Editing Presentations

Template-Based Workflow

When using an existing presentation as a template:

1. Copy and analyze:

   cp /path/to/user-provided.pptx template.pptx
   python -m markitdown template.pptx > template.md
   

   Review template.md to see placeholder text and slide structure.

2. Plan slide mapping: For each content section, choose a template slide.

   ⚠️ USE VARIED LAYOUTS, monotonous presentations are a common failure mode. Don't default to basic title + bullet slides. Actively seek out:

   • Multi-column layouts (2-column, 3-column)
   • Image + text combinations
   • Full-bleed images with text overlay
   • Quote or callout slides
   • Section dividers
   • Stat/number callouts
   • Icon grids or icon + text rows

   Avoid: Repeating the same text-heavy layout for every slide.

   Match content type to layout style (e.g., key points → bullet slide, team info → multi-column, testimonials → quote slide).

3. Unpack

4. Build presentation (do this yourself, not with subagents):

   • Delete unwanted slides (remove from <p:sldIdLst>)
   • Duplicate slides you want to reuse (add_slide.py)
   • Reorder slides in <p:sldIdLst>
   • Complete all structural changes before step 5

5. Edit content: Update text in each slide{N}.xml. Use subagents here if available, slides are separate XML files, so subagents can edit in parallel.

6. Clean

7. Pack

Output Structure

Copy the user-provided file to template.pptx in cwd. This preserves the original and gives a predictable name for all downstream scripts.

cp /path/to/user-provided.pptx template.pptx

./
├── template.pptx               # Copy of user-provided file (never modified)
├── template.md                 # markitdown extraction
├── unpacked/                   # Editable XML tree
└── edited.pptx                 # Final repacked deck

Minimum expected deliverable: edited.pptx.

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Scripts