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Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/rowboatlabs/rowboat/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

Rowboat creates professional PDF presentations by generating HTML slides with consistent themes, converting them to PDF using Playwright, and delivering the final deck to your Desktop.

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How It Works

1

Gather context from knowledge base

Rowboat searches your knowledge/ folder for relevant information about:
  • Your company and product
  • Team members
  • Projects and partnerships
  • Metrics and results
2

Plan the narrative arc

Before building slides, Rowboat maps out:
  • Hook: Opening statement or question that grabs attention
  • Core argument: The one thing the audience should remember
  • Supporting evidence: Data, examples, frameworks that back it up
  • Call to action: What the audience should do next
3

Select theme and layouts

Based on topic and audience, Rowboat picks:
  • A unified color theme (Dark Professional, Light Editorial, or Bold Vibrant)
  • Appropriate layouts from 35+ templates for each slide
  • Consistent typography and visual style
4

Generate HTML slides

Creates presentation.html with:
  • 8-15 slides (title + content + closing)
  • 1280x720px slides with proper PDF export settings
  • CSS-based visuals (no external images)
  • Consistent theme across all slides
5

Validate before export

Checks for common issues:
  • Title text overflow
  • Content extending beyond slide boundaries
  • Broken visuals or missing fonts
  • Theme consistency
6

Convert to PDF

Uses Playwright to:
  • Render HTML with full styling
  • Export each slide as a PDF page
  • Save final deck to ~/Desktop/presentation.pdf

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Example Usage

Create a pitch deck for our Series A fundraise

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Available Themes

Rowboat automatically selects the best theme based on your topic and audience:

Dark Professional

Deep navy/charcoal backgrounds with indigo and violet accents. White text.Best for: Tech, SaaS, keynotes, engineering presentations

Light Editorial

White/warm cream backgrounds with amber and stone accents. Dark text with serif headings.Best for: Reports, proposals, thought leadership, research

Bold Vibrant

Mixed dark and light slides with emerald and rose accents. High contrast.Best for: Pitch decks, marketing, creative work, fundraising
If you don’t specify a theme, Rowboat picks the best fit automatically. It will note which theme was used so you can request a different one if needed.

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Slide Layout Library

Rowboat has 35+ pre-built slide layouts grouped by purpose:

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Title & Structure

  • Title Slide (Dark Gradient) - Hero opening with atmospheric glow
  • Title Slide (Light Editorial) - Clean serif typography
  • Section Divider - Chapter break with oversized background number
  • Agenda / Table of Contents - Numbered items with descriptions
  • Full-Bleed Cinematic - Atmospheric background with grid texture

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Content Slides

  • Big Statement / Quote - Full-color background with bold quote
  • Big Stat Number - Single dramatic metric with context
  • Bullet List (Split Panel) - Dark sidebar + light content area
  • Numbered List - Ordered steps in numbered cards
  • Two Columns - Side-by-side content cards
  • Three Columns with Icons - Feature cards with icon accents

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Chart & Data Slides

  • Bar Chart (Vertical) - Gradient bars with labels
  • Horizontal Bar Chart - Ranked bars for long labels
  • Stacked Bar Chart - Segmented composition bars
  • Combo Chart (Bar + Line) - Volume bars + growth rate line
  • Donut Chart - CSS conic-gradient with legend
  • Line Chart - SVG polyline with area fill
  • KPI Dashboard - Color-coded metric cards
  • Data Table - Styled rows with status badges

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Diagrams

  • Horizontal Timeline - Connected milestone dots
  • Vertical Timeline - Left-rail progression
  • Process Flow - Step cards with arrows
  • Funnel Diagram - Tapered conversion stages
  • Pyramid Diagram - Tiered hierarchy levels
  • Cycle Diagram - Circular feedback loop
  • Venn Diagram - Overlapping circles
  • 2x2 Matrix - Four quadrants with axis labels

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Comparison & Closing

  • Comparison / Vs - Split A vs B layout
  • Pros & Cons - Checkmarks vs warnings
  • Pricing Table - Tiered cards with featured highlight
  • Team Grid - Avatar circles with roles
  • Thank You / CTA - Atmospheric closing with contact details

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Visual Consistency Rules

Rowboat follows strict design principles to ensure professional results:

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One Theme Per Deck

The most important rule: Pick ONE theme and apply it consistently to EVERY slide. Never mix color palettes mid-deck.
  • Define theme palette upfront (primary color, accent color, neutral base)
  • Use same accent color for all highlights, bullets, icons, chart fills
  • Typography colors stay consistent across all slides
  • Charts use shades/tints of theme colors only

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Background Strategy

For dark themes:
  • Deep base (e.g. #0f172a) for 80%+ of slides
  • Medium base (e.g. #1e293b) for subtle variation
  • Accent pop (e.g. #6366f1) for 1-2 key stat slides
  • NEVER use white or light backgrounds in dark-themed decks
For light themes:
  • Light base (e.g. #fafaf9) for most content slides
  • Warm tint (e.g. #fefce8) for visual rhythm
  • Accent pop for 1-2 key slides
  • NEVER use dark/navy backgrounds in light-themed decks
Never alternate between dark and light backgrounds. This creates a jarring effect. Use subtle shade variations within the same tone family instead.

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Title Slide Rules

  • Title text must span full slide width
  • No decorative elements beside the title competing for space
  • Single-column, vertically-stacked layout
  • Title font-size max 64px (48px for long titles)
  • Decorative visuals go BEHIND text, never beside it

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PDF Export Technical Details

Rowboat follows specific rules to ensure clean PDF rendering:

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No Layered Elements

❌ Avoid: 
<div class="background"></div>
<div class="shadow"></div>
<div class="content">Text</div>
✅ Use: 
<div class="content" style="background: #fff; border: 1px solid #e5e7eb;">
  Text
</div>

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Slides Must Fit

  • Slides are 1280x720px with 60px padding
  • Safe content area: 1160x600px
  • Use overflow: hidden to prevent content from extending beyond boundaries

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No External Images

❌ Avoid: 
<img src="https://example.com/photo.jpg">
✅ Use:
  • CSS gradients and shapes
  • Inline SVG graphics
  • Emoji for icons

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No Footers or Headers

❌ Avoid: 
<div style="position: fixed; bottom: 0;">Slide 5</div>
Fixed-positioned elements overlap with content in PDF rendering. Include slide numbers or metadata in the normal content flow if needed.

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Validation Checks

Before converting to PDF, Rowboat validates:
1

Title overflow check

Verifies title text fits within slide width at set font-size. Auto-reduces if needed:
  • Short titles (1-3 words): 72px max
  • Medium titles (4-6 words): 56px max
  • Long titles (7+ words): 44px max
2

Content bounds check

Confirms no elements extend beyond 1280x720 boundaries. Looks for:
  • Long titles
  • Bullet lists with 6+ items
  • Wide tables
  • Text wrapping beyond available height
3

Broken visuals check

Ensures no <img> tags reference external URLs. All visuals must be CSS, SVG, or emoji.
4

Font loading check

Verifies Google Fonts <link> includes all font families used in CSS.
5

Theme consistency check

Confirms all slides use the same palette with no rogue colors.

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Workflow Example

Here’s what happens behind the scenes: 
# 1. Rowboat searches knowledge base for context
workspace-readFile("knowledge/Organizations/Our Company.md")
workspace-readFile("knowledge/Projects/Series A.md")

# 2. Plans narrative and selects theme
# Hook: The market opportunity
# Core: Our unique approach
# Evidence: Traction metrics, customer stories
# CTA: Investment ask
# Theme: Bold Vibrant (pitch deck)

# 3. Generates HTML with 12 slides
workspace-writeFile("tmp/presentation.html", htmlContent)

# 4. Validates (checks all pass)

# 5. Creates conversion script
workspace-writeFile("tmp/convert.js", playwrightScript)

# 6. Converts to PDF
node /workspace/tmp/convert.js

# 7. Final output
~/Desktop/presentation.pdf
The entire process is invisible to you. Rowboat handles package installation, file creation, validation, and conversion automatically.

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Best Practices

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Provide context in your knowledge base

The richer your knowledge/ folder, the better your presentations:
  • Company overview with mission, product, market
  • Team member bios and roles
  • Project documentation with metrics and outcomes
  • Customer/partner information

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Be specific about purpose and audience

Instead of: “Make a presentation”
Try: “Create an investor pitch deck for Series A VCs” or “Build a quarterly business review for the board” This helps Rowboat:
  • Choose the right theme
  • Select appropriate layouts
  • Set the right tone and detail level

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Request theme changes

If the auto-selected theme doesn’t match your preference: 
Recreate this with a light editorial theme instead

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Keep it focused

Best presentations are 8-15 slides:
  • Title slide
  • Optional agenda
  • 6-10 content slides (every slide earns its place)
  • Closing/CTA
No filler content or unnecessary padding.

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Dependencies

Rowboat automatically handles installation: 
npm install playwright
npx playwright install chromium
You don’t need to run these commands yourself.

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Output Location

Final presentation is saved to: 
~/Desktop/presentation.pdf
Temporary files during generation: 
~/workspace/tmp/presentation.html
~/workspace/tmp/convert.js

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