install-marp

Skill: Install Marp

Purpose

Check if npm is available and install the Marp CLI (@marp-team/marp-cli) globally so that presentations can be generated from markdown files.

When to Use

• User says "install marp" or "set up presentations"
• When the user wants to generate slides from markdown using Marp
• First time generating presentation output (check for Marp availability)

Invocation

/install-marp — install Marp CLI globally /install-marp --check — verify Marp is already installed /install-marp --version — check installed version and update if needed

Instructions

Step 1: Check npm Availability

which npm
npm --version

If npm is not found:

npm is not available on this system. To use Marp, you need Node.js and npm installed.
Visit https://nodejs.org/ to download and install Node.js (which includes npm).
After installation, run `/install-marp` again.

Step 2: Check for Existing Marp Installation

npm list -g @marp-team/marp-cli 2>/dev/null || echo "not installed"

If already installed:

Marp CLI is already installed globally.
Version: {version}
Ready to generate presentations!

Step 3: Install Marp

npm install -g @marp-team/marp-cli

Track progress and report:

Installing Marp CLI...
[===>       ] 45%

Installation complete!
Version: {version}
Location: {global npm path}

You can now generate presentations from markdown files.
Usage: marp {input.md} -o {output.pdf}

Step 4: Verify Installation

marp --version

Confirm output shows version number.

Step 5: Report Status

Marp installation verified!

You can now:
- Generate HTML slides: marp input.md -o output.html
- Generate PDF: marp input.md -o output.pdf
- Generate PPTX: marp input.md -o output.pptx
- Use Marp in the analysis pipeline to create presentation decks

Next: Use the Deck Creator agent to generate presentation markdown,
then convert with Marp.

Edge Cases

• Permission denied: "npm requires elevated permissions. Try sudo npm install -g @marp-team/marp-cli or contact your system administrator."
• npm out of date: Suggest updating: npm install -g npm
• Version conflicts: Remove old version first: npm uninstall -g @marp-team/marp-cli then reinstall
• Offline mode: "Marp installation requires internet connection to download. Please check your connection and try again."

Anti-Patterns

1. Never run as root unless necessary — use npm config set prefix to set user-scoped npm directory
2. Never install multiple times — check first with --check flag
3. Never assume Marp is always needed — only install on user request
4. Never skip the verification step — confirm version is as expected after install

Usage After Installation

Once installed, Marp can be called by presentation generation agents:

# HTML presentation
marp presentation.md -o presentation.html

# PDF slides
marp presentation.md -o presentation.pdf --pdf

# PPTX (requires additional theme setup)
marp presentation.md -o presentation.pptx

Marp markdown syntax:

• --- separates slides
• # Title for slide heading
• ![bg](image.png) for background image
• <!-- _class: lead --> for special slide styles