Guide · Agent skill
How to use the PPTX Quality Gates agent skill
Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data
PPTX Quality Gates is an agent skill that tells an AI agent how to review a PowerPoint (.pptx) file before it is delivered. It covers layout collisions, text overflow, content outside slide edges, accessibility items and whether the main content is still editable. This guide explains what the skill does, how to install it, how to ask for it in plain language and what it needs to run.
PPTX Quality Gateswshobson/agents · MIT Download the skill Quick start
- 1Download the ZIP. Download the pptx-quality-gates ZIP from this page.
- 2Unzip into a skills folder. Unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use, or into a project's .claude/skills/ folder for one project.
- 3Or upload it in the Claude apps. In the Claude apps, go to Settings → Capabilities → Skills and upload the ZIP.
- 4Prepare the inputs. Have your PPTX file, its builder script or spec, and the source manifest ready. Make sure pptx-reference-deck-analysis/scripts/validate_package.py is available.
- 5Ask for a validation. Name the deck and ask the agent to check it for layout, accessibility and editability problems.
- 6Review the repairs. The agent fixes the spec or builder, rebuilds the deck and reruns the checks. Review the saved reports.
What an agent skill is and what this one makes the agent do
An agent skill is a folder with a SKILL.md file that gives an AI agent instructions and reference material for one kind of task. The agent loads the skill when a request matches its description.
This skill is for validating and repairing an editable PPTX deck. It works from a checklist in references/audit-checklist.md and a workflow in SKILL.md. The skill says to treat deterministic failures as repair work rather than exceptions.
- Checks for content bounding boxes that overlap (content collisions) and for text likely to overflow its box.
- Checks that content stays inside safe margins and above the footer, and that no content sits outside the slide bounds.
- Checks accessibility: document language, slide titles, alt text on meaningful images, reading order, and table headers.
- Checks native editability: titles, labels, values, charts and explanations should be real objects, with images only supporting them.
- When a check fails, the agent is told to fix the spec or task-local builder script, rebuild the deck and rerun the same checks.
Install the PPTX Quality Gates skill
Download the pptx-quality-gates ZIP from this page. Then choose one of the two install routes below.
For a personal install, unzip the file into ~/.claude/skills/. For a single project, unzip it into that project's .claude/skills/ folder. In the Claude apps, you can instead upload the ZIP under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
- Personal: unzip into ~/.claude/skills/
- Project only: unzip into the project's .claude/skills/ folder
- Claude apps: Settings → Capabilities → Skills, then upload the ZIP
How to trigger the skill with natural requests
You do not need a special command. The skill is meant to load when you ask for validation or repair of an editable PPTX deck. Name the file and the goal, and say what you want checked.
Good requests mention the deck, the builder or spec, and the outcome you expect, such as a clean audit before sending the deck to a client.
- Check deck.pptx for overlaps, text overflow and content outside the slide edges, then fix anything that fails.
- Validate the generated PPTX against the spec and builder script, repair failures and rerun the checks.
- Audit this deck for accessibility: slide titles, alt text, reading order and table headers.
- Confirm the charts and text in build/quarterly.pptx are still native editable objects and not flattened images.
What you need before you run it
The skill depends on several inputs. The most important is a Python environment for the validation script it references, pptx-reference-deck-analysis/scripts/validate_package.py. The source notes that this script is not included in the provided files, so you must have it available.
You also need a PPTX file and a builder script or spec to repair. The agent is designed to repair the spec or builder, not to edit the slides by hand. A renderer is optional: if one is already installed, the agent can inspect previews. The skill says not to add a renderer dependency.
- Python environment for pptx-reference-deck-analysis/scripts/validate_package.py (not included in the provided files)
- A PPTX file to check
- A builder script or spec to repair, plus the source manifest and audit paths
- Optional: a renderer already available in the environment for visual preview inspection
pptx-reference-deck-analysis/scripts/validate_package.pySafety notes: scripts and network
This skill runs scripts. Its production workflow runs validate_package.py and saves the JSON report, so review that script before trusting its output. The skill does not use the network.
The skill expects artifacts to be kept together: the spec, PPTX, build record, geometry audit, accessibility audit, package report and source manifest. Any documented exception must be recorded with slide ID, object ID, owner, reason and review date.
- Runs scripts: yes. Uses network: no.
- Keep all audit artifacts together so results can be traced later.
- Record any exception with slide ID, object ID, owner, reason and review date.
Tips for getting useful audits
Run the checks on the spec before building as well as after. The checklist includes rules for the coordinate contract, such as text capacity and type scale.
Expect the audit to be rule-based. It catches measurable problems. It does not judge whether the message is persuasive or whether the deck fits your brand, so a person should still review the result.
- Apply the pre-build checklist to the coordinate contract before generating slides.
- Reopen the PPTX and compare slide count, actual bounds, hidden slides and requested geometry.
- Check that text is at least 9 pt for content and that tables fit their bounds with long tables split.
- For CJK or full-width text, the checklist says to halve the estimated characters per line when judging overflow.
What people use it for
- Checking a deck generated from a template for overlapping boxes and text that runs past its shape before it is sent out.
- Auditing a programmatically built deck for slide titles, image alt text, reading order and table headers.
- Confirming that charts and labels in a generated presentation remain editable rather than flattened into pictures.
- Keeping an audit trail of geometry, accessibility and package reports for decks produced from source documents.
Frequently asked questions
Is the PPTX Quality Gates skill free to use?
The skill is published under the MIT licence, as listed on this page. Check the licence file in the source repository for the full terms.
How do I install the pptx-quality-gates skill?
Download the ZIP from this page and unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use or into a project's .claude/skills/ folder. In the Claude apps, you can upload the ZIP under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
What do I need to run it?
You need a Python environment for pptx-reference-deck-analysis/scripts/validate_package.py, a PPTX file, and a builder script or spec to repair. A renderer is optional. The validation script is not included in the provided files.
Does the skill create presentations for me?
No. It validates and repairs decks rather than designing or writing content, and it assumes a generator already exists.
What should I do if validate_package.py is missing?
The workflow depends on that script for production decks, and the agent may stall or improvise without it. Make sure the script is present in the expected path before running the skill.
Does the skill send my files over the network?
The skill is listed as not using the network. It does run scripts, so review those before use.
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Our verdict
Use this skill if you generate PowerPoint files programmatically and want an agent to run repeatable checks for overlaps, overflow, accessibility and editability, with an audit trail. Pick something else if you need help designing slides or judging persuasiveness or brand fit, since the checks are rule-based and need human review.
Download the skill