deckhost - Live Markdown Presentations
Author markdown presentations with a live WYSIWYG preview, publish to deckhost, and upload assets, right inside VS Code and Cursor.
Features
- Live Preview: real-time WYSIWYG rendering as you type, synced to your editor cursor
- One-click Publish: publish decks to deckhost.com with a single click
- Speaker Notes:
Note: blocks render in a collapsible drawer below the preview
- Fragment Animations:
>>, ^^^, vvv, +++, and more for reveal-on-click effects
- Drag-and-drop Assets: drop images onto the preview to upload and auto-insert markdown links
- Live View: open a browser tab that mirrors your preview in real time (presenter mode)
- MCP Integration: bundled MCP server lets Claude/Cursor author and publish decks
- Free and Pro Plans: watermarked preview on Free; full features on Pro/Team
Getting Started
- Open any
.md file in VS Code or Cursor
- Run deckhost: Open Live Preview from the Command Palette (
Cmd+Shift+P)
- Sign in (deckhost: Sign In) to publish and upload assets
Install
From the VS Code Marketplace
Search "deckhost" in the Extensions sidebar, or:
code --install-extension deckhost.deckhost-vscode
From a .vsix file
- Download the latest
.vsix from deckhost.com/downloads
- In VS Code: Extensions sidebar >
... menu > Install from VSIX...
Cursor
Install from OpenVSX (search "deckhost"), or install from a .vsix file using the same steps above.
Commands
| Command |
Description |
deckhost: Open Live Preview |
Open the three-zone live preview beside the editor |
deckhost: Publish Live |
Publish the current deck to deckhost.com |
deckhost: Copy Live URL |
Copy the published deck URL to clipboard |
deckhost: Show All (No Animations) |
Toggle static mode for rapid proofreading |
deckhost: Connect Live View |
Open a live browser tab that mirrors the preview |
deckhost: Sign In |
Authenticate with your deckhost account |
deckhost: Sign Out |
Clear stored credentials |
deckhost: Set up MCP for Claude / Cursor |
Configure the bundled MCP server |
deckhost: Upgrade to Pro |
Open the deckhost billing page |
Configuration
| Setting |
Default |
Description |
deckhost.backendUrl |
https://deckhost.com |
Backend URL. Use https://deckhost-staging.fly.dev for testing. |
deckhost.rendererDistPath |
(empty) |
Path to a compiled renderer (app/dist). Leave empty to use the bundled renderer. |
MCP Server
The extension bundles an MCP server that lets AI tools (Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor) author and publish presentations. Run deckhost: Set up MCP for Claude / Cursor to configure it automatically.
Available MCP tools: read_markdown, write_markdown, create_presentation, serve, build, create_config, md_to_pdf, publish_deck, list_decks, get_syntax_help, get_credits.
Development
git clone https://github.com/adubinsky/deckhost-ext.git
cd deckhost-ext
npm install
npm run compile
Press F5 in VS Code to launch the Extension Development Host.
Building a .vsix
# Sync the renderer from the deckhost_npm monorepo
npm run sync-renderer
# Package (compiles TS + bundles MCP server + runs vsce package)
npm run package
License
Copyright 2026 deckhost. See LICENSE.txt for terms.
