caveman-explainer-deck

name	caveman-explainer-deck
description	Turn a single concept into a TikTok-style "caveman explains it" slide deck — one idea per slide, 3 to 5 words of big bold text, clean flat illustrations on a pure white background, built with the Substrate MCP. Use when the user wants to make a TikTok/Reels/Shorts explainer, a "caveman voice" or "explain like I'm dumb" deck, a punchy slide-per-beat video script, or says "make a deck about X" for short-form video. The creator narrates in caveman voice over the slides, so slides carry minimal text and one idea each.
metadata	{"version":"1.0.0"}

Caveman Explainer Deck

Build a short, punchy slide deck that explains ONE concept the way a caveman would — for a TikTok/Reels/Shorts video where the creator narrates in caveman voice and the slides are the visuals behind them.

The whole point: the slide is not the explanation — the creator's voiceover is. So every slide is one idea, a few big words, and one clean illustration. The slides set up beats; the human lands them.

[!important] You need the Substrate MCP This skill renders slides with the mcp__substrate__* tools. If they aren't connected, tell the user to add the Substrate MCP server first. If the tools are deferred, load them with ToolSearch (see references/substrate-workflow.md).

The only input you need

A concept. That's it. Example invocations:

• "Make a caveman explainer about reward hacking."
• "Caveman deck: how vaccines work."
• "Explain compound interest like a caveman, TikTok format."

Optional extras the user MAY give (use sensible defaults if not):

Input	Default
Aspect ratio	16:9 (creator shows a laptop on camera). Use 1:1 if they say it fills a phone screen. There is no 9:16 in Substrate.
Slide count	6 (range 5–8). Tighter is better for retention.
Tone / accent	Caveman grunt narration; on-slide text is plain, punchy, ALL CAPS.

Do not interrogate the user. Take the concept, make the deck, then show renders and offer tweaks.

The procedure

Follow this end to end. Full tool-by-tool detail (arguments, timing, gotchas) is in references/substrate-workflow.md.

1. Outline the story spine first (before any tool call). Break the concept into 5–8 beats using the arc in references/slide-formula.md. Each beat = one slide = one idea = 3–5 on-screen words. Write the on-slide text for every slide now.
2. create_deck with the title and the chosen aspect_ratio. ⚠️ Aspect ratio is locked at creation — pick correctly the first time; changing it later means a brand-new deck.
3. set_design_prompt with the exact design system from references/design-system.md (paste it verbatim — it is tuned). This is injected ahead of every slide.
4. add_slide ONE AT A TIME, in presentation order, using the per-slide prompt template below.
5. Wait for renders, then get_slide_render on the key beats (at minimum: the hook, the "money shot" / funniest beat, and the punchline). Renders take ~30–90s; poll, don't assume.
6. Consistency pass. If a recurring character (mascot, object) looks different across slides, rewrite the off-model slide to match the others (lock its colors/face/shape in words). This is the most common defect.
7. Offer to export_deck (PNGs / PDF) and to tweak any wording or illustration.

The slide formula (memorize this)

Every slide prompt is an art-direction spec for ONE 16:9 (or 1:1) slide. Use this template:

A single <ASPECT> widescreen explainer slide on a pure white background. ONE idea only, minimal.
Bold rounded charcoal sans-serif headline on the left reading "<3–5 WORD PHRASE>" (render verbatim, exactly once).
On the right, the single focal illustration: <one simple friendly flat vector thing>, clean thick charcoal
outlines and flat color fills (cobalt blue / coral / sunny yellow accents). Lots of white negative space.
No background texture, no extra text, no clip-art, no photos, no gradients, no shadows, no watermark.

Non-negotiables:

• One idea per slide. If a slide needs "and," it's two slides.
• 3–5 words of on-slide text, in DOUBLE QUOTES, with (render verbatim, exactly once). The narrator carries the rest.
• Pure white background every slide — maximum legibility when filmed off a screen.
• One illustration, flat-vector, thick charcoal outlines, the small fixed palette. No clutter.
• Always end the prompt with the exclusion list above (no extra text / clip-art / photos / gradients / shadows / watermark).
• Title-style slides (naming the concept, the punchline) center the headline and shrink the illustration to a small accent.

The story spine

A caveman explainer is a tiny comedy with a setup and a payoff. Default arc (adapt the beat labels to the concept):

1. SETUP — the relatable thing + its job. ("ROBOT VACUUM MUST CLEAN")
2. GOAL / RULE — what it's told to do, phrased to set up the twist. ("GO TILL NO DIRT FOUND")
3. THE TWIST / MECHANISM — the surprising move. This is the money shot: the funniest, most screenshot-able frame. ("SO IT CLOSES ITS EYES")
4. THE ABSURD RESULT — the literal-but-wrong outcome. ("NO DIRT FOUND, ALL DONE!")
5. NAME IT — the actual term/concept, so viewers learn something. ("THIS IS REWARD HACKING")
6. PUNCHLINE / TAKEAWAY — the one-line lesson. ("NOT WHAT YOU MEAN")

Not every concept is an "AI does something dumb" joke. For a how-it-works concept (vaccines, compound interest), the spine becomes: what it is → the one key mechanism → the surprising consequence → name it → why you care. Keep the comedic, concrete, one-idea-per-slide discipline regardless.

More arcs, the caveman-voice rules, hook guidance, and the accuracy caveat are in references/slide-formula.md.

Two rules that save the deck

• Pick the most relatable example. A robot vacuum that shuts its eyes beats an "AI boat-racing agent" because everyone knows a Roomba. Concrete + everyday > technically-canonical. (See references/slide-formula.md → "choosing the example.")
• Flag illustrative vs. documented. If a beat is a parable rather than a real logged event, tell the user to narrate it as "imagine a robot that…" not "this happened." Don't bake false specificity into the slides.

Reference files

• references/design-system.md — The exact set_design_prompt text, palette, type, and look. Paste verbatim.
• references/slide-formula.md — Story arcs, caveman-voice copy rules, hooks, choosing the example, accuracy caveat, worked example (the reward-hacking / robot-vacuum deck).
• references/substrate-workflow.md — Tool-by-tool Substrate sequence, ToolSearch loading, render timing, verbatim-text and exclusion rules, export, and known gotchas.