DEV Community: Tom

Using MCP to Generate Slides from Claude Desktop

Tom — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 15:08:30 +0000

SlideForge has a native MCP server that lets Claude Desktop generate consulting-quality PowerPoint files. Connect in 30 seconds with OAuth 2.1. Your agent gets 27 tools.

What is MCP?

MCP (Model Context Protocol) lets AI agents call external tools. Instead of Claude trying to generate a .pptx itself, it calls SlideForge â€” consulting-grade templates, AI creative generation, and visual QA.

Step 1: Connect (30 seconds)

Add this to your claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "slideforge": {
      "url": "https://api.slideforge.dev/mcp/"
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Desktop. OAuth handles authentication automatically.

Also works with: Cursor, Windsurf, Claude Code, and any MCP-compatible client.

Step 2: Generate a slide

Ask Claude: "Create a KPI dashboard: revenue $12.4M (+18% YoY), 847 new clients (+23%), NPS 71"

Claude calls suggest_template, finds a KPI template, calls render_slide, returns the .pptx with an inline preview. Under 2 seconds.

Step 3: Iterate

"Make the Revenue metric larger and add a green checkmark icon"

Claude calls iterate_slide with your feedback. $0.10 per iteration.

Step 4: Build a deck

"Create a 5-slide deck about our cloud migration strategy for the CTO"

Claude calls generate_deck â€” plans slides, matches templates, generates in parallel, compiles into one .pptx. ~30 seconds.

27 MCP Tools

Category	Tools
Slide Generation	render_slide, generate_slide, iterate_slide, render_spec, suggest_layout, render_preflight
Deck Workflows	generate_deck, consulting_deck, assemble_deck, fork_deck, translate_deck
Discovery	suggest_template, search_templates, list_templates, search_components, list_components
Jobs & Status	get_slide_status, list_jobs
Account	get_me, get_usage, get_capabilities, get_agent_onboarding, list_themes
Utilities	upload_file, submit_feedback

Pricing

Template render: $0.03-$0.05/slide (<1s)
AI generate: $0.20/slide (~30s)
Iterate: $0.10
Translate: $0.02/slide
PDF to PPTX: $0.01/page
Free trial: $3 credit on signup

Full MCP setup guide | Sign up free

Originally published at slideforge.dev

Automate PowerPoint Reports from Excel with Python

Tom — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 15:03:54 +0000

You can automate your weekly PowerPoint reports from Excel data with 10 lines of Python â€” no manual formatting, no copy-pasting charts, no last-minute slide tweaks. This guide shows two approaches: python-pptx for full control, and SlideForge's API for consulting-quality output in seconds.

The problem: manual report decks

Every Monday morning, someone opens an Excel file, copies numbers into a PowerPoint template, screenshots a chart, pastes it, adjusts the alignment. For a 15-slide weekly report, this takes 1-2 hours. Every week.

Approach 1: python-pptx (free, full control)

import pandas as pd
from pptx import Presentation
from pptx.util import Inches, Pt

df = pd.read_excel("weekly_metrics.xlsx", sheet_name="Summary")
prs = Presentation()
slide = prs.slides.add_slide(prs.slide_layouts[6])
txBox = slide.shapes.add_textbox(Inches(1), Inches(2), Inches(10), Inches(2))
txBox.text_frame.text = "Weekly Report"
txBox.text_frame.paragraphs[0].font.size = Pt(36)
# ... 500+ lines for a full 15-slide deck
prs.save("weekly_report.pptx")

This works, but maintaining 500+ lines of layout code is a burden.

Approach 2: SlideForge API (10 lines)

import requests

resp = requests.post(
    "https://api.slideforge.dev/v1/render",
    headers={"Authorization": "Bearer sf_live_YOUR_KEY"},
    json={
        "template": "kpi_dashboard",
        "params": {
            "title": "Week 14 Performance",
            "metrics": [
                {"value": "$12.4M", "label": "Revenue", "trend": "+18%", "trend_dir": "up"},
                {"value": "847", "label": "Clients", "trend": "+23%", "trend_dir": "up"},
            ],
        },
        "theme_id": "consulting_blue",
    },
)
print(resp.json()["pptx_url"])  # ready in <1s

$0.03 per slide. For a full deck, use the deck endpoint (~3s for 5 slides in parallel).

Scheduling

Cron: 0 7 * * 1 python3 weekly_report.py

GitHub Actions:

on:
  schedule:
    - cron: '0 7 * * 1'

Also works with Airflow, n8n, and Zapier.

Cost comparison

python-pptx: Free, 500+ lines, 2-4 hours to build
SlideForge: $0.03-$0.05/slide = $23-39/year for a 15-slide weekly report
Manual: 1-2 hours/week = $2,500-5,000/year

Originally published at slideforge.dev

How to Convert PDF to Editable PowerPoint via API

Tom — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 15:01:55 +0000

SlideForge can convert a PDF back into an editable .pptx file — with real text boxes, shapes, and images — not a rasterized image pasted onto a slide. Upload a PDF exported from PowerPoint, Keynote, Google Slides, Canva, or LaTeX Beamer, and get an editable deck in seconds. $0.01 per page, fully automated via API.

The problem: PDFs are a dead end

You receive a competitor's deck as a PDF. A client sends last quarter's board presentation. Your design team exports to PDF "for safety." Now you need to update one number, swap a logo, or translate it into German. You can't. The PDF is a sealed format.

The usual options are terrible:

Adobe Acrobat "Export to PowerPoint" — rasterizes every element into background images. Text boxes are fake overlays. Fonts don't match.
SmallPDF / iLovePDF / CloudConvert — same approach. OCR + image paste. Not editable in any meaningful way.
Manual recreation — open the PDF, squint at the layout, rebuild it from scratch in PowerPoint. Takes hours per deck.

How SlideForge does it differently: vector extraction

SlideForge doesn't OCR your PDF. It reads the actual vector content stream — the same drawing commands that placed shapes, positioned text runs, and embedded images. The engine reconstructs these as real PowerPoint objects: text boxes with the original font and size, rectangles with the original fill colors, images at their source resolution.

The result: you open the .pptx in PowerPoint and click on any element. It's a real shape. You can edit the text, change the color, move it, delete it.

Step 1: Analyze (free)

Before converting, check what you're working with:

Step 2: Convert

Returns with a . Poll for progress and the final .

What gets preserved

Text — original font family, size, color, bold/italic
Shapes — rectangles, rounded rects, ovals, lines, freeform paths
Images — embedded at source resolution
Tables — reconstructed as PowerPoint table objects
Layout — element positioning matches the original PDF

Supported sources

PowerPoint, Apple Keynote, Google Slides, Canva, LaTeX Beamer, LibreOffice Impress. The endpoint tells you whether a specific PDF is supported.

Pricing

$0.01 per page. A 24-page deck costs $0.24. Failed extractions are refunded.

Get started

Originally published at slideforge.dev