Deckmill Rust

High-performance slide carousel generator — CLI + MCP server for creating professional Instagram/LinkedIn/TikTok carousels as HTML → PNG.

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Features

• 46 slide types across 6 categories: Text & Layout, Data Viz, Metrics, Story, Image, Conversion
• MCP server — integrate with Claude, Cursor, or any MCP client for AI-driven slide generation
• CLI — scriptable, CI-friendly commands for batch generation
• Design system — tokens, themes, archetypes, Google Fonts, CSS variables
• Export pipeline — HTML → PNG via the embedded Blitz renderer (stylo + vello-cpu, no browser needed; 1080×1350, 1080×1080, 1080×1920, 1200×628, etc.)
• Validation — pre-flight param checks, layout overflow detection, contrast auditing
• Session persistence — configure_design tokens survive MCP restarts (~/.deckmill/session_state.json)

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How it compares

Capability	Deckmill Rust	Canva / Figma	Python-pptx / PPTX libs	Headless Chrome screenshot scripts
Agent-native generation	✅ MCP server + CLI, AI-driven	❌ GUI	⚠️ scripted	⚠️
Render without a browser	✅ embedded Blitz (stylo + vello-cpu)	n/a	n/a	❌ needs Chrome
Validation	✅ overflow detection + contrast (WCAG-AA) auditing	⚠️ manual	❌	❌
Slide-type library	✅ 46 types / 6 categories, design tokens + themes	✅ templates	⚠️	⚠️
Deterministic output	✅ same HTML → same PNG	⚠️	✅	⚠️
Session design memory	✅ tokens persist across restarts	✅	❌	❌
Self-hosted binary	✅ single Rust binary, 185 tests	❌ SaaS	✅	✅

Canva is a design studio for humans; Deckmill is a deterministic slide factory for agents — the same tokens, themes, and validation every run.

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Showcase

Every slide below is a real export rendered by the embedded Blitz engine (stylo layout + vello-cpu raster) — no browser, no screenshots, no doctored images.

hero — dark editorial, gradient accent	chart — donut with legend	metric_grid — KPI cards
funnel_chart — conversion funnel	image_headline — full-bleed photo	comment_cta — conversion close

Browse the full interactive decks: all_types_carousel.html · typology_viewer.html · random_styles_viewer.html · stress_test_master.html

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Quick Start

Install (pre-built binary)

# Static musl binary (runs on any Linux, no dependencies) — grab from Releases:
curl -fsSL https://github.com/ishan-parihar/deckmill/releases/download/v0.4.0/deckmill-x86_64-unknown-linux-musl \
  -o ~/.local/bin/deckmill && chmod +x ~/.local/bin/deckmill

# Or build from source:
cargo install --git https://github.com/ishan-parihar/deckmill

CLI Usage

# Generate a single slide
deckmill generate-slide hero \
  --primary-color '#4F46E5' \
  --params '{"headline":"Ship slides in minutes","subheadline":"AI-powered carousels"}' \
  --override accent='#00FF88'

# Export carousel to PNGs
deckmill export ./carousel.html \
  --output-dir ./exports \
  --slides 4 \
  --preset instagram_portrait

# List all slide types
deckmill list-slides

# Get schema for a slide type
deckmill slide-info hero

MCP Server

# Start MCP server (stdio transport)
deckmill mcp

Configure in your MCP client (Claude Desktop, Cursor, etc.):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "deckmill": {
      "command": "deckmill",
      "args": ["mcp"]
    }
  }
}

MCP Tools:

• configure_design — set brand color, theme, archetype, platform (persists to disk)
• generate_slide — create one slide (validates required params, blocks on missing)
• render_carousel — assemble slides into full HTML carousel
• export_carousel_slides — render carousel to PNG directory
• preview_slide — quick single-slide PNG preview
• get_slide_type_info — discover required/optional params + example payload
• validate_layout / validate_design — audit HTML for overflow, contrast, clipping

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Slide Types (46 total)

Category	Types
Text & Layout	hero, feature, list, quote, cta, comparison, stat_row, timeline, callout, split_features, grid_cards, definition, text_block, section_divider, text_columns
Data Visualization	chart, scatter_plot, gauge, radar_chart, column_chart, table, metric_sparkline, funnel_chart, metric_grid, comparison_bars, progress_rings
Story	problem_solution, myth_fact, case_study_result, testimonial_avatar, before_after_story, logo_cloud, pricing_plan, checklist_action_plan, faq, process_map
Image	image_caption, image_headline, image_quote, image_callout, image_stat, image_gallery, image_collage, image_comparison
Conversion	qr_destination

Each type exposes required_params, optional_params, variants, and an example payload via get_slide_type_info.

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Configuration

Design Tokens (via configure_design)

{
  "primary_color": "#4F46E5",
  "visual_theme": "bold",        // editorial, bold, minimal, dark, vibrant, natural
  "preset": "vibrant",           // tonal_spot, vibrant, neutral, monochrome, expressive, fidelity, rainbow, fruit_salad, content
  "archetype": "startup_pitch",  // educator, thought_leader, startup_pitch, brand_storyteller, data_analyst, creator
  "platform": "instagram_portrait",
  "brand_name": "Acme Inc",
  "brand_handle": "@acme"
}

Tokens persist to ~/.deckmill/session_state.json and survive MCP restarts.

Token Override (CLI only)

deckmill generate-slide hero \
  --primary-color '#FF5500' \
  --params '{"headline":"Override test"}' \
  --override accent='#00FF88' \
  --override secondary='#222244'

Unknown keys warn with typo suggestions (typo → Did you mean 'accent'?).

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Export Pipeline

generate-slide(s) → render-carousel → export

Preset	Aspect	Dimensions	Use Case
instagram_portrait	4:5	1080×1350	Feed carousels
instagram_square	1:1	1080×1080	Feed posts
instagram_story	9:16	1080×1920	Stories/Reels
tiktok_vertical	9:16	1080×1920	TikTok
linkedin_landscape	1.91:1	1200×628	LinkedIn docs
twitter_card	16:9	1200×675	Twitter/X
presentation_16_9	16:9	1920×1080	Slides
presentation_4_3	4:3	1024×768	Slides

PNG geometry fix (v0.2.0+): All presets now render at exact target dimensions (no more 143px height deficit).

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Validation

# Validate slide params before rendering
deckmill validate-layout --slide-type hero --params '{"headline":"Test"}'

# Audit rendered HTML for design issues
deckmill validate-design ./carousel.html

Checks: overflow, contrast, descender clipping, squished components, distorted images, progress ring thickness, text column width.

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Memory Profile

The Blitz rendering engine (stylo layout + vello-cpu raster) is embedded in the binary — no Chromium subprocess, no browser download, no persistent browser pool. Measured against the legacy headless-Chrome build on the same 8-slide export workload:

Metric	Blitz (v0.4.0)	Legacy Chrome	Delta
Peak RSS	132 MB	599 MB	4.5× less
Wall time	13.3 s	15.4 s	1.2× faster

Component	RSS (idle)
MCP server	~8.5 MB
CLI (generate-slide)	~4 MB

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Build from Source

# Standard (glibc)
cargo build --release

# Musl static (for Alpine/scratch containers)
cargo build --release --target x86_64-unknown-linux-musl

Requires: Rust 1.75+, clang/lld for the musl target (aws-lc-sys).

The build uses rustls-only TLS — a vendored blitz-net ([patch.crates-io]) swaps its hardcoded native-tls for rustls so no libssl/libcrypto is ever linked. The musl artifact is a fully static ~21 MB binary (verified statically linked via ldd).

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License

MIT — see LICENSE.

Agent Integration (AXI §7)

Deckmill ships an installable AI agent skill that provides ambient context at session start — showing slide types, design tokens, and contextual help hints.

Install the Skill

# Via npx (recommended)
npx skills add ishan-parihar/deckmill --skill deckmill

# Or download manually
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ishan-parihar/deckmill/master/SKILL.md \
  -o ~/.agents/skills/deckmill/SKILL.md

Session Hook (Claude Code)

Add to ~/.claude/settings.json or project .claude/settings.json:

{
  "hooks": {
    "SessionStart": [
      {
        "matcher": "",
        "hooks": [
          {
            "type": "command",
            "command": "deckmill"
          }
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
}

At session start, Deckmill prints a compact dashboard:

bin: ~/.local/bin/deckmill
description: Instagram/LinkedIn/TikTok carousel generator — 46 slide types, 8 platform presets

slides[46]{type,description}:
  hero,Opening hook with headline and subheadline
  ...

design_tokens:
  primary_color: #4F46E5
  theme: bold
  archetype: startup_pitch

help[4]:
  Run `deckmill list-slides` to see all 46 slide types
  Run `deckmill generate-slide hero --params '{...}'` to create a slide
  Run `deckmill render-carousel slides.json --tokens-file tokens.json` to render
  Run `deckmill export carousel.html --output-dir ./exports` to export PNGs

Session Hook (Codex)

Add to ~/.codex/hooks.json or project .codex/hooks.json:

{
  "SessionStart": "deckmill"
}

Session Hook (OpenCode)

Create ~/.config/opencode/plugins/deckmill.ts:

export default {
  name: "deckmill",
  onSessionStart: async () => {
    const { execSync } = require("child_process");
    return execSync("deckmill").toString();
  },
};

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☕ Support & Sponsorship

If you find this project useful, consider supporting ongoing development:

Your support funds new features, releases, and infrastructure for the whole ecosystem.