academic-pptx — Claude Code skill: what it does, how to install
Guides content structure and visual standards for academic slide decks, from thesis defenses to conference talks.
npx skills add Gabberflast/academic-pptx-skill --skill academic-pptx -a claude-codeWhat academic-pptx does
This skill establishes clear standards for research presentations where the audience scrutinizes evidence. It defaults to a structured argument mode, prioritizing narrative logic over visual decorations. Every slide gets an action title written as a full sentence that delivers the key takeaway. Reading these titles in order must convey the entire research argument. Content slides remain minimal: maximum 40 words of body text, a single figure on the left, and interpretive bullets on the right.
Design constraints stay intentionally strict: white backgrounds, a single sans-serif typeface, and no more than three colors with navy blue as the primary tone. Stock icons, clip art, and title underline accents are banned. This skill only governs logic and layout rules. Building the actual .pptx file requires a separate companion PowerPoint skill, so you cannot generate presentations with this skill alone.
What it helps with
- structure slides for a dissertation defense or conference paper
- verify slide flow using the ghost deck test
- eliminate decorative clutter and clip art from research decks
- format empirical results slides with direct takeaway callouts
Example prompts for the agent
- Create a slide outline for my conference paper on protein folding
- Review my thesis defense deck against academic presentation standards
- Draft slides for an internal lab meeting about our latest experiment
How to install academic-pptx
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add Gabberflast/academic-pptx-skill --skill academic-pptx -a claude-code2Manually: put the files in place
~/.claude/skills/academic-pptx/SKILL.mdCopy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/academic-pptx/
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add Gabberflast/academic-pptx-skill --skill academic-pptx -a codex2Manually: put the files in place
.agents/skills/academic-pptx/SKILL.mdFor all projects use ~/.agents/skills/
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add Gabberflast/academic-pptx-skill --skill academic-pptx -a cursor2Manually: put the files in place
.cursor/skills/academic-pptx/SKILL.mdCursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/
1GitHub CLI
gh skill install Gabberflast/academic-pptx-skill academic-pptx2Manually: put the files in place
.github/skills/academic-pptx/SKILL.md1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add Gabberflast/academic-pptx-skill --skill academic-pptx -a gemini-cli2Platform CLI
gemini skills install https://github.com/Gabberflast/academic-pptx-skillManually: put the files in place
.devin/skills/academic-pptx/SKILL.mdThe legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works
Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add Gabberflast/academic-pptx-skill --skill academic-pptx -a opencodeClaude.ai
Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills
Step by step, with commands for each platform: How to install skills in Claude Code: five ways
Questions about academic-pptx
How to install academic-pptx in Claude Code?
Run npx skills add Gabberflast/academic-pptx-skill --skill academic-pptx -a claude-code in your terminal. This adds the skill to ~/.claude/skills/academic-pptx/SKILL.md.
What does academic-pptx do?
It guides AI agents in planning and formatting academic decks for seminars, defenses, and grant reviews. The skill enforces sentence-level action titles, a 40-word limit per slide, and strict minimal styling.
Does academic-pptx generate .pptx files directly?
No, it only handles content hierarchy, slide outlines, and academic design standards. Creating and editing the physical .pptx file requires pairing it with the companion technical PPTX skill.
