NOT seen the creation process. A fresh pair of eyes catches issues the author missed.
delegateToAgent(
agentName="strong-agent",
task="[Visual QA Request] Inspect the attached presentation slides as a fresh reviewer.
You have no context about how these were made — treat it as if seeing them for the first time.
Slides location: <path to slide images or pptx>
Check for:
1. Any slide where text is cut off or overflows the frame
2. Low contrast (e.g., light text on light background)
3. Repeated layouts — more than 2 slides with identical structure
4. Text-only slides with no visual element
5. Accent lines under slide titles (hallmark of AI-generated slides)
6. Any leftover placeholder text (XXXX, lorem, [insert here])
7. Font size below 14pt in body text
For each issue, state: slide number, issue type, what you see.
If everything looks clean, say so explicitly."
)
Act on the subagent's findings before declaring the presentation complete.
Verification Loop
- Generate slides -> Convert to images -> Inspect
- List issues found
- Fix issues
- Re-verify affected slides
- Repeat until clean
- (High-stakes) Run subagent visual QA for a fresh-eyes check
Converting to Images
python scripts/office/soffice.py --headless --convert-to pdf output.pptx
pdftoppm -jpeg -r 150 output.pdf slide
Creates slide-01.jpg, slide-02.jpg, etc.
