Installing effects

Choose an effect in the gallery and click Install in Slides. Slides shows the requested pack and version before installing it. Open example in Slides installs the required pack and opens a self-contained sample deck. These links require a Slides build with the legend-slides URL scheme registered. Public app downloads are still in preview.

Opening an existing deck

When a deck needs effects that are not installed, the presenter offers Install Required Effects. The installer includes declared dependencies. Failed downloads can be retried without activating a partial pack or replacing a deck's versions.

A file named talk.mdx.effects.lock.json beside talk.mdx records exact versions and source checksums. Commit it with the deck. Multiple installed versions coexist; updating a pack for a new deck does not update existing lockfiles. Finish installing before presenting; compiling and playback make no network requests.

Source development and the CLI

From a Legend Apps checkout:

bun scripts/compile-slides.ts /path/to/talk.mdx --install-effects

LEGEND_SLIDES_EFFECTS_CATALOG can point at a local docs server for development. LEGEND_SLIDES_EFFECT_PACKS changes the installation directory. The default cache is ~/Library/Application Support/Legend Slides/effects/. Local source packs remain available for development without downloading; installed decks use their lockfile.

Packs share the native capabilities already in Slides. Installing source does not add another native runtime or require rebuilding the app.

To contribute an effect or release a pack, follow Publishing effect packs.