Instructions for AI agents

This file is the machine-oriented entry point for agents operating from this repository. The root README.md is the human-oriented guide.

1. Detect the install target

1. If the current directory is the user's project repository, install there.
2. If it is this skills repository, a scratch directory, or no repository, create a separate deck workspace and tell the user its path.
3. Choose exactly one runtime directory: .agents/skills/ for most runtimes, or .claude/skills/ for Claude Code. Copy skills and adapters to the matching directory; do not symlink.
4. If both directories contain different make-presentation/SKILL.md files, stop and ask the user which one to target.

2. Install and verify

Set SRC to the actual path of this repository; do not assume its folder name.

SRC=/absolute/path/to/agentic-ppt-skills
mkdir -p .agents/skills .agents/adapters
cp -r "$SRC/skills/." .agents/skills/
cp -r "$SRC/adapters/." .agents/adapters/

Before continuing, verify Node 18+, the orchestrator, the status helper, and at least one adapter (open-slide, genoffice, marp, or pptxgenjs):

node --version                                                # must be v18 or higher
test -f .agents/skills/make-presentation/SKILL.md && echo "orchestrator present"
test -f .agents/skills/make-presentation/scripts/status.mjs && echo "status helper present"
node .agents/skills/make-presentation/scripts/status.mjs 2>&1 | head -1  # "error: Expected command..." confirms it ran
ls .agents/adapters/open-slide/ .agents/adapters/genoffice/   # must list adapter files

Stop and report any failed check. Do not install dependencies for the zero-dependency status helper.

3. Ask for the source

Before starting, ask one question and wait:

What is the source for this presentation? It can be notes, an existing deck, a URL, or a topic. Default: notes in the current folder.

Do not ask for mode or engine yet. Mode is evaluated after source intake and the engine is selected at the prototype gate.

4. Run the orchestrator

Initialize the tracker, then load make-presentation/SKILL.md:

node .agents/skills/make-presentation/scripts/status.mjs \
  init presentation-work/<deck-id> <deck-id> <source-root>
node .agents/skills/make-presentation/scripts/status.mjs \
  next presentation-work/<deck-id>

Run exactly one focused skill for the earliest unresolved gate. SKILL.md is the agent contract; skills/SKILLS-INDEX.md is the human-facing catalog. Create each named artifact yourself from its template. Never skip a gate because an output already exists.

Never hand-edit STATUS.md. Use only init, next, result, invalidate, set-mode, set-engine, and summary from the status helper. Mark a gate passed only with real --artifact paths.

At the prototype gate, ask the user to choose an installed adapter (default: open-slide, or genoffice when generating a native byte-preserving Office .pptx via GenOffice), verify its directory, record it with set-engine, and read that adapter's README.md and prototype.md. Production QA inherits the choice and must also read qa.md.

5. Completion contract

Do not claim success until next reports complete. Then provide:

• presentation-work/<deck-id>/STATUS.md
• every exported file path
• the pipeline work directory

Do not skip evidence, readability, or export checks. If the environment or a verification step is unclear, stop and ask instead of guessing.