Reliable PowerPoint Creation Workflow

When to Use This Skill

Use this workflow when:

• You need to create PowerPoint presentations with specific slide content and structure
• shell_agent may fail or produce opaque error messages
• Output files may be created in unexpected nested directories
• You need a reliable fallback when primary generation methods fail

Overview: Dual-Path Strategy

This skill provides two paths:

1. Primary Path: shell_agent delegation (simpler, but may fail)
2. Fallback Path: Direct Python execution with python-pptx (more reliable, more control)

Step 0: Pre-Check Working Directory

Before any generation, verify your current working directory:

# Check and record current directory
pwd
# Output should be saved for later reference

# List current contents to establish baseline
ls -la

Important: Save the pwd output. You'll need this to verify where files are created.

Step 1: Primary Path - shell_agent Generation

Attempt PowerPoint creation via shell_agent first (quickest if successful):

Use shell_agent to create a PowerPoint presentation with:
- Specify the exact number of slides needed
- Define the content/topic for each slide
- Request the file be saved with a clear filename (e.g., presentation.pptx)
- Ask the agent to confirm the full file path after creation

Example task description:

Create a PowerPoint presentation with 10 slides covering [topic]. Each slide should have a title and bullet points. Save it as presentation.pptx and tell me the full file path where you saved it.

shell_agent Error Handling

If shell_agent returns "unknown error" or fails:

# Capture actual error by adding stderr redirect
# Re-run the task or check previous error output
# Add 2>&1 to any shell commands to see real errors

After 2 failures or opaque errors, switch to Fallback Path (Step 2).

Step 2: Fallback Path - Direct Python with python-pptx

When shell_agent fails, use direct Python execution. Always write script to file first, then execute.

2a: Create the Python Script

Write a complete Python script using python-pptx:

from pptx import Presentation
from pptx.util import Inches, Pt

# Create presentation
prs = Presentation()

# Slide 1: Title slide
slide_layout = prs.slide_layouts[0]
slide = prs.slides.add_slide(slide_layout)
title = slide.shapes.title
subtitle = slide.placeholders[1]
title.text = "Title Here"
subtitle.text = "Subtitle Here"

# Slide 2+: Content slides
for i in range(2, 11):
    slide_layout = prs.slide_layouts[1]
    slide = prs.slides.add_slide(slide_layout)
    title = slide.shapes.title
    title.text = f"Slide {i} Title"
    
    # Add content
    content = slide.placeholders[1]
    content.text = f"Content for slide {i}"

# Save to current working directory
prs.save('presentation.pptx')
print("File saved to:", os.path.abspath('presentation.pptx'))

Save this script as: create_presentation.py

2b: Execute with Error Capture

# Write script to file first, then execute with stderr capture
python create_presentation.py 2>&1 | tee execution_log.txt

# Check for success
if [ -f "presentation.pptx" ]; then
    echo "SUCCESS: File created in current directory"
    ls -la presentation.pptx
else
    echo "FAILED: Check execution_log.txt for errors"
    cat execution_log.txt
fi

2c: Verify Working Directory Match

# Confirm file is where expected
CURRENT_PWD=$(pwd)
FILE_PATH=$(realpath presentation.pptx 2>/dev/null)

if [[ "$FILE_PATH" == "$CURRENT_PWD"* ]]; then
    echo "✓ File is in expected directory"
else
    echo "⚠ File created elsewhere: $FILE_PATH"
    echo "Current directory: $CURRENT_PWD"
fi

Step 3: Locate the Output File

PowerPoint files may be created in nested directories. Always search before assuming location:

# Search for all .pptx files in workspace
find . -name "*.pptx" -type f 2>/dev/null

# Search for specific filename
find . -name "presentation.pptx" -type f 2>/dev/null

# If not found, broaden search
find . -name "*.pptx" -type f -mmin -5 2>/dev/null

Step 4: Copy to Working Directory

Once located, bring the file to your known working directory:

# Found path example: ./workspace/task_123/output/presentation.pptx
FOUND_PATH=$(find . -name "presentation.pptx" -type f | head -1)

if [ -n "$FOUND_PATH" ]; then
    cp "$FOUND_PATH" .
    echo "Copied from: $FOUND_PATH"
else
    echo "ERROR: File not found - check Python script execution"
fi

Step 5: Verify the File

Confirm the file exists and is valid:

# Check file exists and size
ls -la presentation.pptx

# Verify not empty (PowerPoint files should be >1KB minimum)
FILE_SIZE=$(stat -f%z presentation.pptx 2>/dev/null || stat -c%s presentation.pptx 2>/dev/null)
if [ "$FILE_SIZE" -gt 1000 ]; then
    echo "✓ File size OK: $FILE_SIZE bytes"
else
    echo "⚠ WARNING: File may be empty or corrupted ($FILE_SIZE bytes)"
fi

# Check file type
file presentation.pptx

Debugging Commands

Use these when errors occur:

# Capture full error output from any command
python script.py 2>&1 | tee error_log.txt

# Check Python is available and python-pptx installed
python -c "from pptx import Presentation; print('python-pptx OK')" 2>&1

# List all .pptx files with details
find . -name "*.pptx" -type f -exec ls -la {} \; 2>/dev/null

# Check write permissions in current directory
touch test_write.txt && rm test_write.txt && echo "Write OK" || echo "Write FAILED"

# Show full path context
pwd
ls -la

Common Pitfalls

find . -name "*presentation*.pptx" -mmin -5

pip install python-pptx

Decision Tree

Start
  │
  ├─> Try shell_agent (Step 1)
  │     │
  │     ├─> Success with path confirmed → Go to Step 4
  │     │
  │     └─> Failure or opaque error (2×) → Switch to Fallback
  │           │
  │           └─> Direct Python (Step 2)
  │                 │
  │                 ├─> Success → Go to Step 4
  │                 │
  │                 └─> Failure → Debug with commands above
  │
  └─> Always: locate with find, copy, verify (Steps 3-5)

Example Complete Workflow

# Pre-check
pwd  # Save output: /workspace/current_task

# Try shell_agent (via task delegation)
# If fails after 2 attempts:

# Create Python script
cat > create_presentation.py << 'EOF'
from pptx import Presentation
prs = Presentation()
# ... add slides ...
prs.save('presentation.pptx')
print("Saved to:", __import__('os').path.abspath('presentation.pptx'))
EOF

# Execute with error capture
python create_presentation.py 2>&1 | tee exec.log

# Locate (may be in subdirectory)
find . -name "presentation.pptx" -type f
# Output: ./generated/presentation.pptx

# Copy to working directory
cp ./generated/presentation.pptx .

# Verify
ls -la presentation.pptx
file presentation.pptx

Troubleshooting Table

python -c "from pptx import Presentation"

pip install python-pptx

touch test.txt && rm test.txt

ls -la

find . -name "*.pptx" -type f

python script.py 2>&1

find . -name "*.pptx" -type f

-mmin -5

Best Practices

1. Always verify working directory before and after generation
2. Add 2>&1 to all Python/shell commands to capture real errors
3. Write scripts to .py files first, then execute (don't use inline execution for complex tasks)
4. Search with find before assuming file location
5. Check file size to ensure content was actually written
6. Keep error logs (tee to file) for debugging complex failures
7. Fallback after 2 shell_agent failures - don't waste iterations

When to Skip shell_agent Entirely

Use direct Python (Step 2) immediately when:

• Presentation requires complex tables, charts, or custom layouts
• Previous shell_agent attempts failed on similar tasks
• You need precise control over slide structure
• You're creating presentations with data from spreadsheets/CSVs
• Task requires multiple iterations and you want faster feedback