sn-ppt-workbench
Start or reuse the AI PPT editing WebUI for an existing HTML slide deck. The
helper prefers Hermes/canvas/port-forward URLs when available. Without a
forwarded URL, native hosts bind to localhost by default, while Docker/WSL bind
to 0.0.0.0 so remote users can reach the WebUI through the host network.
Use Cases
- The user already generated a deck and asks to open the WebUI/editor/workbench.
- The user provides a
deck_dir containing task_pack.json,
slides/slide_NN.html, pages/page_NNN.html, or a root-level HTML deck.
- The user says to inspect or edit previously generated slides without regenerating them.
Hard Rules
- Do not run
sn-ppt-entry, sn-ppt-standard, page-html, batch-page-html, or export.
- Do not edit slide files directly. The WebUI handles user-visible editing.
- If
deck_dir is missing, auto-detect only under $(pwd)/ppt_decks.
Other roots are considered only when the caller explicitly passes
--search-root; never scan home folders by default.
- If no usable deck is found, ask the user for the absolute
deck_dir.
- Workbench startup is best-effort. If it skips or fails, report the reason and do not attempt generation as a fallback.
- Prefer a forwarded/canvas URL over localhost when the user may be on SSH, IM, or another remote device.
- When launched from the unified PPT flow, use the exact absolute
task_pack.deck_dir; opening the Workbench must not create or switch tasks.
- Treat
task_pack.json as progress/resume state and outline.md as the
user-editable Story. Existing runtime builds may expose only part of these
artifacts; report compatibility gaps instead of regenerating the deck.
Invocation
Use the helper directly:
python3 $SKILL_DIR/scripts/open_workbench.py --deck-dir "<deck_dir>" --agent-session-id "${HERMES_SESSION_KEY:-}"
On native Windows where python3 is unavailable:
python $SKILL_DIR/scripts/open_workbench.py --deck-dir "<deck_dir>" --agent-session-id "%HERMES_SESSION_KEY%"
If the user did not provide a deck path, let the helper auto-detect:
python3 $SKILL_DIR/scripts/open_workbench.py --agent-session-id "${HERMES_SESSION_KEY:-}"
Pass same-session bridge details when available:
python3 $SKILL_DIR/scripts/open_workbench.py \
--deck-dir "<deck_dir>" \
--agent-session-id "${HERMES_SESSION_KEY:-}" \
--agent-managed 1 \
--agent-provider hermes \
--agent-transport gateway \
--webui-base-url "${HERMES_WEBUI_BASE_URL:-}" \
--gateway-base-url "${HERMES_GATEWAY_BASE_URL:-}"
--agent-transport may be omitted: the helper auto-selects gateway when the
Hermes Gateway endpoint and key resolve (environment or Hermes .env files),
then webui / acp / rest when only those details exist. Explicit flags and
WORKBENCH_AGENT_TRANSPORT always win. With no resolvable bridge the bottom
chat stays read-only by design.
For non-Hermes interactive providers, pass structured bridge details instead of
scraping CLI/TUI output:
python3 $SKILL_DIR/scripts/open_workbench.py \
--deck-dir "<deck_dir>" \
--agent-managed 1 \
--agent-provider openclaw \
--agent-transport rest \
--agent-base-url "${WORKBENCH_AGENT_BASE_URL:-}" \
--agent-api-key "${WORKBENCH_AGENT_API_KEY:-}"
python3 $SKILL_DIR/scripts/open_workbench.py \
--deck-dir "<deck_dir>" \
--agent-managed 1 \
--agent-provider codex \
--agent-transport acp \
--acp-command "${WORKBENCH_ACP_COMMAND:-codex-acp}"
python3 $SKILL_DIR/scripts/open_workbench.py \
--deck-dir "<deck_dir>" \
--agent-managed 1 \
--agent-provider box-agent \
--agent-transport acp \
--acp-command "${WORKBENCH_ACP_COMMAND:-${BOX_AGENT_ACP_COMMAND:-box-agent-acp}}"
When this helper runs inside Box Agent, the exported BOX_AGENT_PYTHON or
BOX_AGENT_SKILL_TOOLS_ROOT environment automatically selects box-agent,
acp, and the installed box-agent-acp command. Explicit
WORKBENCH_AGENT_* flags or environment variables still take precedence.
For WorkBuddy, pass --agent-provider workbuddy only as provider identity. Tell
the user clearly that WorkBuddy currently has no supported API or ACP interface
for the interactive workbench bridge, so the WebUI can show WorkBuddy status but
cannot send bottom-chat modification turns back to WorkBuddy.
CLI Subcommands (direct launch fallback)
When bypassing open_workbench.py and invoking the workbench launcher directly, use subcommands:
node <launcher> start --deck-dir "<path>" [--port 0] [--agent-managed]
node <launcher> status --deck-dir "<path>"
node <launcher> stop --deck-dir "<path>"
The old argument-only form (no subcommand) is deprecated — it will print a usage error.
Restart pitfall: start silently reuses an existing server instance for the same deck-dir (response contains "reused": true). If you updated the workbench code, you MUST run stop first, then start — otherwise the old process keeps serving stale code:
node <launcher> stop --deck-dir "<path>"
node <launcher> start --deck-dir "<path>" --port 0
Bind Host
The workbench resolves its bind address from --host CLI flag → WORKBENCH_HOST env var → default 127.0.0.1. When the user needs remote/LAN access, set WORKBENCH_HOST=0.0.0.0:
export WORKBENCH_HOST=0.0.0.0
node <launcher> start --deck-dir "<path>" --port 0
The response url field will then show the LAN IP instead of 127.0.0.1.
Output Handling
Parse the single JSON line from stdout.
When status == "ok", echo the returned editor_url, public_url, or workbench.editorUrl for existing-deck editing requests. The helper may also return generation_url; that URL is the generation progress page at /progress, while the editor is /editor.
PPT 编辑工作台已启动:<editor_url>
If workbench.reused == true, say it reused the existing server.
If bind_host is 0.0.0.0, the URL is a Docker/WSL LAN fallback. Tell the user it must be reachable from their device/network; if not, ask them to provide a Hermes/canvas/port-forward URL and rerun with --public-url, or an explicit bind host with --host.
When status == "skipped" or status == "failed", echo the reason field. If reason == "nodejs_missing", ask whether the user wants NodeJS/dependencies installed; if they decline, do not open the WebUI. Ask for a valid deck_dir only if the reason says no deck was found.
Environment
The helper locates the editor launcher in this order:
SENSENOVA_PPT_WORKBENCH_CLI
PPT_WORKBENCH_CLI
- The runtime packaged beside this Skill
- The nearest
src/ppt-editor source checkout or packaged release in the current worktree
- Common
~/Repository/ppt-editor fallbacks
The helper does not build the editor during an end-user launch. Packaged Skills
must include workbench-runtime; source checkouts must build src/ppt-editor
explicitly before using its launcher. The repository-level webui/ directory
is a separate product and is not a launcher fallback for this Skill.
Remote URL discovery order:
- Explicit
--public-url
WORKBENCH_PUBLIC_URL, HERMES_WORKBENCH_PUBLIC_URL
- Hermes/canvas/forwarding env vars such as
HERMES_CANVAS_URL, HERMES_PORT_FORWARD_URL, CANVAS_URL, PORT_FORWARD_URL, TUNNEL_URL
- Codespaces/Gitpod URL patterns
- Localhost on native hosts, or LAN fallback from the machine's non-loopback IPv4 address on Docker/WSL
Gateway Auth Setup
For writable interactive agent bridging (chat panel in workbench), Hermes keeps
using the existing WebUI/Gateway protocol. OpenClaw should be exposed through a
Gateway/REST-compatible HTTP endpoint. Codex, Claude Code, and Box Agent should
use ACP JSON-RPC adapters, configured with --acp-command or
WORKBENCH_ACP_COMMAND. Box Agent defaults to its installed box-agent-acp
entry point.
Never parse provider CLI/TUI output for chat synchronization.
For writable Hermes Gateway bridging, the Gateway API server and workbench must
authenticate with matching API keys.
Key env vars:
| Variable | Set By | Value |
|---|
API_SERVER_KEY | Gateway (.env) | Shared secret |
WORKBENCH_GATEWAY_API_KEY | Workbench env | Same as API_SERVER_KEY; preferred explicit bridge key |
HERMES_GATEWAY_BASE_URL | Workbench env | http://127.0.0.1:8642 |
WORKBENCH_AGENT_PROVIDER | Workbench env | hermes, openclaw, codex, claude-code, box-agent, or workbuddy |
WORKBENCH_AGENT_TRANSPORT | Workbench env | webui, gateway, rest, or acp |
WORKBENCH_AGENT_BASE_URL | Workbench env | OpenClaw/Gateway REST endpoint |
WORKBENCH_AGENT_API_KEY | Workbench env | REST provider bearer token |
WORKBENCH_ACP_COMMAND | Workbench env | ACP adapter command, e.g. codex-acp |
BOX_AGENT_ACP_COMMAND | Box Agent / Workbench env | Optional override for the default box-agent-acp adapter command |
Quick steps:
- Gateway: set
API_SERVER_KEY in .env, restart gateway
- Workbench: set
WORKBENCH_GATEWAY_API_KEY to same value, set HERMES_GATEWAY_BASE_URL=http://127.0.0.1:8642
- If no explicit bridge key is set, the Node relay falls back to
API_SERVER_KEY, HERMES_GATEWAY_API_KEY, then backend-only AI_GATEWAY_API_KEY (ppt-editor-dev by default). Prefer the explicit bridge key for custom/shared gateways.
Progress Echo
Always send a short progress message before and after the helper:
| When | Example |
|---|
| Before helper | 正在启动 PPT 预览工作台,不会重新生成幻灯片... |
| Success | PPT 编辑工作台已启动:http://127.0.0.1:18087 |
| Generation progress URL available | 生成进度工作台:http://127.0.0.1:18087/progress |
| Skip/failure | PPT 工作台未启动:<reason> |