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Deckbuilder MCP Server

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Deckbuilder is currently under active development and should NOT be considered production ready.

🎯 Deckbuilder

PyPI version Test Suite Python 3.11+

Create professional PowerPoint presentations from Markdown or JSON

Deckbuilder is a Python library, Command Line tool, and MCP server that generates PowerPoint presentations from structured content. Focus on your content - Deckbuilder handles the formatting and layout.

✨ Key Features

πŸš€ One-Shot Presentation Generation

Create complete PowerPoint presentations from JSON or Markdown with YAML frontmatter in a single command.

🎨 Rich Content Support

  • Advanced Formatting: **bold**, *italic*, ___underline___, ***bold italic***

  • Language & Font updating: The ability to update the fonts and language of all slide objects using the command line tools using the CLI.

  • Professional Tables: Custom styling with themes, colors, and precise dimension controls (column widths, row heights, table sizing).

  • Supported Layouts: Progressive library of templates being added.

🧠 Smart Template System

  • Intelligent Layout Selection: Automatic layout recommendations based on content type

  • Pattern-Based Architecture: Customize any layout with your own templates

  • Rich Content Support: Tables, images, multi-column layouts with professional styling

πŸ–ΌοΈ Smart Image Processing

  • Automatic Image Fallbacks: Missing images? Deckbuilder generates professional placeholders automatically

  • Smart Cropping: Face detection and intelligent composition for perfect image sizing

  • Professional Filters: Business-appropriate styling with grayscale and other effects

⚑ Enhanced CLI Experience

  • Professional Hierarchical Interface: Clean command structure (deckbuilder <command> <subcommand>)

  • One-Command Setup: deckbuilder init creates templates and configuration

  • Context-Aware Paths: CLI args > env vars > current directory precedence

  • Always Local Output: CLI outputs to current directory for predictable local development

  • Global Arguments: -t/--template-folder, -l/--language, -f/--font for complete customisation

  • Comprehensive Command Structure:

    • deckbuilder template β†’ analyze, validate, document, enhance, list

    • deckbuilder config β†’ show, languages, completion

    • deckbuilder image β†’ generate, crop

    • deckbuilder remap β†’ update existing PowerPoint files with language/font changes

  • Template Management: Analyze, validate, and enhance PowerPoint templates with detailed validation

πŸš€ Quick Start

Installation

pip install deckbuilder

CLI Usage (Standalone)

# Initialize templates (one-time setup) This will create the default template and mapping JSON. deckbuilder init # Create presentation from markdown (outputs to current directory) deckbuilder create presentation.md # Use custom template folder (CLI arg overrides env vars) deckbuilder --template-folder /custom/templates create presentation.md # Create with custom language and font (supports both formats) deckbuilder create presentation.md --language "es-ES" --font "Arial" deckbuilder create presentation.md --language "Spanish (Spain)" --font "Times New Roman" # View supported languages deckbuilder config languages # Template management & intelligence deckbuilder template analyze default --verbose deckbuilder template validate default deckbuilder template list # Smart template recommendations available through MCP tools # Image generation with crop-first approach deckbuilder image generate 800 600 --filter grayscale deckbuilder image crop image.jpg 800 600 # Language and font remapping for existing PowerPoint files deckbuilder remap existing.pptx --language en-US --font Arial # View current configuration (shows path sources) deckbuilder config show # Get help deckbuilder --help

MCP Server (Claude Desktop)

Add to your Claude Desktop configuration:

Option 1: Direct installation (recommended)

{ "mcpServers": { "deckbuilder": { "command": "deckbuilder-server", "env": { "DECK_TEMPLATE_FOLDER": "/Users/username/Documents/Deckbuilder/Templates", "DECK_TEMPLATE_NAME": "default", "DECK_OUTPUT_FOLDER": "/Users/username/Documents/Deckbuilder", "DECK_PROOFING_LANGUAGE": "en-AU", "DECK_DEFAULT_FONT": "Calibri" } } } }

New Environment Variables:

  • DECK_PROOFING_LANGUAGE: Set proofing language for spell-check and grammar (accepts both "en-AU" and "English (Australia)" formats)

  • DECK_DEFAULT_FONT: Set default font family for all presentations

  • Default Language: Australian English (en-AU) if not specified

πŸ“ Usage Examples

Markdown with Frontmatter (Recommended)

--- layout: Title Slide --- # **Deckbuilder** Presentation ## Creating presentations with *content-first* intelligence --- layout: Four Columns title: Feature Comparison columns: - title: Performance content: "**Fast** processing with optimized algorithms" - title: Security content: "***Enterprise-grade*** encryption and compliance" - title: Usability content: "*Intuitive* interface with minimal learning curve" - title: Cost content: "___Transparent___ pricing with proven ROI" --- --- layout: Picture with Caption title: Market Analysis media: image_path: "charts/revenue_growth.png" # Auto-fallback to PlaceKitten if missing alt_text: "Revenue growth chart" caption: "**Q4 Revenue Growth** - 23% increase" --- --- layout: Title and Content title: "**Table Dimensions:** Custom Column Widths" style: dark_blue_white_text row_style: alternating_light_gray border_style: thin_gray column_widths: [8, 6, 4, 5] row_height: 0.9 content: | Sales Performance Report with individual column width control: | **Product Category** | **Q1 Sales** | **Q2** | **Growth %** | | Enterprise Software | $125,000 | $142,000 | +13.6% | | SaaS Solutions | $89,500 | $98,200 | +9.7% | | Cloud Services | $156,000 | $178,000 | +14.1% | | Mobile Apps | $67,300 | $73,800 | +9.7% | --- --- layout: Title and Content title: "**Table Dimensions:** Equal Column Distribution" style: light_blue_dark_text row_style: alternating_light_gray border_style: thin_gray table_width: 22 row_height: 0.9 content: | Team Performance Dashboard with equal column distribution: | **Team Member** | **Projects** | **Completed** | **Success Rate** | | Alice Johnson | 25 | 24 | 96% | | Bob Smith | 18 | 17 | 94% | | Carol Davis | 32 | 31 | 97% | | David Wilson | 21 | 20 | 95% |

JSON Format (Programmatic)

{ "presentation": { "slides": [ { "type": "Title Slide", "title": "**Deckbuilder** Presentation", "subtitle": "Content-first presentation generation" }, { "type": "Title and Content", "title": "Key Benefits", "content": [ "**Intelligent** content analysis", "*Semantic* layout recommendations", "***Professional*** template system" ] }, { "type": "Title and Content", "title": "Team Performance Dashboard", "table": { "column_widths": [6, 4, 5, 3], "row_height": 1.8, "data": [ ["**Team Member**", "**Projects**", "**Completed**", "**Rate**"], ["Alice Johnson", "25", "24", "96%"], ["Bob Smith", "18", "17", "94%"], ["Carol Davis", "32", "31", "97%"] ], "header_style": "dark_blue_white_text", "row_style": "alternating_light_gray", "border_style": "thin_gray" } } ] } }

Python API

from deckbuilder import Deckbuilder # Initialize engine db = Deckbuilder() # Create from markdown result = db.create_presentation_from_markdown( markdown_content=open("presentation.md").read(), fileName="My_Presentation" ) # Create from JSON result = db.create_presentation( json_data={"presentation": {"slides": [...]}}, fileName="JSON_Presentation" ) print(f"βœ… Created: {result}")

🌍 Language & Font Support

Supported Languages (20)

Deckbuilder supports 20 proofing languages for spell-check and grammar. You can use either locale codes (en-AU) or full names (English (Australia)):

# View all supported languages (shows both formats) deckbuilder config languages

Available Languages:

  • English (United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia)

  • Spanish (Spain, Mexico, Latin America)

  • French (France, Canada)

  • German (Germany, Austria, Switzerland)

  • Italian, Portuguese (Brazil, Portugal)

  • Chinese (Simplified, Traditional), Japanese, Korean

  • Dutch, Russian, Arabic

Font Customization

# Set language and font globally (supports both formats) export DECK_PROOFING_LANGUAGE="en-AU" # Locale code format export DECK_PROOFING_LANGUAGE="English (Australia)" # Full name format export DECK_DEFAULT_FONT="Arial" # Or use CLI arguments (both formats work) deckbuilder create presentation.md --language "fr-CA" --font "Times New Roman" deckbuilder create presentation.md --language "French (Canada)" --font "Arial" # Check current settings (shows locale codes and descriptions) deckbuilder config show

πŸ–ΌοΈ PlaceKitten Image Processing

Smart Image Fallback System - When images are missing or invalid, PlaceKitten automatically generates professional placeholders:

from placekitten import PlaceKitten pk = PlaceKitten() placeholder = (pk.generate(1920, 1080, image_id=1) .smart_crop(1920, 1080) .apply_filter("grayscale") .save("professional_placeholder.jpg"))

Features:

  • βœ… File Validation: Checks image existence, format, and accessibility

  • βœ… Professional Styling: Automatic grayscale filtering for business context

  • βœ… Smart Cropping: Computer vision-based cropping with face detection

  • βœ… Performance Optimized: Intelligent caching prevents duplicate processing

  • βœ… Seamless Integration: Zero user intervention required

πŸš€ What's New in v1.2.0

Smart Template Recommendations

  • Content Analysis: Automatically analyzes your content to suggest the best layouts

  • MCP Integration: Available through Claude Desktop with intelligent recommendations

Enhanced Image Processing

  • Better Image Sizing: Smart cropping ensures images fit perfectly without distortion

  • Automatic Fallbacks: Professional placeholder images when your images are missing

Improved Pattern System

  • User Customization: Create custom layout patterns in {template_folder}/patterns/

  • Dynamic Loading: All layouts now use flexible pattern files instead of hard-coded templates

πŸ—οΈ Architecture

Your Content (Markdown/JSON) ↓ β”Œβ”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β” β”‚ Content Analysis β”‚ ← Analyzes your content type and audience β””β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”¬β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”˜ ↓ β”Œβ”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β” β”‚ Template Selection β”‚ ← Recommends best layouts for your content β””β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”¬β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”˜ ↓ β”Œβ”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β” β”‚ PowerPoint Engine β”‚ ← Generates professional presentations β””β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”¬β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”˜ ↓ Your Professional Presentation

🎨 Supported Markdown Layouts

βœ… Currently Implemented

  • Title Slide - Opening slide with title and subtitle

  • Title and Content - Rich text with headings, paragraphs, bullets

  • Four Columns - Quad content areas with structured frontmatter

  • Two Content - Side-by-side content areas

  • Comparison - Left vs right comparison layout

  • Table - Data tables with professional styling

  • Section Header - Divider slides between topics

  • Picture with Caption - Image-focused slides with smart fallbacks

🚧 Progressive Implementation (50+ Planned)

  • Big Number displays, SWOT Analysis, Feature Matrix

  • Timeline, Process Flow, Organizational Chart

  • Dashboard, Metrics, Financial layouts

  • And 40+ more business presentation layouts

See Feature Documentation for detailed specifications.

πŸ› οΈ Development

Prerequisites

  • Python 3.11+

  • Virtual environments are recommended.

Development Install

git clone https://github.com/teknologika/deckbuilder.git cd deckbuilder python3 -m venv .venv source .venv/bin/activate # Windows: .venv\Scripts\activate pip install -e .[dev]

Code Quality Standards

# Format code (required before commits) black --line-length 100 src/ # Check linting (required) flake8 src/ tests/ --max-line-length=100 --ignore=E203,W503,E501 # Run tests (required) pytest tests/

Contributing

  1. Fork the repository

  2. Create feature branch: git checkout -b feature-name

  3. Follow code quality standards

  4. Add comprehensive tests

  5. Submit pull request with clear description

πŸ“š Documentation

πŸ”§ Technology Stack

  • Python 3.11+ with modern type hints and comprehensive error handling

  • FastMCP for Model Context Protocol server implementation

  • python-pptx for PowerPoint generation and template manipulation

  • PyYAML for structured frontmatter processing

  • OpenCV + Pillow for computer vision and image processing

  • pytest for unit testing

  • Anthropic Claude - for most of the development gruntwork :-)

πŸ“‹ Troubleshooting

Template not found:

# Create templates folder deckbuilder init # Check configuration deckbuilder config

Permission denied when saving:

  • Verify output folder has write permissions

  • Ensure files aren't open in PowerPoint

MCP connection failures:

  • Verify virtual environment is activated

  • Check Python path in Claude Desktop config

  • Ensure all dependencies are installed

πŸ“„ License

Apache License 2.0 - See LICENSE file for details.

Built with ❀️ for intelligent presentation generation - Copyright Bruce McLeod

πŸš€ Get Started β€’ πŸ“– Documentation β€’ πŸ› Report Issues

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