How to use the PPT Import as Stage Pages agent skill

What an agent skill is and what this one does

An agent skill is a folder with a SKILL.md file that gives an AI agent step-by-step instructions for one kind of task. The agent reads those instructions when a request matches the skill's description.

This skill covers one case: you have a .pptx file in the conversation and want its slides placed into a classroom that already exists. The agent creates the classroom with create_stage, imports the deck with import_pptx as appended pages (or pages inserted at a position you choose), and keeps the original layout. The classroom keeps its own title, and the PowerPoint supplies only content.

• Creates the classroom first, then appends the slides to it.
• Inspects every imported page and renders it when a preview tool is available.
• Fixes bad cases such as overflow, overlap, empty boxes, garbled text and broken images.
• Writes teacher speech and spotlight cues only after it understands the whole course.
• Generates text-to-speech audio last.

Install the pptx-import skill

Download the skill 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. Either way, the skill folder should contain SKILL.md.

If you use the Claude apps, you can upload the ZIP instead under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.

• Personal: unzip into ~/.claude/skills/
• Project only: unzip into your project's .claude/skills/
• Claude apps: Settings → Capabilities → Skills, then upload the ZIP

What you need before you start

The skill depends on the OpenMAIC runtime and its tools. The skill's requirements list names these tools: create_stage, list_materials, import_pptx, read_stage, patch_stage, edit_deck, generate_actions and generate_tts.

You also need a .pptx file attached to the conversation, and the pro-editing skill, which the agent loads for visual repairs. render_scene_preview is optional, but without it the agent can only inspect pages through read_stage, so it cannot see overlap or clipping. generate_tts needs a text-to-speech configuration.

• OpenMAIC runtime with the tools listed above
• A .pptx file attached to the conversation
• The pro-editing skill, loaded for visual repairs
• Optional: render_scene_preview for visual checks
• Optional for audio: a text-to-speech configuration for generate_tts

Trigger the skill with a natural request

The skill activates when a .pptx is in the conversation and you want its slides filled into a classroom that is already set up or being created. Name the classroom and say you want the deck turned into lesson pages. Your wording does not have to match a fixed phrase.

If you attach several PowerPoint files, the agent asks which one to use unless you already named it. If you want extra quiz or interactive pages, say so explicitly, because the skill adds those only on request.

• "Here is my biology deck. Make a classroom called Cell Biology 101 and import these slides into it."
• "Import the attached PPT as pages of my existing stage, then check each page for layout problems."
• "Add narration to the imported slides for my students. Don't add quizzes."
• "Put these slides at position 3 in the lesson, before the existing pages."

How the workflow runs, step by step

The skill sets a fixed order. It creates the stage and imports the deck, then reads the roster and inspects every page. It fixes visual problems with the pro-editing approach, forms a reading of the course, writes actions page by page, and generates TTS last.

Imported pages are not rebuilt. The skill says not to call generate_scene on an imported slide, because that would replace the original layout. If the same PPT is imported again, the agent reuses the earlier result. To import it again on purpose, it first deletes the imported pages with edit_deck.

• Create the stage with its own title, then import the deck.
• Read every imported page, and render it if render_scene_preview is available.
• Fix only broken elements, keeping the original look.
• Write narration that teaches the page instead of reading the slide aloud.
• Generate TTS for each page after its actions are settled.

Safety notes: scripts and network

The skill's own metadata says it runs no scripts and makes no network calls. Its package includes two files, SKILL.md and outline-constraints.json. The SKILL.md text does not explain the JSON file, so check it yourself before relying on it.

The skill's tools do work inside your OpenMAIC runtime, such as importing the file, editing pages and generating TTS. Review what those tools change in your classroom, and keep a copy of the original .pptx.

• Runs scripts: no (per the skill's metadata)
• Uses network: no (per the skill's metadata)
• Files: SKILL.md and outline-constraints.json

Tips for better imports

Give the classroom a clear title and brief before you import, since the skill keeps that title and does not take it from the PPT. Attach only the deck you want, so the agent does not have to ask which file to use.

Expect speaker notes to become draft speech. The skill treats them as drafts to rewrite, and it does not text-to-speech them until the course is understood. Decks with more than 20 pages are checked by reading the cover, section pages, and any page that looks thin, garbled or like a dump.

• Set the classroom title and brief first.
• Attach one .pptx at a time when possible.
• Use atOrder if you need the slides at a specific position.
• Check speaker-note speech; it is a draft, not a script.
• Ask for quiz or interactive pages only when you need them.