Brand Template Enforcer

The Brand Template Enforcer is a Microsoft Copilot Studio skill that ensures new PowerPoint presentations and Word documents are created from approved brand templates instead of blank files.

The skill supports:

• PowerPoint presentations and templates: .pptx
• Word documents and templates: .docx and .dotx

PowerPoint format requirement: .potx template files do not work with this workflow. Open the .potx in PowerPoint and use Save As to create a .pptx before adding it to SharePoint or assets/. Renaming the extension is not sufficient.

The package supports templates provided through SharePoint agent knowledge or bundled directly in the skill’s assets/ folder. The downloadable ZIP does not include a PowerPoint or Word template, so add one through either supported route.

Quick start

If you do not need specific written brand guidance or multi-template routing, you do not need to edit the skill files or manifest:

1. Download brand-template-enforcer.zip.
2. Import it in Copilot Studio from Build > Add skill > Upload a skill.

The recommended approach is to make the approved PowerPoint or Word template available through SharePoint agent knowledge. The skill automatically discovers the compatible template and uses it when generating a file. Disabled starter manifest entries and unresolved placeholders do not interfere with this automatic discovery.

Bundling a template directly in the skill’s assets/ folder is also supported. Use this option when a self-contained or offline package is more important than central template management. You must extract the ZIP, add the template, and repackage it before importing; the complete skill ZIP must remain within the current 20 MB limit.

If you want more granular control, extract the ZIP and complete the applicable placeholders:

• Fill in the brand-guidance placeholders in SKILL.md to specify voice, fonts, colors, terminology, imagery, layout, legal language, and other brand rules.
• Configure assets/template-manifest.json to support multiple templates, explicit defaults, priorities, exact SharePoint sources, and predictable routing by deliverable type.
• Repackage SKILL.md, assets/, and references/ at the ZIP root before importing the customized skill.

Recommended setup

Store production templates in SharePoint and add their location as agent knowledge. This is the preferred approach because the brand team can update the template in SharePoint without requiring the skill ZIP to be rebuilt and uploaded again. At runtime, the agent resolves the configured SharePoint file and uses the latest version available from that location.

You can bundle templates directly in assets/ when offline portability or a self-contained package is more important. However, Copilot Studio skills in the new experience are currently capped at 20 MB total, including all Markdown, JSON, references, and template binaries.

The manifest is optional

The skill works without editing assets/template-manifest.json. If the agent has one clearly identifiable template for the requested format in assets/ or configured SharePoint knowledge, it discovers and uses that template automatically. Disabled starter entries and unresolved manifest placeholders are ignored; they do not block automatic discovery.

Configure the manifest when it provides a practical benefit:

For a simple one-template setup, the recommended path is to leave the skill unchanged and add the template through SharePoint agent knowledge. Alternatively, place the template directly in assets/ and repackage the skill. For a multi-template setup, configure and enable one manifest entry for each template.

Step-by-step setup

Step 1: Extract the skill

Extract brand-template-enforcer.zip. Confirm that the extracted directory contains:

SKILL.md
assets/template-manifest.json
references/PPTX-GENERATION.md
references/TEMPLATE-SELECTION.md

Keep SKILL.md at the skill root.

Step 2: Upload approved templates to SharePoint

For each PowerPoint or Word template:

1. Upload the approved .pptx, .docx, or .dotx file to a stable SharePoint location.
2. Copy the complete URL for the specific file.
3. Record the exact filename, including its extension.
4. Prefer replacing or versioning the file at the same configured location when the brand team publishes an update.

Step 3: Add the template as agent knowledge in SharePoint

In Copilot Studio:

1. Open the agent.
2. Open the Build tab.
3. Add the SharePoint site, library, folder, or file as knowledge.
4. Record the knowledge-source name exactly as it appears in the agent.
5. Confirm that the agent identity has permission to retrieve the template.

Adding a URL to the manifest is not sufficient by itself; the SharePoint location must also be configured as knowledge.

Step 4: Optionally configure the template manifest

Skip this step for a simple one-template setup. Complete it when you need the multi-template routing, defaults, priorities, exact-source mapping, or image-template guidance described above.

Open assets/template-manifest.json and replace:

The starter manifest also contains disabled entries for common deliverables:

For each template you want the manifest to manage:

1. Replace its URL and filename placeholders.
2. Confirm its knowledgeSourceName.
3. For an image-heavy or slide-master template, complete brandRules and set inspectionMode to master-layout-only.
4. Change enabled from false to true.
5. Update useWhen with phrases users will actually say.
6. Delete unused starter entries if desired.

Then review:

• id: Give each template a unique lowercase, hyphenated identifier.
• enabled: Enable only fully configured templates.
• defaults: Set the default PowerPoint and Word template IDs.
• format: Use powerpoint or word.
• inspectionMode: Use auto normally or master-layout-only when OCR is not useful.
• brandRules: Declare per-template brand identity, fonts, colors, and guidance that cannot be extracted from image-heavy templates.
• priority: Higher values win when multiple templates match.
• useWhen: Add realistic phrases describing when the template applies.
• sources: List SharePoint and optional local sources in preferred order.

Add a separate manifest entry for every additional template.

Step 5: Complete the brand guidance in SKILL.md

Open SKILL.md and search for {{. Replace every applicable placeholder in the Brand adherence guidance section.

Brand identity

Writing style

Typography

Color, layout, and imagery

Remove optional placeholder lines that do not apply, or replace them with Not specified; follow the selected template. Do not leave raw placeholders in a production skill.

Brand placeholders in SKILL.md are optional explicit guidance. Unresolved placeholders are ignored and must never appear in generated content. Manifest placeholders need to be replaced only for entries you enable. Placeholders shown in disabled starter entries or references/ can remain unchanged.

Do not rely on template inference for image-only or master-only presentations. If text extraction returns no useful content or the master uses graphics the runtime cannot render, declare the known fonts, colors, identity, and usage rules in that template entry’s brandRules.

Step 6: Optionally bundle local templates

To use local templates instead of or in addition to SharePoint:

1. Copy the template directly into assets/.
2. Add an asset source before the SharePoint source:

{
  "type": "asset",
  "path": "assets/organization-slide-master.pptx"
}

3. Keep the complete ZIP at or below 20 MB.
4. Rebuild and re-upload the skill whenever the local template changes.

Step 7: Repackage and upload

Before packaging, ensure every enabled manifest entry is fully configured. Placeholders can remain in SKILL.md and disabled starter entries; the skill ignores them rather than printing them or allowing them to block template discovery.

Create a ZIP with SKILL.md, assets/, and references/ at the root. Upload the ZIP from Build > Add skill > Upload a skill in Copilot Studio.

Step 8: Test before production

Test at least:

1. A PowerPoint request that should use the default template.
2. A Word request if a Word template is configured.
3. A request that should select a specialized template.
4. A missing or inaccessible template.
5. A read-only request that should not invoke the skill.

Confirm that the agent retrieves the correct binary, copies it to /app/workspace/, invokes analyzing-pptx for PowerPoint inspection, preserves the brand, and identifies the selected template source.

Manifest fields

version

Keep this set to:

"version": 1

defaults

Specifies which template to use when no useWhen rule matches.

"defaults": {
  "powerpoint": "executive-deck",
  "word": "standard-report"
}

Each value must match the id of an entry in templates.

Use null when there is no default:

"defaults": {
  "powerpoint": null,
  "word": null
}

id

A unique identifier for the template.

"id": "executive-deck"

Requirements:

• Use lowercase letters, numbers, and hyphens.
• Do not use the same ID for multiple templates.
• The ID does not have to match the filename, but matching names are easier to maintain.

enabled

Controls whether the template participates in selection:

"enabled": true

Keep starter or incomplete entries set to false. Enable an entry only after its source placeholders and selection rules are complete.

format

Identifies the Office application that can use the template.

PowerPoint:

"format": "powerpoint"

Word:

"format": "word"

Do not use file extensions as the format value.

sources

An ordered list of locations from which the actual Office template can be retrieved.

"sources": [
  {
    "type": "asset",
    "path": "assets/executive-deck.pptx"
  },
  {
    "type": "sharepointKnowledge",
    "url": "{{EXECUTIVE_DECK_SHAREPOINT_URL}}",
    "fileName": "executive-deck.pptx",
    "knowledgeSourceName": "{{SHAREPOINT_KNOWLEDGE_SOURCE_NAME}}"
  }
]

Requirements:

• List sources in preferred resolution order.
• For asset, the file must exist at the specified relative path.
• For sharepointKnowledge, provide the complete URL and exact filename.
• Configure the SharePoint location as knowledge on the Copilot Studio agent.
• Never enable an entry while its source contains {{PLACEHOLDER}} values.
• Always use forward slashes / for asset paths.
• Do not use local absolute paths such as C:\Templates\template.pptx.

priority

Controls which template wins when multiple useWhen rules match.

"priority": 100

Higher numbers have higher priority. A practical convention is:

If two matching templates have the same priority, the agent asks the user to choose.

useWhen

Lists natural-language situations in which the template should be selected.

"useWhen": [
  "executive presentation",
  "leadership review",
  "steering committee"
]

Use terms that users are likely to include in requests. Describe the deliverable, audience, or scenario rather than broad words such as document or presentation.

Good rules:

• executive steering committee presentation
• customer proposal
• internal project status report
• sales pitch deck
• formal business letter

Avoid overlapping rules unless priority clearly determines which template should win.

How template selection works

The skill selects templates in this order:

1. A template explicitly requested by the user.
2. Ignore entries where enabled is false.
3. The highest-priority compatible template whose useWhen rule matches.
4. The compatible enabled default declared in the manifest.
5. The only compatible template discovered in assets/ or agent knowledge.
6. The discovered template whose filename and metadata best match the request.
7. A user selection when multiple templates remain equally suitable.

After selecting a template, the skill resolves its sources in order:

1. Use the local asset when it exists.
2. Otherwise retrieve the exact binary from sharepointKnowledge.
3. Stop if neither source can provide the actual Office file.

If no compatible template exists, the skill stops instead of silently creating an unbranded file. The user can explicitly approve an unbranded exception.