Keep only the template formatting of the reference PPTX (layout, footer, fonts, color scheme, and how sections are divided), and rewrite the content primary sources for the new topic This is a skill for rewriting with.
When to Use
- Requests like "Create GitHub Copilot app materials in the format of this Scout introduction deck"
- Rework an existing template deck for another product / another theme
- Gather primary sources (official docs / repo / changelog), assemble new content, and enhance it with real-device screenshots
- The section structure may also be redesigned to match the new topic
Use a different skill if:
- Want to create based on translation / content.json extraction (out of scope)
- Create from scratch from a template (out of scope)
- Want to create only the design / outline (out of scope)
Workflow
COPY → RESEARCH → PLAN → WIPE → BUILD → SCREENSHOTS → QA → POLISH
| Phase | Purpose | Main pitfalls |
|---|---|---|
| COPY | Copy the reference deck under a new file name and fix the editing target | Do not destroy the reference |
| RESEARCH | Retrieve primary sources with web_fetch , covering multiple documents / repo READMEs / changelogs |
Do not decide based only on snippets; check the latest version |
| PLAN | First finalize the section structure and the summary of each slide in SQL todos or markdown | Do not be constrained by the number of sections in the reference |
| WIPE | Organize the shapes of each slide. Align layouts to "Blank" and remove p:bg originating from the layout |
Be careful about how hidden slides are handled |
| BUILD | Rebuild each slide with add_shape / add_textbox. Add footer logo and page number | Negative width/height makes COM open impossible |
| SCREENSHOTS | Capture the actual UI with PrintWindow , mask PII, and insert |
Always black out personal project names, repository names, and usernames |
| QA | Convert all slides to PNG and have a sub-agent critique them , and do not skip reviewing them yourself | Self-evaluation of "looks fine" is prohibited |
| POLISH | Consolidate QA results into one file, apply them all at once, and re-run QA | Always eliminate too much whitespace on cards / inconsistencies in the color system |
Core Rules
- One file, not multiple drafts. Copy the reference directly and iterate on that single file. Do not keep old drafts.
- Lock-first. Before editing, check whether PowerPoint has the target PPTX open, confirm with the user that there are no unsaved changes, and then close it (without confirmation, do not
Stop-Processforcefully terminate it). Wait for OneDrive synchronization to complete. - Layout reset. As a rule, switch the content slides of the reference to the "Blank" layout and
<p:bg>remove them. If you do not do this, the old template decorations will show through. - No negative dimensions.
Emu(w - X)Do not create a situation where X > w.max(min_h, h - margin)clamp with . - COM cache bypass. Opening a recently edited file via COM may return old content.Always copy to a different file name before Open。
- Primary source over memory. For specifications, target plans, and pricing, always rely on primary sources, not memory
web_fetch. Example: The target plans for the GitHub Copilot app have been updated in the official README to "Pro / Pro+ / Max / Business / Enterprise". - Section list = raw XML.
python-pptxdoes not support PowerPoint sections.presentation.xmlにp14:sectionLstinsert directly.&must always be&escape tootherwise COM cannot open it. - Layout consistency before content polish. First confirm that 18 slides are created, the 6 sections fit correctly, page numbers pass, and footers are aligned, then fix the content details.
Hard Gotchas
- Negative dim corruption:
add_textbox(..., h=h-650000)If h becomes less than 650000, python-pptx can save it, but PowerPoint COM Open fails. It can be opened from the GUI. It becomes necessary to hunt for the culprit slide by slide using bisection. - COM Export cache:
app.Presentations.Open(SAME_PATH)If you hit them consecutively, PowerPoint may internally hold an old CRC, and the Export image will not reflect the updated content.copy to a new filename, then Open。 - OneDrive sync and Office lock: While editing a PPTX under OneDrive,
FileCoAuthがPackageNotFoundErrormay occur.Stop-Process -Id <FileCoAuth_PID>to release. - Section XML escape:
<p14:section name="D. Customize & Collaborate">は&results in invalid XML.&に escape。 - Hidden slide page numbering:
show="0"If you skip slides and assign page numbers, the numbers after the invisible slides shift forward.absolute index including hidden assigning them is more consistent.
Quick Start
For details, see references/ .
1. ユーザー: "この Scout deck の体裁で GitHub Copilot app 資料作って"
2. COPY: 参照を新ファイル名でコピー
3. RESEARCH: web_fetch で公式 docs / repo README / changelog を取得
4. PLAN: SQL todos で section 構成 + 各 slide 要旨を確定
5. WIPE → 白紙レイアウト + bg 削除 + footer 維持
6. BUILD: スライドごとに rebuild_deck.py で再構築
7. SCREENSHOTS: PrintWindow キャプチャ → PII mask → 挿入
8. QA: sub-agent で全 PNG 批評 → 修正
9. POLISH: 色 system 統一、約物統一、余白統一
References
- references/workflow-detail.md — command examples for each phase
- references/screenshot-mask-pattern.md — PrintWindow + Gaussian blur + explanatory overlay
- references/com-and-xml-pitfalls.md — known COM / XML pitfalls
- references/section-xml-template.md —
p14:sectionLstinsertion template
Done Criteria
- Able to iterate using one copy of the reference deck as the source of truth
- The section structure is optimized for the new topic (does not need to be the same as the reference)
- All body text has primary-source citations (Source: line explicitly stated at the bottom of the slide)
- Actual-device screenshots are PII-masked (personal PJ names, repos, usernames, chat names)
- Visual QA by a sub-agent has been run at least once
- Colors are limited to about 5, with no undefined colors (floating red, magenta, etc.)
- The COM Open test passes (not tripping over negative dim / XML escape / cache)