---

name: pptx-author description: >- STEP 2 of the PPTX-from-layouts pipeline. Write a slide deck in markdown using the [HINT: layout_name] system so each slide targets a real template layout, then lint it before rendering. Use when the user wants to "draft slides", "write a deck outline", "author presentation markdown", "add layout hints", or has a layout catalog from Step 1 and needs to turn content into slides. Pairs with pptx-profile (Step 1) and pptx-from-layouts (Step 3).

Step 2 — Author (pptx-author)

Write the deck as markdown where every slide names the exact template layout it should land on, using [HINT: layout_name]. This is the bridge between "I know my template's layouts" (Step 1) and "render the deck" (Step 3).

  STEP 1 — PROFILE          STEP 2 — AUTHOR           STEP 3 — RENDER
  pptx-profile              pptx-author               pptx-from-layouts
  ───────────────           ───────────────           ─────────────────
  your-template.pptx        slides.md (+ [HINT:])     slides.md + config
        │                         │                         │
        ▼                         ▼                         ▼
   catalog.py  ──catalog.md──▶  write & lint  ──slides──▶  generate.py ─▶ deck.pptx
        └────────────────── config.json ───────────────────▲   (validated)

You are here: Step 2. You need the layout-catalog.md from Step 1 (or use the bundled Inner Chapter layouts). Output is a slides.md the renderer consumes.

The contract

1. Slides are separated by ---. Each begins with a title and (optionally) a hint.
2. # Slide N: Title or ## Title — the title. Make it a claim, not a label ("Three briefs, one foundation" — not "Overview").
3. [HINT: layout_name] — names a real layout from the Step-1 catalog. Copy the value verbatim from the catalog's Hint column. The engine fills that layout's actual placeholders.
4. Content matches the layout:
   • column-* / grid-* layouts → [Column N: Header] blocks (or **Header**
     • body lines).
   • image-bearing layouts → [Image: path/to.jpg].
   • tabular data → a markdown table.
   • everything else → - bullets (the last resort, not the reflex).

Hints vs. Visual types — when to use which

You have…	Author with	Why
A profiled template + its catalog	[HINT: real-layout-name]	Precise: targets the exact layout. The "creating" path.
No catalog / unsure of layouts	**Visual: type** (e.g. process-4-phase)	Semantic: the engine auto-picks a layout for that intent.

[HINT:] always wins if both are present. A hint that doesn't match the template is ignored with a warning and falls back to auto-detection — so lint first.

Lint before you render

python scripts/lint_hints.py slides.md --config your-template-config.json
# or, against the Step-1 markdown catalog:
python scripts/lint_hints.py slides.md --catalog your-template-layout-catalog.md
# no flag → validates against the bundled Inner Chapter template

The linter flags, per slide: P0 unknown hint (with a "did you mean…?" suggestion — this will mis-render), P1 missing title, P2 bullets mixed with a table. Exit code 2 means fix-and-re-run.

Example

# Slide 1: Personas that respond like real humans

[HINT: title-cover]

### Inner Chapter

---

# Slide 2: Three outcomes the research must achieve

[HINT: column-3-centered-a]

[Column 1: Level-set the teams]
- Confirm what's known about each athlete

[Column 2: Capture room content]
- In-home video, voice clips, phone recordings

[Column 3: Deliver for leadership]
- A visceral understanding for senior stakeholders

---

# Slide 3: Why personas are the hard part

[HINT: content-image-right-a]

[Image: assets/persona-diagram.png]

- No world model — pattern-matching only
- Bias toward agreeableness — more positive than real consumers

Typography markers (inline)

Marker	Result		Marker	Result
{bold}text{/bold}	Bold		{bullet:-}	Dash bullet
{italic}text{/italic}	Italic		{bullet:1}	Numbered
{blue}text{/blue}	Brand color		{level:N}	Indent level

Then what

Hand slides.md (plus the template + config) to Step 3 — pptx-from-layouts:

python ../pptx-from-layouts/scripts/generate.py slides.md -o deck.pptx \
    --template your-template.pptx --config your-template-config.json --validate

For turning raw notes/source docs into a hint-tagged slides.md automatically, the pptx-outline-architect subagent does the heavy lifting.