Slide Deck Generator

alpacalabsllc/slide-deck-generator

Generate a self-contained HTML slide deck from a topic, outline, report, or data. Use for presentations and slide decks; not for editing PowerPoint files.

17k tokens

context cost

the whole folder, loaded on every use

files

instructions only

copies elsewhere

how many repositories repackaged it

302

stars on the repo

on the repository, not the skill itself

Install

one command, takes just this skill from the repository

npx skills add https://github.com/AlpacaLabsLLC/skills-for-architects --skill slide-deck-generator

What comes with it

58 576 bytes besides the instruction

README.md

html-template.md

image-handling.md

sample.html

slide-types.md

What it tells the agent to use

found in the instruction text

Write writes files

The instruction itself

13 sections, as written by the author

Presentation Generator

You generate self-contained HTML slide presentations using the ALPA (Alpaca Labs) design system — editorial layout with Helvetica, left-aligned typography, generous whitespace, and a clean monochrome palette. The user provides a topic, outline, data, or document — you produce a complete .html file they can open in any browser.

Reference Files

This skill keeps its bulk material in reference files in this directory. Load them on demand:

slide-types.md — read when composing slides: the exact HTML markup for every component (eyebrow, stat rows, tables, timelines, image grids, callout, etc.). Copy these structures verbatim.
html-template.md — read before writing the output file: the exact CSS/JS template the deck is built on, plus slide-structure examples. Only the slide <div>s inside <body> change.
image-handling.md — read when the user provides local images (or ran /as:resize-images): base64 embedding workflow, placeholder convention, file-size warnings.

On Start

When invoked, read slide-types.md, then give the user its compact numbered list of page-type names. Do not dump the layout/background table unless the user asks for those details. Any slide can include a callout footnote.

A sample deck demonstrating every type is at sample.html in this skill's directory.

Workflow

Understand the input. The user may provide:
A topic or title (you research/generate content)
An outline or bullet points (you expand into slides)
A document or report (you distill into a deck)
Data or analysis results (you visualize as stats/tables/charts)
Local image files or a folder (use as image slides — see image-handling.md)

Plan the deck. Before writing HTML, decide:
How many slides (aim for 10-20, never fewer than 6)
Which slide type and components each slide uses
The narrative arc: setup -> insight -> evidence -> recommendation -> close

Embed local images. If the user provides local image paths, encode them as base64 before writing the HTML (see image-handling.md). This keeps the deck self-contained and portable.

Write the HTML file. Use the template in html-template.md as the foundation, with component markup from slide-types.md. Customize only the slide content inside <body>.

Save the file. Write to the path the user specifies, or default to ./presentation.html. Tell the user the path so they can open it.

Design System

Layout Philosophy

Left-aligned by default. Content is flush-left with generous left padding. Only statement slides center text.
Massive whitespace. Content should breathe. Never fill the slide — leave at least 40% empty.
Eyebrow top-left. Small bold monospace text in the top-left corner identifies the section.
Brand mark bottom-right. A small "ALPA" wordmark sits fixed in the bottom-right corner of every slide, with two exceptions: the full-bleed image slide (type 17) and the image-grid slides (types 19-22) omit it so nothing overlaps the photography. The full-bleed + title slide (type 18) keeps it.
No decorative boxes or cards. Stats, lists, and content stand on their own — no background panels or rounded containers.

Slide Types (background classes on `.slide` div)

|-------|-----------|------|---------|

Components

The exact HTML markup for every component (eyebrow, heading + body/list/stats, stat row, stat comparison, statement, data table, insight list, bar chart, timeline, two column, comparison, callout, and all image slides) is in slide-types.md. Read it before composing slides and copy the structures verbatim.

Composition Rules

Every content slide (not statements) should have a eyebrow top-left
Title slide: full-bleed image with .image-title-slide — h1 + subtitle over gradient overlay. Falls back to white text-only title if no image is available.
Content slides: white (default), left-aligned — eyebrow + .content with heading + body/list/stats
Statement slides: centered text, no eyebrow — white bg for regular statements, dark for dramatic ones
Stat slides: white or grey, centered stat-row or stat-comparison layout
Table slides: white or grey, left-aligned heading + data-table
Dark slides: use sparingly — at most 1-2 per deck for maximum emphasis
Closing slide: white, left-aligned or centered — bold statement or summary
Use <span class="emphasis"> for bold inline text
Never put more than one major component per slide (one table OR one stat-row OR one list)
Alternate slide backgrounds for visual rhythm — never use the same type 3x in a row
Centered content: Use .slide.centered (class on the slide div) for slides with a heading + grid, timeline, stat-row, or comparison below. These read better centered. Left-align is for heading + body text, lists, tables, and insight lists.
Leave generous whitespace — content should occupy at most 60% of the slide

Writing Style

Headlines: short, declarative, opinionated. State the insight, not the topic.
Good: "We have 18 huddle rooms. At peak, 29 groups need one."
Bad: "Huddle Room Analysis"
Subtitles and descriptions: lightweight, factual, no jargon
Stats: pick the most dramatic number, give it context with the label
Tables: 4-6 rows max. Use colored indicators for changes (--negative red for negative, --positive blue for positive — see Accent Color below).
Lists: lead with the bold action/finding, follow with the detail after an em dash

Accent Color

The default accent is --accent: #E8B517 (warm yellow — used only on the progress bar). The design is primarily monochrome — black, white, and greys. Change indicators use --negative: #D92B2B (red) and --positive: #2563EB (blue) for data.

If the presentation is for a different brand or context, change --accent. Common alternatives:

Blue: #2563EB
Teal: #0D7377
Purple: #6B21A8
Orange: #C2410C

Ask the user if they want a specific accent color. If the topic suggests a brand, try to match.

Slide Structure Rules

First slide: Always active — use .image-title-slide with a relevant cover image, h1 + subtitle over gradient. If no image is available, fall back to white text-only title (h1 + .subtitle + credit).
Second slide: Context or framing question — what we need to answer, what this is about.
Middle slides: Alternate between white and grey backgrounds. Use statement slides (white or dark) to break rhythm and emphasize key points. Build the argument.
Stat slides: Use <div class="slide centered"> to center the stat-row on the page. No eyebrow needed.
Statement slides: Center the .statement div. No eyebrow. Use dark bg sparingly (1-2 per deck).
Penultimate slide: The ask / recommendations / next steps
Last slide: White — closing statement or summary, left-aligned or centered.

Output

Write the complete HTML file using the Write tool, built on the exact CSS/JS in html-template.md. The first slide must have class active. Every slide must be a direct child <div class="slide ..."> inside body, before the <nav>. Add <div class="brand-mark">ALPA</div> to every slide except full-bleed image (.image-slide) and image-grid (.image-grid) slides, which omit it (see Layout Philosophy).

How to use it

Copy the folder

Take alpacalabsllc/slide-deck-generator from the repository into ~/.claude/skills for personal use, or into .claude/skills inside a project.

Check the name does not clash

The agent identifies a skill by the name field in its header. Two skills with the same name cannot sit side by side — one of them will be ignored.