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Generating Slides with NotebookLM

The open notebooklm-py CLI turns your documents into slide decks (PPTX/PDF), infographics (PNG), and mind maps using Google NotebookLM. Generation happens server-side inside your own Google account; the CLI drives a headless browser and retrieves the output.

Everything below is self-contained — you can do it from scratch on any machine with Python and a Google account. No special repository or checkout is required.

Environments

Our machines are Windows, some with WSL. All commands run in a terminal: use PowerShell or Command Prompt on native Windows, or your WSL shell if you work in Linux. Where a file path differs between the two, both are shown.

Prerequisites​

RequirementNotes
Python 3.10+ and pipCheck python --version. Install from python.org (Windows) or your WSL distro's package manager.
A Google account with NotebookLM accessSlides are generated in your Google account, so you sign in as yourself.

Steps​

1. Install the CLI (one-time)​

pip install notebooklm-py
playwright install chromium

This installs the notebooklm CLI plus a Chromium browser for it to drive. (If you prefer an isolated install, pipx install notebooklm-py works too — just run playwright install chromium afterward.)

2. Authenticate with NotebookLM​

notebooklm login

This opens a browser for Google sign-in. Your session is saved to a local file:

EnvironmentPath
Windows%USERPROFILE%\.notebooklm\storage_state.json
WSL / Linux~/.notebooklm/storage_state.json
Token lifetime

The auth token has roughly a 24-hour TTL. When it expires, just re-run notebooklm login.

3. Create a notebook and add your sources​

# Create a notebook and make it the active context
notebooklm create "Onboarding Deck"
notebooklm use "Onboarding"          # partial name/ID match is fine

# Add sources — files, inline text, or URLs (auto-detected)
notebooklm source add ./overview.md
notebooklm source add "Key points I want covered in the deck"
notebooklm source add https://example.com/reference
.mdx files

NotebookLM's upload API rejects the .mdx extension. If your source is .mdx, copy its contents into a .md or .txt file first (or paste the text inline with source add "..."). .md, .txt, .pdf, and .docx add directly.

4. Generate the slide deck​

notebooklm generate slide-deck "executive summary for new-hire onboarding" --format detailed --wait
  • --format detailed (full content slides) or --format presenter (speaker-friendly with notes)
  • --wait blocks until it's done. Prefer to run other things meanwhile? Omit --wait, then poll with notebooklm artifact wait <artifact-id>.
Slide generation takes 10–15 minutes

Slides are built server-side in your Google account and take 10–15 minutes. Keep the terminal/session alive for the duration — don't let the machine sleep.

5. Download the deck​

notebooklm download slide-deck onboarding.pptx --format pptx

Use a .pdf filename (and --format pdf) if you'd rather have a PDF.

6. Clean up​

Notebooks have no auto-expiry, so remove the one you created when you're done:

notebooklm delete -n "Onboarding" --yes

Tips & Constraints​

  • Timing varies by output type: infographics take 2–5 minutes each, mind maps about 5 seconds, slides 10–15 minutes.
  • Other artifact types use the same pattern — swap slide-deck for infographic, mind-map, report, quiz, flashcards, data-table, audio, or video: 
    notebooklm generate infographic "one-page architecture overview" --wait
    notebooklm download infographic overview.png
  • Discover what you've made: notebooklm artifact list shows every artifact in the active notebook.
  • Machine-readable output: add --json to most commands for scripting.

Optional: Claude Code slash-command integration​

If you use Claude Code, the CLI can register itself as a skill so you can generate visuals conversationally instead of by hand:

notebooklm skill --help

This is optional — the plain CLI above works everywhere without it.

Frequently Asked Questions​

Q: Why does slide generation take so long? The rendering happens server-side inside NotebookLM in your Google account — it's not local. Budget 10–15 minutes and keep the session open (or use --no-wait and poll with notebooklm artifact wait).

Q: My .mdx file won't add as a source. NotebookLM rejects the .mdx extension. Copy the contents into a .md/.txt file, or paste them inline with notebooklm source add "...".

Q: Do notebooks clean themselves up? No — there's no auto-expiry. Delete them yourself with notebooklm delete -n <partial-id> --yes.

Q: My auth stopped working mid-week. The token TTL is ~24 hours. Re-run notebooklm login to refresh it.