pptx-mcp-server

name	pptx-mcp-server
description	Use this skill when working with PPTX files via the repository’s MCP server—reading slide content, managing speaker notes (including Vietnamese short/original format), doing safe batch notes updates, replacing text, and toggling slide visibility.

Skill Instructions

This skill guides you to use the repository’s PPTX MCP Server tools correctly and efficiently.

When to use this skill

Use this skill when the user asks to:

• Read PPTX slide content (text/images/metadata/visibility)
• Read/update speaker notes (especially translation + short/original formatting)
• Perform multi-slide notes workflows (batch read + batch update, atomic)
• Replace text in slide content or speaker notes (literal or regex)
• Hide/show slides, or other slide management tasks
• Diagnose MCP server health

Guardrails (apply to all tasks)

• Do not change slide content/layout unless explicitly requested.
• Do not add new slides unless explicitly requested.
• Keep empty notes empty (do not invent notes for slides with empty notes unless asked).
• Prefer batch tools for multi-slide work to minimize round trips and keep updates atomic.
• Prefer safe zip-based notes editing tools for speaker notes updates to preserve animations/transitions.

Vietnamese speaker notes style (when generating Vietnamese notes)

• Address the audience as “anh/chị” (not “bạn”, not “quý vị”).
• Use “chúng ta” for shared actions/goals.
• Keep sentences short, speakable, and conversational.
• Required structure (two versions):

- Short version:
[Brief summary - 30-50% of original length]

- Original:
[Full content with all details and explanations]

Best-practice workflows

Batch translate/summarize speaker notes (recommended)

1. Read notes in batch with read_notes_batch (use slide_range for consecutive slides).
2. Generate content with the LLM (translation + short summary), preserving empties.
3. Apply atomically with process_notes_workflow (formats into short/original and updates in one atomic operation).

Targeted notes update (single slide)

• Read context with read_notes (or read_notes_batch), then update with update_notes.
• If updating many slides, use update_notes_batch.

Replace text

• Use replace_text for either:
  • target="slide_notes" (speaker notes), or
  • target="slide_content" (slide shape text)
• Use dry_run=true to preview changes before writing.

Tool catalog (authoritative names)

Read tools

• read_slide_content: comprehensive slide content (text/shapes/images + visibility status)
• read_slide_text: all text from a slide
• read_slide_images: image info from a slide
• read_presentation_info: presentation metadata (slide count, dimensions, visibility stats)
• read_slides_metadata: metadata for all slides including visibility

Edit tools (slide content)

• update_slide_text: update a specific shape’s text by shape_id
• replace_slide_image: replace an image shape by shape_id
• add_text_box: add a new text box to a slide
• add_image: add a new image to a slide
• replace_slide_content: replace most/all slide text content with structured content
• update_slide_content: update title/specific shapes/add text boxes without replacing everything

Slide management tools

• add_slide: add a slide (only when explicitly requested)
• delete_slide: delete a slide (only when explicitly requested)
• duplicate_slide: duplicate a slide (only when explicitly requested)
• change_slide_layout: change a slide’s layout
• set_slide_visibility: hide/show a slide

Speaker notes tools

• read_notes: read notes from one slide or all slides
• read_notes_batch: read notes from multiple slides efficiently (slide_numbers or slide_range)
• update_notes: update notes for one slide (safe zip-based editing for notes)
• update_notes_batch: atomic notes update for multiple slides (safe zip-based editing)
• format_notes_structure: format given short_text + original_text into the required structure (no content generation)
• process_notes_workflow: validate + format + apply pre-generated notes for multiple slides atomically

Text replacement tool

• replace_text: replace text in speaker notes or slide content, supports regex + dry-run + in-place/out-of-place

Health tool

• health_check: server health diagnostics (config/cache/metrics)

Operational notes

• If you need to identify shape_id for edits, first call read_slide_content.
• For multi-slide operations, prefer read_notes_batch + process_notes_workflow or update_notes_batch.
• Use in_place=true only when safe/appropriate; otherwise write to a new file via output_path.