PowerPoint Builder

Build polished, human-looking PowerPoint decks with python-pptx. No PowerPoint installation required.

Quick Start

# Install dependency (if not present)
pip install python-pptx

# Build a deck from a plan
python build_deck.py --plan deck_plan.yaml --output presentation.pptx

# With custom template
python build_deck.py --plan deck_plan.yaml --template brand_template.pptx --output deck.pptx

When the User Says...

Mission

Generate .pptx files that look like a thoughtful human made them:

• Clear hierarchy and intentional layout
• Consistent visual system (not default templates)
• Zero "AI smell" (generic structure, filler icons, repetitive wording)
• Deterministic, reproducible generation

Required Inputs

1. Deck Plan (deck_plan.yaml)

title: "Q1 Product Review"
subtitle: "January 2026"
author: "User"

slides:
  - type: title
    title: "Q1 Product Review"
    subtitle: "Performance & Roadmap"

  - type: section
    title: "Performance Metrics"

  - type: key_number
    title: "Revenue exceeded target by 23%"
    number: "$4.2M"
    qualifier: "vs $3.4M target"
    note: "Driven by enterprise expansion"

  - type: figure
    title: "Monthly revenue trend shows sustained growth"
    image: "assets/figures/revenue_chart.png"
    caption: "Source: Finance dashboard"

  - type: bullets
    title: "Three factors drove Q1 success"
    bullets:
      - "Enterprise deals closed 2 weeks faster"
      - "Churn reduced to 2.1% (from 3.4%)"
      - "New pricing increased ARPU 15%"
    note: "Speaker note: Emphasize the churn improvement"

  - type: comparison
    title: "New approach outperformed legacy system"
    left:
      header: "Legacy"
      points: ["Manual process", "3-day turnaround", "40% error rate"]
    right:
      header: "New System"
      points: ["Automated", "Real-time", "2% error rate"]
    verdict: "Migration complete by EOQ"

  - type: figure_with_text
    title: "Architecture scales horizontally"
    image: "assets/figures/architecture.png"
    bullets:
      - "Redis caching layer"
      - "Auto-scaling workers"
      - "Multi-region failover"
    side: "right"

2. Assets Directory

assets/
├── figures/           # Charts, diagrams (PNG preferred)
│   ├── revenue_chart.png
│   └── architecture.png
├── tables/            # CSV or pre-rendered images
│   └── metrics.csv
└── icons/             # Optional, curated style only
    └── logo.png

3. Optional: Template (template.pptx)

Using a real template is strongly preferred:

• Consistent branding (fonts, colors, logo placement)
• Pre-defined slide layouts with placeholders
• Master slide handles footers/page numbers

Outputs

Avoiding AI Smell

What Makes a Deck Look AI-Generated (Avoid These)

Good vs Bad Titles

Slide Types

The builder supports these layout types:

Python API

Basic Usage

from build_deck import DeckBuilder

# Create deck from plan
builder = DeckBuilder(template="template.pptx")
builder.load_plan("deck_plan.yaml")
builder.build()
builder.save("output/deck.pptx")

Direct Slide Creation

from pptx import Presentation
from layouts import (
    add_title_slide,
    add_bullets_slide,
    add_figure_slide,
    add_key_number_slide
)
from theme import PCPTheme

prs = Presentation()
theme = PCPTheme()

add_title_slide(prs, theme, "Q1 Review", "January 2026")

add_key_number_slide(
    prs, theme,
    title="Revenue exceeded expectations",
    number="$4.2M",
    qualifier="23% above target"
)

add_bullets_slide(
    prs, theme,
    title="Three key drivers",
    bullets=[
        "Enterprise deals closed faster",
        "Churn reduced to 2.1%",
        "ARPU increased 15%"
    ]
)

add_figure_slide(
    prs, theme,
    title="Revenue trend shows sustained growth",
    image_path="assets/figures/revenue.png"
)

prs.save("deck.pptx")

CLI Commands

# Build from plan (recommended)
python build_deck.py --plan deck_plan.yaml --output deck.pptx

# With template
python build_deck.py --plan deck_plan.yaml --template brand.pptx --output deck.pptx

# Dry run (validate only)
python build_deck.py --plan deck_plan.yaml --dry-run

# List available layouts
python build_deck.py --list-layouts

# Validate plan file
python build_deck.py --validate deck_plan.yaml

Quality Checks (Automated)

The builder automatically checks:

Integration with PCP

From Vault Data

from vault_v2 import get_project_context
from build_deck import create_project_deck

# Generate deck from project context
context = get_project_context(project_id=1)
create_project_deck(
    context,
    output="project_review.pptx",
    slide_types=["status", "metrics", "timeline", "risks"]
)

From Brief Data

from brief import generate_brief
from build_deck import create_brief_deck

# Turn a weekly brief into slides
brief_data = generate_brief("weekly")
create_brief_deck(brief_data, output="weekly_review.pptx")

Workflow Summary

1. Define outline (deck_plan.yaml)
   - Assertion titles
   - Slide types
   - Asset paths

2. Gather assets
   - Charts as PNG
   - Tables as CSV or images
   - No decorative icons

3. Build deck
   python build_deck.py --plan deck_plan.yaml --output deck.pptx

4. Review build_log.txt
   - Fix any warnings
   - Rebuild if needed

5. Final manual check
   - Open in PowerPoint/Slides
   - Verify alignment, readability

Project Structure

project/
├── deck_plan.yaml          # Slide outline
├── template.pptx           # Brand template (optional)
├── assets/
│   ├── figures/
│   ├── tables/
│   └── icons/
└── output/
    ├── deck.pptx
    ├── assets_manifest.json
    └── build_log.txt

Dependencies

pip install python-pptx Pillow pyyaml

Related Skills

• task-delegation - Delegate deck creation to background worker
• vault-operations - Pull project data for slides
• brief-generation - Generate review decks from briefs

References

• python-pptx Documentation
• python-pptx GitHub