pptx · diff

git:20260505.9602558 to git:20260713.06a7557

30 added, 221 removed. Audit A to A.

---

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 (even if the extracted content will be used elsewhere, like in an email or summary); 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, regardless of what they plan to do with the content afterward. If a .pptx file needs to be opened, created, or touched, use this skill."

- license: Proprietary. LICENSE.txt has complete terms

- ---

- # PPTX Skill

- ## Quick Reference

- | Task | Guide |

- |------|-------|

- | Read/analyze content | `python -m markitdown presentation.pptx` |

- | Edit or create from template | Read [editing.md](editing.md) |

- | Create from scratch | Read [pptxgenjs.md](pptxgenjs.md) |

- ---

- ## Reading Content

- ```bash

- # Text extraction

- python -m markitdown presentation.pptx

- # Visual overview

- python scripts/thumbnail.py presentation.pptx

- # Raw XML

- python scripts/office/unpack.py presentation.pptx unpacked/

- ```

- ---

- ## Editing Workflow

- **Read [editing.md](editing.md) for full details.**

- 1. Analyze template with `thumbnail.py`

- 2. Unpack → manipulate slides → edit content → clean → pack

- ---

- ## Creating from Scratch

- **Read [pptxgenjs.md](pptxgenjs.md) for full details.**

- Use when no template or reference presentation is available.

- ---

- ## Design Ideas

- **Don't create boring slides.** Plain bullets on a white background won't impress anyone. Consider ideas from this list for each slide.

- ### Before Starting

- - **Pick a bold, content-informed color palette**: The palette should feel designed for THIS topic. If swapping your colors into a completely different presentation would still "work," you haven't made specific enough choices.

- - **Dominance over equality**: One color should dominate (60-70% visual weight), with 1-2 supporting tones and one sharp accent. Never give all colors equal weight.

- - **Dark/light contrast**: Dark backgrounds for title + conclusion slides, light for content ("sandwich" structure). Or commit to dark throughout for a premium feel.

- - **Commit to a visual motif**: Pick ONE distinctive element and repeat it — rounded image frames, icons in colored circles, thick single-side borders. Carry it across every slide.

- ### Color Palettes

- Choose colors that match your topic — don't default to generic blue. Use these palettes as inspiration:

- |-------|---------|-----------|--------|

- ### For Each Slide

- **Every slide needs a visual element** — image, chart, icon, or shape. Text-only slides are forgettable.

- **Layout options:**

- - Two-column (text left, illustration on right)

- - Icon + text rows (icon in colored circle, bold header, description below)

- - 2x2 or 2x3 grid (image on one side, grid of content blocks on other)

- - Half-bleed image (full left or right side) with content overlay

- **Data display:**

- - Large stat callouts (big numbers 60-72pt with small labels below)

- - Comparison columns (before/after, pros/cons, side-by-side options)

- - Timeline or process flow (numbered steps, arrows)

- **Visual polish:**

- - Icons in small colored circles next to section headers

- - Italic accent text for key stats or taglines

- ### Typography

- **Choose an interesting font pairing** — don't default to Arial. Pick a header font with personality and pair it with a clean body font.

- | Header Font | Body Font |

- |-------------|-----------|

- | Georgia | Calibri |

- | Arial Black | Arial |

- | Calibri | Calibri Light |

- | Cambria | Calibri |

- | Trebuchet MS | Calibri |

- | Impact | Arial |

- | Palatino | Garamond |

- | Consolas | 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—don't fill every inch

- ### Avoid (Common Mistakes)

- - **Don't repeat the same layout** — vary columns, cards, and callouts across slides

- - **Don't center body text** — left-align paragraphs and lists; center only titles

- - **Don't skimp on size contrast** — titles need 36pt+ to stand out from 14-16pt body

- - **Don't default to blue** — pick colors that reflect the specific topic

- - **Don't mix spacing randomly** — choose 0.3" or 0.5" gaps and use consistently

- - **Don't style one slide and leave the rest plain** — commit fully or keep it simple throughout

- - **Don't create text-only slides** — add images, icons, charts, or visual elements; avoid plain title + bullets

- - **Don't forget text box padding** — when aligning lines or shapes with text edges, set `margin: 0` on the text box or offset the shape to account for padding

- - **Don't use low-contrast elements** — icons AND text need strong contrast against the background; avoid light text on light backgrounds or dark text on dark backgrounds

- - **NEVER use accent lines under titles** — these are a hallmark of AI-generated slides; use whitespace or background color instead

- ---

- ## QA (Required)

- **Assume there are problems. Your job is to find them.**

- Your first render is almost never correct. Approach QA as a bug hunt, not a confirmation step. If you found zero issues on first inspection, you weren't looking hard enough.

- ### Content QA

- ```bash

- python -m markitdown output.pptx

- ```

- Check for missing content, typos, wrong order.

- **When using templates, check for leftover placeholder text:**

- ```bash

- ```

- If grep returns results, fix them before declaring success.

- ### Visual QA

- **⚠️ USE SUBAGENTS** — even for 2-3 slides. You've been staring at the code and will see what you expect, not what's there. Subagents have fresh eyes.

- Convert slides to images (see [Converting to Images](#converting-to-images)), then use this prompt:

- ```

- Visually inspect these slides. Assume there are issues — find them.

- Look for:

- - Overlapping elements (text through shapes, lines through words, stacked elements)

- - Text overflow or cut off at edges/box boundaries

- - Decorative lines positioned for single-line text but title wrapped to two lines

- - Source citations or footers colliding with content above

- - Elements too close (< 0.3" gaps) or cards/sections nearly touching

- - Uneven gaps (large empty area in one place, cramped in another)

- - Insufficient margin from slide edges (< 0.5")

- - Columns or similar elements not aligned consistently

- - Low-contrast text (e.g., light gray text on cream-colored background)

- - Low-contrast icons (e.g., dark icons on dark backgrounds without a contrasting circle)

- - Text boxes too narrow causing excessive wrapping

- - Leftover placeholder content

- For each slide, list issues or areas of concern, even if minor.

- Read and analyze these images:

- 1. /path/to/slide-01.jpg (Expected: [brief description])

- 2. /path/to/slide-02.jpg (Expected: [brief description])

- Report ALL issues found, including minor ones.

- ```

- ### Verification Loop

- 1. Generate slides → Convert to images → Inspect

- 2. **List issues found** (if none found, look again more critically)

- 3. Fix issues

- 4. **Re-verify affected slides** — one fix often creates another problem

- 5. Repeat until a full pass reveals no new issues

- **Do not declare success until you've completed at least one fix-and-verify cycle.**

+ description: Create, inspect, edit, render, and validate PowerPoint PPTX presentations with deliberate visual hierarchy.

+ metadata:

+ xopc:

+ emoji: "📊"

+ requires_tools:

+ - read_file

+ - write_file

+ - exec_command

---

- ## Converting to Images

- Convert presentations to individual slide images for visual inspection:

+ # PPTX studio

- ```bash

- python scripts/office/soffice.py --headless --convert-to pdf output.pptx

- pdftoppm -jpeg -r 150 output.pdf slide

- ```

+ Use this skill for slide decks and `.pptx` files. Preserve supplied templates and always visually

+ inspect changed slides before calling the result complete.

- This creates `slide-01.jpg`, `slide-02.jpg`, etc.

+ ## Workflow

- To re-render specific slides after fixes:

+ 1. Inspect the deck's slide size, master/layout use, typography, palette, notes, and representative

+ slides before editing.

+ 2. Draft the narrative first: audience, decision or action, slide sequence, and evidence per slide.

+ 3. Reuse the template's layouts when one is supplied. For new decks, establish a small type scale,

+ restrained palette, and one consistent visual motif.

+ 4. Make every slide earn its space. Prefer diagrams, data, images, or meaningful shapes over dense

+ bullet lists.

+ 5. Render a contact sheet and inspect every modified slide for clipping, overlap, unreadable text,

+ contrast, and broken media.

- ```bash

- pdftoppm -jpeg -r 150 -f N -l N output.pdf slide-fixed

- ```

+ ## Guardrails

- ---

+ - Do not overwrite a source presentation unless the user explicitly requests it.

+ - Preserve speaker notes, comments, and hidden slides unless the request changes them.

+ - Keep data claims traceable; label estimates and placeholders.

+ - Report the output path and any slides that require a human visual decision.

- ## Dependencies

+ ## Included resources

- - `pip install "markitdown[pptx]"` - text extraction

- - `pip install Pillow` - thumbnail grids

- - `npm install -g pptxgenjs` - creating from scratch

- - LibreOffice (`soffice`) - PDF conversion (auto-configured for sandboxed environments via `scripts/office/soffice.py`)

- - Poppler (`pdftoppm`) - PDF to images

+ - `scripts/inspect_ooxml.py`: inventories slides, notes, and embedded media.

+ - `scripts/render_pptx.py`: converts a deck with local LibreOffice and creates PNG slide previews.

+ - `references/qa-checklist.md`: narrative and visual review checklist.