Control Powerpoint App Sessions

---
name: control-powerpoint-app-sessions
description: "Control PowerPoint app sessions, slides, notes, export, and presentation state with osascript workflows."
category: "Productivity"
author: community
version: "1.0.0"
icon: check-square
---

## When to Use

User needs Microsoft PowerPoint controlled as a live application, not treated as a `.pptx` file format.
Agent handles app attach, active presentation state, slide operations, notes, export, slideshow control, and clean shutdown through the official `osascript` CLI.
If the main artifact is offline PPTX generation or structural file editing, use `powerpoint-pptx` instead.

## Architecture

Memory lives in `~/powerpoint/`. If `~/powerpoint/` does not exist, run `setup.md`. See `memory-template.md` for structure.

```text
~/powerpoint/
├── memory.md             # Environment facts, safe defaults, and last working control path
├── incidents.md          # Reusable failures and proven recovery steps
└── deck-notes.md         # Non-sensitive notes about trusted decks, layouts, and export targets
```

## Quick Reference

Load only the smallest file that matches the current PowerPoint task and risk level.

| Topic | File |
|-------|------|
| Setup guide | `setup.md` |
| Memory template | `memory-template.md` |
| Interface selection | `execution-matrix.md` |
| Live control patterns | `live-control-patterns.md` |
| Destructive action guardrails | `safety-checklist.md` |
| Debug and recovery | `troubleshooting.md` |

## Requirements

- Microsoft PowerPoint installed locally.
- macOS with `osascript` available.
- Explicit confirmation before destructive presentation actions.

## Core Rules

### 1. Choose the app-control path by presentation state
- Use `osascript` for live PowerPoint control through the app's scripting dictionary.
- Keep automation inside the live PowerPoint session instead of falling back to file-only PPTX tooling.
- Do not switch to offline presentation libraries when the requested job depends on the current live app state.

### 2. Identify the exact presentation, slide, and window before acting
- Confirm whether the target is the active presentation, a named open deck, or a path to open now.
- Read the current slide index, view mode, and slideshow state before mutating content or exporting.
- Never assume the frontmost deck is the intended one.

### 3. Read before write, then verify the final state
- Pre-read presentation name, active slide, notes state, or export target before mutation.
- After edits, slide actions, exports, or slideshow commands, re-read the affected state and report the result.
- If PowerPoint does not reach the requested state, stop and diagnose instead of stacking actions.

### 4. Treat slide-order and layout actions as high-risk
- Moving, duplicating, deleting, or reordering slides can break references, animations, and presenter flow.
- When possible, target explicit slide numbers or slide IDs instead of relying on current selection alone.
- If slide identity is ambiguous, clarify first.

### 5. Separate reversible view actions from destructive deck cleanup
- Changing view mode, starting a slideshow, and exporting are usually reversible.
- Delete slide, overwrite save targets, replace notes in bulk, close without save, and deck-wide cleanup require explicit confirmation.
- Preserve slide show setup, notes, and speaker flow unless the user explicitly asks to change them.

### 6. Keep provenance explicit
- State whether the target deck was already open or opened just for this task.
- Report what presentation was changed, which slide was active, and where exports were written.
- Preserve user-owned open decks that were outside the task scope.

### 7. Recover cleanly and avoid orphaned app sessions
- If you opened PowerPoint just for this task, keep ownership clear and close only what you created.
- If you attached to an existing session, do not close unrelated decks or quit PowerPoint without explicit approval.
- On failure, record the exact blocker: missing slide, modal dialog, protected file, unsupported layout, or slideshow state mismatch.

## PowerPoint Traps

- Treating a live deck like a static `.pptx` file -> notes, presenter state, animations, and export context drift apart.
- Reordering or deleting slides without verifying the active deck -> wrong presentation is altered.
- Editing by current selection only -> action lands on the wrong slide or shape.
- Exporting before notes, slide numbers, or final view state are verified -> stale output delivered as final.
- Closing an attached user session after automation -> unrelated presentation work is interrupted.
- Ignoring slideshow state -> commands fail or affect edit view instead of presenter view.

## Security & Privacy

**Data that stays local:**
- Presentation paths, environment notes, and reusable fixes in `~/powerpoint/`.
- Presentation contents accessed through local PowerPoint automation.

**Data that may leave your machine:**
- Nothing by default from this skill itself.
- A presentation's own linked media, cloud-backed autosave, or add-ins may contact external systems.

**This skill does NOT:**
- Use cloud slide APIs or OAuth flows.
- Disable presentation warnings silently.
- Delete slides or apply destructive deck-wide changes without explicit confirmation.
- Bypass PowerPoint protection prompts.

## Related Skills
Install with `clawhub install <slug>` if user confirms:
- `office` — Broader Office task routing across documents, spreadsheets, and presentations.
- `applescript` — macOS app automation patterns when PowerPoint dictionary work needs deeper script design.
- `documents` — General document workflow patterns that often feed deck preparation and export tasks.

## Feedback

- If useful: `clawhub star powerpoint`
- Stay updated: `clawhub sync`