Guide · Agent skill
How to use the Conference Talk Slide Builder agent skill
Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data
The Conference Talk Slide Builder is an agent skill, a folder of instructions and templates that an AI agent such as Claude loads when a task matches it. This guide, for the skill named presenting-conference-talks, shows what it does, how to install it, how to ask for it in plain language, and where to be careful. By the end you will know how to get a slide deck, speaker notes and a talk script drafted from a finished paper for an oral, spotlight or invited talk.
Conference Talk Slide BuilderOrchestra-Research/AI-Research-SKILLs · MIT Download the skill Quick start
- 1Download and unzip. Download the skill ZIP from this page and unzip it so that SKILL.md sits inside a presenting-conference-talks folder.
- 2Place the skill folder. Move the folder into ~/.claude/skills/ for all projects, or into .claude/skills/ in one project. Alternatively, upload it under Settings, Capabilities, Skills in the Claude apps.
- 3Prepare your paper. Have the compiled paper ready as a PDF or LaTeX source, and note your talk type and duration.
- 4Make the request. Ask for the talk in plain language, naming the talk type, length and the outputs you want, such as Beamer PDF and PPTX.
- 5Check and edit. Review every slide and speaker note against the paper, then adjust the PPTX or LaTeX source before your talk.
What the skill makes the agent do
Given a compiled research paper, the skill guides the agent to extract the thesis, contributions, architecture figure and key evaluation figures, then build an outline and slides. It produces two outputs: a Beamer LaTeX file that compiles to a polished PDF, and an editable PPTX file made with python-pptx for last-minute changes. Speaker notes are written per slide, and an optional talk script can be drafted.
The skill chooses a template and slide count based on the talk type. It is built for ML and systems conferences and includes systems-specific guidance such as recording a backup for any live demo.
- Poster-talk, 3 to 5 minutes: 5 to 8 slides, problem and key result only
- Spotlight, 5 to 8 minutes: 8 to 12 slides, problem, approach and key results
- Oral, 15 to 20 minutes: 15 to 22 slides, full story with evaluation highlights
- Invited, 30 to 45 minutes: 25 to 40 slides, deep dive with context and demos
Install the skill from our page
Download the skill ZIP from this directory page and unzip it. The skill folder contains SKILL.md and references/slide-templates.md. Place the unzipped skill folder in one of two locations: your user skills folder at ~/.claude/skills/, or a project-specific .claude/skills/ folder inside the project where you are working.
If you use the Claude apps instead, you can upload the skill under Settings, then Capabilities, then Skills, rather than placing files on disk.
- User-wide: ~/.claude/skills/
- Single project: .claude/skills/ inside the project folder
- Claude apps: Settings → Capabilities → Skills, then upload
Ask for it with natural requests
You do not need a special command. The skill's description tells the agent to use it when you are preparing oral talks, spotlight presentations or invited talks. Say what kind of talk it is, how long it is and give the agent the paper, either as a compiled PDF or as LaTeX source.
Good requests name the talk type and the output you want. For example: 'Build slides for a 20-minute oral talk at a systems conference from this paper, as Beamer PDF and PPTX, with speaker notes.' Or: 'I have an 8-minute spotlight slot. Draft the deck and a short talk script from paper.pdf.'
- Name the talk type: oral, spotlight, invited or poster-talk
- State the duration so the slide count fits
- Ask for both outputs if you want the PDF and the editable PPTX
- Ask for a talk script if you want full spoken text, not just notes
Set up what the skill needs
The PPTX output needs Python with the python-pptx package installed. The PDF output needs a LaTeX installation that includes the Beamer class and the metropolis theme. Without LaTeX you can still use the PPTX output. The skill runs scripts, and it does not use the network according to its listing, so check the generated files rather than assuming anything was fetched or verified online.
- Python with python-pptx, for the PPTX file
- A LaTeX installation with Beamer and the metropolis theme, for the PDF
- Scripts run locally as part of the skill
Review the output before you present
Generated slides and notes can contain errors or misstate results. Check every number, figure caption and claim against the paper. The skill's templates suggest stating the takeaway before showing a figure, which makes mistakes easier to spot in review. For systems talks, the skill recommends a recorded backup of any live demo and an end-to-end walkthrough of one concrete request.
Colour schemes in the skill, such as navy and red for USENIX venues, are aesthetic suggestions and not official venue rules, so adjust them to your venue.
- Verify every result number against the paper
- Confirm figures and captions match the source
- Edit the PPTX for last-minute changes and re-export the PDF from the LaTeX source if needed
\documentclass[aspectratio=169]{beamer}
\usetheme{metropolis}
\begin{frame}{Problem}
\note{Speaker note: Start with the big picture...}
\end{frame}Limits and what the skill does not cover
The skill only builds slides from a paper that already exists. It does not write the paper. The skill's table points to other skills for paper writing, systems paper structure and publication plots, named ml-paper-writing, systems-paper-writing and academic-plotting. Slide-count and timing guidance are guidelines, so adjust them for your conference's actual slot.
- Does not write the paper: use ml-paper-writing or systems-paper-writing
- Does not make publication-quality plots: use academic-plotting
What people use it for
- Turning an accepted systems paper into a 20-minute oral deck with an architecture walkthrough slide
- Drafting an 8-minute spotlight deck from a paper's main result and approach
- Creating a poster-talk slide set with a single key result and a QR code slide to the paper
- Producing an editable PPTX for a corporate template, with speaker notes for each slide
- Building a longer invited talk outline with context slides and backup Q&A slides
Frequently asked questions
Is the Conference Talk Slide Builder skill free?
The skill is published under the MIT licence, as stated on its listing. Check the licence file in the repository for the full terms before reuse.
How do I install the presenting-conference-talks skill?
Download the ZIP from this page and unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ for all projects, or into a project's .claude/skills/ folder. In the Claude apps you can instead upload it under Settings, Capabilities, Skills.
What do I need to run this skill?
You need Python with the python-pptx package for the PPTX output. For the PDF you need a LaTeX installation with Beamer and the metropolis theme. The skill runs scripts and does not use the network, according to its listing.
Can it write my research paper?
No. The skill only generates slides, speaker notes and a talk script from a paper that already exists. For paper writing, the skill points to ml-paper-writing and systems-paper-writing.
Are the generated slides accurate?
Not guaranteed. Generated slides and notes can contain errors or misstate results, so check every claim and number against your paper before presenting.
How does it compare with making slides by hand?
The skill gives you a structured starting draft with slide counts matched to talk length, speaker notes and both a LaTeX PDF and an editable PPTX. It does not replace your own review, and you will still need to adapt the content and design to your venue.
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Our verdict
Use this skill if you are preparing an oral, spotlight or invited ML or systems talk and want a structured first draft of slides, notes and a script in both Beamer PDF and PPTX form. Skip it if you need a finished deck with no review, or if you still need to write the paper, since it only works from an existing paper.
Download the skill