PPTX Skill

Dependencies are pre-installed in the sandbox — do NOT pip install, npm install, or apt-get install anything. Just import or invoke directly. The sandbox runs as a non-root user without sudo, so apt-get install ... will fail with a permission error and sudo apt-get ... will fail with sudo: not found. If a CLI tool returns not found, fall back to the equivalent Python library on this page rather than attempting to install it.

• Python libraries (always present): python-pptx, markitdown[pptx], Pillow.
• JavaScript libraries (always present, in /usr/lib/node_modules): pptxgenjs, react, react-dom, react-icons, sharp. See pptxgenjs.md for the NODE_PATH invocation — without it, node my_script.js will fail with Cannot find module 'pptxgenjs'.

Reading PPTX text — use read_file

For any request to read, summarise, analyse, or extract text from a deck, call read_file directly:

read_file(path="path/to/presentation.pptx")

The harness parses .pptx natively via markitdown and returns slide text as markdown. Pagination via offset/limit is free (cached). Do NOT shell out to python -m markitdown or pip install python-pptx for plain reading — that subprocess hop is exactly what read_file eliminates.

Use the helpers below only when read_file is not enough (visual overview of slides, raw XML access, editing, or creating from scratch).

Quick Reference

Task	Guide
Read / analyze content	read_file(path="presentation.pptx")
Visual overview of slides	python scripts/thumbnail.py presentation.pptx
Edit or create from template	Read editing.md
Create from scratch	Read pptxgenjs.md

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Reading Content (advanced cases only)

For plain text reading use read_file (see top of skill). Use the recipes here when you need a visual layout (thumbnails) or surgical XML access:

# Visual overview of every slide
python scripts/thumbnail.py presentation.pptx

# Raw XML access (rare — for surgical edits, not for reading)
python scripts/office/unpack.py presentation.pptx unpacked/

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Editing Workflow

Read editing.md for full details.

1. Analyze template with thumbnail.py
2. Unpack → manipulate slides → edit content → clean → pack

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Creating from Scratch

Read pptxgenjs.md for full details.

Use when no template or reference presentation is available.

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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:

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. 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

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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

python -m markitdown output.pptx

Check for missing content, typos, wrong order.

When using templates, check for leftover placeholder text:

python -m markitdown output.pptx | grep -iE "xxxx|lorem|ipsum|this.*(page|slide).*layout"

If grep returns results, fix them before declaring success.

Verification Loop

1. Generate slides → run python -m markitdown output.pptx to inspect content
2. List issues found (typos, missing content, wrong order, leftover placeholders)
3. Fix issues
4. Re-run markitdown on affected slides
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.

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Dependencies (all pre-installed)

• markitdown[pptx] — text extraction (Python; just import).
• Pillow — thumbnail grids (Python; just import).
• pptxgenjs — creating from scratch (npm, installed globally; just require('pptxgenjs')).

Do NOT pip install or npm install any of these — they are already on PATH in every sandbox.