generating-architecture-diagrams

To generate C4 architecture diagrams, you need a subsystem catalog file as input. The skill translates this catalog into Context, Container, and Component diagrams, outputting Mermaid or PlantUML blocks with narratives and legends.

The best way to create Mermaid diagrams for complex subsystems is by using abstraction-first guidance. This approach applies grouping, metadata enrichment, and selective sampling to keep multi-level architecture diagrams readable.

Yes, you need a subsystem catalog file, typically named 02-subsystem-catalog.md, in your workspace. The skill reads this catalog to produce the 03-diagrams.md file containing the generated architecture diagrams.

Yes, you can generate both Context (Level 1) and Container (Level 2) diagrams automatically. The skill translates your cataloged subsystems into these C4 views, along with Component (Level 3) diagrams, for complete architecture documentation.

It handles diagram readability for large subsystems by applying abstraction-first guidance, which uses grouping, metadata enrichment, and selective sampling to ensure the generated multi-level C4 diagrams remain clear and actionable.

The skill includes an explicit assumptions and limitations section in the output to address constraints of using C4 diagrams for subsystem documentation, ensuring transparency regarding the generated architecture views and metadata dependencies.