# Build brief — a focused alternative to SlideFast

> **Verdict:** Partly, if you narrow it · **Buildability:** 63/100 · **Category:** Social Media
> **Source:** https://www.canitbevibecoded.com/slidefast
> Independent editorial assessment from Can It Be Vibe Coded? Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or derived from SlideFast. Verify current pricing and capabilities before acting.

## Context

**SlideFast** — AI carousel builder for LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, and other social channels. It currently costs $8/mo.

A personal prompt-to-carousel tool is a solid contained build, but SlideFast's polished editor, reusable brand system, asset library, dependable multi-format exports, and publishing workflow take sustained product work.

This brief describes a focused, single-operator replacement for the part of SlideFast that is genuinely reproducible. It is deliberately narrower than the product it replaces, and it says so in writing. Build the useful core; do not pretend to have rebuilt the rest.

## What you are building

Turn a topic, URL, or rough notes into a structured social carousel, edit the slides, apply a brand theme, and export a LinkedIn-ready PDF.

- Draft, queue, and track content for the few networks you actually use.
- A responsive interface with real empty, loading, success, and error states.

## Requirements

### Functional

- PDF rendering library.
- Local image storage.
- Optional URL content extractor.

### Data and integrations

- LLM API key.

Each of these needs a real account, credential, or quota. Set them up before writing feature code.

### Non-functional

- Accessibility: semantic markup, labelled controls, visible focus, and reduced-motion support.
- Security: server-side secrets, validated input, and no credentials in the client bundle.
- Reliability: retries with backoff on external calls, and a clear failure state when a provider is down.
- Portability: the operator can export their data and leave without losing it.

## Implementation brief

Build me a local AI social-carousel maker to replace SlideFast. Requirements:

- Use Node, Express, SQLite, and a single-page vanilla JS interface.
- A composer accepts a topic, pasted notes, or a URL; URL fetching extracts
  readable article text on the server.
- Send the source to one LLM (API key in .env) and require structured JSON:
  hook, 5-10 slides, CTA, LinkedIn caption, and hashtags.
- Show every slide in a 1080x1350 canvas preview with inline text editing,
  drag-to-reorder, duplicate, delete, and regenerate-one-slide actions.
- Include 4 fixed layouts: cover, statement, bullets, and CTA. Auto-fit text
  within strict bounds and warn when copy is too dense.
- Load brand settings from brand.json: logo, two fonts, 4 colors, and footer.
  Provide a small settings panel that updates and saves this file.
- Let me upload local images and assign one to a slide; store them under
  data/assets and never send them anywhere except the optional LLM call.
- Save projects to SQLite and autosave edits after a short debounce.
- Export every slide as PNG and the full carousel as a LinkedIn-ready PDF
  using Playwright, with deterministic dimensions and embedded fonts.
- No accounts, payments, analytics, collaboration, or direct social posting.
- Ship one sample project and a README covering setup, .env, brand.json,
  supported input types, and export commands.

## Delivery standard

- Inspect the repository first, then write a short implementation plan before writing code.
- Deliver the smallest complete end-to-end workflow first; every primary control must work against persisted data.
- Use real validation and storage; never substitute fake dashboards, decorative controls, hard-coded success states, or mock integrations.
- Include responsive layouts plus genuine empty, loading, success, validation, and failure states.
- Keep secrets server-side in environment variables, provide .env.example, and never commit credentials or user data.
- Add structured logs around every external call and return actionable errors without leaking sensitive details.
- Write unit tests for the core logic and one automated test of the main user journey.
- Finish with a README covering setup, architecture, data location, backups, tests, deployment, and known limitations.

## Acceptance criteria

- [ ] A clean install starts the app using only the README and .env.example.
- [ ] The primary journey works from first visit through saved result, reload, edit, export, and deletion where applicable.
- [ ] Invalid input, missing configuration, provider failure, and an empty database each have a usable state.
- [ ] The interface works at 390px and 1440px, is keyboard navigable, and shows visible focus on every control.
- [ ] Tests, type checking, linting, and a production build all pass with no ignored failures.
- [ ] No part of the interface implies a live integration, security guarantee, or scale capability that was not actually built and verified.

## Non-goals

Do not build these, and do not claim to have replaced them:

- Polished visual editor.
- Reusable brand and asset library.
- Reliable PDF and image exports.
- Multi-channel publishing workflow.
- The last 20 percent is sync, migration fidelity, speed, and edge cases.
- Connectors, OAuth flows, and vendor API changes require constant upkeep.

## What you still own after launch

- Secure credentials, rotate secrets, and handle provider rate limits.
- Run migrations, backups, restores, and dependency updates.
- Test the critical journey after every model, API, or hosting change.
- Monitor failures and fix the edge cases a first prompt will miss.
- Maintain every third-party integration as APIs and OAuth rules change.

## Risk

**Operational risk.** The code is achievable; dependable data, integrations, and ongoing operations are the real cost.

Editorial confidence in this assessment: high. No independent one-shot implementation is linked yet.

## Prior art

Working open-source software you can read, fork, or borrow from before starting:

- [PptxGenJS](https://github.com/gitbrent/PptxGenJS) — Open-source JavaScript presentation generator that can provide the structured rendering and export layer

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Generated by [Can It Be Vibe Coded?](https://www.canitbevibecoded.com) · Full report: https://www.canitbevibecoded.com/slidefast