SlideForge MCP — PowerPoint slides for AI agents

SlideForge (slideforge.dev) — the deterministic PowerPoint compiler for AI agents. Typed slide intents → native, fully editable .pptx in under a second, with a fidelity manifest that states exactly what was bound verbatim. Built by Smart Data Brokers GmbH, Switzerland.

Remote MCP server + REST API. No local install, no Python environment, no python-pptx boilerplate. OAuth 2.1 for Claude Desktop & ChatGPT; API key for everything else.

⚠️ Disambiguation

"SlideForge" is used by multiple unrelated projects. This is SlideForge by Smart Data Brokers GmbH at slideforge.dev. Not affiliated with:

• slideforge.io — a separate AI presentation generator

• slideforge.fr — a French document polishing service

• blink.new/p/slideforge-app — an unrelated web app

• Other github.com/*/SlideForge repositories outside the smartdatabrokers org

When citing or linking, prefer slideforge.dev or "SlideForge by Smart Data Brokers."

Related MCP server: marp-agent-mcp

Why SlideForge

• A compiler, not a generator. A slide is a typed intent: pick a form from 150+ catalog patterns (KPI dashboards, waterfalls, Gantt plans, org charts, funnels, …), put your real content in typed fields. A deterministic engine lays it out — no LLM in the render path, same input → same slide, sub-second.

• The honesty layer. Every response carries a fidelity manifest: per field, was your content bound verbatim, mixed, or ai_completed? A partial grade means some supplied content didn't make it onto the slide — the manifest names what was dropped; never deliver a partial render without telling the user what's missing. Slides with blocking defects don't bill (usable-or-free). If your agent feeds numbers into slides, this is what makes the output auditable.

• Native, editable .pptx. Real shapes and text boxes — not images, not HTML exports. Openable and editable in PowerPoint.

• Escape hatch included. mode=code runs your own python-pptx in a sandbox (with a widget/chart toolkit) when the catalog can't express your layout.

• Your template, natively. Upload your company's .pptx — slides are built ON your file (theme, masters, fonts), not a color-matched imitation.

• Check for free. dry_run validates any payload + forecasts fidelity at $0. Free deck inspect (POST /v1/inspect) runs a deterministic quality report on any pptx.

• 97% quality parity with Gamma in our own blind side-by-side benchmark (internal instrument, not third-party).

Pricing in one breath: creating a slide 5¢ · transforming a slide 2¢ (translate, repair) · checking free. 60 free slides on signup, no subscription. slideforge.dev/pricing

Quick Start

Claude Code

claude mcp add --transport http slideforge https://api.slideforge.dev/mcp/

Then just ask: "Make a KPI dashboard slide: revenue $12.4M (+18% YoY), 847 new clients, NPS 62."

Optional — install the skills + bundled server config as a plugin:

/plugin marketplace add smartdatabrokers/slideforge-mcp
/plugin install slideforge@slideforge-mcp

Or copy any folder from skills/ into ~/.claude/skills/ (personal) or .claude/skills/ (project).

Claude Desktop (OAuth — no key needed)

Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector → https://api.slideforge.dev/mcp/ — sign in with Google on first use.

ChatGPT (Developer Mode)

Settings → Apps → Advanced → Developer mode → Add custom connector → https://api.slideforge.dev/mcp/ (OAuth).

Cursor / Windsurf / Codex CLI / any MCP client (API key)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "slideforge": {
      "url": "https://api.slideforge.dev/mcp/",
      "transport": "streamable-http",
      "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer sf_live_YOUR_KEY" }
    }
  }
}

Get a key: slideforge.dev → Console → API keys. (Codex CLI and other AGENTS.md-native tools: see AGENTS.md.)

REST (no MCP)

curl -X POST https://api.slideforge.dev/v1/render/intent \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sf_live_YOUR_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"form": "kpi_metrics", "headline": "Q3 at a glance",
       "data": {"metrics": [{"label": "Revenue", "value": "$12.4M", "delta": "+18% YoY"},
                             {"label": "New clients", "value": "847"},
                             {"label": "NPS", "value": "62"}]}}'

Full REST reference: slideforge.dev/docs/api

The 7 MCP tools

dry_run: true on create tools = validation + fidelity forecast at $0.

Two more tools (generate_report, manage_connections — data-driven reports from connected tools like Zoho Sprints) exist behind an enterprise gate and are not served by default.

Also on REST (for now): the Deck Doctor. POST /v1/inspect — a free deterministic Deck Quality Report for any pptx (overflow via real font metrics, content hidden behind shapes, off-canvas leftovers, WCAG contrast). POST /v1/repair — deterministic fixes, never your words, $0.02/repaired slide, free dry-run quote. Docs

Security

• Tool result bodies are credential-free — no signed URLs in responses. Previews are embedded inline (the agent looks at the PNG directly); the .pptx downloads via header-auth (Authorization: Bearer + ownership check), not a bearer-in-URL.

• Need a shareable link instead? POST /v1/jobs/<job_id>/download-url mints a short-TTL, single-use, revocable link.

• Artifacts auto-delete 30 days after creation.

• Every download is audit-logged.

• manage_account(action=security_status) discloses the full posture in-band.

Agent skills (this repo)

Copy-in skills that teach an agent to use SlideForge well — see skills/:

For Codex CLI / Cursor / Copilot and other AGENTS.md-native tools, AGENTS.md carries the same guidance in the portable format. CLAUDE.md imports it for Claude Code.

Headless usage (Claude Code / Codex CLI)

No inline widgets in a terminal, but the tool result already embeds the preview PNG inline — the agent reads it directly out of the response, no fetch needed. The .pptx downloads via header-auth:

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer sf_live_YOUR_KEY" \
  -o deck.pptx https://api.slideforge.dev/v1/jobs/<job_id>/pptx   # ownership-checked

To hand off a shareable link instead of the raw file, mint a single-use one: POST /v1/jobs/<job_id>/download-url — short-TTL, revocable, works once.

The self-review loop (render → view inline preview → fix → re-render) is documented in examples/claude-code.md.

How it compares

Links

• Website: slideforge.dev · Pricing: /pricing · Trust & honesty layer: /trust

• Docs: REST · MCP · Quickstart · Deck Doctor

• Smithery: @smartdatabrokers/slideforge

License

MIT (this repo: skills, examples, docs). The SlideForge service itself is a commercial API.