A free, GitHub-hosted demo runner for SharePoint AI features. Pick a demo, choose setup-only / demo-only / both / reset, and step through with predictable pauses.
Takeaway 01
The tool eliminates the cognitive load of demo flow so you can focus on talk track.
Takeaway 02
Four modes (setup, demo, both, reset) give you the slice you need.
Takeaway 03
Pause-steps let you take action with spacebar or enter — no surprise execution.
Why Build a Demo Tool at All
SharePoint AI demos require fresh state — a clean library, specific files uploaded, a working skill configured. Doing all that setup live, in front of an audience, is risky and slow. The author built this tool because he demos a lot, and the setup-then-demo cycle was eating his prep time.
A demo tool turns the demo flow into a file. The script is on disk, deterministic, and reusable — your job during the demo is only to talk.
The lineage is intentional: this tool echoes the 2007 SharePoint start-demo tool the author worked on when he first joined Microsoft. The pattern is timeless — demoers benefit from automation that handles state.
This is not a screen recorder or a video playback tool. It actually runs SharePoint AI commands against a real tenant. The screen you see is live, just driven by a script.
The Demo Launcher
You start the tool from a command prompt. Launching a demo file opens a launcher UI — a list of demos discovered from a folder on disk. You arrow-key through them, pick the one you want, and select what mode to run.
Each demo is a file. Drop new .demo files in the folder and they appear in the launcher automatically. No registration, no rebuild.
The author shows a comparison-report demo and a messy-data-cleanup demo as examples. The launcher is just a thin discovery layer over files on disk.
Four Run Modes
Once you pick a demo, you choose one of four modes: set up and run the whole demo, just set up (do the pre-work for later), just demo (you already set up), or reset (undo what the demo did).
Mode separation maps to real presenter workflows. Pre-conf you might just set up. On stage you only want the demo. After your slot you reset.
The reset mode is opt-in per demo. You define an explicit set of undo steps in the demo file. The tool will not "auto-undo" unless you have written what undoing means — because for a read-only demo, undo is a no-op.
Step Controls: Enter, B, S
During execution, the tool pauses at pre-defined stop points. You drive with the keyboard: Enter to continue, B to go back, S to skip the next step. This is the loop the presenter uses to control pacing during the talk.
The presenter is always in control. Steps run only on a deliberate keystroke — never on a timer — so you can talk as long as you need.
For pure pacing, you can also use spacebar. The keys are interchangeable in most contexts; what matters is that nothing runs unless you press something.
B does not "rewind" arbitrary SharePoint state. It steps the presenter pointer backwards in the script so you can re-narrate. The underlying tenant state is unchanged unless the previous step had an explicit inverse defined.
Walking the 21 Steps
The demo the author walks through has 21 steps. Eleven of them are setup (create library, upload files, create skill, etc.). Step 11 is the pause where the actual demo begins. From step 11 onward, the presenter narrates and the tool walks the real workflow.
The setup-to-demo ratio is roughly half. Without the tool, the presenter would spend half the demo doing prep visibly to the audience — which is dull and risky.
The timestamps on the left of the runner UI show what step is running and how long it took. That gives the presenter situational awareness without breaking flow.
Flashcards — Guide 01
01 · Foundations
Demo Launcher
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A list UI that discovers demo files from a folder on disk. Pick a demo and a run mode; new files appear automatically without registration.
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01 · Foundations
Four Run Modes
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Setup-and-demo, setup-only, demo-only, and reset. Lets the presenter pre-stage at home, then run only the demo portion live on stage.
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01 · Foundations
Pause-Step
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A scripted halt in the demo flow that waits for the presenter to press Enter, spacebar, B, or S. Keeps execution under deliberate human control.
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01 · Foundations
Reset Mode
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An opt-in mode that runs author-defined undo steps. Required because the tool does not auto-invert state changes — you must write what undo means.
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01 · Foundations
Setup vs Demo Split
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Demo files declare a setup section and a demo section. In a 21-step demo, steps 1–10 are setup; step 11 is the pause where the live demo begins.
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01 · Foundations
Step Keys
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Enter or spacebar advances, B goes back one step in the script, S skips the next step. The presenter drives pacing with deliberate keystrokes.