/pptx-create

Create a new PowerPoint presentation using a template from the extracted library. Populate slides from an outline, vault notes, or a JSON content specification.

Usage

/pptx-create <title> [--template <slug>]
/pptx-create <title> --template <slug> --from <note-path>
/pptx-create --template <slug> --content <content.json>

Examples

/pptx-create "Q1 Architecture Review" --template baae-community-day-feb2026
/pptx-create "Alpha Programme Update" --from "Projects/Project - Alpha.md"
/pptx-create --template baae-community-day-feb2026 --content slides.json

Instructions

Phase 1: Select Template

1. If --template provided, load that template
2. If not provided, list available templates and ask user to choose:

python3 .claude/scripts/pptx_create.py --list-templates

Use AskUserQuestion to select:

Question: "Which template should be used?"
Header: "Template"
Options:
  1. "<most recent template>" (Recommended)
  2. "<other template>"
  3. "List all layouts first"

Phase 2: Define Content

Determine the content source based on user input:

Option A: Interactive Outline

If user provides just a title, help them build an outline interactively:

1. Ask for the presentation structure (sections/topics)
2. For each section, ask for key points
3. Map each section to an appropriate layout

Option B: From Vault Note

If --from <note-path> is provided:

1. Read the vault note
2. Extract headings, key points, and relationships
3. Map sections to slides automatically:
   • H1 → Title slide
   • H2 → Section headers
   • H3 + bullets → Content slides
   • Tables → Content slides with table data
   • Images → Image layout slides

Option C: JSON Content Specification

If --content <file> is provided, use the JSON directly. Format:

{
  "title": "Presentation Title",
  "slides": [
    {
      "layout": "title-slide",
      "content": {
        "title": "Presentation Title",
        "subtitle": "Author — Date"
      }
    },
    {
      "layout": "section-divider-dark-blue",
      "content": {
        "title": "Section Name"
      }
    },
    {
      "layout": "single-column-text",
      "content": {
        "title": "Slide Title",
        "body": ["Bullet 1", "Bullet 2", "Bullet 3"]
      },
      "notes": "Speaker notes here"
    },
    {
      "layout": "two-column-text",
      "content": {
        "title": "Comparison",
        "left": ["Before item 1", "Before item 2"],
        "right": ["After item 1", "After item 2"]
      }
    },
    {
      "layout": "large-image-large-text",
      "content": {
        "title": "Architecture Diagram",
        "image": "Attachments/diagram.png",
        "body": "Key architecture overview"
      }
    }
  ]
}

Phase 3: Layout Mapping

Show available layouts for the selected template:

python3 .claude/scripts/pptx_create.py --list-layouts <slug>

Map content to layouts using these guidelines:

Content Type	Suggested Layouts
Title/opening	title-slide, title-slide-abba-confident-blue
Section break	section-divider-dark-blue, section-divider-corporate-blue
Bullet points	single-column-text, 1-single-column-text
Two columns	two-column-text, 5050-text-and-image
Image + text	large-image-large-text, wide-image-and-text
Multiple images	4x-images, 6x-images, 8x-images
Chart/data	1x-chart-white, 5-two-content
Thank you/close	thank-you-image, 1-thank-you-image
Agenda	8x-agenda

Phase 4: Preview Plan

Before generating, show the plan:

python3 .claude/scripts/pptx_create.py --template <slug> --content <spec.json> --dry-run

Present as:

Planned Presentation: "Q1 Architecture Review"
Template: BAAE Community Day Feb2026

  1. [title-slide] Q1 2026 Architecture Review
  2. [section-divider-dark-blue] Programme Updates
  3. [single-column-text] Alpha Status
  4. [two-column-text] Before / After
  5. [large-image-large-text] Architecture Diagram
  6. [thank-you-image] Thank You

Proceed with generation?

Phase 5: Generate PPTX

Write the content specification to a temporary JSON file, then run:

python3 .claude/scripts/pptx_create.py --template <slug> --content /tmp/claude/slides.json --output "Attachments/<title>.pptx"

Phase 6: Create Vault Note (Optional)

Ask if the user wants a Concept note linking to the presentation:

---
type: Concept
title: <Presentation Title>
created: YYYY-MM-DD
modified: YYYY-MM-DD
tags:
  - presentation
  - slides
sourceType: PPTX
template: <template-slug>
slides: <count>
---

# <Presentation Title>

**Template:** <template name>
**Created:** YYYY-MM-DD
**Slides:** <count>

**File:** [[<filename>.pptx]]

## Slide Outline

1. **<slide title>** — <layout name>
2. **<slide title>** — <layout name>
...

## Related

- [[<linked project/meeting if applicable>]]

Phase 7: Report

Presentation created successfully!

  Title:     <title>
  Template:  <template name>
  Slides:    <count>
  Output:    Attachments/<filename>.pptx

Link in vault: [[<filename>.pptx]]

Next steps:
  - Open in PowerPoint to review and refine
  - Add to meeting note: [[Concept - <title>]]

Content Key Reference

Key	Placeholder Target	Value Type
title	Title placeholder (idx 0/1)	String
subtitle	Subtitle placeholder (idx 1/4)	String
body	First body placeholder	String or list of bullets
left	First body (two-column)	String or list
right	Second body (two-column)	String or list
image	First picture placeholder	File path
image_1, image_2...	Nth picture placeholder	File path
notes	Speaker notes	String

Error Handling

Error	Solution
Template not found	Run /pptx-templates to see available templates
Layout not found	Check layout slugs with --list-layouts
Image not found	Verify path relative to vault root
Output path issue	Check Attachments/ directory exists

Integration with Other Skills

• /pptx-extract-template — Extract templates from existing presentations
• /pptx-templates — Browse the template library
• /architecture-report — Generate architecture reports as presentations
• /project-report — Create project status presentations

Dependencies

• python-pptx — PPTX creation
• Template must be extracted first with /pptx-extract-template