slide-maker

13 steps · start to finish.

1. 1
   Step 1

   Environment Setup

   ▶

   Verify the environment and install required dependencies.

   # Check Node.js and npm
   command -v node >/dev/null || { echo "ERROR: Node.js not installed"; exit 1; }
   command -v npm  >/dev/null || { echo "ERROR: npm not installed"; exit 1; }
   
   # Install Slidev CLI if not present
   npm list -g @slidev/cli 2>/dev/null || npm install -g @slidev/cli
   
   # Install the headless Chromium that `slidev export` uses to render the PDF
   npm list -g playwright-chromium 2>/dev/null || npm install -g playwright-chromium
   
   # Create the deliverables dir AND an isolated build dir.
   # Slidev project setup (npm install, build) happens in /app/work so that
   # node_modules/, dist/, and package*.json never pollute /app/results.
   mkdir -p /app/results/styles /app/work
   
   # The goal/mode/style come from the Inputs block above (substituted from the run
   # parameters), NOT from environment variables. Read them from there.
   GOAL="{{goal_or_update_instructions}}"
   MODE="{{mode}}"; [ -z "$MODE" ] || [ "$MODE" = "{{mode}}" ] && MODE="create"
   STYLE="{{style_preset}}"; [ -z "$STYLE" ] || [ "$STYLE" = "{{style_preset}}" ] && STYLE="auto"
   REPO="{{source_repo_url}}"; [ "$REPO" = "{{source_repo_url}}" ] && REPO=""
   
   if [ -z "$GOAL" ] || [ "$GOAL" = "{{goal_or_update_instructions}}" ]; then
     echo "ERROR: no goal/update instructions were provided to this run"
     exit 1
   fi
   echo "Setup complete. GOAL=$GOAL | MODE=$MODE | STYLE=$STYLE | REPO=${REPO:-<none, brief-driven>}"
   

   The work proceeds in eight phases. Every reference each phase needs is inline in the step shown below — read it when you reach that step rather than loading it all upfront.

   Phase	Covered by	Purpose
   1. Determine mode	Step 2	Create vs. update
   2. Gather sources	Step 3	Source-material lookup, extraction heuristics, through-line, project identity
   3. Intake	Step 4 (Presentation principles + Narrative arcs)	Rhetorical principles, narrative structure, through-line design
   4. Style direction	Step 5 (Style Preset Catalog)	Visual presets and token palettes
   5. Write spec	Step 6 (Deck-spec schema + Slide Kinds catalog)	Spec schema and slide type catalog
   6. Compile	Step 7 (Slidev reference + Compiler rules)	Compilation rules, Slidev features
   7. Validate	Step 9 (Acceptance checklist + LLM tells)	Quality gates
   8. Deliver	Steps 10–11	Export the deck to PDF, then write final deliverables

2. 2
   Step 2

   Determine Mode

   ▶

   Identify whether this is a create or update run.

3. 3
   Step 3

   Gather Source Material (project decks only)

   ▶

   For project decks (user provided a GitHub repo or codebase): - Clone or fetch the repository - Extract: project name, tagline, key architecture, noteworthy features, open issues, recent releases…

4. 4
   Step 4

   Intake — Narrative Principles

   ▶

   Shape the deck's arc before writing any slide: - Establish a clear through-line (one sentence that captures the deck's core argument) - Map a narrative structure (see Narrative arcs below) - Identify…

5. 5
   Step 5

   Style Direction

   ▶

   The full preset catalog is inline below — no external STYLE_PRESETS.md is required.

6. 6
   Step 6

   Write or Revise `deck.spec.md`

   ▶

   Write the slide deck specification to /app/results/deck.spec.md. The spec is the contract for Step 7 — compile only what the spec describes.

7. 7
   Step 7

   Compile the Deck

   ▶

   Compile /app/results/slides.md from the approved spec. Do NOT add content not in the approved spec.

8. 8
   Step 8

   Iterate on Errors (max 3 rounds)

   ▶

   If Step 6 validation or Step 7 compilation fails:

9. 9
   Step 9

   Validate & Evaluate Quality

   ▶

   Evaluate the deck against the acceptance checklist below, then scan every slide and speaker note for the LLM tells listed underneath.

10. 10
    Step 10

    Export to PDF

    ▶

    Print the validated deck to PDF with Slidev's built-in exporter. Run this after Step 9 passes so the PDF reflects the final slides.

11. 11
    Step 11

    Deliver

    ▶

    Write the final deliverables to /app/results/: - deck.spec.md — approved spec - slides.md — compiled Slidev slides - deck.pdf — the deck exported to PDF

12. 12
    Step 12

    Write Validation Report

    ▶

    Write /app/results/validation_report.json reflecting all stage outcomes. It MUST include an explicit pdf_export stage and a results_hygiene stage:

13. 13
    Step 13

    Write Executive Summary

    ▶

    Write /app/results/summary.md with run metadata, mode detected, through-line, slide count, preset used, validation results, and any issues.