frontend-slides MCP — Use Cases, Install & Live Demo

Why use it

Key features

Slides are HTML — version-controllable, diffable
CSS transitions and animations (no fragile Keynote files)
Code snippets with proper syntax highlighting
Responsive — works on laptop → projector → phone
Export to PDF for backup

Live Demo

What it looks like in practice

ready

Install

Pick your client

~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json · Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "frontend-slides-skill": {
      "command": "git",
      "args": [
        "clone",
        "https://github.com/zarazhangrui/frontend-slides",
        "~/.claude/skills/frontend-slides"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Developer → Edit Config. Restart after saving.

~/.cursor/mcp.json · .cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "frontend-slides-skill": {
      "command": "git",
      "args": [
        "clone",
        "https://github.com/zarazhangrui/frontend-slides",
        "~/.claude/skills/frontend-slides"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Cursor uses the same mcpServers schema as Claude Desktop. Project config wins over global.

VS Code → Cline → MCP Servers → Edit

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "frontend-slides-skill": {
      "command": "git",
      "args": [
        "clone",
        "https://github.com/zarazhangrui/frontend-slides",
        "~/.claude/skills/frontend-slides"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Click the MCP Servers icon in the Cline sidebar, then "Edit Configuration".

~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "frontend-slides-skill": {
      "command": "git",
      "args": [
        "clone",
        "https://github.com/zarazhangrui/frontend-slides",
        "~/.claude/skills/frontend-slides"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Same shape as Claude Desktop. Restart Windsurf to pick up changes.

~/.continue/config.json

{
  "mcpServers": [
    {
      "name": "frontend-slides-skill",
      "command": "git",
      "args": [
        "clone",
        "https://github.com/zarazhangrui/frontend-slides",
        "~/.claude/skills/frontend-slides"
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Continue uses an array of server objects rather than a map.

~/.config/zed/settings.json

{
  "context_servers": {
    "frontend-slides-skill": {
      "command": {
        "path": "git",
        "args": [
          "clone",
          "https://github.com/zarazhangrui/frontend-slides",
          "~/.claude/skills/frontend-slides"
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}

Add to context_servers. Zed hot-reloads on save.

claude mcp add frontend-slides-skill -- git clone https://github.com/zarazhangrui/frontend-slides ~/.claude/skills/frontend-slides

One-liner. Verify with claude mcp list. Remove with claude mcp remove.

Use Cases

Real-world ways to use frontend-slides

Build a 20-minute tech talk deck from an outline

👤 Devs presenting at meetups / conferences ⏱ ~90 min intermediate

When to use: You have an outline and 48 hours. You don't want to wrestle with Keynote templates.

Prerequisites

Skill installed — git clone https://github.com/zarazhangrui/frontend-slides ~/.claude/skills/frontend-slides
Outline in markdown — One file with section headings = slides

Flow

Scaffold

Use frontend-slides. From /talks/outline.md, generate a deck in /talks/deck/. One HTML per slide pattern, shared CSS.✓ Copied

→ Folder with index.html + slide assets; opens in browser
Polish code slides

For code slides, use my repo's actual style (look at src/example.ts). Add syntax highlighting.✓ Copied

→ Code renders with proper highlighting and your formatting
PDF backup

Export to PDF for the "projector won't connect" scenario.✓ Copied

→ PDF saved alongside HTML

Outcome: A deck you can iterate on with git, host on GitHub Pages, and present from a browser.

Pitfalls

Venue WiFi is bad and your deck has remote assets — Inline/embed everything; test offline before the talk

Combine with: filesystem

A demo deck where code + UI embed live in slides

👤 Founders showing a prototype ⏱ ~120 min intermediate

When to use: You want slides where you can actually interact with the product mid-deck.

Flow

Layout

Generate a 10-slide pitch deck. On slide 4, embed an iframe of the product demo. On slide 7, embed a live CodePen.✓ Copied

→ Deck has iframes at the right slides
Rehearse responsiveness

Re-render for a 1024x768 projector. Does anything break?✓ Copied

→ Breakpoint fixes applied

Outcome: A deck that doesn't feel like a deck — it feels like the product.

Pitfalls

Iframe CSP blocks embed — Host the demo under a domain that allows framing, or use a recording

Combinations

Pair with other MCPs for X10 leverage

frontend-slides-skill + filesystem

Version-control the deck alongside your repo

Scaffold into /talks/2026-05-conf/ and commit.✓ Copied

frontend-slides-skill + github

Deploy via GitHub Pages

Push the deck to a gh-pages branch and show me the URL.✓ Copied

Tools

What this MCP exposes

Tool	Inputs	When to call
scaffold_deck	outline.md	Start of any deck
add_slide	title, content	Append a slide
pdf_export	deck/	Backup deliverable

Cost & Limits

What this costs to run

API quota: N/A
Tokens per call: Proportional to deck size
Monetary: Free
Tip: Generate the skeleton first, then polish slide by slide rather than one huge pass

Security

Permissions, secrets, blast radius

Minimum scopes: filesystem-write

Credential storage: None

Data egress: None; your deck may reference remote assets

Troubleshooting

Common errors and fixes

Transitions don't work in Safari

Check browser compatibility table in skill docs; default config uses prefixed properties

Code syntax highlighting missing

Bundled Prism/Shiki requires asset loading — make sure relative paths resolve when hosted

PDF export mangles layouts

Use Chrome headless for print — the skill's default is Puppeteer with landscape preset

Alternatives

frontend-slides vs others

Alternative	When to use it instead	Tradeoff
reveal.js / Slidev	You want a full framework and are comfortable configuring it	More features; more learning
Keynote / PowerPoint	Corporate settings require file-based decks	Not web-native; harder to share

More

Resources

📖 Read the official README on GitHub

🐙 Browse open issues

🔍 Browse all 400+ MCP servers and Skills