Slidev CLI (`@slidev/cli` v53.0.0)

Markdown slides for developers, built on Vite, Vue 3, UnoCSS, and Shiki. Verified against the prepared @slidev/cli 53.0.0 package source.

Environment limits

Node.js >= 22.12.0 (package.json engines).
CLI export to PDF/PNG/PPTX needs an optional peer dependency: npm i -D playwright-chromium (package.json peerDependencies, marked optional).
vite-plugin-pwa is an optional peer dependency for PWA output.

Quick start

npm init slidev        # scaffold a project (README.md); pnpm create slidev also works
npm run dev            # dev server on http://localhost:3030
npm run build          # static SPA into dist/
npm run export         # PDF into the project root

In a scaffolded project, dev/build/export scripts wrap the slidev bin. Run the bin directly after npm i -g @slidev/cli, or with npx.

Verify: after dev, slides load at http://localhost:3030. After export, the PDF exists in the project root.

Commands

Task	Command
Dev server	`slidev [entry]` (entry defaults to `slides.md`)
Build SPA	`slidev build [entry..]`
Export deck	`slidev export [entry..]`
Export notes	`slidev export-notes [entry..]`
Format markdown	`slidev format [entry..]`
MCP server (stdio)	`slidev mcp [entry]`
Eject theme	`slidev theme eject [entry]`

Full flags and defaults: references/cli.md

Smallest working deck

---
theme: default
title: My Talk
transition: slide-left
---

# First slide

Content

---

# Second slide

<!--
Presenter notes: the last HTML comment of a slide.
-->

--- separates slides; blank lines around it.
The first frontmatter block is the headmatter (deck config).
Later blocks are per-slide frontmatter.

Key rules

Dev server default port is 3030; if taken, Slidev picks another in 3030-4000 (dist/cli.mjs port logic).
--tunnel requires --remote (dist/cli.mjs).
--per-slide is rejected with --format pptx-editable (dist/export-LauAJGMx.mjs).
slidev export prints a pointer to the browser exporter; when the dev server runs, visit http://localhost:<port>/export/ to export from the browser (dist/cli.mjs).
Editing slides programmatically: prefer the built-in MCP tools over raw text edits; they handle compound --- separators and hot-reload. See references/mcp.md.
Magic Move code animation needs a four-backtick wrapper fence. See references/code-blocks.md.

References

Topic	File
CLI commands, flags, defaults, shortcuts	references/cli.md
Markdown syntax: slides, notes, imports, diagrams	references/syntax.md
Headmatter and per-slide frontmatter keys	references/config.md
Code blocks: highlighting, Monaco, Magic Move, snippets	references/code-blocks.md
Click animations, motion, transitions, markers, drawing	references/animations.md
Built-in components, layouts, global context	references/components-layouts.md
Export formats, build output, hosting	references/exporting.md
MCP server for AI agents	references/mcp.md

Common workflows

New deck, iterate, export PDF:

npm init slidev
slidev                       # dev server, edit slides.md, check localhost:3030
npm i -D playwright-chromium # once, for CLI export
slidev export --with-clicks  # PDF including click steps

Agent editing a live deck:

slidev &                     # dev server
# connect MCP client to http://localhost:3030/__mcp
# use slidev-list-slides / slidev-update-slide / slidev-insert-slide

Static site for GitHub Pages:

slidev build --base /<repo-name>/ --download

Resources

Documentation: https://sli.dev
Syntax guide: https://sli.dev/guide/syntax
Theme gallery: https://sli.dev/resources/theme-gallery

slidev-cli-skilld

Slidev CLI (@slidev/cli v53.0.0)