Create Slide

Create slides & decks

SlideForge is a compiler: a slide is a typed intent (form + typed content fields) rendered deterministically into native, editable .pptx — no LLM in the render path. $0.05/slide, usable-or-free; identical input re-renders free.

The reliable path (use for real content)

1. Pick the form. browse_catalog lists 150+ patterns (kpimetrics, waterfallbridge,

ganttplan, funnel, orgstructure, datatable, comparisonmatrix, timeline_roadmap, …). Unsure? plan_slide with a one-line brief returns ranked candidates, free.

1. Get the contract. browse_catalog with type=schema + the form returns the JSON Schema

and a copy-pasteable example intent. Start from the example; swap in the user's real content; keep the advertised field names exactly.

1. Dry-run. Send the intent with dry_run: true → status: validated + a

fidelity_forecast at $0. If errors[] come back, each carries a machine code and a remedy — fix and re-dry-run. Never pay to discover a validation error.

1. Render. Same payload without dry_run. The response embeds a preview PNG inline, cost,

and the fidelity manifest. The editable file downloads separately (see below).

For a whole deck: ONE create_deck call with slides[] (a list of create_slide intents). Parallel render, one merged pptx, per-slide fidelity rollup; failed slides are isolated and free.

Quick path (throwaway / exploratory)

A plain-text brief renders in one call — the engine routes it to a form. Fine for drafts; expect fidelity: ai_completed (the model structured your prose). For business numbers, always prefer typed fields.

Reading the response honestly

• fidelity: verbatim — every word/number came from the user's input. Say so.
• fidelity: mixed / ai_completed — the manifest names which fields a model completed.

Tell the user which parts to double-check.

• fidelity: partial — some supplied content did not make it onto the slide. The manifest

names what was dropped. Never deliver a partial render without telling the user what's missing.

• status: completed_with_errors — the render is flawed and was NOT billed. Read the error

remedies, fix the intent, re-render. Do not deliver the artifact as if it were fine.

• warnings[] — quality advisories (density, contrast, overflow) with remedies; the slide

billed and is usable, but mention material ones.

Headless verification (Claude Code / Codex CLI — no widgets)

The preview PNG is embedded inline in the tool result — read it directly, no fetch needed. Always look at your own render before declaring done. Download the deliverable via header-auth:

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer sf_live_YOUR_KEY" \
  -o slide.pptx https://api.slideforge.dev/v1/jobs//pptx   # ownership-checked

If the preview shows a problem, fix the intent and re-render — refinement is a fresh $0.05 render (identical input is free, so only actual changes cost).

Escape hatch: mode=code

When no catalog form fits, create_slide with mode=code runs your python-pptx in a sandbox (same $0.05, deterministic). browse_catalog type=widgets / type=helpers lists the bundled board-grade widget + chart toolkit so you don't hand-roll primitives.

Do / don't

• DO put real content in data.* typed fields; DON'T paste it into a brief when it matters.
• DO fix errors by their remedy; DON'T retry an identical failed payload.
• DO use one create_deck for multi-slide; DON'T loop create_slide.
• DO pass theme_id (or upload a theme PPTX via upload_asset(purpose="theme", data=))

for branding — uploaded themes render NATIVE by default, built ON the client's own template file (master, layouts, fonts).

• DO use create_slide(form="template_layout", theme_id=..., data={"layout": ..., "fills": ...})

to fill the template's own designed cover/agenda/divider slides verbatim.

Source & license

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

• Author: smartdatabrokers
• Source: smartdatabrokers/slideforge-mcp
• License: MIT
• Homepage: https://slideforge.dev

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