google-slides

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Work with Google Slides - read presentation content, create slides, insert/replace text, and respond to comments. Use this skill when handling comments from Google Slides that mention you (proto, oliver, maggie, etc.).

KnoWhiz By KnoWhiz schedule Updated 3/7/2026
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name: google-slides description: Work with Google Slides - read presentation content, create slides, insert/replace text, and respond to comments. Use this skill when handling comments from Google Slides that mention you (proto, oliver, maggie, etc.). allowed-tools: Bash(google-slides:*)

Google Slides Collaboration Skill

Overview

This skill enables you to collaborate on Google Slides as a digital co-author. Users can share presentations with you and request help via comments. You respond through comment replies and can read/modify presentation content.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

  • You receive a task from Google Slides (check incoming_email/*_slides_comment.json)
  • The user has mentioned you in a presentation comment (proto, oliver, @proto, etc.)
  • You need to read presentation content, add/edit slides, or respond to feedback

CLI Commands Reference

Reading Presentations

# List all presentations shared with you
google-slides list-presentations

# Read presentation content as plain text
google-slides read-presentation <presentation_id>

# Get presentation structure (slide IDs, element IDs)
google-slides get-presentation <presentation_id>

# Get raw JSON structure (for finding element IDs)
google-slides get-presentation <presentation_id> --json

Working with Comments

# List all comments on a presentation
google-slides list-comments <presentation_id>

# Reply to a comment
google-slides reply-comment <presentation_id> <comment_id> "Your reply message"

Editing Presentations

# Replace all occurrences of text
google-slides replace-all-text <presentation_id> --find="old text" --replace="new text"

# Insert text into a specific shape/placeholder
google-slides insert-text <presentation_id> --object-id="SHAPE_ID" --text="Hello World"

# Create a new slide (layouts: BLANK, TITLE, TITLE_AND_BODY, etc.)
google-slides create-slide <presentation_id> --layout=TITLE_AND_BODY

# Delete a slide
google-slides delete-slide <presentation_id> --slide-id="SLIDE_OBJECT_ID"

# Batch update (advanced operations)
google-slides batch-update <presentation_id> '<json_requests>'

Available Slide Layouts

  • BLANK - Empty slide
  • TITLE - Title slide with centered title and subtitle
  • TITLE_AND_BODY - Title with body content area
  • TITLE_AND_TWO_COLUMNS - Title with two columns
  • TITLE_ONLY - Title at top only
  • SECTION_HEADER - Section divider slide
  • ONE_COLUMN_TEXT - Single column text
  • MAIN_POINT - Main point highlight
  • BIG_NUMBER - Large number display

Workflow

1. Understanding the Request

When triggered by a Google Slides comment:

  1. Read the incoming comment from incoming_email/email.html or the comment JSON file
  2. Note the presentation ID, comment ID, and quoted content (if any)
  3. Check which slide the comment is anchored to

2. Reading Presentation Content

Read the presentation content:

# Get text content
google-slides read-presentation <presentation_id>

# Get structure with element IDs
google-slides get-presentation <presentation_id>

3. Finding Element IDs

To insert or edit text in specific shapes, you need the object ID:

# Get detailed JSON structure
google-slides get-presentation <presentation_id> --json | grep -A 5 '"objectId"'

The output shows element IDs like SLIDES_API123_0, SLIDES_API123_1, etc.

4. Making Edits

Example: Create a title slide

# Create a title slide at the beginning
google-slides create-slide 1abc123xyz --layout=TITLE --index=0

Example: Add text to a placeholder

# First get the presentation structure to find element IDs
google-slides get-presentation 1abc123xyz --json

# Then insert text into the title placeholder
google-slides insert-text 1abc123xyz --object-id=SLIDES_API123_1 --text="Presentation Title"

Example: Replace text throughout the presentation

# Replace all instances of a word
google-slides replace-all-text 1abc123xyz --find="PLACEHOLDER" --replace="Actual Content"

5. Responding to the User

After completing the task, reply to the comment:

google-slides reply-comment 1abc123xyz COMMENT_ID "Done! I've created a new title slide with the content you requested."

Example Interaction

User Comment: "@proto add a title slide for this presentation"

Your Response:

  1. Check current structure:
google-slides get-presentation 1abc123xyz
  1. Create a title slide:
google-slides create-slide 1abc123xyz --layout=TITLE --index=0
  1. Get the new slide's element IDs:
google-slides get-presentation 1abc123xyz --json
  1. Add title text (using the found element ID):
google-slides insert-text 1abc123xyz --object-id=SLIDES_API_NEW_1 --text="My Presentation Title"
  1. Reply to confirm:
google-slides reply-comment 1abc123xyz AAAB123xyz "Done! I've added a title slide with the title 'My Presentation Title' at the beginning of your presentation."

Analyzing Slide Layout & Preventing Text Overflow

IMPORTANT: Before inserting or editing text, always analyze the slide structure to avoid text overflow.

Check Available Capacity

# Analyze all slides with element sizes and text capacities
google-slides get-presentation <presentation_id> --analyze

# Analyze a specific slide in detail
google-slides analyze-slide <presentation_id> <slide_object_id>

Understanding the Analysis Output

┌─ element_id [Shape]
│  Position: (50, 30) pt
│  Size: 620 x 60 pt (8.6" x 0.8")
│  Placeholder Type: TITLE
│  Font Size: 24pt
│  Text: 25 / ~51 chars (49%) ✓ OK
│  Remaining: ~26 chars
│  Content: "My Presentation Title"
└─────────────────────────────────

Capacity Guidelines

Element Type Font Size Recommended Max Warning Threshold
Title 24pt 50 chars 40 chars
Subtitle 18pt 80 chars 65 chars
Body Text 14pt 500 chars 400 chars
Bullet Point 14pt 80 chars per line 65 chars

Best Practices to Avoid Overflow

  1. Always check capacity first:

    google-slides analyze-slide <id> <slide_id>

  2. Watch for warning indicators:

    • ⚠️ OVERFLOW RISK - Text exceeds 90% capacity
    • ⚡ Near capacity - Text exceeds 70% capacity
    • ✓ OK - Safe text length

  3. For long content:

    • Split across multiple slides
    • Use bullet points
    • Reduce font size (if layout allows)
    • Create additional body text boxes

  4. When editing existing text:

    • Check remaining capacity before adding
    • Consider removing old text first

Inserting Images

Smart Image Placement Workflow

IMPORTANT: Always use the smart placement workflow to avoid overlapping content:

# Step 1: Search for images (using Unsplash)
google-slides search-image --query="professional meeting" --count=5 --orientation=landscape

# Step 2: Find available space on the slide
google-slides find-space <presentation_id> <slide_id> --min-width=200 --min-height=150

# Step 3: Insert the image at the recommended position
google-slides insert-image <presentation_id> \
  --url="<URL from search results>" \
  --page-id="<slide_id>" \
  --x=<x from find-space> --y=<y from find-space> \
  --width=200 --height=150

Image Search

Use Unsplash to find relevant stock images:

# Search for images
google-slides search-image --query="technology innovation" --count=5

# Filter by orientation
google-slides search-image --query="nature landscape" --orientation=landscape
google-slides search-image --query="portrait photo" --orientation=portrait
google-slides search-image --query="app icon" --orientation=squarish

Orientations:

  • landscape - Wide images (good for backgrounds, headers)
  • portrait - Tall images (good for sidebars, full-slide portraits)
  • squarish - Square-ish images (good for icons, thumbnails)

Finding Available Space

Before inserting an image, check for available space:

# Find space for a 200x150 pt image
google-slides find-space <presentation_id> <slide_id> --min-width=200 --min-height=150

# Output shows recommended positions that don't overlap existing content

The find-space command analyzes existing elements and suggests positions where the image won't overlap text or other content.

Direct Image Insertion

# Insert an image from a public URL
google-slides insert-image <presentation_id> \
  --url="https://example.com/image.png" \
  --page-id="p.SLIDE_ID" \
  --x=100 --y=100 \
  --width=200 --height=150

# Image will be positioned at (x, y) in points from top-left
# Width and height are optional - image keeps aspect ratio if omitted

Image Requirements

  • URL must be publicly accessible
  • Size: < 50MB
  • Resolution: < 25 megapixels
  • Formats: PNG, JPEG, GIF

For Private Images

If you need to insert a private/local image:

  1. Upload to a public storage (Azure Blob with SAS URL, Google Cloud Storage signed URL)
  2. Use the generated public URL with insert-image

Image Placement Best Practices

  1. Always check available space first - Use find-space before inserting
  2. Match image orientation to available space - Use landscape for wide areas, portrait for tall areas
  3. Consider content hierarchy - Place images after or beside related text
  4. Use appropriate sizes:
    • Small icons: 50-100 pt
    • Inline images: 150-250 pt
    • Feature images: 300-400 pt
    • Full-width: 600+ pt

Creating New Presentations

You can create a brand new presentation from scratch:

# Create a new presentation with a title
google-slides create-presentation --title="Quarterly Report Q1 2026"

This returns:

  • The presentation ID
  • A direct link to the presentation

Example workflow for creating a presentation from a Google Doc:

# 1. Read the source document
google-docs read-document <doc_id>

# 2. Create a new presentation
google-slides create-presentation --title="Summary: Project Alpha"

# 3. Add slides with the content
google-slides create-slide <presentation_id> --layout=TITLE
google-slides create-slide <presentation_id> --layout=TITLE_AND_BODY

# 4. Share with the user
google-slides share <presentation_id> --email="user@example.com" --role="writer" --notify

# 5. Get the shareable link to include in your reply
google-slides get-link <presentation_id>

Sharing & Permissions

Share a File

# Share with edit access and send notification
google-slides share <file_id> --email="user@example.com" --role="writer" --notify

# Share with view-only access (no notification)
google-slides share <file_id> --email="user@example.com" --role="reader"

# Share with comment access
google-slides share <file_id> --email="user@example.com" --role="commenter"

Roles:

  • reader / read / view - Can view only
  • commenter / comment - Can view and comment
  • writer / write / edit - Can edit

Get Shareable Link

# Get the link to share with the user
google-slides get-link <file_id>

Returns:

  • View/Edit Link: Direct link to open in browser
  • Download Link: Link to download (if available)

List Permissions

# See who has access to a file
google-slides list-permissions <file_id>

Remove Permission

# Remove someone's access (use permission ID from list-permissions)
google-slides remove-permission <file_id> <permission_id>

Notes

  • Use --json flag with get-presentation to find exact element IDs
  • Use --analyze flag to see element sizes and text capacities
  • Element IDs for placeholders typically follow the pattern {slideId}_i{index}
  • Always verify the presentation structure before making edits
  • Always check text capacity before inserting long content
  • The replace-all-text command is useful for templated content
  • Security: You can only share files that the current user owns or has sharing permissions for
Install via CLI
npx skills add https://github.com/KnoWhiz/DoWhiz --skill google-slides
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