EchoDeck

Convert PowerPoint presentations into narrated MP4 videos using ElevenLabs or Google Gemini TTS — powered by an MCP server you can connect directly to Claude.

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How it works

1. Drop a .pptx file into your Claude chat (or provide a path)
2. Claude calls get_upload_slot to get a curl command, uploads your file
3. Claude calls generate_video with your chosen voice
4. FFmpeg assembles slides + audio into a narrated MP4
5. Claude returns a download link when the job completes

Speaker notes on each slide become the narration. Slides with no notes get a 3-second pause.

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Prerequisites

• ElevenLabs (required) — sign up at elevenlabs.io — high-quality, cloned voices. Requires an API key and at least one voice ID.
• Google Gemini (optional) — get a key at aistudio.google.com — adds 30 built-in voices on top of ElevenLabs. Requires a Tier 1 (paid) account for reasonable throughput.

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Deploy on Railway

1. Click the Deploy on Railway button above
2. Set ELEVENLABS_API_KEY and ELEVENLABS_VOICES (required)
3. Optionally set GEMINI_API_KEY to also enable Gemini voices
4. Add a Railway Volume mounted at /data (Service → Volumes → Add Volume)
5. Deploy — Railway will build the Docker image and run the health check

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Environment Variables

Variable	Required	Default	Description
ELEVENLABS_API_KEY	Yes	—	Your ElevenLabs API key
ELEVENLABS_VOICES	Yes	—	Comma-separated Name:voice_id pairs, e.g. Sam:abc123,Rachel:def456
GEMINI_API_KEY	No	—	Your Google Gemini API key — adds 30 built-in voices
MCP_AUTH_KEY	Auto-generated	—	Secret key for MCP access (auto-set by Railway template)
TEST_MODE	No	false	Set to true to enable the web UI at the root URL
DATA_DIR	No	/data	Directory for job storage — mount a Railway Volume here
SLIDE_RENDERER	No	officeOnline	officeOnline, libreOffice, or mock
DEFAULT_RESOLUTION	No	1920x1080	Output video resolution (1280x720, 1920x1080, 3840x2160)
DEFAULT_TRANSITION	No	crossfade	Transition between slides: none or crossfade
JOB_RETENTION_HOURS	No	24	How long to keep completed job files
MAX_CONCURRENT_TTS	No	3	Max parallel TTS requests (reduce to 1 on free-tier Gemini)

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Connect to Claude Desktop

1. Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Integrations → Custom Connectors
2. Add a new connector:
   • Name: EchoDeck
   • URL: https://your-app.railway.app/mcp
3. Authenticate when prompted (uses MCP_AUTH_KEY)
4. EchoDeck tools will now be available in your Claude chats

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MCP Tools

Tool	Description
list_voices	List all available TTS voices (ElevenLabs + Gemini)
get_upload_slot	Get the upload URL and a ready-to-run curl command
generate_video	Start a video generation job from an uploaded file
get_job_status	Poll a job for progress and retrieve the download URL

Example conversation

You: Generate a video from this presentation using a Gemini voice
Claude: Let me list the available voices first...
        [calls list_voices]
        I'll use "gemini:Kore". First let me get the upload URL...
        [calls get_upload_slot]
        Please run this command:
          curl -X POST https://your-app.railway.app/upload/pptx -F "file=@presentation.pptx"
        Then paste the file_id back.

You: file_id is abc123def456
Claude: [calls generate_video with file_id and voice_id]
        Job started! Polling for progress...
        [calls get_job_status periodically]
        Done! Download your video: https://your-app.railway.app/jobs-data/...

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Test Mode Web UI

Set TEST_MODE=true to enable a browser-based UI at your app's root URL. It lets you upload a PPTX, pick a voice, and watch real-time progress via SignalR — useful for testing without Claude.

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Self-hosting notes

• Slide renderer: The default officeOnline mode renders slides via Microsoft Office Online (requires the PPTX to be publicly accessible via the /temp/ endpoint). Use mock for testing or libreOffice if you have LibreOffice installed in your environment.
• Storage: Job files (slides, audio, final MP4) are stored under DATA_DIR. Mount a Railway Volume at /data so files survive redeploys.
• Job cleanup: Completed jobs are automatically deleted after JOB_RETENTION_HOURS (default 24h).

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License

MIT