PowerPoint Presentations

Quick Reference

| Task | How | |------|-----| | Create from scratch | get_slide_design_reference → create_presentation (PptxGenJS). Read pptxgenjs.md. | | Create from template | get_presentation_layouts → delete_slides (strip content) → add_slide → update_slide_content. Do NOT use create_presentation. | | Edit existing | analyze_presentation → update_slide_content. Read editing-guide.md. | | Verify | preview_presentation_slides after every change |

Design Ideas

Don't create boring slides. Plain bullets on a white background won't impress anyone.

Before Starting

Pick a bold, content-informed color palette: The palette should feel designed for THIS topic.
Dominance over equality: One color dominates (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, lighter tints for content slides. 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.

Color Palettes

Choose colors that match your topic — don't default to generic blue.

| Theme | Primary | Secondary | Accent | |-------|---------|-----------|--------| | Midnight Executive | 1E2761 (navy) | CADCFC (ice blue) | FFFFFF (white) | | Teal Trust | 028090 (teal) | 00A896 (seafoam) | 02C39A (mint) | | Forest & Moss | 2C5F2D (forest) | 97BC62 (moss) | F5F5F5 (cream) | | Berry & Cream | 6D2E46 (berry) | A26769 (dusty rose) | ECE2D0 (cream) | | Coral Energy | F96167 (coral) | F9E795 (gold) | 2F3C7E (navy) | | Ocean Gradient | 065A82 (ocean) | 1C7293 (teal) | 21295C (midnight) | | Charcoal Minimal | 36454F (charcoal) | F2F2F2 (off-white) | 212121 (black) | | Cherry Bold | 990011 (cherry) | FCF6F5 (off-white) | 2F3C7E (navy) | | Sage Calm | 84B59F (sage) | 69A297 (eucalyptus) | 50808E (slate) | | Warm Terracotta | B85042 (terracotta) | E7E8D1 (sand) | A7BEAE (sage) |

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 right)
Icon + text rows (icon in colored circle, bold header, description below)
2x2 or 2x3 grid (image one side, content blocks the other)
Half-bleed image (full left or right) 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

| Header Font | Body Font | |-------------|-----------| | Georgia | Calibri | | Arial Black | Arial | | Calibri Bold | Calibri Light | | Cambria | Calibri | | Trebuchet MS | Calibri |

| Element | Size | |---------|------| | Slide title | 36-44pt bold | | Section header | 20-24pt bold | | Body text | 14-16pt | | Captions | 10-12pt muted |

Font pairings: Georgia + Calibri (classic), Arial Black + Arial (modern), Calibri Bold + Calibri Light (corporate). Left-align body text; center only titles and stats.

Spacing

0.5" minimum margins from edges
0.3-0.5" between content blocks
0.5"+ breathing room below titles

Avoid (Common Mistakes)

Plain bullets on white background — always fill slides with a palette color
Default PowerPoint blue (#4472C4) — signals "auto-generated"
Don't repeat the same layout — vary columns, cards, and callouts across slides
Don't center body text — left-align paragraphs; center only titles and stats
Don't skimp on size contrast — titles need 36pt+ to stand out from 14-16pt body
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 shapes, icons, charts, or accent elements
Don't forget text box padding — set margin: 0 when aligning text with shapes at same x-position
Don't use low-contrast elements — text AND icons need strong contrast against background
NEVER use accent lines under titles — use whitespace or background color instead
Don't overcrowd slides — max 4 bullets; split to multiple slides or use 2x2/3-column grid

See design-guide.md for visual element code patterns (accent bars, icon circles, side stripes, cards).

Workflow

A. Create from scratch (no template)

Call get_slide_design_reference for palette and layout ideas
Call create_presentation with slides parameter (PptxGenJS). Read pptxgenjs.md for the full API.

B. Create from a template (user uploaded a .pptx template)

Do NOT use create_presentation — that ignores the template entirely and recreates from scratch.

Instead, use the template file as the base:

get_presentation_layouts("template-name") — see available layout names
preview_presentation_slides — inspect visual style (colors, logo, footer, chrome elements)
delete_slides("template-name", [indices of all content slides], "working-name") — strip example content, keep masters/layouts
add_slide("working-name", layout_name, position, "working-name-v2") — add slides using the template's own layouts (inherits background, logo, footer automatically)
update_slide_content(...) — fill in text and images

This preserves the template's slide master, theme, logo, footer, and background — things create_presentation cannot replicate.

C. Edit existing presentation

Read editing-guide.md for detailed workflows. Then: analyze_presentation → identify element IDs → update_slide_content.

Verify

Call preview_presentation_slides after any modification. Assume there are problems — inspect carefully.

When continuing a deck across conversation turns: Do NOT re-preview existing slides just to check the design system. The palette, fonts, and layout decisions from the previous turn are already in the conversation history — use that. Only re-preview if you need to verify the visual state after a modification.

Rules

Batch all edits in ONE update_slide_content call. Parallel calls cause data loss.
output_name must differ from presentation_name.
All slide indices are 0-based EXCEPT preview_presentation_slides which uses 1-based slide_numbers.
Filenames: letters, numbers, hyphens only.

QA (Required)

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

Your first render is almost never perfect. Approach QA as a bug hunt, not a confirmation step.

Visual QA

Call preview_presentation_slides and visually inspect the screenshots. Look for:

Overlapping elements (text through shapes, lines through words)
Text overflow or cut off at edges
Elements too close (< 0.3" gaps) or cards 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 (light text on light background, dark text on dark background)
Low-contrast icons without a contrasting background circle
Text boxes too narrow causing excessive wrapping
Inconsistent font sizes or styles across similar elements

Verification Loop

Generate → preview_presentation_slides → inspect screenshots
List issues found (if none found, look again more critically)
Fix with update_slide_content
Re-verify affected slides — one fix often creates another problem
Repeat until a full pass reveals no new issues

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

Tool Reference

get_slide_design_reference

Get design guidelines, color palettes, typography rules, and layout patterns.

| Parameter | Type | Required | Description | |-----------|------|----------|-------------| | topic | str | No (default "all") | "colors", "typography", "layouts", "pitfalls", "all" |

create_presentation

Create a new presentation with custom-designed slides (16:9 widescreen).

| Parameter | Type | Required | Description | |-----------|------|----------|-------------| | presentation_name | str | Yes | Filename without extension (letters, numbers, hyphens only) | | slides | list or null | Yes | List of {"custom_code": "..."} dicts, or null for blank |

Example tool_input:

{
  "presentation_name": "my-deck",
  "slides": [
    {"custom_code": "let slide = pres.addSlide();\nslide.background = { color: '1E2761' };\nslide.addText('Welcome', { x: 0.6, y: 2.5, w: 10, h: 1.5, fontSize: 44, bold: true, color: 'FFFFFF', align: 'center' });"}
  ]
}

IMPORTANT: custom_code uses pres in scope. Create slides with pres.addSlide(). Colors are 6-digit hex WITHOUT '#'. Do NOT reuse option objects across multiple addText/addShape calls. See pptxgenjs.md for full API.

analyze_presentation

Analyze structure with element IDs and positions for editing.

| Parameter | Type | Required | Description | |-----------|------|----------|-------------| | presentation_name | str | Yes | Presentation to analyze | | slide_index | int | No | Analyze a specific slide only | | include_notes | bool | No (default false) | Include speaker notes |

update_slide_content

Update one or more slides with operations in a single call.

| Parameter | Type | Required | Description | |-----------|------|----------|-------------| | presentation_name | str | Yes | Source file | | slide_updates | list | Yes | List of update operations | | output_name | str | Yes | Output filename (MUST differ from source) |

Supported actions per operation: set_text, replace_text, replace_image. See editing-guide.md for details.

add_slide

Add a new blank slide at a specific position.

| Parameter | Type | Required | Description | |-----------|------|----------|-------------| | presentation_name | str | Yes | Source presentation | | layout_name | str | Yes | Layout name from get_presentation_layouts | | position | int | Yes | 0-based index (-1 to append at end) | | output_name | str | Yes | Output filename |

After adding, populate content with update_slide_content.

delete_slides

| Parameter | Type | Required | |-----------|------|----------| | presentation_name | str | Yes | | slide_indices | list[int] | Yes (0-based) | | output_name | str | Yes |

move_slide

| Parameter | Type | Required | |-----------|------|----------| | presentation_name | str | Yes | | from_index | int | Yes (0-based) | | to_index | int | Yes (0-based) | | output_name | str | Yes |

duplicate_slide

| Parameter | Type | Required | Description | |-----------|------|----------|-------------| | presentation_name | str | Yes | | | source_index | int | Yes (0-based) | Slide to duplicate | | output_name | str | Yes | | | insert_position | int | No (default -1) | Where to insert copy; -1 appends after source |

update_slide_notes

| Parameter | Type | Required | |-----------|------|----------| | presentation_name | str | Yes | | slide_index | int | Yes (0-based) | | notes_text | str | Yes | | output_name | str | Yes |

list_my_powerpoint_presentations

List all presentations in workspace. No parameters needed.

get_presentation_layouts

Get available slide layouts from a presentation.

| Parameter | Type | Required | |-----------|------|----------| | presentation_name | str | Yes |

preview_presentation_slides

Get slide screenshots for visual inspection.

| Parameter | Type | Required | Description | |-----------|------|----------|-------------| | presentation_name | str | Yes | Presentation to preview | | slide_numbers | list[int] | Yes | 1-based slide numbers (not 0-based) |

UI Guidance (from tools-config)

Creating New Presentations:

Use get_slide_design_reference() first to get design guidelines and color palettes
create_presentation slides format: [{"custom_code": "let slide = pres.addSlide(); slide.addText(...)"}]
Each custom_code snippet has pres in scope; create slides with pres.addSlide()
Color format: 6-digit hex WITHOUT '#' (e.g. '1E2761', not '#1E2761')

Editing Existing Presentations:

Operations: set_text, replace_text, replace_image
Batch all edits in 1 call (parallel calls = data loss)
Output name must differ from source
preview_presentation_slides first to check layout

Design Philosophy (MANDATORY for new presentations):

CRITICAL: Choose ONE palette for the ENTIRE presentation. All slides must use the same primary and accent colors. Do NOT mix palettes across slides.
Bold dominant background colors (60-70% slide coverage). NEVER use plain white backgrounds.
Available palettes: Midnight Executive (#1E2761/#408EC6), Teal Trust (#0A1A2A/#028090), Forest & Moss (#2C5F2D/#97BC62), Berry & Cream (#ECE2D0/#6D2E46), Coral Energy (#1A1A2E/#FF6F61), Ocean Gradient (#065A82/#1B9AAA), Charcoal Minimal (#1C1C1E/#E8E8E8), Cherry Bold (#150E11/#990011), Sage Calm (#2D3A2D/#8FB96A)
Dark slides for emphasis, lighter tints of the SAME palette for data slides.
Every slide must have visual elements (shapes, accent bars, icon circles) — no text-only slides.

Typography:

Titles: 36-44pt bold (Georgia or Arial Black). Body: 14-16pt (Calibri). Stats: 48-120pt bold.
Font pairings: Georgia+Calibri (classic), Arial Black+Arial (modern), Calibri Bold+Calibri Light (corporate)
Left-align body text. Center only titles and stats.

Spacing:

0.5"+ margins from edges. 0.3-0.5" gaps between elements. 0.5"+ breathing room below titles.

Anti-Patterns (AVOID):

Plain bullets on white background
Default PowerPoint blue (#4472C4)
Accent lines directly under titles
Text-only slides without visual elements
More than 4 bullet points per slide

QA: Always use preview_presentation_slides after creation to verify appearance.

Rules:

Names: letters, numbers, hyphens only
Indices: 0-based