Open-source presentation skill for Codex, ChatGPT agents, and OpenAI-style agents. It builds, edits, and verifies editable PowerPoint .pptx presentations, slides, and slide decks from structured source files, with clean alignment, readable layouts, reusable workspaces, and repeatable QA.

Call the skill as presentation-skill. Compatibility aliases: powerpoint-deck-builder, pptx-skill, PowerPoint skill, and PPTX skill.

Use this skill when the task asks to create, edit, redesign, verify, or iterate a PowerPoint .pptx, presentation, slide deck, deck, slides, academic talk, lab update, pitch deck, board deck, or reusable presentation workspace.

Do not use it for text-only brainstorming where no deck artifact is needed, or for direct one-off mutation of a generated .pptx when the saved workspace source is available.

• Builds PowerPoint .pptx files from outline.json using the repo-owned pptxgenjs renderer by default.
• Falls back to the Python renderer for variants that need python-pptx features, such as native charts.
• Supports saved deck workspaces with design_brief.json, content_plan.json, evidence_plan.json, asset_plan.json, outline.json, notes.md, and reusable assets.
• Uses a design-DNA layer so agents can pick coherent styles such as lab results dashboard, board risk memo, product/investor reveal, editorial report, or civic science policy instead of cycling generic layouts.
• Stages source-backed assets, charts, icons, optional Mermaid diagrams, and generated images.
• Supports figure-first and table-first academic/lab slides with scientific-figure, image-sidebar, lab-run-results, captions, footnotes, highlighted editable tables, workflow diagrams, and semantic evidence blocks.
• Verifies decks for overflow, overlap, sparse layouts, placeholder text, and design-rule issues.
• Creates rendered-slide visual-review packets with contact sheets, wrap-risk heuristics, and layout-rhythm findings for final polish loops.

Clone or copy this repo into:

$CODEX_HOME/skills/presentation-skill

Codex, ChatGPT agents, and other OpenAI-style agents should trigger it for requests involving PowerPoint, PPTX, slide decks, slides, presentation design, deck generation, deck editing, layout QA, or reusable presentation workspaces.

Search aliases: PowerPoint skill, PPTX skill, presentation skill, slide deck generator, slides generator, deck builder, presentation generator.

Install dependencies once from the repo root:

pip install python-pptx "markitdown[pptx]"
npm install

Core generation does not require LibreOffice. Render-based verification uses LibreOffice soffice and Poppler pdftoppm when available.

Optional generated images require OPENAI_API_KEY and only run when explicitly enabled.

Build directly from an outline:

node scripts/build_deck_pptxgenjs.js \
  --outline examples/outline.json \
  --output out.pptx \
  --style-preset executive-clinical

Run verification without rendering slides:

python3 scripts/qa_gate.py \
  --input out.pptx \
  --outdir /tmp/pptx-qa \
  --style-preset executive-clinical \
  --strict-geometry \
  --skip-render \
  --fail-on-design-warnings \
  --report /tmp/pptx-qa/report.json

• Author source files first: outline.json, and for workspaces also design_brief.json, content_plan.json, evidence_plan.json, asset_plan.json, and notes.md.
• Build with repo scripts only. Do not write inline python-pptx or pptxgenjs deck code for normal use.
• Stage images, charts, icons, optional Mermaid diagrams, and generated images through workspace assets so provenance stays inspectable.
• Run QA before delivery. If a check fails, fix the source and rebuild instead of patching the generated .pptx artifact.
• Do not reinstall dependencies during a deck-generation task. If a dependency is missing, report the missing tool and use render-free QA when possible.

Use a workspace when the deck will be extended, audited, or rebuilt later:

python3 scripts/init_deck_workspace.py \
  --workspace decks/artemis-ii \
  --title "Artemis II Mission Update" \
  --style-preset executive-clinical

Edit the workspace source files, then rebuild:

python3 scripts/build_workspace.py \
  --workspace decks/artemis-ii \
  --qa \
  --overwrite

When the deck is close to final, add the rendered review packet:

python3 scripts/build_workspace.py \
  --workspace decks/artemis-ii \
  --qa \
  --visual-review \
  --overwrite

Workspace files:

• design_brief.json: audience posture, cover concept, structure strategy, grid constants, and card/container policy.
• content_plan.json: audience, thesis, slide roles, and visual strategy.
• evidence_plan.json: sourced claims, metrics, chart candidates, and gaps.
• asset_plan.json: images, generated images, charts, icons, and backgrounds to stage.
• outline.json: renderable slide structure.
• notes.md: data rules, design decisions, and unresolved assumptions.
• assets/: local source-backed images, diagrams, icons, and staged files.
• build/: generated deck and verification reports.

Stage source-backed assets through asset_plan.json:

python3 scripts/build_workspace.py \
  --workspace decks/artemis-ii \
  --allow-network-assets \
  --overwrite

Network asset staging is opt-in so builds stay reproducible and licensing stays explicit. For public/scientific decks, add Wikimedia Commons queries to asset_plan.json; the staging step writes local assets plus assets/attribution.csv, which can be cited in footers or an image-sources slide.

If the workspace still has the starter asset_plan.json, let the skill create a first source-backed visual pass:

python3 scripts/build_workspace.py \
  --workspace decks/artemis-ii \
  --plan-research-assets \
  --allow-network-assets \
  --qa \
  --overwrite

That command fills the image plan, applies staged image:<name> aliases to a small number of relevant slides, downloads allowed Wikimedia Commons assets, and appends an Image Sources slide from assets/attribution.csv.

Generated images are optional and should usually land on their own removable slide:

OPENAI_API_KEY=... python3 scripts/build_workspace.py \
  --workspace decks/artemis-ii \
  --allow-generated-images \
  --overwrite

Use variant: "generated-image" and assets.generated_image: "generated:<name>" in outline.json. The generated image slide includes model, prompt, purpose, and a deletion note.

For deliverable decks, run the workspace build with QA:

python3 scripts/build_workspace.py --workspace decks/artemis-ii --qa --overwrite

For full visual review, render slides and inspect the generated images:

python3 scripts/render_slides.py \
  --input decks/artemis-ii/build/artemis-ii.pptx \
  --outdir /tmp/artemis-renders \
  --emit-visual-prompt

python3 scripts/visual_review.py \
  --input decks/artemis-ii/build/artemis-ii.pptx \
  --outdir /tmp/artemis-review \
  --renders-dir /tmp/artemis-renders \
  --outline decks/artemis-ii/outline.json

For benchmark/regression work:

python3 scripts/benchmark_decks.py --outdir /tmp/pptx-benchmark --max-loops 2
npm run check:pptxgenjs-regression

• SKILL.md: agent entrypoint.
• DESIGN.md: design contract and layout rules.
• ROADMAP.md: improvement loops and release criteria.
• agents/openai.yaml: Codex/OpenAI skill metadata.
• scripts/: renderers, staging, QA, editing, and inspection tools.
• templates/pptxgenjs/: default renderer templates and style presets.
• references/: schema docs, workflow notes, and QA guidance.

Apache-2.0 for this repository's original code. See LICENSE.

Third-party npm/Python packages, optional external tools, source images, and generated images keep their own licenses or usage terms. This repo does not redistribute those dependencies.

Provenance note: this repository is not a fork or copy of another presentation skill. Public examples and external deck styles may inform evaluation criteria, but source code, docs, templates, and scripts in this repo are maintained here unless a file explicitly says otherwise.