Marp CLI Skill

Convert Markdown to presentations via Marp CLI.

Overview

Marp CLI is a command-line interface that converts Markdown files into presentation formats. It supports HTML, PDF, PowerPoint (PPTX), PNG, and JPEG output.

Key features:

• Convert Markdown to multiple presentation formats
• Watch mode for live preview during editing
• Server mode for on-demand conversion
• Support for presenter notes
• Custom themes and styling
• Parallel conversion for multiple files

Quick Example

marp presentation.md                    # HTML (default)
marp --pdf presentation.md              # PDF
marp --pptx presentation.md             # PowerPoint
marp --images png presentation.md       # PNG images

# Watch and preview
marp -w -p presentation.md

# Serve directory
marp -s ./presentations

Documentation

Output Formats

HTML

Native HTML/CSS slide deck with built-in navigation and features.

PDF

High-quality PDF export (requires Chrome, Edge, or Firefox).

PowerPoint (PPTX)

Standard PowerPoint format compatible with most presentation software.

Images (PNG/JPEG)

Individual slide images, useful for social media, documentation, and thumbnails.

Key Commands

Usage Patterns

Development

marp -w -p deck.md  # Watch with preview

Export

marp --pdf deck.md
marp --pptx deck.md
marp --images png deck.md

Serving

marp -s ./presentations
# Access: http://localhost:8080/

Batch

marp --pdf *.md
marp -P 10 *.md  # Parallel processing

Browser Requirement

Important: Conversions to PDF, PPTX, and images require a compatible browser:

• Google Chrome
• Microsoft Edge
• Mozilla Firefox

The browser is used for rendering and conversion. Marp CLI supports browser selection and configuration.

# Choose browser
marp --browser firefox deck.md -o deck.pdf

# Specify browser path
marp --browser-path /path/to/chrome deck.md

Markdown Syntax

Marp uses standard Markdown with special frontmatter for configuration:

---
marp: true
theme: gaia
paginate: true
---

# Presentation Title

## First Section

- Bullet point
- Another point

### Subsection

Content.

Built-in themes: default, gaia, uncover, invert

Workflows

Development Workflow

1. Write Markdown in your editor
2. Run marp -w -p deck.md
3. Browser preview auto-refreshes on save
4. Export when ready

Batch Conversion

# Convert entire project
marp --pdf presentations/*.md

Distribution

# Generate all formats
marp --pdf deck.md
marp --pptx deck.md
marp --images png deck.md

Features

Watch Mode

Automatically converts when files change.

Server Mode

HTTP server with on-demand conversion. Access different formats via query strings:

• ?pdf - PDF
• ?pptx - PowerPoint
• ?images=png - PNG images
• ?image=jpeg - Single JPEG

Preview Window

Immersive preview window with presentation controls.

Presenter Notes

Export or embed presenter notes in slides.

Parallel Processing

Convert multiple files concurrently for faster batch operations.

Custom Theming

Use built-in themes or create custom CSS.

Installation

This skill assumes marp is installed. Installation methods include:

• npm: npm install -g @marp-team/marp-cli
• Homebrew (macOS/Linux): brew install marp-cli
• Scoop (Windows): scoop install marp
• Standalone binaries: Download from GitHub releases

See https://github.com/marp-team/marp-cli for installation details.

Limitations

• Browser-dependent conversions require compatible browser installed
• Editable PPTX is experimental and has limitations
• Complex themes may not render perfectly in all formats
• Large presentations may require increased timeout settings
• Local file access blocked by default (use --allow-local-files with caution)

Common Use Cases

1. Conference Presentations

Create slides in Markdown, export to PDF for sharing or PPTX for editing.

2. Technical Documentation

Generate slide decks from documentation files for talks and workshops.

3. Classroom Teaching

Create educational materials with watch mode for real-time updates.

4. Social Media Content

Generate high-res images from slide content for sharing.

5. Corporate Reports

Convert report Markdown to professional PDF or PowerPoint.

6. Automated Documentation

Integrate with CI/CD to auto-generate presentations from documentation.

Advanced Features

Configuration Files

Use .marprc or marp.config.js for project-level settings.

CSS Customization

Apply custom styles directly in Markdown frontmatter.

External Theme Support

Use Marp themes from npm packages or custom CSS files.

Plugin System

Extend functionality with Marp plugins.

CLI Integrations

Works well with other text processing tools (Pandoc, etc.)

Tips

1. Start with watch mode: marp -w -p during development
2. Use server mode for collaborative work and testing
3. Choose appropriate format: PDF for sharing, PPTX for editing, HTML for web
4. Leverage parallelism for batch conversions
5. Optimize images with --image-scale for quality/size balance
6. Customize themes to match brand/style guidelines

Community & Resources

• GitHub: https://github.com/marp-team/marp-cli
• Website: https://marp.app/
• Documentation: https://github.com/marp-team/marp-cli#readme
• Marpit Framework: https://marpit.marp.app/
• Marp Core: https://github.com/marp-team/marp-core

Integration Examples

With Static Site Generators

Generate presentation assets for Jekyll, Hugo, Next.js sites.

With Documentation Tools

Convert technical docs to presentations for conferences.

With Automation

Run in CI/CD pipelines to auto-generate slides from markdown.

With Note-taking

Convert Obsidian, Notion, or other markdown exports to presentations.

License

Marp CLI is licensed under the MIT License.

---

For usage: Start with SKILL.md For learning: Check QUICKSTART.md For specifics: See EXAMPLES.md