Deck format

A deck is a local .mdx document. Initial frontmatter configures it, top-level separators divide slides, and MDX allows native React components alongside Markdown.

Deck settings

Setting	Purpose
`title`	Name of the presentation.
`aspectRatio`	Stage proportions, such as `16:9` or `4/3`; defaults to 16:9.
`width`, `height`	Logical stage dimensions. Width defaults to 1920; height follows the aspect ratio unless set explicitly.
`transition`	Default slide transition: `none`, `fade`, `slide`, `reveal-up`, or a focus configuration. The default is `none`.
`theme`	Native Markdown `backgroundColor`, `color`, and `fontFamily`. Fonts must be available on the presenting Mac.
`presenter`	Set `showNext` or `showNotes` to `false` to hide that pane.
`background`	Local image path, or `false` to disable an inherited background.
`template`	Path to a local default-export React component that wraps slide content.

Slides can override transition, steps, background, and template. A slide's steps is its total state count, including initial state 0. Use template: false to disable the deck's template for one slide. Theme and stage dimensions are deck settings.

Content scales uniformly to fit the display. Dimensions in your deck are logical slide units rather than display pixels.

Slide settings

Place YAML immediately after a slide separator and close it with another ---:

---
title: Design review
transition: fade
width: 1920
height: 1080
---

# The overview

---
transition: reveal-up
steps: 3
---

# A closer look

First detail. {step=1}

Second detail. {step=2}

Imports and exports are document-level even if placed between slides. Metadata beyond transition, steps, background, and template is passed to the template; it does not create visible content automatically.

Top-level thematic breaks such as ---, ***, and ___ separate slides. Breaks inside code fences and JSX stay inside their containing slide. A dash separator starts a slide even directly after text: use ## Heading instead of a setext underline for a heading.

Native Markdown

Syntax	Behavior
Headings `#` through `######`	Native text; levels 4–6 use the level-3 visual style.
Bold, italic, strikethrough, inline code	Native text styling.
Links	Open through native link handling.
Ordered and unordered lists	Numbered or bullet markers.
GFM task lists	Display checkboxes reflecting the document, rather than editable controls.
GFM tables	Native rows with equal-width cells and text alignment.
Markdown images	Watched local assets, rendered with contain sizing.
Fenced code	Native code viewer; recognized language names enable syntax highlighting.
Blockquotes	A native quote container.
HTML comments	Private speaker notes.

### Ship checklist

- [x] Draft the deck
- [ ] Rehearse

| Part | Purpose |
| --- | --- |
| Markdown | Tell the story |
| Notes | Keep your cues |

~~Earlier wording~~ **A clearer idea**

Browser div, span, and iframe elements are not native primitives. Put HTML and CSS in a Webview. Mermaid and LaTeX rendering are not built in.

Trailing attributes

## One idea {shared=idea step=1 class="text-cyan-300"}

A short-lived thought. {step=2 until=4 reveal=fade-up duration=650}

Attribute	Meaning
`class="..."`	Literal Uniwind native text classes.
`step=N` / `until=N`	Show at state N / hide when state N starts.
`reveal=fade	fade-up
`duration=N`	Reveal milliseconds, 0–10000; requires `step` or `until`.
`shared=id`	Match a whole block across slides.
`shared-resize=preserve	stretch`
`focus=id`	Name this block's bounds as a camera target.
`effect=liquid	ripple
`surface=translucent	glow`

Use one brace block at the end of the heading or paragraph. IDs allow letters, numbers, underscores, dots, and hyphens; quoted IDs work. Attributes target whole blocks or layout containers, not individual inline words or list items. Code and escaped braces stay literal.

Uniwind scans the deck directory for complete class strings. Write className="bg-cyan-950" in TSX instead of constructing a class name dynamically.

Portability

Keep imported source and assets inside the deck directory, including symlinks. A deck has no npm installation of its own. Share the whole directory and its effects lockfile, and copy personal transitions into the deck.

Continue with Layouts, Components, or Transitions.