LEGACY-ONLY — DO NOT CALL WHEN create-design IS AVAILABLE.
If create-design is in the tool list, you MUST NOT call this tool. Call create-design instead.
BRAND EXCEPTION: create-design cannot apply a brand kit or base a design on a brand template. When the user asks for an on-brand design — their brand kit, their brand colours, fonts or logo, or a brand template to base the design on — call this tool instead of create-design.
All instructions below apply when create-design is absent from the tool list, and whenever the request is an on-brand one.
A failed create-design call does not make it unavailable.
Generate professionally designed content in Canva including visual designs (posters, social media posts, presentations, flyers) and text-based documents (memos, articles, newsletters, proposals, reports, business plans, requirements documents).
Each extra slide adds significant latency (e.g. 15 slides can take 3x longer than 5). Keep to 1-5 slides unless the user explicitly requests more.
Use this tool when the user asks you to write, create, generate, or draft ANY document or visual design. Examples:
- "Write a memo..." → use this tool to create a Canva Doc
- "Generate a business proposal..." → use this tool to create a Canva Doc
- "Draft a product overview..." → use this tool to create a Canva Doc
DO NOT use this tool for fixed-format visual designs when prepare-design-generation is available.
Do NOT use this tool when the user just wants advice, explanations, or information.
DO NOT use this tool when the user's message contains a URL and their intent is to create a design FROM that URL — use import-design-from-url instead.
Use the 'query' parameter to tell AI what you want to create.
The tool doesn't have context of previous requests. ALWAYS include details from previous queries for each iteration.
The tool provides best results with detailed context. ALWAYS look up the chat history and provide as much context as possible in the 'query' parameter.
Ask for more details when the tool returns this error message 'Common queries will not be generated'.
The generated designs are design candidates for users to select from.
Ask for a preferred design and use 'create-design-from-candidate' tool to add the design to users' account.
The IDs in the URLs are not design IDs. Do not use them to get design or design content.
When using the 'asset_ids' parameter, assets are inserted in the order provided. For small designs with few image slots, only supply the images the user wants. For multi-page designs like presentations, supply images in the order of the slides.
The tool will return a list of generated design candidates, including a candidate ID, preview thumbnail and url.
Before editing, exporting, or resizing a generated design, follow these steps:
1. call 'create-design-from-candidate' tool with 'job_id' and 'candidate_id' of the selected design
2. call other tools with 'design_id' in the response
For presentations, target 1-5 slides by default (length: "short"). Format the query string with these sections in order (use the headers exactly):
1. **Presentation Brief**
Include:
* **Title** (working title for the deck)
* **Topic / Scope** (1–2 lines; include definitions if terms are uncommon)
* **Key Messages** (3–5 crisp takeaways)
* **Constraints & Assumptions** (timebox, brand, data limits, languages, etc.)
* **Style Guide** (tone, color palette, typography hints, imagery style)
2. **Narrative Arc**
A one-paragraph outline of the story flow (e.g., Hook → Problem → Insight → Solution → Proof → Plan → CTA). Keep transitions explicit.
3. **Slide Plan**
Provide numbered slides with **EXACT titles** and detailed content. For each slide, include all of the following subsections in this order (use the labels exactly):
* **Slide {N} — "{Exact Title}"**
* **Goal:** one sentence describing the purpose of the slide.
* **Bullets (3–6):** short, parallel phrasing; facts, examples, or specifics (avoid vague verbs).
* **Visuals:** explicit recommendation (e.g., "Clustered bar chart of X by Y (2022–2025)", "Swimlane diagram", "2×2 matrix", "Full-bleed photo of <subject>").
* **Data/Inputs:** concrete values, sources, or placeholders to be filled (if unknown, propose realistic ranges or example figures).
* **Speaker Notes (2–4 sentences):** narrative details, definitions, and transitions.
* **Asset Hint (optional):** reference to an asset by descriptive name or index if assets exist (e.g., "Use Asset #3: 'logo_dark.svg' as corner mark").
* **Transition:** one sentence that logically leads into the next slide.
> Ensure the Slide Plan forms a **cohesive story** (each slide's Goal and Transition should support the Narrative Arc).
**Quality checklist (the model must self-check before finalizing)**
* Titles are unique, concise (≤ 65 characters), and action-or insight-oriented.
* Each slide has 3–6 bullets; no paragraph walls; numbers are specific where possible.
* Visuals are concrete (chart/diagram names + variables/timeframes); tables are used only when necessary.
* Terminology is defined once and used consistently; acronyms expanded on first use.
* Transitions form an intelligible narrative; the story arc is obvious from titles alone.
* No placeholders like "[TBD]" or "[insert]". If data is unknown, propose realistic figures and label as "example values".
* All required headers and subsections are present, in the exact order above.