extraslide

A Python library that converts Google Slides to/from SML (Slide Markup Language) - an XML-based format optimized for AI agent editing.

Overview

extraslide enables AI agents (Claude Code, Codex, etc.) to read and edit Google Slides through a simple workflow:

1. Pull - Download a presentation as editable SML files
2. Edit - Agent modifies the SML based on user instructions
3. Diff - Preview changes before applying (dry run)
4. Push - Apply changes to Google Slides

The library handles all the complexity of the Google Slides API - agents just edit XML.

Installation

pip install extraslide
# or
uvx extraslide --help

The Pull-Edit-Diff-Push Workflow

Step 1: Pull

Download a presentation to a local folder:

uvx extraslide pull "https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1abc.../edit"

This creates a folder structure:

1abc.../
  presentation.json       # Metadata (title, ID, dimensions)
  id_mapping.json         # clean_id -> google_object_id mapping
  styles.json             # Styles for each element (position, fill, stroke, text)
  slides/
    01/content.sml        # Slide 1 content
    02/content.sml        # Slide 2 content
    ...
  .pristine/
    presentation.zip      # Original state for diff comparison
  .raw/
    presentation.json     # Raw API response (for debugging)

Step 2: Edit

The agent edits slides/NN/content.sml files based on user instructions. SML uses a minimal XML syntax:

<Slide>
  <TextBox id="e1" x="100" y="50" w="500" h="80">
    <P><T>Quarterly Report</T></P>
  </TextBox>
  <Rect id="e2" x="50" y="200" w="300" h="150"/>
</Slide>

Common edits:

• Change text content inside <T> tags
• Modify positions (x, y) or sizes (w, h)
• Add/delete elements
• Copy elements (duplicate with same ID, new position, omit w/h)

See copy-workflow.md for the copy-based editing guide.

Step 3: Diff (Preview)

See what changes will be applied without modifying the original:

uvx extraslide diff 1abc.../

This compares the current slides/ content against the .pristine/ copy and outputs the Google Slides API requests that would be generated. No API calls are made.

Step 4: Push

Apply the changes to Google Slides:

uvx extraslide push 1abc.../

The library sends a batchUpdate request to the Google Slides API. All edits appear in Google Drive version history with proper attribution.

SML Format

Each slide is stored as a separate content.sml file with minimal XML:

<Slide>
  <TextBox id="e1" x="100" y="50" w="500" h="80">
    <P><T>Title text</T></P>
  </TextBox>
  <Rect id="e2" x="50" y="200" w="300" h="150"/>
  <Group id="g1" x="400" y="100">
    <Ellipse id="e3" x="0" y="0" w="50" h="50"/>
    <Ellipse id="e4" x="60" y="0" w="50" h="50"/>
  </Group>
</Slide>

Elements

Text Content

Text uses a paragraph (<P>) and text run (<T>) structure:

<TextBox id="e1" x="50" y="100" w="400" h="200">
  <P><T>Regular text </T><T>more text</T></P>
  <P><T>Second paragraph</T></P>
</TextBox>

Positions and Sizes

All positions (x, y) and sizes (w, h) are in points:

<Rect id="e1" x="100" y="200" w="300" h="150"/>

For elements inside groups, positions are relative to the group's origin.

Copying Elements

To copy an element, duplicate its XML with:

• Same id as the source element
• New x, y position
• Omit w and h (this signals a copy)

<!-- Original -->
<Rect id="e1" x="100" y="100" w="200" h="100"/>

<!-- Copy (omit w/h to signal copy) -->
<Rect id="e1" x="400" y="100"/>

See copy-workflow.md for details.

CLI Reference

# Pull a presentation
uvx extraslide pull <url_or_id> [output_dir]
uvx extraslide pull "https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1abc.../edit"
uvx extraslide pull "https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1abc.../edit" ./my-folder

# Preview changes (dry run)
uvx extraslide diff <folder>
uvx extraslide diff ./1abc.../

# Apply changes
uvx extraslide push <folder>
uvx extraslide push ./1abc.../

Also works as a Python module:

python -m extraslide pull ...
python -m extraslide diff ...
python -m extraslide push ...

Important Notes

Re-pull After Push

After pushing changes, the local SML becomes stale. Always re-pull before making more edits:

uvx extraslide push ./1abc.../
uvx extraslide pull "https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1abc.../edit"  # Re-pull!
# Now safe to edit again

What Can Be Edited

• Text content and styling
• Shape properties (fill, stroke, position, size)
• Add/delete slides
• Add/delete elements
• Copy existing elements
• Tables (content and basic styling)
• Images (can reference existing, limited creation support)
• Charts (read-only, linked to source spreadsheet)

Styles

Element styles (fill, stroke, text formatting) are stored in styles.json and automatically applied when copying elements. You don't need to specify styles in the SML - just copy an element and modify the text/position.

Documentation

• Copy-Based Editing Guide - How to copy and modify elements
• SML Syntax Specification - Full format reference

Requirements

• Python 3.10+
• A valid Google Slides access token supplied by the caller

Project Status

Alpha - The library is functional but still evolving. SML format and CLI may change.

License

MIT License