Open-Slide hit 1.0 today, shipping a React presentation framework built specifically for AI coding agents. The MIT-licensed project from developer 1weiho passed 1.2k GitHub stars and pairs a Claude Code skill (/create-slide) with a fixed 1920x1080 canvas runtime so agents stop fighting layout and start writing slide content.
Try It: Ship a Deck in 30 Minutes
Run npx @open-slide/cli init my-slide, cd my-slide, then pnpm dev. The scaffold preloads a Claude Code skill so the next prompt you give Claude triggers /create-slide. The skill asks four scoping questions: topic and aesthetic, page count, text density, and motion preferences. Claude then plans a structure, picks a deck ID, and writes each page as a React component. Open the in-browser inspector, click any element to leave a comment, and Claude iterates. Export to static HTML or PDF when you are done, or push to Vercel or Cloudflare Pages for a shareable URL.
Why It Matters
Slide creation has been one of the slowest creator workflows to get a usable agentic interface. Most agents that try to build decks either hit the proprietary file format wall (Keynote, PowerPoint) or generate Markdown that needs a separate render pass. Open-Slide sidesteps both by treating slides as React components. That means the same agent loop that edits a Next.js app can edit your deck, and the same Git history works as version control. For solo creators and small studios, this is the first deck workflow where Claude or another Claude Code agent can actually own the build.
Key Details
Open-Slide 1.0.6 ships the core runtime, a CLI scaffolder, and a presenter mode with speaker notes and a session timer. The fixed 1920x1080 canvas auto-scales to any display, and a built-in asset manager wires svgl into the slide layer so brand and tool logos resolve without manual SVG handling. The framework includes click-to-comment editing in the browser inspector, pre-built skills for the agent layer, and static HTML or PDF export. Author 1weiho ships under MIT, so commercial creator studios can fork freely. The agent skills are built specifically for Claude Code skills, but the React layer works with any code-writing agent that understands JSX.
What to Do Next
If you have Claude Code installed, scaffold a project tonight and try one real deck you would otherwise build in Keynote or Google Slides. Time the round trip from prompt to publishable PDF and compare it to your current process. The signal to watch: does the agent get the structure right on the first pass, or are you fighting it back into shape? Open-Slide is fresh enough that the rough edges have not been catalogued yet, so early issue reports on the repo are the fastest way to shape what 1.1 fixes. Project site: open-slide.dev.
The full Open-Slide + Claude Code workflow
The reason Open-Slide is a meaningful release is not the framework itself, it is the agent skill that ships with it. The full creator workflow combines four tools into one prompt-driven pipeline:
| Stage | Tool | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Scaffold | Open-Slide CLI | npx @open-slide/cli init my-deck then pnpm dev |
| 2. Plan + draft | Claude Code with /create-slide skill | Prompt with topic + aesthetic + page count + text density + motion |
| 3. Iterate | Browser inspector + Claude | Click any element, leave a comment, Claude edits the React component |
| 4. Export | Open-Slide CLI | Static HTML, PDF, or push to Vercel/Cloudflare Pages |
| 5. Version control | Git | Same agent loop edits the deck, same Git history works as version control |
How Open-Slide compares to traditional AI deck tools
Slide creation has been one of the slowest creator workflows to get a usable agentic interface. The dominant alternatives:
- Gamma: Cloud-based AI deck generator. Strong design defaults, weak version control, output locked into Gamma's runtime.
- Beautiful.ai: Template-driven AI deck builder. Good for non-designers, locked into proprietary format.
- Tome (acquired/wound-down 2024): Originally promising but discontinued.
- PowerPoint Copilot: Microsoft's deck-building Copilot. Bound to PowerPoint format and Microsoft 365 subscription.
- Open-Slide + Claude Code: React components, Git history, free, runs locally, agent-driven. The first deck workflow where a coding agent can actually own the build.
Why React components beat Markdown for AI-generated decks
Most agents that try to build decks either hit the proprietary file format wall (Keynote, PowerPoint) or generate Markdown that needs a separate render pass. Open-Slide treats slides as React components. Three benefits compound:
- The same agent loop works. The Claude Code agent that edits a Next.js app can edit your deck. No tool-switching cost.
- Git history as version control. Every iteration is a commit. Previous versions are recoverable. Branching for variants is trivial.
- Composability with the rest of the React ecosystem. Charts via Recharts, animations via Framer Motion, code blocks via Prism, all drop in without converters.
What works well, what does not yet
Strong points: the four scoping questions force a coherent deck plan before generation, the click-to-comment iteration model is faster than typing instructions, and PDF export is clean. Weak points: complex multi-slide animations require manual Framer Motion code (Claude does not always wire transitions correctly on first pass), and the fixed 1920x1080 canvas auto-scales but does not adapt to vertical or square presentation formats. Vertical mobile-first decks would need a forked layout primitive.
Frequently asked questions
Is Open-Slide free for commercial use?
Yes. The MIT license permits commercial use, modification, and distribution without royalty. Commercial creator studios can fork and customize freely. Author 1weiho retains copyright on the original codebase but does not claim derivative work.
Do I need Claude Pro to use Open-Slide?
The /create-slide skill works with any Claude Code installation. Free Claude tier is sufficient for testing; Claude Pro at $20/month or Max at $100-200/month is more practical for production deck volume because the prompt + iteration loop hits free-tier limits quickly on a substantial deck.
Can Open-Slide handle decks with 50+ slides?
The runtime handles 50+ slides without performance issues, but the agent prompt loop is more reliable on 10-30 slide decks. For larger decks, split into thematic sections and prompt Claude per-section with consistent design constraints. The Git history makes section recombination trivial.
What about presenter mode and speaker notes?
Open-Slide 1.0.6 ships presenter mode with speaker notes and a session timer. Speaker notes are written as React component props and remain in version control alongside slide content.
How does Open-Slide compare to slidev?
Slidev (also a developer-focused slide framework) uses Markdown + Vue components. Open-Slide uses React only and ships with native Claude Code skills. For React-fluent developers wanting an agent-driven workflow, Open-Slide is the better fit. For Vue developers or pure-Markdown writers, slidev remains the cleaner choice.
What to try this weekend
Pick one upcoming presentation (internal review, sales pitch, conference talk). Run npx @open-slide/cli init, prompt Claude to draft 10 slides on the topic, iterate the worst 3 via click-to-comment, export to PDF. If the result is shippable in 30 minutes, the workflow is permanently in your stack.
