---
name: ppt-master
description: >
  AI-driven multi-format SVG content generation system. Converts source documents
  (PDF/DOCX/URL/Markdown) into high-quality SVG pages and exports to PPTX through
  multi-role collaboration. Use when user asks to "create PPT", "make presentation",
  "生成PPT", "做PPT", "制作演示文稿", or mentions "ppt-master".
---

# PPT Master Skill

> AI-driven multi-format SVG content generation system. Converts source documents into high-quality SVG pages through multi-role collaboration and exports to PPTX.

**Core Pipeline**: `Source Document → Create Project → [Template] → Strategist → [Image_Generator] → Executor Live Preview → Quality Check → Post-processing → Export`

> [!CAUTION]
> ## 🚨 Global Execution Discipline (MANDATORY)
>
> **This workflow is a strict serial pipeline. The following rules have the highest priority — violating any one of them constitutes execution failure:**
>
> 1. **SERIAL EXECUTION** — Steps MUST be executed in order; the output of each step is the input for the next. Non-BLOCKING adjacent steps may proceed continuously once prerequisites are met, without waiting for the user to say "continue"
> 2. **BLOCKING = HARD STOP** — Steps marked ⛔ BLOCKING require a full stop; the AI MUST wait for an explicit user response before proceeding and MUST NOT make any decisions on behalf of the user
> 3. **NO CROSS-PHASE BUNDLING** — Cross-phase bundling is FORBIDDEN. (Note: the Eight Confirmations in Step 4 are ⛔ BLOCKING — the AI MUST present recommendations and wait for explicit user confirmation before proceeding. Once the user confirms, all subsequent non-BLOCKING steps — design spec output, SVG generation, speaker notes, and post-processing — may proceed automatically without further user confirmation)
> 4. **GATE BEFORE ENTRY** — Each Step has prerequisites (🚧 GATE) listed at the top; these MUST be verified before starting that Step
> 5. **NO SPECULATIVE EXECUTION** — "Pre-preparing" content for subsequent Steps is FORBIDDEN (e.g., writing SVG code during the Strategist phase)
> 6. **NO SUB-AGENT SVG GENERATION** — Executor Step 6 SVG generation is context-dependent and MUST be completed by the current main agent end-to-end. Delegating page SVG generation to sub-agents is FORBIDDEN
> 7. **SEQUENTIAL PAGE GENERATION ONLY** — In Executor Step 6, after the global design context is confirmed, SVG pages MUST be generated sequentially page by page in one continuous pass. Grouped page batches (for example, 5 pages at a time) are FORBIDDEN
> 8. **SPEC_LOCK RE-READ PER PAGE** — Before generating each SVG page, Executor MUST `read_file <project_path>/spec_lock.md`. All colors / fonts / icons / images MUST come from this file — no values from memory or invented on the fly. Executor MUST also look up the current page's `page_rhythm` (`anchor` / `dense` / `breathing`), `page_layouts` (which template SVG to inherit, if any), and `page_charts` (which chart template to adapt, if any). Empty / absent entries are intentional Strategist signals — see executor-base.md §2.1. This rule exists to resist context-compression drift on long decks and to break the uniform "every page is a card grid" default
> 9. **SVG MUST BE HAND-WRITTEN, NOT SCRIPT-GENERATED** — Every SVG page is written by the main agent directly, one page at a time (see rules 6 and 7). Writing or running a Python / Node / shell script that produces the SVG files in batch — looping over pages, templating from data, or emitting them via a generator — is FORBIDDEN, including under "save tokens", "quick draft", or "user is in a hurry" pretexts. The script-generation path was tried on a feature branch and abandoned: cross-page visual consistency depends on per-page authoring with full upstream context, which a generator script cannot reproduce

> [!IMPORTANT]
> ## 🌐 Language & Communication Rule
>
> - **Response language**: match the user's input and source materials. Explicit user override (e.g., "请用英文回答") takes precedence.
> - **Template format**: `design_spec.md` MUST follow its original English template structure (section headings, field names) regardless of conversation language. Content values may be in the user's language.

> [!IMPORTANT]
> ## 🔌 Compatibility With Generic Coding Skills
>
> - `ppt-master` is a repository-specific workflow, not a general application scaffold
> - Do NOT create `.worktrees/`, `tests/`, branch workflows, or generic engineering structure by default
> - On conflict with a generic coding skill, follow this skill unless the user explicitly says otherwise

## Main Pipeline Scripts

| Script | Purpose |
|--------|---------|
| `${SKILL_DIR}/scripts/source_to_md/pdf_to_md.py` | PDF to Markdown |
| `${SKILL_DIR}/scripts/source_to_md/doc_to_md.py` | Documents to Markdown — native Python for DOCX/HTML/EPUB/IPYNB, pandoc fallback for legacy formats (.doc/.odt/.rtf/.tex/.rst/.org/.typ) |
| `${SKILL_DIR}/scripts/source_to_md/excel_to_md.py` | Excel workbooks to Markdown — supports .xlsx/.xlsm; legacy .xls should be resaved as .xlsx |
| `${SKILL_DIR}/scripts/source_to_md/ppt_to_md.py` | PowerPoint to Markdown |
| `${SKILL_DIR}/scripts/source_to_md/web_to_md.py` | Web page to Markdown (supports WeChat via `curl_cffi`) |
| `${SKILL_DIR}/scripts/project_manager.py` | Project init / validate / manage |
| `${SKILL_DIR}/scripts/analyze_images.py` | Image analysis |
| `${SKILL_DIR}/scripts/image_gen.py` | AI image generation (multi-provider) |
| `${SKILL_DIR}/scripts/svg_quality_checker.py` | SVG quality check |
| `${SKILL_DIR}/scripts/total_md_split.py` | Speaker notes splitting |
| `${SKILL_DIR}/scripts/finalize_svg.py` | SVG post-processing (unified entry) |
| `${SKILL_DIR}/scripts/svg_to_pptx.py` | Export to PPTX |
| `${SKILL_DIR}/scripts/update_spec.py` | Propagate a `spec_lock.md` color / font_family change across all generated SVGs |

For complete tool documentation, see `${SKILL_DIR}/scripts/README.md`.

## Template Index

| Index | Path | Purpose |
|-------|------|---------|
| Layout templates | `${SKILL_DIR}/templates/layouts/layouts_index.json` | Query available page layout templates |
| Visualization templates | `${SKILL_DIR}/templates/charts/charts_index.json` | Query available visualization SVG templates (charts, infographics, diagrams, frameworks) |
| Icon library | `${SKILL_DIR}/templates/icons/` | See `${SKILL_DIR}/templates/icons/README.md`; search icons on demand with `ls templates/icons/<library>/ \| grep <keyword>` |

## Standalone Workflows

| Workflow | Path | Purpose |
|----------|------|---------|
| `topic-research` | `workflows/topic-research.md` | Pre-pipeline — gather web sources when the user supplies only a topic with no source files |
| `create-template` | `workflows/create-template.md` | Standalone template creation workflow |
| `resume-execute` | `workflows/resume-execute.md` | Phase B entry — resume execution in a fresh chat after Phase A (Step 1–5) completed in another session (split mode) |
| `verify-charts` | `workflows/verify-charts.md` | Chart coordinate calibration — run after SVG generation if the deck contains data charts |
| `customize-animations` | `workflows/customize-animations.md` | Object-level PPTX animation customization — run only when the user explicitly asks to tune animation order/effects/timing |
| `live-preview` | `workflows/live-preview.md` | Browser-based live preview — auto-started during generation and re-enterable any time the user mentions "live preview", "preview", "看效果", or wants to click/select a slide element |

---

## Workflow

### Step 1: Source Content Processing

🚧 **GATE**: User has provided source material (PDF / DOCX / EPUB / URL / Markdown file / text description / conversation content — any form is acceptable).

> **No source content?** When the user supplies only a topic name or requirements without any file or substantive description, run the [`topic-research`](workflows/topic-research.md) workflow first, then return here with its products as input.

When the user provides non-Markdown content, convert immediately:

| User Provides | Command |
|---------------|---------|
| PDF file | `python3 ${SKILL_DIR}/scripts/source_to_md/pdf_to_md.py <file>` |
| DOCX / Word / Office document | `python3 ${SKILL_DIR}/scripts/source_to_md/doc_to_md.py <file>` |
| XLSX / XLSM / Excel workbook | `python3 ${SKILL_DIR}/scripts/source_to_md/excel_to_md.py <file>` |
| CSV / TSV | Read directly as plain-text table source |
| PPTX / PowerPoint deck | `python3 ${SKILL_DIR}/scripts/source_to_md/ppt_to_md.py <file>` |
| EPUB / HTML / LaTeX / RST / other | `python3 ${SKILL_DIR}/scripts/source_to_md/doc_to_md.py <file>` |
| Web link | `python3 ${SKILL_DIR}/scripts/source_to_md/web_to_md.py <URL>` |
| WeChat / high-security site | `python3 ${SKILL_DIR}/scripts/source_to_md/web_to_md.py <URL>` (requires `curl_cffi`, included in `requirements.txt`) |
| Markdown | Read directly |

**✅ Checkpoint — Confirm source content is ready, proceed to Step 2.**

---

### Step 2: Project Initialization

🚧 **GATE**: Step 1 complete; source content is ready (Markdown file, user-provided text, or requirements described in conversation are all valid).

```bash
python3 ${SKILL_DIR}/scripts/project_manager.py init <project_name> --format <format>
```

Format options: `ppt169` (default), `ppt43`, `xhs`, `story`, etc. For the full format list, see `references/canvas-formats.md`.

Import source content (choose based on the situation):

| Situation | Action |
|-----------|--------|
| Has source files (PDF/MD/etc.) | `python3 ${SKILL_DIR}/scripts/project_manager.py import-sources <project_path> <source_files...> --move` |
| User provided text directly in conversation | No import needed — content is already in conversation context; subsequent steps can reference it directly |

> ⚠️ **MUST use `--move`** (not copy): all source files — Step 1's generated Markdown, original PDFs / MDs / images — go into `sources/` via `import-sources --move`. After execution they no longer exist at the original location. Intermediate artifacts (e.g., `_files/`) are handled automatically.

**✅ Checkpoint — Confirm project structure created successfully, `sources/` contains all source files, converted materials are ready. Proceed to Step 3.**

---

### Step 3: Template Option

🚧 **GATE**: Step 2 complete; project directory structure is ready.

**Default — free design.** Proceed directly to Step 4. Do NOT query `layouts_index.json` unless triggered. Do NOT ask the user. Do NOT proactively suggest, hint at, or fuzzy-match any template based on content, slug-like words, or vague style descriptions.

**Template flow triggers ONLY on an explicit template directory path** supplied by the user in their initial message. The trigger rule is mechanical, not interpretive:

| User input contains | Step 3 action |
|---|---|
| An explicit path to a template directory (e.g. `skills/ppt-master/templates/layouts/academic_defense/`, `projects/foo/template/`, or any other absolute / relative path that resolves to a directory containing `design_spec.md` and one or more page SVGs) | Copy that directory's SVGs + `design_spec.md` + assets into the project, advance |
| Anything else — including bare template names ("用 academic_defense 模板"), style descriptions ("麦肯锡风格" / "Google style"), brand mentions ("招商银行风格"), vague intent ("想用个模板"), or silence | Skip Step 3, free design |

There is no slug matching, no name lookup, no fuzzy resolution. A template name without a path does not trigger — the user must give a path the AI can `cd` into.

The path may live anywhere — `skills/ppt-master/templates/layouts/<name>/` (the built-in library), `projects/<other_project>/template/` (reusing a previous project's templates), or any other location. Location is irrelevant; what matters is that the user named the path.

```bash
TEMPLATE_DIR=<user-supplied path>
cp ${TEMPLATE_DIR}/*.svg <project_path>/templates/
cp ${TEMPLATE_DIR}/design_spec.md <project_path>/templates/
cp ${TEMPLATE_DIR}/*.png <project_path>/images/ 2>/dev/null || true
cp ${TEMPLATE_DIR}/*.jpg <project_path>/images/ 2>/dev/null || true
```

> Style descriptions ("麦肯锡风格" / "Keynote 风" / "极简风" / etc.) never trigger Step 3. They flow naturally into Strategist's Eight Confirmations as part of the user's input — Strategist uses them as a style brief when proposing color / typography / tone in confirmations e and g.

> Bare template names ("academic_defense", "招商银行") do NOT trigger Step 3 even if a folder by that name exists in the library. The user must give a path. AI must not "helpfully" resolve a name to a path.

> "What templates exist?" is out-of-band Q&A — answer by listing entries from `layouts_index.json` together with their paths. Listing alone does not advance the pipeline; the user still has to send a path to trigger the Step 3 copy.

> To create a new template, read `workflows/create-template.md`.

**✅ Checkpoint — Default path proceeds to Step 4 without user interaction. If the user's input contains an explicit template directory path, that directory is copied before advancing.**

---

### Step 4: Strategist Phase (MANDATORY — cannot be skipped)

🚧 **GATE**: Step 3 complete; default free-design path taken, or (if triggered) template files copied into the project.

First, read the role definition:
```
Read references/strategist.md
```

> ⚠️ **Mandatory gate**: before writing `design_spec.md`, Strategist MUST `read_file templates/design_spec_reference.md` and follow its full I–XI section structure. See `strategist.md` Section 1.

**Eight Confirmations** (full template: `templates/design_spec_reference.md`):

⛔ **BLOCKING**: present the Eight Confirmations as a single bundled recommendation set and **wait for explicit user confirmation or modification** before outputting Design Specification & Content Outline. This is the single core confirmation point — once confirmed, all subsequent steps proceed automatically.

1. Canvas format
2. Page count range
3. Target audience
4. Style objective
5. Color scheme
6. Icon usage approach
7. Typography plan
8. Image usage approach

**Mandatory — split-mode note** (not a ninth confirmation): after listing the eight confirmation details, you MUST append exactly one short line (rendered in the user's language, prefixed with 💡) about generation mode. Pick the variant by qualitative read of Phase A signals — recommended page count, source-material bulk, whether `topic-research` ran with substantial web-fetch accumulation:

| Signal read | Line content |
|---|---|
| Heavy (long page count / bulky sources / heavy web-fetch accumulation) | State estimated page count and large source size; recommend switching to [split mode](workflows/resume-execute.md) after Step 5 — stop this chat, open a fresh window and input `继续生成 projects/<project_name>` to enter Phase B (SVG generation + export); no response or "continue" = default continuous mode. |
| Normal (default) | State scale is moderate, default continuous mode generates in one go; if mid-way window switch is desired, input `继续生成 projects/<project_name>` after Step 5 to switch to [split mode](workflows/resume-execute.md). |

This line is required output every run — the user must always see the mode choice exists. Whether to act on it is the user's call.

If the user provided images, run analysis **before outputting the design spec**:
```bash
python3 ${SKILL_DIR}/scripts/analyze_images.py <project_path>/images
```

> ⚠️ **Image handling**: NEVER directly read / open / view image files (`.jpg`, `.png`, etc.). All image info comes from `analyze_images.py` output or the Design Spec's Image Resource List.

**Output**:
- `<project_path>/design_spec.md` — human-readable design narrative
- `<project_path>/spec_lock.md` — machine-readable execution contract (skeleton: `templates/spec_lock_reference.md`); Executor re-reads before every page

**✅ Checkpoint — Phase deliverables complete, auto-proceed to next step**:
```markdown
## ✅ Strategist Phase Complete
- [x] Eight Confirmations completed (user confirmed)
- [x] Split-mode note appended below the eight items (heavy or normal variant)
- [x] Design Specification & Content Outline generated
- [x] Execution lock (spec_lock.md) generated
- [ ] **Next**: Auto-proceed to [Image_Generator / Executor] phase
```

---

### Step 5: Image Acquisition Phase (Conditional)

🚧 **GATE**: Step 4 complete; Design Specification & Content Outline generated and user confirmed.

> **Trigger**: At least one row in the resource list has `Acquire Via: ai` and/or `Acquire Via: web`. If every row is `user` or `placeholder`, skip to Step 6.

**Always load the common framework**:

```
Read references/image-base.md
```

Then **lazy-load the path-specific reference** for each row that actually needs it:

| Acquire Via | Load reference (only if any such row exists) | Run |
|---|---|---|
| `ai` | `references/image-generator.md` | `python3 ${SKILL_DIR}/scripts/image_gen.py --manifest <project_path>/images/image_prompts.json` |
| `web` | `references/image-searcher.md` | `python3 ${SKILL_DIR}/scripts/image_search.py ...` |
| `user` / `placeholder` | (skip) | (skip) |

A deck with only `ai` rows never loads `image-searcher.md`; a deck with only `web` rows never loads `image-generator.md`. A mixed deck loads both, processes each row through its own path, and writes both `image_prompts.json` and `image_sources.json`.

> ⚠️ **In-pipeline ai path MUST use manifest mode** — even when only 1 ai row exists. Write `images/image_prompts.json` first, then run `image_gen.py --manifest`, then `image_gen.py --render-md` to produce the `image_prompts.md` sidecar. The positional form (`image_gen.py "prompt" ...`) is reserved for **out-of-pipeline one-off testing / single-image fixups** — it skips manifest + sidecar, leaving no audit trail.

Workflow:

1. Extract all rows with `Status: Pending` and `Acquire Via ∈ {ai, web}` from the design spec
2. Generate prompts (ai rows) and/or run search (web rows) per [image-base.md](references/image-base.md) §2 dispatch table
3. Verify every row reaches a terminal status: `Generated` (ai success), `Sourced` (web success), or `Needs-Manual`

**✅ Checkpoint — Confirm acquisition attempted for every row**:
```markdown
## ✅ Image Acquisition Phase Complete
- [x] image_prompts.json created (when any ai rows processed)
- [x] image_prompts.md sidecar rendered (when any ai rows processed)
- [x] image_sources.json created (when any web rows processed)
- [x] Each row: status is `Generated` / `Sourced` / `Needs-Manual` (no `Pending` remaining)
```

**Default — auto-proceed to Step 6.** Only when the user's Step 4 response explicitly opted into split mode (in reply to the optional hint), output the Phase A hand-off below and stop this conversation:

  ```markdown
  ## ✅ Phase A Complete
  - [x] Spec: `design_spec.md`, `spec_lock.md`
  - [x] Resources: `sources/`, `images/`, `templates/`
  - [ ] **Next**: open a fresh chat window and input `继续生成 projects/<project_name>` to enter Phase B via the [`resume-execute`](workflows/resume-execute.md) workflow.
  ```

> On acquisition failure, do NOT halt — follow the Failure Handling rule in [image-base.md](references/image-base.md) §5: retry once, then mark the row `Needs-Manual`, report to user, and continue to the checkpoint above.

---

### Step 6: Executor Phase

🚧 **GATE**: Step 4 (and Step 5 if triggered) complete; all prerequisite deliverables are ready.

Read the role definition based on the selected style:
```
Read references/executor-base.md          # REQUIRED: common guidelines
Read references/shared-standards.md       # REQUIRED: SVG/PPT technical constraints
Read references/executor-general.md       # General flexible style
Read references/executor-consultant.md    # Consulting style
Read references/executor-consultant-top.md # Top consulting style (MBB level)
```

> Only read executor-base + shared-standards + one style file.

**Design Parameter Confirmation (Mandatory)**: before the first SVG, output key design parameters from the spec (canvas dimensions, color scheme, font plan, body font size). See executor-base.md §2.

**Live Preview Auto-Startup (Mandatory)**: before the first SVG, automatically start the browser editor in live mode and keep it running continuously through Executor + Step 7 export:
```bash
python3 ${SKILL_DIR}/scripts/svg_editor/server.py <project_path> --live
```
- Start it immediately when Executor begins; `svg_output/` may be empty. Editor opens at `http://localhost:5050`; port conflict → `--port <other>` and report the actual URL.
- Run it as a long-running side process/session; do not wait for it to exit before generating SVG pages. Do not wait for user confirmation after startup.
- **Service must keep running** until one of: (a) the user clicks **Exit preview** in the browser, or (b) the user explicitly asks in chat to stop it. Generation continues even if the user closes the editor.
- **Do NOT read or apply submitted annotations during generation.** Users may annotate at any time, but Executor proceeds without touching them. The window to apply annotations opens only after Step 7 completes — see [`workflows/live-preview.md`](workflows/live-preview.md).
- UI button semantics and editor details: see [`workflows/live-preview.md`](workflows/live-preview.md) Notes.

**Pre-generation Batch Read (Mandatory)**: before the first SVG, batch-read every distinct layout SVG referenced in `spec_lock.page_layouts` and every distinct chart SVG referenced in `spec_lock.page_charts` (plus any §VII backup charts). One read per file, up front — do not re-read these during page generation. See executor-base.md §1.0.

**Per-page spec_lock re-read (Mandatory)**: before **each** SVG page, `read_file <project_path>/spec_lock.md` and use only its colors / fonts / icons / images, plus the per-page `page_rhythm` / `page_layouts` / `page_charts` lookups (resolves to template SVGs already loaded in the batch read above). Resists context-compression drift on long decks. See executor-base.md §2.1.

> ⚠️ **Main-agent only**: SVG generation MUST stay in the current main agent — page design depends on full upstream context. Do NOT delegate to sub-agents.
> ⚠️ **Generation rhythm**: generate pages sequentially, one at a time, in the same continuous context. Do NOT batch (e.g., 5 per group).

**Visual Construction Phase**: generate SVG pages sequentially, one at a time, in one continuous pass → `<project_path>/svg_output/`

**Quality Check Gate (Mandatory)** — after all SVGs, BEFORE annotation handling and speaker notes:
```bash
python3 ${SKILL_DIR}/scripts/svg_quality_checker.py <project_path>
```
- Any `error` (banned SVG features, viewBox mismatch, spec_lock drift, etc.) MUST be fixed before proceeding — return to Visual Construction, regenerate that page, re-run check.
- `warning` entries (low-res image, non-PPT-safe font tail, etc.): fix when straightforward, otherwise acknowledge and release.
- Run against `svg_output/` (not after `finalize_svg.py` — finalize rewrites SVG and masks violations).

**Logic Construction Phase**: generate speaker notes → `<project_path>/notes/total.md`

**✅ Checkpoint — Confirm all SVGs and notes are fully generated and quality-checked. Proceed directly to Step 7 post-processing**:
```markdown
## ✅ Executor Phase Complete
- [x] Live preview started and kept available at the reported URL
- [x] All SVGs generated to svg_output/
- [x] svg_quality_checker.py passed (0 errors)
- [x] Speaker notes generated at notes/total.md
```

> **Chart pages?** If this deck contains data charts (bar / line / pie / radar / etc.), run the standalone [`verify-charts`](workflows/verify-charts.md) workflow before Step 7 to calibrate coordinates. AI models routinely introduce 10–50 px errors when mapping data to pixel positions; verify-charts eliminates that class of error. Skip if no chart pages.

---

### Step 7: Post-processing & Export

🚧 **GATE**: Step 6 complete; all SVGs generated to `svg_output/`; speaker notes `notes/total.md` generated.

🚧 **Image readiness GATE** (when Step 5 left ai rows in `Needs-Manual`): every expected file must exist at `project/images/<filename>` before running 7.1.

> If files are missing: PAUSE, list the missing filenames, point the user to `images/image_prompts.md` (each `### Image N:` block is paste-ready for ChatGPT / Gemini / Midjourney; auto-generated from `image_prompts.json`) and the required placement `project/images/<filename>`. Resume Step 7.1 only after all expected files are in place. `finalize_svg.py` and `svg_to_pptx.py` do not detect missing files at this layer — proceeding with gaps produces a deck with broken image references.

> ⚠️ Run the three sub-steps **one at a time** — each must complete successfully before the next.
> ❌ **NEVER** combine them into a single code block or shell invocation.

Canonical three-command pipeline (mirrors `references/shared-standards.md` §5):

**Step 7.1** — Split speaker notes:
```bash
python3 ${SKILL_DIR}/scripts/total_md_split.py <project_path>
```

**Step 7.2** — SVG post-processing (icon embedding / image crop & embed / text flattening / rounded rect to path):
```bash
python3 ${SKILL_DIR}/scripts/finalize_svg.py <project_path>
```

**Step 7.3** — Export PPTX (embeds speaker notes by default):
```bash
python3 ${SKILL_DIR}/scripts/svg_to_pptx.py <project_path>
# Output:
#   exports/<project_name>_<timestamp>.pptx           ← main native pptx (reads svg_output/, high fidelity)
#   backup/<timestamp>/<project_name>_svg.pptx        ← SVG preview pptx (reads svg_final/)
#   backup/<timestamp>/svg_output/                    ← Executor SVG source backup
```

> The two products now read from different sources by design: native pptx
> consumes `svg_output/` so the converter can preserve high-fidelity primitives
> (icon `<use>` placeholders, image `preserveAspectRatio` → `srcRect`, rounded
> rect `rx/ry` → `prstGeom roundRect`). The legacy/preview pptx still consumes
> `svg_final/` because PowerPoint's internal SVG parser cannot handle those
> primitives. Pass `-s output` or `-s final` to force a single source on both
> products if you need the older single-source behaviour.

**Optional animation flags** (the defaults already enable rich entrance animations — adjust only when the user asks for something different):
- `-t <effect>` — page transition. Default `fade`. Options: `fade` / `push` / `wipe` / `split` / `strips` / `cover` / `random` / `none`.
- `-a <effect>` — per-element entrance animation. Default `mixed` (auto-vary across the deck). Pass `none` to disable, or pick a specific effect like `fade`. Requires top-level `<g id="...">` groups (already required by Executor).
- `--animation-trigger {on-click,with-previous,after-previous}` — Start mode (matches PowerPoint's animation-pane Start dropdown). Default `after-previous` (click-free cascade; pace via `--animation-stagger`). Use `on-click` for presenter-paced reveals, or `with-previous` for all-at-once.
- `--animation-config <path>` — optional object-level sidecar. Default: `<project_path>/animations.json` when present.
- `--auto-advance <seconds>` — kiosk-style auto-play.

**Optional custom animations** (only when the user asks to tune animation order/effects/timing for specific objects):

Run the standalone [`customize-animations`](workflows/customize-animations.md) workflow. Default export already has global entrance animation; do not create `animations.json` unless object-level customization was requested.

**Optional recorded narration** (only when the user asks for narrated/video export):

Run the standalone [`generate-audio`](workflows/generate-audio.md) workflow. The AI picks a narration backend (`edge` by default, or a configured cloud provider such as ElevenLabs / MiniMax / Qwen / CosyVoice for high-quality or cloned voices), asks the user once (backend + voice + rate/settings + embed-or-not, all with recommended values), then executes `notes_to_audio.py` and (if chosen) re-exports the PPTX with `--recorded-narration audio`.

Do NOT call `notes_to_audio.py` directly without going through the workflow — `--voice` / `--voice-id` is required and the workflow produces the locale/provider-aware recommendation that makes the choice meaningful.

Full effect list, anchor logic, and limits: [`references/animations.md`](references/animations.md).

> ❌ **NEVER** substitute `cp` for `finalize_svg.py` — finalize performs multiple critical processing steps
> ❌ **NEVER** force `-s output` for the legacy/preview pptx (PowerPoint's internal SVG parser drops icons and rounded corners). The default auto-split already gives native the high-fidelity source it needs without touching legacy.
> ❌ **NEVER** use `--only` (it suppresses one of the two output files)

> **Post-export annotation window**: the preview service from Step 6 typically remains running after export. If the user submitted annotations in the browser (during Executor or after export) and now asks to apply them — they may quote the browser prompt (`Annotations saved. ... apply my annotations`), say "apply my annotations" / "应用注解" / equivalent — run [`live-preview`](workflows/live-preview.md) Step 2 to apply and re-export. Annotations submitted during generation are also handled here, not earlier.

> **Preview not running?** Any time the user mentions "live preview", "preview", "看效果", or wants to select/click a slide element and the service is not running, run [`live-preview`](workflows/live-preview.md) Step 1 to start it. If the service is already running, just point them at the URL — do not restart.

---

## Role Switching Protocol

Before switching roles, **MUST first read** the corresponding reference file. Output marker:

```markdown
## [Role Switch: <Role Name>]
📖 Reading role definition: references/<filename>.md
📋 Current task: <brief description>
```

---

## Reference Resources

| Resource | Path |
|----------|------|
| Shared technical constraints | `references/shared-standards.md` |
| Canvas format specification | `references/canvas-formats.md` |
| Image-text layout patterns (Primary structures + Modifier layers — combine freely) | `references/image-layout-patterns.md` |
| Image layout sizing (math for side-by-side container dimensions) | `references/image-layout-spec.md` |
| SVG image embedding | `references/svg-image-embedding.md` |
| Icon library | `templates/icons/README.md` |

---

## Notes

- Local preview: `python3 -m http.server -d <project_path>/svg_final 8000`
- **Troubleshooting**: on generation issues (layout overflow, export errors, blank images, etc.), check `docs/faq.md` for known solutions
