What is md2googleslides?

googleworkspace/md2googleslides — explained in plain English

Analysis updated 2026-06-26

★ 4,719TypeScriptAudience · generalComplexity · 2/5Setup · moderate

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((md2googleslides))
    What it does
      Markdown to slides
      Google Slides output
    Slide types
      Title slide
      Content slide
      Two-column layout
    Features
      Code highlighting
      Speaker notes
      Embedded images
    Setup
      Google OAuth
      Node.js CLI

mindmap root((md2googleslides)) What it does Markdown to slides Google Slides output Slide types Title slide Content slide Two-column layout Features Code highlighting Speaker notes Embedded images Setup Google OAuth Node.js CLI

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What do people build with it?

USE CASE 1

Convert a Markdown outline into a Google Slides presentation without opening the Slides editor.

USE CASE 2

Generate slides from code documentation or README files by adding slide-separator rules to the Markdown.

USE CASE 3

Use as a Node.js library inside another app to programmatically create or update Google Slides decks.

USE CASE 4

Quickly turn meeting notes written in Markdown into a shareable slide deck with one command.

What is it built with?

TypeScriptNode.jsGoogle Slides API

How does it compare?

	googleworkspace/md2googleslides	vercel/next-learn	derbyjs/derby
Stars	4,719	4,714	4,710
Language	TypeScript	TypeScript	TypeScript
Setup difficulty	moderate	easy	hard
Complexity	2/5	2/5	4/5
Audience	general	vibe coder	developer

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you get it running?

Difficulty · moderate Time to first run · 30min

Requires a Google Cloud developer account to create OAuth credentials before the tool can be used for the first time.

License not explicitly described in the available explanation, created by Google as an API demonstration project.

So what is it?

md2googleslides is a command-line tool that reads a Markdown text file and converts it into a Google Slides presentation. You write your slide content as plain text using standard Markdown formatting, run one command, and the tool creates a new slide deck in your Google account via the Slides API. It can also be used as a library inside another application. The project was built by Google as a demonstration of what the Slides API can do, and the README notes it is suited for quickly sketching out a presentation rather than producing a polished final deck. Each slide in the Markdown file is separated by a horizontal rule. The type of slide generated depends on what headings and content follow that separator. A single large heading becomes a title slide, a heading with body text becomes a standard content slide, and adding a special marker creates a two-column layout. There are also options for big-number or single-main-point slides. Images can be placed inline or set as full-slide backgrounds, and YouTube videos can be embedded with a short tag. Speaker notes are written inside HTML comment blocks. Text formatting works much like it does in standard Markdown: bold, italic, strikethrough, code, and lists are all supported. Code blocks get syntax highlighting, with the option to pick a theme from the highlight.js library. Tables using GitHub-Flavored Markdown syntax are also supported, though the README warns that mixing tables with other elements on the same slide can cause layout problems. Setting up the tool requires a Google Cloud developer account to create OAuth credentials. You download a credentials file, place it in a specific folder, and then authorize the tool the first time you run it. After that, generating slides is a single command pointing at your Markdown file. To update an existing deck rather than create a new one, you pass the deck ID from the URL. Themes are not controlled by the tool. You set a theme directly in Google Slides, and md2googleslides leaves it in place when it generates or updates content.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1

I have a Markdown file with sections separated by horizontal rules. Write the command to convert it to Google Slides using md2googleslides, and show me an example Markdown file with a title slide and a two-column slide.

Prompt 2

How do I set up the Google OAuth credentials needed for md2googleslides? Walk me through creating a Google Cloud project and downloading the credentials file.

Prompt 3

I want to update an existing Google Slides deck using md2googleslides instead of creating a new one. What command-line flag do I pass and how do I find the deck ID from the URL?

Prompt 4

Show me how to add syntax-highlighted code blocks and speaker notes to a Markdown file for use with md2googleslides.

Prompt 5

I want to use md2googleslides as a Node.js library inside my app to generate slides programmatically. Show me the basic import and usage pattern.

Frequently asked questions