SlideFast
AI carousel builder for LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, and other social channels
A personal prompt-to-carousel tool is a solid weekend build, but SlideFast's polished editor, reusable brand system, asset library, dependable multi-format exports, and publishing workflow take sustained product work.
Build verification: not recorded. How we judge buildability
What you give up
- polished visual editor
- reusable brand and asset library
- reliable PDF and image exports
- multi-channel publishing workflow
- hosted storage and sharing
Why people still pay
They pay to skip the fragile parts between an AI draft and a consistently branded carousel that is actually ready to publish.
Your build guide
The stack, security requirements, and agent rules for a focused replacement.
Before you start
- A supported Node release, a writable local data directory and a separate backup location. Bind to localhost; remote use requires authentication and HTTPS first. Licensed brand fonts/images and an optional model API key; local manual slide authoring works without the key.
- Implementation components: Node.js, TypeScript and Express with server-rendered HTML and small browser modules. SQLite through better-sqlite3 with migrations, prepared statements and a single background worker. A constrained slide JSON schema, 1080×1350 canvas previews and a browser/PDF renderer using approved local fonts.
- Scope boundary: Guaranteed engagement and live social publishing are excluded.
Use these project rules and optional skill references alongside the prompt. Review each skill before adding it to your agent; the AGENTS.md export includes the same guidance.
Optional external skill: web-design-guidelines — Review web interfaces for accessibility, keyboard focus, forms, navigation and interaction quality. Review its instructions and compatibility before use; it does not grant deployment, data-access or publication permission.
Optional external skill: sharp-edges — Review security-sensitive APIs and configuration for dangerous defaults and easy-to-misuse interfaces. Review its instructions and compatibility before use; it does not grant deployment, data-access or publication permission.
Optional external skill: pdf — Process PDFs through extraction, generation, page operations, form filling and OCR workflows. Review its instructions and compatibility before use; it does not grant deployment, data-access or publication permission.
Project rule — data model: carousel briefs, approved claims, slide outlines, theme tokens, text-fit warnings and PDF export jobs
Project rule — preserve this invariant: A generated slide cannot add unsupported statistics; font and text overflow warnings block an apparently successful final export.
Project rule — acceptance evidence: A long title shows a fit warning and can be edited; exported PDF pages retain the approved slide order and citations where needed.
Implementation plan
Phase 1
Scope and fixtures. Implement this bounded workflow: Turn notes or a permitted URL into an approved carousel outline, edit each slide and apply a reusable brand theme. Render a LinkedIn-style PDF at an explicit page size with a review of overflow and source claims. Record prerequisites, select representative user-owned fixtures and document the unsupported features: Guaranteed engagement and live social publishing are excluded.
Phase 2
Durable model. Model carousel briefs, approved claims, slide outlines, theme tokens, text-fit warnings and PDF export jobs Add migrations or a versioned document format, explicit validation, stable IDs and a visible import-error report. Preserve this rule: A generated slide cannot add unsupported statistics; font and text overflow warnings block an apparently successful final export.
Phase 3
Complete the first useful path. Implement the workflow's input, review and output interface, with clear controls and explicit empty/error states. Use short SQLite transactions and persist job state before starting work. Give retries stable operation IDs; report incomplete or unknown results instead of silently repeating them.
Phase 4
Permissions and integration failure. Reject unexpected origins and unbounded request bodies even on localhost. Keep credentials outside the database export and redact sensitive text from logs. Request integration credentials and permissions only for the enabled feature; show a disconnected state instead of mock results.
Phase 5
Portable handoff. Use a consistent SQLite backup and an attachment manifest. Export portable JSON/CSV, then restore to a new directory without overwriting the original data. Include setup, operating limits, fixture walkthrough and shutdown/restart instructions in the README.
Phase 6
Acceptance scenarios. A long title shows a fit warning and can be edited; exported PDF pages retain the approved slide order and citations where needed. Repeat the workflow after restart and with a denied permission or unavailable dependency; show recoverable failure rather than a success placeholder.
WORKING SLICE Turn notes or a permitted URL into an approved carousel outline, edit each slide and apply a reusable brand theme. Render a LinkedIn-style PDF at an explicit page size with a review of overflow and source claims. Build this scoped SlideFast-inspired workflow with a documented data model and visible failure states. Architecture - Node.js, TypeScript and Express with server-rendered HTML and small browser modules. - SQLite through better-sqlite3 with migrations, prepared statements and a single background worker. - A constrained slide JSON schema, 1080×1350 canvas previews and a browser/PDF renderer using approved local fonts. Prerequisites and limits A supported Node release, a writable local data directory and a separate backup location. Bind to localhost; remote use requires authentication and HTTPS first. Licensed brand fonts/images and an optional model API key; local manual slide authoring works without the key. Outside this release: Guaranteed engagement and live social publishing are excluded. Data model and correctness carousel briefs, approved claims, slide outlines, theme tokens, text-fit warnings and PDF export jobs Invariant: A generated slide cannot add unsupported statistics; font and text overflow warnings block an apparently successful final export. Use short SQLite transactions and persist job state before starting work. Give retries stable operation IDs; report incomplete or unknown results instead of silently repeating them. Security and privacy Reject unexpected origins and unbounded request bodies even on localhost. Keep credentials outside the database export and redact sensitive text from logs. Recovery and export Use a consistent SQLite backup and an attachment manifest. Export portable JSON/CSV, then restore to a new directory without overwriting the original data. Implementation order 1. Phase 1 — Scope and fixtures. Implement this bounded workflow: Turn notes or a permitted URL into an approved carousel outline, edit each slide and apply a reusable brand theme. Render a LinkedIn-style PDF at an explicit page size with a review of overflow and source claims. Record prerequisites, select representative user-owned fixtures and document the unsupported features: Guaranteed engagement and live social publishing are excluded. 2. Phase 2 — Durable model. Model carousel briefs, approved claims, slide outlines, theme tokens, text-fit warnings and PDF export jobs Add migrations or a versioned document format, explicit validation, stable IDs and a visible import-error report. Preserve this rule: A generated slide cannot add unsupported statistics; font and text overflow warnings block an apparently successful final export. 3. Phase 3 — Complete the first useful path. Implement the workflow's input, review and output interface, with clear controls and explicit empty/error states. Use short SQLite transactions and persist job state before starting work. Give retries stable operation IDs; report incomplete or unknown results instead of silently repeating them. 4. Phase 4 — Permissions and integration failure. Reject unexpected origins and unbounded request bodies even on localhost. Keep credentials outside the database export and redact sensitive text from logs. Request integration credentials and permissions only for the enabled feature; show a disconnected state instead of mock results. 5. Phase 5 — Portable handoff. Use a consistent SQLite backup and an attachment manifest. Export portable JSON/CSV, then restore to a new directory without overwriting the original data. Include setup, operating limits, fixture walkthrough and shutdown/restart instructions in the README. 6. Phase 6 — Acceptance scenarios. A long title shows a fit warning and can be edited; exported PDF pages retain the approved slide order and citations where needed. Repeat the workflow after restart and with a denied permission or unavailable dependency; show recoverable failure rather than a success placeholder. Acceptance A long title shows a fit warning and can be edited; exported PDF pages retain the approved slide order and citations where needed. Use real source data or clearly labeled fixtures. Explain unsupported input and provider failures; do not fabricate analytics, delivery receipts, accuracy claims or security guarantees. Optional agent guidance Optional external skill: [web-design-guidelines](https://github.com/vercel-labs/agent-skills/blob/main/skills/web-design-guidelines/SKILL.md) — Review web interfaces for accessibility, keyboard focus, forms, navigation and interaction quality. Review its instructions and compatibility before use; it does not grant deployment, data-access or publication permission. Optional external skill: [sharp-edges](https://github.com/trailofbits/skills/blob/main/plugins/sharp-edges/skills/sharp-edges/SKILL.md) — Review security-sensitive APIs and configuration for dangerous defaults and easy-to-misuse interfaces. Review its instructions and compatibility before use; it does not grant deployment, data-access or publication permission. Optional external skill: [pdf](https://github.com/anthropics/skills/blob/main/skills/pdf/SKILL.md) — Process PDFs through extraction, generation, page operations, form filling and OCR workflows. Review its instructions and compatibility before use; it does not grant deployment, data-access or publication permission. Project rule — data model: carousel briefs, approved claims, slide outlines, theme tokens, text-fit warnings and PDF export jobs Project rule — preserve this invariant: A generated slide cannot add unsupported statistics; font and text overflow warnings block an apparently successful final export. Project rule — acceptance evidence: A long title shows a fit warning and can be edited; exported PDF pages retain the approved slide order and citations where needed.
$ open in your agent (prompt prefilled, you press enter), copy the prompt or copy or download AGENTS.md
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SlideFast pricing
| plan | monthly | annual (per mo) | what you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| starter | $8.07 | $5.65 | 5 AI carousels/month, 50 edit messages/month, unlimited exportsVendor publishes €7/month; annual effective €4.90/month is calculated from the stated 30% discount, then converted at 1 EUR = 1.1534 USD (ECB, 2026-08-13). |
| pro | $21.91 | $15.34 | 50 AI carousels/month, 500 edit messages/month, unlimited exports, custom themes/brand kit, no watermarkVendor publishes €19/month; annual effective €13.30/month is calculated from the stated 30% discount and converted at the ECB rate. |
| max | $44.98 | $31.49 | Higher carousel/edit allowance than Pro; exact numeric caps were not exposed on the live pricing cardVendor publishes €39/month; annual effective €27.30/month is calculated from the stated 30% discount and converted at the ECB rate. |
free tierno free tier
billingmonthly + annual (-30%); 7-day trial, no credit card; cancel anytime
hidden costsCarousel creation and AI revisions are separately capped; MAX's exact numeric caps were not publicly exposed. USD amounts vary with EUR/USD exchange rates.
pricing sources checked 2026-08-14 · pricing source ↗
Questions about SlideFast
Can you build your own SlideFast with AI?
Partly. A personal prompt-to-carousel tool is a solid weekend build, but SlideFast's polished editor, reusable brand system, asset library, dependable multi-format exports, and publishing workflow take sustained product work.
What does the SlideFast build prompt cover?
The prompt starts with this scope: Turn notes or a permitted URL into an approved carousel outline, edit each slide and apply a reusable brand theme. Render a LinkedIn-style PDF at an explicit page size with a review of overflow and source claims. Full-product capabilities excluded from the comparison include: polished visual editor; reusable brand and asset library; reliable PDF and image exports. Follow the implementation plan and its prerequisites before expanding the build.
How do I use the prompt, AGENTS.md and agent skills?
Start with the SlideFast prerequisites and stack, then copy the prompt into your coding agent. Save the project rules as AGENTS.md in the project root. Linked skills are optional packages or source instructions for specific tasks; review their current contents and install only those matching the chosen stack. A skill does not supply API credentials or verify the finished app.
How long will this SlideFast project take?
The catalogue estimate is weekend for the limited scope. Setup, integration approvals, debugging, deployment and ongoing maintenance can add time. This is an estimate, not a delivery guarantee.
What would I give up by replacing SlideFast?
polished visual editor; reusable brand and asset library; reliable PDF and image exports; multi-channel publishing workflow; hosted storage and sharing. They pay to skip the fragile parts between an AI draft and a consistently branded carousel that is actually ready to publish.
What price is this guide comparing against?
The recorded Starter plan is $8.07/mo (monthly), checked 2026-08-14. Check the linked pricing source before buying. Building your own also has hosting, API and maintenance costs; the recorded amount is not a guaranteed saving.
What can I use instead of building SlideFast?
Piktochart Free: Sixty AI credits refresh each month; it makes carousels, not your entire social calendar. Check each option's license, hosting needs and feature limits.