excalidraw-diagram

Generate Excalidraw diagram JSON files with render-and-validate visual feedback loops.

1|1|Updated Nov 25, 2024
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/joeledwardson/dev-setup --skill excalidraw-diagram-joeledwardson
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: excalidraw-diagram
Source: https://github.com/joeledwardson/dev-setup/tree/main/configs/claude/skills/excalidraw-diagram
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/joeledwardson/dev-setup --skill excalidraw-diagram-joeledwardson

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

💡 This Skill requires playwright, and includes references (resource) components.

What problem does it solve? Creating technical diagrams that actually communicate structure and meaning is hard: most generated diagrams end up as uniform boxes-and-arrows that display labels without teaching anything, and there is no way to visually verify the output before delivering it. ## Core Features & Use Cases - Visual argument methodology: Maps each concept to a matching visual pattern (fan-out, convergence, timeline, tree, cycle) so the diagram's structure mirrors the concept's behavior. - Evidence artifacts for technical diagrams: Embeds real code snippets, JSON payloads, and actual event names from specs so diagrams educate rather than just label. - Render-and-validate loop: A Playwright-based pipeline renders the .excalidraw JSON to PNG so the agent can inspect its own output and fix overlaps, clipping, and spacing issues iteratively. - Brand customization: All colors live in a single color-palette.md file that can be swapped to match any brand style. - Use Case: Ask your agent to diagram how a streaming protocol delivers events from backend to frontend; it researches the real event names, builds the JSON section by section, renders it, and fixes layout issues before delivering. ## Quick Start Ask your coding agent to create an Excalidraw diagram showing how your system architecture connects its components.

Frequently Asked Questions about excalidraw-diagram

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I generate Excalidraw diagrams from natural language?

Describe the workflow, architecture, or concept you want visualized to your coding agent. The skill maps concepts to visual patterns, generates the .excalidraw JSON section by section, then renders it to PNG and fixes layout issues before delivering.

How do I render an Excalidraw JSON file to PNG?

Run the render_excalidraw.py script with uv from the references directory, passing the path to your .excalidraw file. It uses Playwright with headless Chromium to export the diagram as a PNG next to the source file.

What dependencies does the Excalidraw render pipeline need?

The renderer requires Python 3.11 or later and the playwright package, installed via uv sync in the references directory. You must also run uv run playwright install chromium once to download the headless browser.

Can I customize the colors of generated Excalidraw diagrams?

Yes, all colors and brand styles live in a single file, references/color-palette.md. Edit the semantic fill and stroke pairs there and every generated diagram will follow your palette without changing any other part of the skill.

Why does the skill build large diagrams section by section?

Comprehensive diagrams exceed the model's per-response output token limit, so generating everything at once produces truncated, broken JSON. Building one section per pass with descriptive IDs and namespaced seeds yields complete, higher-quality diagrams.

When should I use simple versus comprehensive diagram styles?

Use simple conceptual diagrams for mental models and abstract ideas where the audience needs no technical specifics. Use comprehensive diagrams with evidence artifacts like code snippets and real event names for technical architectures, tutorials, and teaching content.