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Touying Author

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apcamargo
touying-author

Author, refactor, and troubleshoot Typst slide decks built with Touying

Overview

Publisherapcamargo
Repositorytypst-skills
Skill nametouying-author
Stars
232
Forks
15
Bundled files
43
Links
  • Markdown instructions

    A SKILL.md file the model loads on demand, so it only costs tokens when a request actually matches.

  • Works with any LLM

    AI skills are plain Markdown, not provider-specific code, so this works with GPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, or a local model.

  • 43 bundled files

    Scripts, templates, and references the model can read while it works. Files are read-only and never executed.

  • Open source

    Published by apcamargo on GitHub. Read the source before you install it.

Installation

Install the Touying Author AI skill in TypingMind to use it with any LLM, or drop it into another agent that reads SKILL.md.

1

Install in TypingMind

TypingMind installs a skill straight from its GitHub folder — it reads SKILL.md, bundles the resource files, and stores the result locally.

  1. Open the app and go to Plugins → Skills.
  2. Choose "Install from GitHub".
  3. Paste the skill folder URL below and confirm.
    https://github.com/apcamargo/typst-skills/tree/main/touying-author
  4. Enable the skill in any chat where you want it available.
Plugins → Skills → Add skill → From GitHub URL, then paste the folder URL and press Continue.
2

Install in another agent

Any agent that reads the Agent Skills format can use this skill — copy the folder into that agent's skills directory.

Claude Code — .claude/skills
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/apcamargo/typst-skills.git /tmp/typst-skills
mkdir -p .claude/skills
cp -r /tmp/typst-skills/touying-author .claude/skills/touying-author
Restart Claude Code after copying so it picks up the new skill.

Use it in TypingMind

Enable Touying Author in any TypingMind chat and the model takes it from there. Its name and description sit in the system prompt, and the moment a request matches, the model loads the full instructions itself — you never invoke it by hand, and it costs no tokens until it is actually used.

The model loads Touying Author on its own as soon as a request matches it.

Works with any AI model

AI skills are plain Markdown instructions rather than provider-specific code, so Touying Author is not tied to the model it was written for. Install it once in TypingMind and use it with GPT-5, Claude, Gemini, Grok, DeepSeek, Mistral, Llama, or a local model you run yourself — all on your own API keys.

  • Loaded only when it is needed

    The system prompt carries just the name and description. The instructions are fetched on the first matching request, so an idle skill costs nothing.

  • Switch models mid-chat

    Because the skill is instructions rather than code, changing model does not break it — the next model reads the same SKILL.md.

Skill instructions

This is the SKILL.md content the model loads. Read it before installing — a skill is instructions your model will follow.

Touying Author

Guide Typst presentation authoring with Touying, emphasizing clean structure, repeatable configuration, and slide-safe patterns.

Quick start

  • Import Touying and a theme, then apply the theme with #show: <theme>.with(...).
  • Keep configuration centralized; include slide content from separate files.
  • Use headings to create slides; use #slide for custom layouts or animations.
  • Start from examples/simple.typ for a minimal deck, or examples/default.typ for the bare theme.

Snippet from examples/simple.typ:

typst
#import "@preview/touying:0.6.1": *
#import themes.simple: *

#show: simple-theme.with(
  aspect-ratio: "16-9",
  footer: [Simple slides],
)

Best practices and code structure

  • Use a single entry file (e.g., main.typ) that applies #show and all config-* calls.
  • For multi-file decks, follow the globals.typ + main.typ + content.typ pattern; use #include for content and #import for globals to avoid circular refs.
  • Docs use both config.typ (see docs/start.md) and globals.typ (see docs/multi-file.md) for the shared config file; pick one name and use it consistently in your project.
  • For large decks, move content.typ into sections/ and include sections/content.typ (and optional sections/another-section.typ) from main.typ.
  • Prefer config-page, config-common, config-info, config-colors, config-methods, and config-store over direct set page or ad-hoc global show.
  • Use headings for most slides; use config-common(slide-level: n) to choose which heading levels create slides.
  • Use #slide only for custom layout or animation; always wrap slide functions with touying-slide-wrapper.
  • For callback-style animation (#slide(repeat: n, self => [...])), set repeat explicitly and use utils.methods(self) to access uncover, only, and alternatives.

Single-file structure

.
├── globals.typ
├── main.typ
└── content.typ

Multi-file structure

.
├── globals.typ
├── main.typ
└── sections/
    ├── content.typ
    └── another-section.typ

Core API map (exports)

  • Slides: touying-slides, slide, touying-slide, touying-slide-wrapper, empty-slide
  • Dynamics: pause, meanwhile, uncover, only, effect, alternatives, alternatives-match, alternatives-fn, alternatives-cases
  • Config: config-common, config-page, config-info, config-colors, config-methods, config-store, default-config, touying-set-config, appendix
  • Utilities: utils.* (fit-to-height, fit-to-width, cover helpers, progress, heading helpers)
  • Components: components.side-by-side, components.adaptive-columns, components.progressive-outline, components.custom-progressive-outline
  • Integrations: touying-reducer, touying-equation, touying-mitex, speaker-note, pdfpc.*
  • Recall: touying-recall, touying-fn-wrapper

Slide structure and headings

  • Use heading labels to control numbering/outline/bookmarks: use <touying:hidden> (see docs/code-styles.md), and see docs/changelog.md for <touying:unnumbered>, <touying:unoutlined>, <touying:unbookmarked>, and <touying:skip>.
  • Use components.adaptive-columns(outline(...)) for a table of contents slide; use components.progressive-outline for progress-aware outlines.
  • Use == <touying:hidden> to insert a blank title slide and clear the previous heading context.
  • Use #pagebreak() or --- to split slides without changing headings.
  • Use #empty-slide[...] for slides without header/footer.
  • Use config-common(handout: true) to keep only the last subslide per slide in handout output.
  • Use #show: appendix to freeze last-slide counts after the main deck.

Snippet from examples/default.typ:

typst
= Outline <touying:hidden>

#components.adaptive-columns(outline(title: none, indent: 1em))

Animations and dynamic content

  • Use #pause and #meanwhile for simple reveals; avoid using them inside context where marks are not supported.
  • Use #uncover to reserve layout space; use #only to remove layout space when hidden.
  • When marks cause warnings, use callback-style slides with repeat and utils.methods(self).
  • For math animations, use pause/meanwhile inside $ ... $; use touying-equation when you need the helper for inline equation text (you can also use #pause or #pause;).
  • See examples/example.typ for simple/complex/callback animations and equation animations.

Snippet from examples/simple.typ:

typst
== Dynamic slide

Did you know that...

#pause

...you can see the current section at the top of the slide?

Snippet from examples/example.typ:

typst
#slide(
  repeat: 3,
  self => [
    #let (uncover, only, alternatives) = utils.methods(self)

    At subslide #self.subslide, we can

    use #uncover("2-")[`#uncover` function] for reserving space,

    use #only("2-")[`#only` function] for not reserving space,

    #alternatives[call `#only` multiple times \u{2717}][use `#alternatives` function #sym.checkmark] for choosing one of the alternatives.
  ],
)

Layout and theming

  • Preserve visual consistency: new layouts, figures, tables, and drawings must reuse the document's existing fonts, colors, and typographic hierarchy (unless instructed otherwise). Internal consistency should be maintained (same function → same size and color).
  • Use composer in #slide for columns; pass (1fr, 2fr) or a custom grid function.
  • Use config-page for margin, header, footer, and background; do not use set page directly.
  • Use config-methods(cover: utils.semi-transparent-cover.with(alpha: 85%)) only when layout changes are acceptable.
  • Use config-store to stash theme-specific values for headers/footers or navigation elements.
  • Use config-common(new-section-slide-fn: none) to disable automatic section slides, or provide a custom function to replace them.
  • Apply global styles either around #show: <theme>.with(...) or via config-methods(init: ...) in a theme.
  • Use config-info(...) for title/author/date and config-common(datetime-format: ...) to control date formatting.

Snippet from examples/default.typ:

typst
#import "@preview/touying:0.6.1": *
#import themes.default: *

#import "@preview/numbly:0.1.0": numbly

#show: default-theme.with(
  aspect-ratio: "16-9",
  config-common(
    slide-level: 3,
    zero-margin-header: false,
  ),
  config-colors(primary: blue),
  config-methods(alert: utils.alert-with-primary-color),
  config-page(
    header: text(gray, utils.display-current-short-heading(level: 2)),
  ),
)

Speaker notes and presenter tools

  • Add notes with #speaker-note[...].
  • Show notes on second screen with config-common(show-notes-on-second-screen: right) or bottom.
  • Export pdfpc metadata with enable-pdfpc: true and typst query --field value --one "<pdfpc-file>".

Use bundled docs and examples

  • Read only the specific docs needed for the task; avoid loading the full docs tree.
  • Read docs/start.md and docs/intro.md for basics and import patterns.
  • Read docs/multi-file.md for multi-file layout and include patterns.
  • Read docs/layout.md and docs/sections.md for slide-level and heading behavior.
  • Read docs/code-styles.md for simple vs block style and pagination tricks.
  • Read docs/global-settings.md for global styles and config-info usage.
  • Read docs/dynamic/*.md for pause, meanwhile, cover behavior, and equation animation.
  • Read docs/themes/*.md for theme-specific APIs and defaults.
  • Read docs/external/*.md for pdfpc and Pympress usage.
  • Read docs/integration/*.md for CeTZ/Fletcher/Theorion/MiTeX integrations.
  • Use examples/*.typ as working templates for each theme.

File tree (docs and examples)

docs/
├── build-your-own-theme.md
├── changelog.md
├── code-styles.md
├── dynamic
│   ├── complex.md
│   ├── cover.md
│   ├── equation.md
│   ├── handout.md
│   ├── other.md
│   └── simple.md
├── external
│   ├── pdfpc.md
│   ├── pympress.md
│   └── typst-preview.md
├── global-settings.md
├── integration
│   ├── cetz.md
│   ├── codly.md
│   ├── fletcher.md
│   ├── mitex.md
│   ├── pinit.md
│   └── theorion.md
├── intro.md
├── layout.md
├── multi-file.md
├── progress
│   ├── counters.md
│   └── sections.md
├── sections.md
├── start.md
├── themes
│   ├── aqua.md
│   ├── custom.md
│   ├── dewdrop.md
│   ├── metropolis.md
│   ├── simple.md
│   ├── stargazer.md
│   └── university.md
└── utilities
    └── fit-to.md

examples/
├── aqua-zh.typ
├── aqua.typ
├── default.typ
├── dewdrop.typ
├── example.typ
├── metropolis.typ
├── simple.typ
├── stargazer.typ
└── university.typ

Bundled files

The model reads these on demand while the skill is loaded. They are exposed as readable files and are never executed.

Frequently asked questions

What does the Touying Author AI skill do?

Author, refactor, and troubleshoot Typst slide decks built with Touying

Why use Touying Author on TypingMind?

Because you install it once and use it with any model. Touying Author is plain Markdown rather than provider-specific code, so the same skill runs on GPT-5, Claude, Gemini, Grok, or a local model — and you can switch model mid-chat without it breaking. TypingMind runs on your own API keys, so you pay providers directly instead of a per-seat subscription, and your skills and chats stay in your own storage.

How do I install Touying Author in TypingMind?

Open Plugins → Skills → Install from GitHub in TypingMind and paste https://github.com/apcamargo/typst-skills/tree/main/touying-author. TypingMind reads its SKILL.md and bundles its files and installs it as a skill you can enable per chat.

Which AI models can use Touying Author?

Any model you connect in TypingMind. AI skills are plain Markdown instructions rather than provider-specific code, so GPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, and local models can all load this skill when a request matches it.

How many AI models can I use with Touying Author?

As many as you like. As long as a model supports skills, you can use Touying Author with it — GPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, DeepSeek, Mistral, Llama and more — all on TypingMind with your own API keys.

Is the Touying Author AI skill free?

It is published on GitHub by apcamargo. Check the repository for licensing terms. You only pay your own AI provider for the tokens you use.

What are AI skills?

An AI skill is a reusable instruction bundle that teaches an AI model how to do one specific task. It follows the open Agent Skills format: a SKILL.md file with a name and description, plus any scripts, templates or reference files the model may need. The model reads the instructions only when your request matches the skill, so an installed skill costs nothing until it is used.

How are AI skills different from plugins or MCP servers?

A plugin or MCP server gives a model new tools to call — code that runs somewhere and returns a result. An AI skill gives the model knowledge and process instead: how to approach a task, which steps to follow, what good output looks like. Skills are plain Markdown, so they need no server, no API key and no runtime, and they work with any model.

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