Guide · Agent skill
How to use the Paper Talk Pipeline agent skill (paper-talk)
Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data
paper-talk is an agent skill that turns a finished research paper into a conference talk. It produces a claim-first slide outline, Beamer and PowerPoint decks, polished slides, speaker notes and a full talk script, with optional checks for unsupported claims, citation problems and anonymity leaks. This guide explains what the skill does, how to install it, how to trigger it and what it needs before you start.
Paper Talk Pipelinewanshuiyin/Auto-claude-code-research-in-sleep · MIT Download the skill Quick start
- 1Install the skill. Unzip the downloaded ZIP into ~/.claude/skills/ or a project's .claude/skills/ folder, or upload it under Settings → Capabilities → Skills in the Claude apps.
- 2Prepare the paper. Make sure your compiled paper is in paper/ with main.tex and main.pdf, and that it is in good shape before you start.
- 3Install the requirements. Set up the Beamer/LaTeX toolchain, Python PPTX tooling, LibreOffice or a manual export step, and a reviewer backend such as Codex MCP.
- 4Make sure the sub-skills are available. Confirm that /paper-slides and /slides-polish from the same repository are present.
- 5Ask for the talk in plain language. Request a complete talk from your paper and state the talk type, length and assurance level.
- 6Approve each phase. Review the outline and each output at the pause points before the agent moves on.
- 7Check the final report. Read .aris/paper-talk/FINAL_REPORT.md and the files in slides/ before presenting.
What the paper-talk skill makes the agent do
An agent skill is a folder with a SKILL.md file that tells an agent how to carry out a specific workflow. Once installed, paper-talk lets the agent run an end-to-end talk pipeline that starts from a compiled paper in a paper/ folder.
The workflow moves through phases: it drafts a claim-first slide outline, builds Beamer and PowerPoint decks, polishes each slide, writes speaker notes and a talk script, and, at the conference-ready level, runs assurance checks for claims, citations and anonymity before exporting a final report. It pauses for your approval at each major phase.
- Outline: a claim-first slide outline saved as slides/SLIDE_OUTLINE.md
- Decks: Beamer source and PDF, plus an editable PPTX
- Polish: per-slide visual refinement with a versioned _polished copy
- Speaker notes and a word-for-word talk script
- Assurance checks (conference-ready level only) and a final report in .aris/paper-talk/FINAL_REPORT.md
Install the paper-talk skill
Download the ZIP for the skill from this page and unzip it. For a personal install that works in all your projects, unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/. To limit it to one project, unzip it into that project's .claude/skills/ folder.
In the Claude apps, you can instead upload the skill under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
- Personal install: ~/.claude/skills/
- Project install: .claude/skills/ inside your project folder
- Claude apps: Settings → Capabilities → Skills
Check the requirements before you run it
The skill depends on several tools beyond the skill file itself. The source says it needs a Beamer/LaTeX toolchain to compile slide source, Python-based PPTX tooling, and LibreOffice or a manual export step to render slides. It also needs a reviewer backend for review and polish steps, such as Codex MCP (mcp__codex__codex) or another configured reviewer.
The skill also calls two sub-skills from the same repository, /paper-slides and /slides-polish. Without them the pipeline cannot run in full. The paper must already be compiled in a paper/ folder with main.tex and main.pdf, and the paper should already be in good shape, because the workflow does not write new research content.
- Compiled paper in paper/ (main.tex, main.pdf, sections/*.tex, figures/)
- Beamer/LaTeX toolchain
- Python PPTX tooling
- LibreOffice or a manual export step for rendering
- Reviewer backend such as Codex MCP (mcp__codex__codex)
- Sub-skills /paper-slides and /slides-polish from the same repository
Trigger the skill with a natural request
You do not need a special command. Ask in plain language, and the agent will use the skill when your request matches its trigger phrases. Phrases listed in the skill include "做 talk", "做 PPT 全流程", "talk pipeline", "end-to-end slides", "做演讲" and "conference talk full workflow". Use it when you want the complete talk, not just a slide deck.
You can also set options in your request, such as talk type, length, assurance level and style. The source lists these arguments: talk_type (oral, spotlight, poster-talk, invited), minutes, assurance (draft, polished, conference-ready), reference, style, style-ref, effort (lite, balanced, max, beast) and anonymous.
- Example: "Build a conference talk pipeline from paper/ for a 15-minute spotlight at NeurIPS."
- Example: "Run the talk pipeline with assurance conference-ready; this is an anonymous submission."
- Example: "Make an end-to-end talk from my paper, 10 minutes, oral format."
Choose an assurance level
The assurance level controls which phases run. The default is polished. Draft skips polishing and the audits. Polished adds polish but skips the claim, citation and anonymity audits. Conference-ready runs every phase, including the audits, and is the right choice for top-venue talks where slide claims will be scrutinised or for anonymous submissions.
The lower levels are appropriate when the content has already been audited at the paper-writing stage.
- draft: internal practice talk or quick first pass
- polished (default): lab seminar, workshop or default conference talk
- conference-ready (or submission): top-venue oral or spotlight, or anonymous submission
Review the outputs and what the skill protects
The skill writes its artefacts to the slides/ folder and its state to .aris/paper-talk/. You should expect the outline, main.tex and main.pdf, presentation.pptx, speaker_notes.md, TALK_SCRIPT.md and per-slide PNG previews in slides/assets/. A polished deck is saved as presentation_polished.pptx and presentation_polished.pdf.
The skill is designed to keep your originals intact. It does not modify paper/main.tex or other paper artefacts, and it does not overwrite the original Beamer or PPTX files. The workflow is also meant to use only content already in the paper, so slide text, numbers, citations and author details should come from your paper.
- Outputs: slides/SLIDE_OUTLINE.md, main.tex, main.pdf, presentation.pptx, speaker_notes.md, TALK_SCRIPT.md
- Polished outputs: presentation_polished.pptx and presentation_polished.pdf
- Reports and state: .aris/paper-talk/PIPELINE_STATE.json and FINAL_REPORT.md
Safety notes: scripts and network access
The skill runs scripts and uses the network. Its allowed tools include Bash, file read, write and edit, search, and the Codex MCP tool. Review what it runs before you approve each phase, especially if you work with confidential or unpublished research.
Reviewer steps send content to the configured reviewer backend, so check that backend's data policy before you use it on an unpublished paper or an anonymous submission.
- Runs scripts: yes (Bash is allowed)
- Uses network: yes (reviewer backend calls)
- Pauses for approval at each major phase by default (AUTO_PROCEED is false)
What people use it for
- Turning a finished NeurIPS, ICML or ICLR paper into a 15-minute spotlight talk with a full script.
- Preparing a lab seminar talk from an existing paper directory at the default polished level.
- Running an anonymity and claim check on slides for an anonymous conference submission.
- Producing editable PPTX slides plus a Beamer PDF from the same outline.
Frequently asked questions
Is the paper-talk skill free?
The source lists the skill under the MIT licence. It does not state any price, so check the repository for current terms of any other tools you need, such as the reviewer backend.
What do I need to install before using paper-talk?
You need a compiled paper in paper/, a Beamer/LaTeX toolchain, Python PPTX tooling, LibreOffice or a manual export step, a reviewer backend such as Codex MCP, and the /paper-slides and /slides-polish sub-skills from the same repository.
Where do I put the skill folder?
Unzip the ZIP into ~/.claude/skills/ for a personal install, or into .claude/skills/ inside a project for a project-only install. In the Claude apps you can upload it under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
Can paper-talk write my paper or add new research content?
No. The workflow reads the paper sources and does not write new research content, and the paper must already be in good shape. It is designed to use only content already in the paper.
What is the difference between polished and conference-ready?
Polished runs the outline, build, polish and export phases but skips the claim, citation and anonymity audits. Conference-ready runs those audits as well, which suits top-venue talks and anonymous submissions.
Does paper-talk change my original slides or paper?
The source says the original paper is read-only and the original Beamer and PPTX files are not overwritten. Polished output is saved as separate presentation_polished files.
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Our verdict
paper-talk suits researchers with a compiled paper who want a complete conference talk with speaker notes and optional anonymity and claim checks. It is not suited to people who want one quick slide deck, or who do not yet have a paper in good shape; for those, a simpler slide tool is the better choice.
Download the skill