PowerPoint CLI (pptx)

Use this page for PowerPoint automation commands.

Commands at a glance

Command Purpose
clippit pptx split Split a deck into single-slide .pptx files
clippit pptx build init Scaffold a deck manifest
clippit pptx build run Build a final deck from a manifest
clippit pptx verify Validate package/schema/relationships

All commands support --format json|text and --quiet.

pptx split

Split a .pptx file into single-slide presentations.

clippit pptx split <input.pptx|-> [--output <dir>] [--slides <expr>] [--manifest] [--force] [--format json|text] [--quiet]
Option Description
--output, -o Output directory (default: source directory, or current directory for stdin).
--slides, -s 1-based slide numbers/ranges like 1,3,6-9 (default: all slides).
--manifest Also write a pptx build run compatible manifest.
--force Overwrite existing output files. 
clippit pptx split deck.pptx --output slides --manifest

{"input":"/work/deck.pptx","outputDir":"/work/slides","manifest":"/work/slides/deck.manifest.json","count":2,"slides":[{"index":1,"file":"/work/slides/deck-001.pptx","title":"Intro"},{"index":3,"file":"/work/slides/deck-003.pptx","title":null}]}

pptx build init

Create an empty deck manifest.

clippit pptx build init [--output <manifest.json|->] [--force] [--format json|text] [--quiet]
Option Description
--output, -o Manifest path (default: ./clippit-deck.json). Use - for stdout.
--force Overwrite existing manifest file. 
clippit pptx build init --output deck.json

Minimal manifest:

{
  "$schema": "https://sergey-tihon.github.io/Clippit/schemas/deck-manifest.v1.json",
  "title": "Conference Deck",
  "output": "final.pptx",
  "deck": [
    { "section": "Opening" },
    "intro.pptx",
    { "file": "demo.pptx", "keepSections": true }
  ]
}

Manifest rules:

Property Required Notes
title Yes Output presentation title metadata.
output Yes Relative to manifest directory.
deck Yes Ordered entries; at least one entry.
string entry No [Section Name] means section divider; otherwise source .pptx path.
{ "section": "Name" } No Explicit section divider.
{ "file": "deck.pptx" } No Source deck entry; optional masters, slides, keepSections.

pptx build run

Build a final .pptx from a manifest.

clippit pptx build run <manifest.json|-> [--output <file.pptx|->] [--force] [--format json|text] [--quiet]
Option Description
--output, -o Override output path. Use - for binary stdout stream.
--force Overwrite existing output file. 
clippit pptx build run deck.json --output final.pptx --force

{"output":"/work/final.pptx","totalSlides":12,"entries":[{"section":"Opening"},{"file":"intro.pptx","slides":3},{"file":"demo.pptx","slides":9}]}

pptx verify

Validate readability and Open XML structure of a .pptx file.

clippit pptx verify <input.pptx|-> [--office-version <version>] [--format json|text] [--quiet]
Option Description
--office-version Open XML schema version (default: Microsoft365).

If the deck is readable but has validation diagnostics, output is still emitted and process exits with code 4.

clippit pptx verify deck.pptx --format json

{"input":"/work/deck.pptx","officeVersion":"Microsoft365","valid":true,"diagnostics":[]}
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