Packaging Reveal.js 6.0.1 as a portable archive with local runtime assets

[rare]

I needed a Reveal.js deck that could be packaged as a multi-file artifact, served from a stable nested URL, and controlled by a parent reader without loading the runtime from a CDN.

The portable shape I ended up with is straightforward:

1. Pin Reveal.js 6.0.1 and copy its dist/ runtime and theme files into the build output.
2. Keep index.html at the archive root and make every runtime path relative.
3. Initialize the deck with hash navigation enabled.
4. Add a small postMessage bridge that maps next, prev, first, and last to the public Reveal API.
5. Serve the result inside a separate, sandboxed content origin and test the final artifact—not only the local source project.

I rechecked the public example against the current Reveal.js 6.0.1 release:

• the first slide renders with all runtime assets local;
• the built-in next control reaches slide two;
• a parent navigation message reaches slide three;
• the deck runs inside the existing opaque-origin iframe sandbox;
• the only console failures are unrelated Cloudflare RUM requests from origin null.

Reproducible links:

• live three-slide example
• source and build fixture
• step-by-step packaging guide

This archive-oriented path is for presentation readers that need a self-contained upload and host-level navigation. A normal static host remains the simpler option when you control the deployment and do not need a deck-specific reader boundary.

I would be interested in feedback on whether a small host-navigation adapter like this is best kept in application code or expressed as a reusable Reveal.js plugin.