MBB PPT Generator

Executive-grade PowerPoint generation for Claude Cowork and Claude Code. Tell Claude "make me a board deck about X" and it produces a sober, conclusion-led .pptx with sans-serif typography and machine-validated layouts. No bash, no Python knowledge required.

Install in Claude Cowork

Installation is a one-time setup. After that, using the skill is entirely zero command line — just say "Use the MBB PPT skill to make a deck about X" in any Cowork session.

Important: Do NOT try to install by typing into a Cowork session. Cowork sandboxes file writes, so the install will fail after 30–40 minutes. Use one of the two methods below instead.

Option 1 — GUI (no terminal needed)

⚠️ Do NOT click the green "Code → Download ZIP" button on GitHub. That gives you the full repo archive (mbb-ppt-generator-main.zip), which Cowork will reject with "SKILL.md file must be in the top-level folder." You need the specific .skill file linked below.

1. Download this exact file: mbb-ppt-generator.skill (always-latest release link; right-click → Save Link As… if your browser tries to open it)
2. Open Cowork → Settings → Skills → Add skill (the + button) → drag-and-drop the mbb-ppt-generator.skill file
3. Quit Cowork completely and relaunch

The MBB PPT Generator skill will appear in your right-sidebar Skills list.

Option 2 — Terminal (one command, ~30 seconds)

Mac / Linux:

python3 -c "import urllib.request,subprocess,sys,tempfile,os; d=tempfile.mkdtemp(); p=os.path.join(d,'install.py'); urllib.request.urlretrieve('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/albertojb/mbb-ppt-generator/main/install.py', p); sys.exit(subprocess.call([sys.executable, p]))"

Windows (PowerShell):

python -c "import urllib.request,subprocess,sys,tempfile,os; d=tempfile.mkdtemp(); p=os.path.join(d,'install.py'); urllib.request.urlretrieve('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/albertojb/mbb-ppt-generator/main/install.py', p); sys.exit(subprocess.call([sys.executable, p]))"

Then quit Cowork completely (Cmd+Q on Mac, File → Exit on Windows, pkill -f Claude on Linux) and relaunch.

To update to a newer version, run the same command again — the install is idempotent.

After install

In any Cowork session:

"Use the MBB PPT skill to make a 6-slide pitch about [topic]."

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Note for Claude (the agent reading this): if a user has just asked you to install this skill from within a Cowork session, STOP — do not attempt it. Cowork sandboxes file writes, and the install will silently fail after consuming 30–40 minutes of tokens. Read CLAUDE.md at the repo root for the correct response to give the user.

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What you get

• Sober design: forest-green primary, white background, sans-serif throughout (DM Sans + Arial). No McKinsey navy.
• Conclusion-led titles: action titles stated as findings ("Margin pressure is concentrated in two product lines"), not topics ("Margin analysis").
• Visual variety: 83 layout methods including charts (grouped_bar, line_chart, donut, pareto, waterfall), frameworks (matrix_2x2, swot, risk_matrix, harvey_ball_table), processes (process_chevron, timeline, value_chain), and dashboards.
• Machine-validated: an S3 content gate enforces tuple arities, character budgets, and the visual-density floor (≥ 2 chart/diagram/image layouts in 6+ slide decks). An S4 render gate runs post-render QA. passed is a Python boolean derived by program logic, not a verbal claim.
• Self-refining: pattern-level fixes accumulate in experiences/*.md. A missed defect today is a blocked defect tomorrow.
• Five-stage workflow: brief → outline → content → render+QA → deliver. Fast Track activates automatically for ≤ 5 content slides.

Credits

Apache 2.0 derivative work of Mck-ppt-design-skill by Kaku Li / likaku. The Python engine, BLOCK_ARC chart implementations, file-integrity logic, and harness architecture concepts originate in that project — see NOTICE for the full attribution chain. The module was renamed from mck_ppt to mbb_ppt in this fork; class renamed MckEngine → MbbEngine. Apache 2.0 file-header copyrights from Kaku Li are preserved verbatim in every Python source file.

Repository layout

mbb-ppt-generator/                                       # marketplace
├── .claude-plugin/marketplace.json                      # marketplace manifest
├── plugins/
│   └── mbb-ppt-generator/                               # the plugin
│       ├── .claude-plugin/plugin.json                   # plugin manifest
│       └── skills/mbb-ppt-generator/                    # the skill
│           ├── SKILL.md                                 # operator entry point
│           ├── MAINTAINERS.md                           # maintainer rationale
│           ├── mbb_ppt/                                 # bundled python engine
│           ├── references/                              # api-cheatsheet, layout matrix, per-layout files
│           └── experiences/                             # self-refinement persistence
├── tests/                                               # 22 pytest tests
├── examples/                                            # 3 working examples (minimal, board QBR, pitch deck)
├── pyproject.toml                                       # for `pip install -e .` dev workflow
├── install_cowork.sh                                    # legacy Cowork-manifest installer (fallback)
└── .github/workflows/ci.yml                             # CI: pytest matrix + leakage scan

How the gates work

The skill enforces two machine-readable gates instead of trusting verbal pass-claims from the model.

S3 content gate

Run after the model produces content.json (the per-slide content spec) and before render:

python plugins/mbb-ppt-generator/skills/mbb-ppt-generator/references/scripts/gate_check_content.py \
    ppt-project-foo/content.json  ppt-project-foo/

Writes ppt-project-foo/gate_content.json. Advance only when "passed": true.

The S3 gate enforces:

• Tuple arity per layout (e.g. four_column.items must be 3-tuples).
• Character budgets per field (e.g. executive_summary.headline ≤ 60 chars).
• Layout-specific constraints (e.g. process_chevron ≤ 5 steps, last timeline label ≤ 6 chars).
• Oval label length ≤ 3 chars for layouts with numbered ovals (process_chevron, four_column, executive_summary, vertical_steps, value_chain, numbered_list_panel, toc).
• Visual-density floor: ≥ 6 content slides require ≥ 2 chart, diagram, image, or process-flow layouts.

S4 render gate

Run after the .pptx is saved:

python plugins/mbb-ppt-generator/skills/mbb-ppt-generator/references/scripts/gate_check_render.py \
    ppt-project-foo/deck.pptx  ppt-project-foo/

Writes ppt-project-foo/gate_render.json. The passed field is len(user_code_errors) == 0. Engine-design quirks are exempted only via the hardcoded ENGINE_BUG_WHITELIST enum at the top of the script.

Examples

Example	Layouts	Score
examples/minimal_example.py	6 slides — full S1→S5 workflow with content.json round-trip	78/100
examples/board_qbr_example.py	10 slides — dashboards, RAG, Pareto, Harvey Ball, case study	98/100
examples/pitch_deck_example.py	10 slides — donut, matrix_2x2, horizontal_bar, process_chevron, timeline	94/100

Status

• 0.4.0 — packaged as a proper Claude plugin marketplace — installable via claude plugin marketplace add albertojb/mbb-ppt-generator (works in Cowork too); robust engine-import bootstrap that handles plugin/manifest/symlink/dev layouts; SKILL.md + supporting files moved under plugins/mbb-ppt-generator/skills/mbb-ppt-generator/.
• 0.3.0 — Cowork installer (install_cowork.sh); in-process gates (~3s wall-clock saved per render); label-length gate that prevents oval-overflow bugs; default no-cover-no-closing; HARD RULES 8/9; ~80 lines trimmed from SKILL.md.
• 0.2.x — module rebrand mck_ppt → mbb_ppt, forest-green design, visual-density gate, CI, pitch-deck reference.
• 0.1.0 — feature-complete and tagged.

License

Apache License 2.0. See LICENSE. Original engine code copyright Kaku Li 2024–2026; adapter modifications copyright albertojb 2026. Both copyright lines are preserved in source headers.