slidesmith 0.2.0

An on-device MCP server that converts Markdown to pixel-perfect slide decks

Slidesmith MCP Server

An on-device Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that converts Markdown content into pixel-perfect slide decks with Tailwind/React components and print-ready PDFs. Built for AI-powered presentation creation with zero network dependencies.

🚀 Quick Start

Installation

# Install via pipx (recommended)
pipx install slidesmith

# Or via pip
pip install slidesmith

First-time Setup

# Install required browsers and templates
slidesmith setup

# Start the MCP server
slidesmith serve

Using with Claude Code

# Add to Claude Code
claude mcp add slidesmith -s local -- slidesmith serve

# Verify connection
claude --debug

✨ Features

• 🏠 Local-first: No Docker, no network I/O, no telemetry
• 🤖 AI-optimized: Designed for Claude Code to create professional presentations
• ⚡ Fast builds: Sub-second deck generation with Python renderer
• 🎨 Token-based theming: Easy brand customization via JSON
• ✅ Quality gates: Automated linting ensures pixel-perfect output
• 📄 Export ready: Generate print-quality PDFs with embedded fonts
• 🖼️ Rich components: Charts, timelines, metrics, and more
• 🔒 Fully offline: All assets bundled, no CDN dependencies

📚 MCP Tools

Deck Management

• list_templates - List available slide templates
• init_deck - Initialize a new slide deck
• cleanup - Clean up deck workspace

Theming

• theme_base - Get base theme tokens for a template
• apply_tokens - Apply custom theme tokens to a deck

Building & Export

• html_preview - Generate HTML preview of deck
• pdf_export - Export deck to print-ready PDF
• snapshot - Generate PNG screenshots of slides

Quality & Utilities

• slide_lint - Check slides for quality issues
• get_component_doc - Get component documentation
• svg_icon - Get SVG icons from offline library

🎯 Example Usage

# In Claude Code, you can use natural language:
"Create a startup pitch deck for TechVision AI"
"Apply a blue color scheme with Montserrat font"
"Add a chart showing 200% YoY growth"
"Export to PDF for investors"

📦 What's Included

Templates

• markov-pro: Professional business template
• minimal: Clean, minimalist design
• tech: Modern tech presentation style

Components

• SlideBase - Standard slide container (1920x1080)
• Header/Footer - Consistent branding elements
• BarChart/PieChart - Data visualization
• Timeline - Event sequences
• MetricSection - KPI displays
• CardGrid - Feature showcases
• ImpactBox - Highlighted metrics
• And many more...

Example Decks

• Startup Pitch (10 slides) - Series B investor deck
• Product Demo (15 slides) - Feature showcase
• Company Overview (20 slides) - Corporate presentation

📝 Slide Format (v0.2.0+)

Slidesmith uses Markdown with a custom component syntax:

---
slide: 1
template: title
---

# My Presentation

## Subtitle Here

:::speaker-notes
These are my speaker notes
:::

Components

:::card title="Feature Card" icon=rocket color=blue
This is the card content
:::

:::columns ratio=2:1
Left column content

Right column content
:::

:::chart type=bar
labels: ['Q1', 'Q2', 'Q3', 'Q4']
data: [100, 200, 150, 300]
:::

See MIGRATION_GUIDE.md for converting from MDX format.

🛠️ Development

Setup Development Environment

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/markov/slidesmith.git
cd slidesmith

# Create virtual environment
python -m venv slidesmith-env
source slidesmith-env/bin/activate

# Install in development mode
pip install -e ".[dev]"

# Install Node dependencies
npm install

# Run tests
pytest

Project Structure

slidesmith/
├── slidesmith/          # Python MCP server
│   ├── tools/          # MCP tool implementations
│   ├── models.py       # Pydantic models
│   └── server.py       # FastMCP server
├── scripts/            # Node.js build scripts
├── templates/          # Slide templates
├── examples/           # Example presentations
└── tests/             # Test suite

🧪 Testing

# Run all tests
pytest

# Run with coverage
pytest --cov=slidesmith --cov-report=html

# Run specific test category
pytest tests/test_tools_unit.py -v

📋 Requirements

• Python 3.11+
• Node.js 18+
• macOS, Linux, or Windows
• 500MB free disk space

🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributions! Please see CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.

📄 License

MIT License - see LICENSE for details.

🔗 Links

• Documentation
• PyPI Package
• GitHub Repository
• Issue Tracker

🙏 Acknowledgments

Built with:

• FastMCP - MCP framework
• Playwright - Browser automation
• MDX - Markdown + JSX
• Tailwind CSS - Styling
• esbuild - Bundling

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Made with ❤️ for the MCP community