Beamer

Beamer Slide Workflow

Universal skill for academic Beamer presentations. Full lifecycle: create → sync/compile → review → polish → verify.

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0. REFERENCE PREAMBLE

When creating new slides, use this as the default preamble unless the user has a custom template.

\documentclass[aspectratio=169,10pt]{beamer}

\usetheme{Madrid}
\usecolortheme{default}
\setbeamertemplate{navigation symbols}{}
\setbeamertemplate{footline}[frame number]

\usepackage{amsmath,amssymb,amsthm,booktabs,mathtools}
\usepackage{stmaryrd}  % for \llbracket, \rrbracket
\usepackage{graphicx}  % for \includegraphics (extracted figures)
\usepackage{hyperref}
\usepackage{tikz}
\usetikzlibrary{arrows.meta,positioning,decorations.pathreplacing}

% Semantic colors — use in BOTH text and TikZ for global consistency
\definecolor{positive}{HTML}{0173B2}       % blue (correct, advantage)
\definecolor{negative}{HTML}{DE8F05}       % orange (limitation, drawback)
\definecolor{emphasis}{HTML}{029E73}        % green (highlight, key finding)
\definecolor{neutral}{gray}{0.55}          % muted context
\definecolor{cbPurple}{HTML}{CC78BC}        % additional accent
\newcommand{\pos}[1]{\textcolor{positive}{#1}}
\newcommand{\con}[1]{\textcolor{negative}{#1}}
\newcommand{\HL}[1]{\textcolor{emphasis}{#1}}

Rules:

• Always 10pt — 11pt or 12pt produces oversized, sparse slides.
• Always aspectratio=169 — modern projectors are 16:9.
• Default presenter: \author{USTC_Jaxon-JP(最闲的下饭菜)} and \institute{University of Science and Technology of China}. Override only if user specifies otherwise.
• If user provides a custom preamble, header file, or theme: use theirs.
• Add domain-specific macros (e.g. \newcommand{\F}{\mathbb{F}}) as needed.
• Algorithm/code packages (add only when needed):
• Algorithms: \usepackage[ruled,lined]{algorithm2e} — set \SetAlgoLined, \DontPrintSemicolon
• Code listings: \usepackage{listings} — set basicstyle=\ttfamily\small, keywordstyle=\bfseries\color{positive}, commentstyle=\color{neutral}. Max 10 lines of code per slide; highlight key lines with escapeinside={(*@}{@*)} and \colorbox.
• Pseudocode: \usepackage{algorithmic} — simpler than algorithm2e, suitable for short procedures.
• Data plotting (add only when needed):
• \usepackage{pgfplots} + \pgfplotsset{compat=1.18} — data-driven plots (bar, scatter, error bars, histograms). Far more efficient than manual TikZ coordinate plots for data visualization.
• \usepackage{subcaption} — multiple subfigures in one frame via \begin{subfigure}{0.48\textwidth}.
• Theorem environments: Beamer provides theorem, lemma, corollary, definition, example, proof out of the box (styled by the theme). Use them for formal statements — they get automatic numbering and consistent styling. Customize with \setbeamertemplate{theorems}[numbered] or [ams style].

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1. HARD RULES (Non-Negotiable)

1. No overlays — never use \pause, \onslide, \only, \uncover. Use multiple slides for progressive builds, color emphasis for attention. Common replacement patterns:

• Progressive formula build-up: slide A shows the base equation, slide B copies it and adds the next term (grayed-out terms from slide A stay as context). Copy-paste the full frame and extend.
• Step-by-step list reveal: slide A shows items 1-2, slide B shows 1-4 (items 1-2 repeated). Use \textcolor{neutral}{} on previously-shown items to mute them.
• Diagram incremental build: slide A shows the base structure, slide B adds annotations/edges. Duplicate the tikzpicture and append new elements — never delete prior elements.

1. Max 2 colored boxes per slide — more dilutes emphasis. Demote transitional remarks to plain italic.
2. Motivation before formalism — every concept starts with "Why?" before "What?".
3. Worked example within 2 slides of every definition.
4. XeLaTeX on the platform — prefer XeLaTeX, never pdflatex.
5. Beamer .tex is the single source of truth — TikZ diagrams, content, notation all originate here.
6. Verify after every task — sync to the remote platform, inspect the remote compile log/status, open the resulting PDF.
7. Telegraphic style — keyword phrases, not full sentences. Slides are speaker prompts, not manuscripts. Exception: framing sentences that set up a definition or transition. Each bullet item should be ≤2 lines (~15 words) — if longer, split into sub-items or rewrite more concisely.
8. Every slide earns its place — each slide must contain at least one substantive element (formula, diagram, table, theorem, or algorithm). A slide with only 3 short bullets and nothing else must be merged or enriched.
9. Box-interior overflow guard — alertblock, exampleblock, and block environments add internal padding (~15% less width, ~12-16pt extra height for title bar + vertical padding). Content that fits on a bare slide can overflow inside a box in both directions. Rules:

• Vertical overflow (most common, hardest to detect): display math (\[ \]) + text below it inside a single box easily exceeds vertical capacity. Limit box content to one display equation OR 2-3 short bullet items — not both. Never use aggressive \vspace{-Xpt} inside a box; it pulls bottom content past the border.
• Horizontal overflow: never use \qquad inside a box; use \quad or ,. If a display equation is wider than ~70% of \textwidth on a bare slide, reformat before placing inside a box.
• Beamer suppresses overfull warnings inside blocks — zero compile warnings does NOT guarantee no visual overflow. Always visually verify every box in the PDF.

1. Reference slide — the second-to-last slide (before Thank You) must be a References slide listing key cited works. Use \begin{thebibliography}{9} with \small. Include the primary paper and 3-5 most relevant references.
2. Color and contrast standards — text-background contrast ratio ≥ 4.5:1 (WCAG AA). Never use red+green for binary contrasts (color blindness affects ~8% of men). Prefer blue+orange. Semantic color commands defined in preamble: \pos{} = positive/correct (blue), \con{} = negative/limitation (orange), \HL{} = emphasis/key finding (green), \textcolor{neutral}{} = de-emphasized. These are color-blind safe. Limit total palette to 3-5 colors.
3. Visual hierarchy in font sizes — slide title: 20-24pt (beamer default), key findings/theorems: normal size with \textbf, supporting text: normal, labels/captions: \small minimum. Never use \tiny for any user-facing content.
4. Backup slides — after the Thank You slide, include 3-5 backup slides for anticipated questions. Use \appendix before backup section. Separate from main deck with a \begin{frame}{Backup Slides}\end{frame} divider. Backup slides should NOT count toward the timing allocation. Content to include (derive from Phase 0 material analysis):

• Full proof of the main theorem (if only a sketch was shown in the main deck)
• Parameter choices / security analysis details (for crypto/protocol papers)
• Extended comparison table with additional baselines
• Experimental setup details (hardware, hyperparameters, datasets)
• Definitions of prerequisites that were assumed known (in case someone asks)

1. Columns layout — use \begin{columns}[T] + \column{W\textwidth} for side-by-side content. Rules:

• Comparison / parallel content: two columns at 0.48\textwidth each (leave 0.04 gap).
• Figure + text: figure column 0.45-0.55, text column 0.40-0.50, gap 0.05.
• Three columns maximum: each ≤ 0.30\textwidth, only for short items (icons, stats, one-liners).
• Never nest columns inside columns.
• Always use [T] (top-align) unless deliberately centering.
• Columns content follows the same density constraints as regular slides.

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LOCAL DEPENDENCY POLICY

Assume common local helper tools are available by default.

General rule: do NOT proactively install dependencies before running a task.

Use dependency handling as follows:

1. For compile [file], first check whether a working local TeX compilation environment is available (latexmk, xelatex, or equivalent), because the workflow branches on that result.
2. If local compilation is available, compile locally first.
3. If local compilation tools are missing, ask the user whether to install the missing local dependencies or go directly to USTC LaTeX remote compilation.
4. For other helper tools, use lazy dependency handling: attempt the requested operation first.
5. If it fails because a local dependency is missing, identify the exact missing tool or module.
6. If a fallback path exists, use the fallback and continue.
7. Otherwise, report the missing dependency clearly and suggest an installation command.

Optional helper tools must not block the main workflow when a reasonable fallback exists.

The main workflow is:

• local Beamer authoring
• local PDF understanding
• remote LaTeX compilation

2. ACTIONS

Parse $ARGUMENTS to determine which action to run. If no action specified, ask.

2.1 compile [file]

Compilation has two branches:

1. Local-first branch: check whether a working local TeX compilation environment is available (latexmk, xelatex, or equivalent). If yes, compile locally first.
2. USTC remote branch: if local compilation tools are unavailable, ask the user whether to install the missing local dependencies or go directly to USTC LaTeX (https://latex.ustc.edu.cn). If the user does not care, recommend the remote branch.

For the USTC remote branch, keep the user's primary development remote unchanged, add USTC LaTeX as a second remote, and let the platform perform the XeLaTeX build.

# project address copied from the platform
git clone https://git@latex.ustc.edu.cn/git/****************

# add as a second remote locally
git remote add ustc-latex https://git@latex.ustc.edu.cn/git/****************

# for each update
git push ustc-latex HEAD

Rules:

• Check local compilation availability first.
• If local TeX tools are missing, ask whether to install local dependencies or use the USTC remote branch.
• Keep the user's primary development remote unchanged; add USTC LaTeX as a second remote.
• Ask for the project Git URL and Git token if missing. The preferred user-provided format is the full platform copy command: git clone https://git@latex.ustc.edu.cn/git/****************.
• If the user provides the full git clone ... command, extract the URL part before running git remote add.
• After the current local Beamer version is written, sync the latest deck to USTC LaTeX immediately.
• Do not use git push --force / git pull --force. If the remote Git state is broken, re-clone.
• After push, tell the user to confirm the project compiler is XeLaTeX on the platform. Some interfaces may label this as xelatex or xlatex mode.

Post-sync checks:

• Confirm local compile status if the local branch was used
• Confirm push succeeded
• Ask the user to inspect the remote compile log/PDF on the platform, or provide the exported PDF/log for diagnosis
• If a PDF is available locally, open it for visual verification
• Report: sync success/failure, remote compile status (if known), and next action

2.2 create [topic]

Collaborative, iterative lecture creation. Strict phase gates — never skip ahead.

Phase 0: Material Analysis (if papers/materials provided)

Read first, ask later. Must understand the content before asking meaningful questions.

• Read the full paper/materials thoroughly
• Prioritize local PDF analysis before slide drafting when source PDFs are provided
• Extract: core contribution, key techniques, main theorems, comparison with prior work
• Map notation conventions
• Identify the paper's logical structure and which parts are slide-worthy
• Internally note: prerequisite knowledge, natural section boundaries, what could be skipped or expanded

Do NOT present results or ask questions yet — proceed directly to Phase 1.

Phase 1: Needs Interview (MANDATORY — informed by Phase 0)

Conduct a content-driven interview via AskUserQuestion. The questions below are the minimum required set — you MUST also add paper-specific questions derived from Phase 0.

Minimum required questions (always ask):

1. Duration: How long is the presentation?
2. Audience level: Who are the listeners?

Optional question (ask when the talk is a journal club, defense, or user seems to want rehearsal support):

1. Speaker notes: Would you like speaker notes in the Presenter View? If yes, \note{} blocks will be added per frame with telegraphic talking points (key message, transition cue, anticipated questions). Requires adding \setbeameroption{show notes on second screen=right} to the preamble for dual-screen display.

Content-driven questions (derive from Phase 0, ask as many as needed):

• Prerequisite knowledge: List concrete technical dependencies identified in Phase 0. Ask which ones the audience knows. E.g., "The paper builds on sumcheck and polynomial commitments. Should I review these?" — not "familiar with basic algebra?".
• Content scope: Offer the paper's actual components as options. Ask which to emphasize, skip, or briefly mention.
• Depth vs. breadth: If the paper has both intuitive overview and detailed constructions, ask which the user prefers.
• Paper-specific decisions: E.g., if the paper compares two constructions, ask whether to present both equally or focus on one.

Guidelines:

• Options should come from the paper's actual content, not generic templates.
• 3-6 questions total; don't over-ask, don't under-ask.
• If something is obvious from context (e.g., user said "讨论班"), infer rather than ask.

Slide count heuristic: ~1 slide per 1.5-2 minutes.

Timing allocation table:

| Duration | Total slides | Intro/Motivation | Methods/Background | Core content | Summary/Conclusion | |----------|-------------|------------------|-------------------|-------------|-------------------| | 5min (lightning) | 5-7 | 1-2 | 0-1 | 2-3 | 1 | | 10min (short) | 8-12 | 2 | 1-2 | 4-5 | 1 | | 15min (conference) | 10-15 | 2-3 | 2-3 | 5-7 | 1-2 | | 20min (seminar) | 13-18 | 3 | 2-3 | 6-9 | 2 | | 45min (keynote) | 22-30 | 4-5 | 5-7 | 10-14 | 2-3 | | 90min (lecture) | 45-60 | 5-6 | 8-12 | 25-35 | 3-4 |

Talk-type specific tips:

| Talk type | Key emphasis | Common mistake | |-----------|-------------|----------------| | Lightning (5min) | One core message, no background review | Cramming a full talk into 5 minutes | | Conference (10-20min) | 1-2 key results, fast methods overview | Too much technical detail, no big picture | | Seminar (45min) | Deep dive OK, but need visual rhythm | Wall-to-wall formulas without examples | | Defense/Thesis | Demonstrate mastery, systematic coverage | Skipping motivation, rushing results | | Journal club | Critical analysis, facilitate discussion | Summarizing without evaluating | | Grant pitch | Significance → feasibility → impact | Too technical, not enough "why it matters" |

Time distribution principle: Spend 40-50% of time on core content (results/techniques). Max 3-4 consecutive theory-heavy slides before a worked example or visual break.

Phase 2: Structure Plan (GATE — user must approve before drafting)

Produce a detailed outline. For each section:

• Section title
• Number of slides allocated
• Key content points per slide (1-2 lines each)
• TikZ diagrams or figures planned (brief description)
• Notation to introduce

Present the plan to the user. Ask: structure OK? Expand/shrink/cut anything?

Do NOT proceed to drafting until user approves.

Phase 3: Draft (iterative, batched)

This phase is the most critical. Follow all sub-rules strictly.

3a. Writing Style

• Telegraphic keywords,

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Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: JaxonJP
• Source: JaxonJP/beamer-skill
• License: MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.