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name: google-slides-tables description: Create proper tables in Google Slides presentations using the Slides API. Use when building tabular data, metrics, comparisons, or any slide that needs rows and columns.

Google Slides Tables Skill

Create proper tables in Google Slides presentations using the Slides API.

When to Use

Use this skill when:

• Creating tabular data in Google Slides presentations
• Displaying user metrics, costs, or statistics
• Building comparison tables or data grids
• Any time you need formatted rows and columns

Key Principle: Use Real Tables, Not Text

WRONG: Creating "tables" with text characters like dashes and pipes:

USER     COST    STATUS
─────────────────────────
tom      $100    Active
dan      $50     Active

This renders as bullet points and looks terrible in Google Slides!

CORRECT: Use the ai_first_slides_create_table MCP tool to create actual Google Slides table objects.

Available Tool

ai_first_slides_create_table

Creates a native Google Slides table with proper formatting.

Parameters:

• slideId (required): The slide object ID where the table will be placed
• data (required): 2D array of strings - rows of cells
• presentationUrl (optional): Presentation URL or ID
• headerRow (optional, default: true): Style first row as header (bold, colored)
• position (optional): {x: number, y: number} in points
• size (optional): {width: number, height: number} in points

Example:

{
  "slideId": "SLIDES_API12345_0",
  "presentationUrl": "19f8Px6u-gf7DXnI1k8xhnm9lAYAqCNKvcfvoX5Dbrtk",
  "data": [
    ["User", "Cursor $", "API Tokens", "Lines", "Status"],
    ["tom", "$1,283", "44M", "7,438", "🟢 Power"],
    ["daniel", "-", "-", "10,755", "🟢 Power"],
    ["yuval", "$184", "-", "425", "🟡 Regular"],
    ["assaf", "$164", "0.8M", "-", "🟡 Regular"]
  ],
  "headerRow": true
}

Workflow: Adding Tables to Presentations

Step 1: Get the Presentation Structure

ai_first_slides_get_presentation
  presentationUrl: "YOUR_PRESENTATION_ID"

This returns all slides with their IDs.

Step 2: Choose Target Slide

Either:

• Use an existing slide's ID
• Create a new blank slide with ai_first_slides_duplicate_template

Step 3: Create the Table

ai_first_slides_create_table
  slideId: "SLIDES_API12345_0"
  presentationUrl: "YOUR_PRESENTATION_ID"
  data: [["Header1", "Header2"], ["Val1", "Val2"]]
  headerRow: true

Step 4: Verify (Optional)

Use the browser MCP to take a screenshot and verify the table looks correct.

Table Formatting

Header Row (Default: enabled)

• Bold text
• Blue background (#336699)
• White text color

Data Rows

• Normal weight
• Default background
• Auto-sized cells

Positioning

Default position is {x: 50, y: 120} (in points from top-left). Adjust if you have a title at the top of the slide.

Sizing

Default width is 620pt (fits most slides). Height auto-calculates based on number of rows (30pt per row).

Best Practices

1. Keep tables concise - Max 10-12 rows per slide for readability
2. Use clear headers - First row should describe each column
3. Align data types - Numbers right-aligned, text left-aligned (default)
4. Split large tables - Create multiple slides for many rows
5. Add a title - Use a text box or slide title above the table

Common Data Patterns

User Metrics Table

[
  ["User", "Cost", "Tokens", "Status"],
  ["user1@example.com", "$100", "10M", "Active"],
  ["user2@example.com", "$50", "5M", "Exploring"]
]

Model Usage Table

[
  ["Model", "Cost", "Requests", "% of Total"],
  ["claude-4.5-opus", "$1,465", "8,910", "76.5%"],
  ["gpt-5.2", "$157", "1,594", "8.2%"]
]

Status Summary Table

[
  ["Status", "Count", "Percentage"],
  ["🟢 Power User", "6", "21%"],
  ["🟡 Regular", "5", "17%"],
  ["🟠 Exploring", "10", "34%"],
  ["⚪ Not Started", "8", "28%"]
]

Troubleshooting

"Table looks cramped"

• Increase size.height in the options
• Reduce number of rows per table

"Table overlaps title"

• Increase position.y to move table down

"Columns too narrow"

• Increase size.width
• Reduce number of columns
• Shorten cell text

"Can't find slide ID"

• Run ai_first_slides_get_presentation first
• Slide IDs look like SLIDES_API12345_0 or g3b635182008_0_0