Artifact Deck#

Goal#

Turn curated project notes and screenshots into a clean, reproducible .pptx deck:

• one manifest that defines the deck title, subtitle, status slides, and optional appendix images
• one input check before build
• one local PPTX build
• one share-safe markdown summary with a rebuild command template and slide list

This skill is for deterministic stakeholder packaging, not autonomous research or design generation. It requires Python 3.9+ and python-pptx.

Use This Skill When#

• release notes, weekly updates, or launch artifacts need to become a decision-ready deck
• browser screenshots or diagrams should be included as appendix slides
• the user wants a rebuildable .pptx instead of a one-off manual slide edit
• you need a concise executive or client status deck from repo-local notes

Quick Start#

1. Initialize the manifest.
   • Ensure the active Python environment already has python-pptx available.
   • Use python3 {baseDir}/scripts/init_artifact_deck_manifest.py --title <title> --subtitle <subtitle> --section "What Changed=/abs/path/changes.md" --out <manifest.json>.
   • Repeat --section for more markdown-backed status slides.
   • Optional: repeat --slide "Risks=Pending scan|Need approval" for direct bullet slides.
   • Optional: repeat --image "Browser Proof=/abs/path/screenshot.png|Upload flow after publish" for appendix slides.
2. Validate the inputs.
   • Use python3 {baseDir}/scripts/check_artifact_deck_inputs.py --manifest <manifest.json> --out <check.json>.
   • Fix missing content or image-path errors before building.
3. Build the deck.
   • Use python3 {baseDir}/scripts/build_artifact_deck.py --manifest <manifest.json> --deck-out <deck.pptx> --out <build.json>.
   • This writes the .pptx and a small JSON build summary.
4. Render the summary.
   • Use python3 {baseDir}/scripts/render_artifact_deck_summary.py --manifest <manifest.json> --check <check.json> --build <build.json> --out <summary.md>.
   • Share the deck and the summary together; the summary omits absolute local paths and keeps only a rebuild command template.

Operating Rules#

Scope rules#

• Keep the promise narrow: curated notes and screenshots in, reproducible .pptx out.
• Prefer concise bullets. Six bullets per slide is a practical ceiling.
• Treat missing or mistyped file paths as hard failures.

Deck rules#

• Use a title slide plus focused status slides.
• Put screenshots and diagrams in appendix slides unless the user explicitly wants them inline.
• Keep slide titles explicit: What Changed, Risks, Asks, Appendix, or equivalent.

Bundled Scripts#

• scripts/init_artifact_deck_manifest.py
  • Build a manifest from markdown sections, direct bullet slides, and optional image appendix entries.
• scripts/check_artifact_deck_inputs.py
  • Validate manifest structure, bullet availability, and image paths.
• scripts/build_artifact_deck.py
  • Generate the .pptx and a machine-readable build summary.
• scripts/render_artifact_deck_summary.py
  • Render a concise markdown summary with the deck filename, slide count, and a rebuild command template.