pptx-from-layouts

Generate consultant-quality PowerPoint decks from markdown outlines —
using your template's actual slide layouts, not text overlays.

The Problem

Most PowerPoint generation tools treat templates as backgrounds to overlay text on. They:

Duplicate decorative slides and add text boxes on top
Fight with background designs and watermarks
Ignore the template's carefully designed slide layouts
Produce amateur-looking results

The Solution

pptx-from-layouts understands PowerPoint's architecture. It:

Profiles your template's slide master layouts
Maps your semantic content to appropriate layouts
Places content in proper placeholders
Preserves your template's professional design

Quick Start

Install it yourself (one prompt)

Paste this into Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, or any other coding agent and it'll
install the skill, wire it up to your own template, and leave you with a working
generate.py you can run from anywhere:

Please install the pptx-from-layouts Claude skill from
https://github.com/tristan-mcinnis/pptx-from-layouts-skill and adapt it to my
setup:

1. Clone the repo to a scratch directory, or fetch the .claude/skills/pptx-from-layouts
   folder directly.
2. Copy that folder to ~/.claude/skills/pptx-from-layouts/ (create the parent if
   needed). Confirm `~/.claude/skills/pptx-from-layouts/SKILL.md` exists.
3. Install the one Python dep: `pip install python-pptx` (Python 3.10+).
4. Ask me which PowerPoint template I want to use as the default. If I give you
   one, copy it to ~/.claude/skills/pptx-from-layouts/templates/default.pptx
   and run
     python ~/.claude/skills/pptx-from-layouts/scripts/profile.py \
       ~/.claude/skills/pptx-from-layouts/templates/default.pptx --generate-config
   to emit the matching config JSON alongside it. If I don't have one, use the
   bundled Inner Chapter template shipped in templates/.
5. Smoke test: generate the canonical example with my new default template and
   open it so I can eyeball it.
6. Tell me the three commands I'll actually use day-to-day (generate, edit, validate)
   with my template path baked in.

Or install it manually

# 1. Clone or download this repo
git clone https://github.com/tristan-mcinnis/pptx-from-layouts-skill.git
cd pptx-from-layouts-skill

# 2. Copy the skill into your Claude Code skills directory
mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills
cp -r .claude/skills/pptx-from-layouts ~/.claude/skills/

# 3. Install the one Python dependency
pip install python-pptx

Generate a Presentation

python ~/.claude/skills/pptx-from-layouts/scripts/generate.py \
  outline.md -o presentation.pptx --template your-template.pptx

Profile a New Template

python ~/.claude/skills/pptx-from-layouts/scripts/profile.py \
  corporate-template.pptx --generate-config

Outline Format

Write markdown with visual type declarations:

# Slide 1: Project Overview
**Visual: hero-statement**
Transforming operations through digital innovation

---

# Slide 2: Our Approach
**Visual: process-3-phase**

[Column 1: Discover]
- Stakeholder interviews
- Competitive audit

[Column 2: Define]
- Workshop facilitation
- Strategic framework

[Column 3: Deliver]
- Implementation
- Training & handover

---

# Slide 3: Investment Summary
**Visual: table**

| Category | Investment |
|----------|------------|
| Research | $50,000 |
| Design | $75,000 |
| **Total** | **$125,000** |

Visual Types

Type	Use When
`hero-statement`	Single punchy tagline
`process-N-phase`	Sequential steps (2-5)
`comparison-N`	Side-by-side options
`cards-N`	Discrete parallel items
`table`	Tabular data
`timeline-horizontal`	Date-based sequences
`quote-hero`	Powerful quote

See full reference →

Features

Semantic Layout Selection — Visual types map to appropriate template layouts
Typography Markers — {blue}, {bold}, {question} for rich formatting
Template Profiling — Works with any well-designed PPTX template
Edit Mode — Surgical changes to existing decks
Validation — Built-in quality checks

Workflows

Scenario	Command
New presentation from outline	`generate.py outline.md -o deck.pptx`
Use corporate template	`profile.py template.pptx` then generate
Fix typos in existing deck	`edit.py deck.pptx --inventory -o inv.json` → edit `paragraphs[i].text` → `edit.py deck.pptx --replace inv.json`
Reorder slides	`edit.py deck.pptx --reorder "0,2,1,3,4"`

Mode Decision

Change Type	Action
New presentation	generate.py
Typos/values (< 30% slides)	edit.py
Reorder slides	edit.py --reorder
Layout changes	Regenerate
Add/remove slides	Regenerate
> 30% slide changes	Regenerate

Example Output

See examples/q1-strategy/ for a complete example:

outline.md — Input markdown outline
output.pptx — Generated presentation
thumbnail.jpg — Visual preview

Why This Skill?

We tested 32 PowerPoint generation skills. Most use an "inventory/replace" approach
that overlays text on template slides — which breaks with many professional templates.

pptx-from-layouts takes a different approach: it uses your template's slide master
layouts properly, placing content in actual placeholders instead of fighting the design.

Skill	Score	Approach	Limitation
pptx-from-layouts	95	Slide master layouts	This repo
pptx-jjuidev	94	Template inventory/replace	Assumes text placeholders exist
anthropics-pptx	90.6	Template inventory/replace	Same limitation
elite-powerpoint-designer	90	HTML to PPTX	Creates from scratch, no template reuse
pptx-samhvw8	88	Template inventory/replace	Same limitation
k-dense-pptx	85	Direct python-pptx	Low-level, no semantic understanding
python-pptx	82	Library wrapper	Manual slide construction
powerpoint-igorwarzocha	80	Mixed approach	Incomplete implementation

The 7 alternatives above scored 80+/100 and are included in alternatives/ for comparison.
See detailed analysis →

Requirements

Python 3.10+
python-pptx (pip install python-pptx)
Claude Code (for skill integration)

License

MIT — See LICENSE for details.