Guide · Agent skill
How to use the Vellum Humanities Lecture Deck agent skill
Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data
This guide explains what the html-ppt-zhangzara-vellum skill does, how to install it, and how to ask an AI agent for a deck in its style. It is written for readers who have never used agent skills. By the end you will know how to add the skill, trigger it with a plain request, and check the output before you present it.
Vellum Humanities Lecture Decknexu-io/open-design · Apache-2.0 Download the skill Quick start
- 1Download the ZIP. Get the html-ppt-zhangzara-vellum ZIP from the skill page.
- 2Unzip into a skills folder. Unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use, or into a project's .claude/skills/ folder.
- 3Or upload in the Claude apps. In the Claude apps, open Settings → Capabilities → Skills and upload the skill.
- 4Ask for an academic deck. Describe the audience, topic and your content in plain language, mentioning a research or academic context.
- 5Answer the agent's questions. The agent asks for missing essentials such as audience, decision target, source materials and must-keep numbers.
- 6Review the HTML deck. Open the generated file in a browser and check every fact, number and citation before presenting.
What an agent skill is and what this one does
An agent skill is a folder of instructions and files that an AI agent can load when a task matches it. This skill gives the agent one fixed visual template: a deep navy background, warm-yellow italic Cormorant serif headings and a single dusty teal accent. The output is a single self-contained HTML presentation.
When you ask for an academic or research-style deck, the agent starts from the template's example file, replaces the placeholder text with your content, and keeps the original fonts, colours and decorative elements. It does not invent a new style. The sample topic is a humanities lecture on how Renaissance linear perspective reshaped early cartography.
- Output: one self-contained HTML deck
- Style: dark, formal, low density, calm rather than energetic
- Files included: example.html, SKILL.md, template.json
Install the skill from the ZIP or the Claude apps
Option one: download the ZIP from the skill page and unzip it into your personal skills folder, ~/.claude/skills/. To scope it to one project instead, unzip it into that project's .claude/skills/ folder.
Option two: in the Claude apps, open Settings, go to Capabilities, then Skills, and upload the skill there.
- Personal install: ~/.claude/skills/
- Project install: .claude/skills/ inside the project folder
- App install: Settings → Capabilities → Skills
Trigger the skill with a natural request
You do not need a special command. Ask for a deck in plain language that mentions an academic, research or review context. The skill's listed triggers include words such as academic-research, research, grant, review, html deck and html slides, and the Chinese trigger phrase.
Be specific about the audience and the content. The skill's own example asks for faculty or a graduate seminar, and the agent is designed to first ask only for missing essentials such as audience, decision target, source materials, deadline and any numbers that must stay exact.
- Good: 'Make an HTML slide deck for a graduate seminar on how linear perspective changed early maps. Use my notes below.'
- Good: 'Build a review deck for our policy team in the academic research style. Keep my figures exactly as written.'
- Weaker: 'Make slides.' (the agent will need to ask questions first)
Examples of what to ask for
The skill fits decks where a calm, considered look suits the content. The template's own guidance also says it works for research synthesis, white papers, policy briefs and longform editorial pieces.
When your content needs more or fewer slides than the demo's nine, the agent duplicates a matching layout or drops slides from the end, and updates page-number labels. If a slide needs a layout the template lacks, the agent designs one using the same fonts, palette and decorative vocabulary.
- A seminar deck on Renaissance perspective and early maps, with sources and argument on separate slides
- A briefing for an advisory team that needs a calm visual style
- A grant or review deck built on your own notes, with your numbers kept as supplied
What the skill needs and how it behaves
The listing says the skill requires nothing beyond the agent itself. It does not run scripts and does not use the network, according to the listing. The template's workflow tells the agent to keep the navigation runtime as shipped, so any keyboard handler or deck-stage script in the file is left intact.
The skill changes layout and wording only. It does not check facts, sources or numbers. Treat every claim in the output as something you must verify yourself.
- Requirements: none listed
- Runs scripts: no
- Uses network: no
- The agent must not swap fonts, recolour the palette or strip corner brackets, paper grain and other decorative elements
Safety notes and licence
Because the skill does not run scripts or use the network, its main risk is the content itself. Check every number, citation and attribution before you present it. The skill cannot confirm that a historical claim is accurate.
The listing gives the licence as Apache-2.0. The SKILL.md notes that the vendored upstream template is MIT-licensed, that its licence text ships in the skill as a LICENSE file, and that this text must be redistributed with any copy of example.html, template.json or vendored assets. The file list on the listing does not show a LICENSE file, so check the downloaded ZIP for it before you redistribute the skill.
- Verify all facts, dates and figures yourself
- Keep the upstream MIT licence notice if you redistribute the template files
- Confirm the LICENSE file is present in your download
Tips for better results
Give the agent your real material up front: headlines, body copy, numbers, names and section labels. The template is designed for replacement of placeholder content, so complete source text produces a cleaner deck.
Use this skill for scholarly or calm decks. The style is intentionally low-tempo, so pick another approach for high-contrast marketing or product launch work.
- Paste your notes and sources in the same request
- Ask the agent to keep your exact numbers
- Review the page-number labels after the agent adds or removes slides
- Open the HTML file in a browser to check the layout before presenting
What people use it for
- A graduate seminar deck on how Renaissance linear perspective shaped early cartography
- A calm briefing deck for a policy or advisory team
- A review or grant presentation built from your own notes
- A dark editorial-style template to adapt for a longform talk
Frequently asked questions
How do I install the html-ppt-zhangzara-vellum skill?
Download the ZIP from the skill page and unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use, or into a project's .claude/skills/ folder. You can also upload it in the Claude apps under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
Does this skill need anything else to run?
The listing says it requires nothing else. It does not run scripts and does not use the network.
Is the Vellum Humanities Lecture Deck skill free to use?
The listing gives the licence as Apache-2.0. The SKILL.md says the vendored upstream template is MIT-licensed and that its licence text must be redistributed with copies of the template files. Read the licence file in your download before reuse.
Will this skill check my facts or sources?
No. The skill only shapes layout and wording. Any claims, citations or figures need human checking before you present the deck.
What kind of deck is this skill not suited for?
It is not suited to energetic, high-contrast marketing or product launch decks, because the navy and warm-yellow style is intentionally low-tempo. Choose another template for those.
What can I do if the agent does not use the skill?
Use one of the listed trigger words such as academic-research, research, review or html deck, and state that you want an academic style. Also confirm the skill folder is in ~/.claude/skills/ or the project's .claude/skills/ folder.
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Our verdict
Use this skill if you want a quiet, scholarly-looking HTML deck for a seminar, review or briefing, or a dark editorial template to adapt. Pick a different tool if you need energetic marketing visuals, or if you expect the skill to verify facts and sources.
Download the skill