Artifact Deck
Goal
Turn curated project notes and screenshots into a clean, reproducible .pptx deck:
- one manifest that defines the deck title, subtitle, status slides, and optional appendix images
- one input check before build
- one local PPTX build
- one share-safe markdown summary with a rebuild command template and slide list
This skill is for deterministic stakeholder packaging, not autonomous research or design generation.
It requires Python 3.9+ and python-pptx.
Use This Skill When
- release notes, weekly updates, or launch artifacts need to become a decision-ready deck
- browser screenshots or diagrams should be included as appendix slides
- the user wants a rebuildable
.pptxinstead of a one-off manual slide edit - you need a concise executive or client status deck from repo-local notes
Quick Start
-
Initialize the manifest.
- Install the dependency once in the environment:
python3 -m pip install python-pptx. - Use
python3 {baseDir}/scripts/init_artifact_deck_manifest.py --title <title> --subtitle <subtitle> --section "What Changed=/abs/path/changes.md" --out <manifest.json>. - Repeat
--sectionfor more markdown-backed status slides. - Optional: repeat
--slide "Risks=Pending scan|Need approval"for direct bullet slides. - Optional: repeat
--image "Browser Proof=/abs/path/screenshot.png|Upload flow after publish"for appendix slides.
- Install the dependency once in the environment:
-
Validate the inputs.
- Use
python3 {baseDir}/scripts/check_artifact_deck_inputs.py --manifest <manifest.json> --out <check.json>. - Fix missing content or image-path errors before building.
- Use
-
Build the deck.
- Use
python3 {baseDir}/scripts/build_artifact_deck.py --manifest <manifest.json> --deck-out <deck.pptx> --out <build.json>. - This writes the
.pptxand a small JSON build summary.
- Use
-
Render the summary.
- Use
python3 {baseDir}/scripts/render_artifact_deck_summary.py --manifest <manifest.json> --check <check.json> --build <build.json> --out <summary.md>. - Share the deck and the summary together; the summary omits absolute local paths and keeps only a rebuild command template.
- Use
Operating Rules
Scope rules
- Keep the promise narrow: curated notes and screenshots in, reproducible
.pptxout. - Prefer concise bullets. Six bullets per slide is a practical ceiling.
- Treat missing or mistyped file paths as hard failures.
Deck rules
- Use a title slide plus focused status slides.
- Put screenshots and diagrams in appendix slides unless the user explicitly wants them inline.
- Keep slide titles explicit:
What Changed,Risks,Asks,Appendix, or equivalent.
Bundled Scripts
scripts/init_artifact_deck_manifest.py- Build a manifest from markdown sections, direct bullet slides, and optional image appendix entries.
scripts/check_artifact_deck_inputs.py- Validate manifest structure, bullet availability, and image paths.
scripts/build_artifact_deck.py- Generate the
.pptxand a machine-readable build summary.
- Generate the
scripts/render_artifact_deck_summary.py- Render a concise markdown summary with the deck filename, slide count, and a rebuild command template.