Diagramming Skill
Generate professional diagrams with semantic coloring (Cagle palette) and accessibility compliance.
CRITICAL: Always Use Mermaid/DOT Over ASCII Art
NEVER use ASCII art for diagrams. When you encounter ASCII art diagrams in existing documents or when you need to create any visual representation:
- Replace existing ASCII diagrams with Mermaid or DOT equivalents
- Create new diagrams using Mermaid or DOT, never ASCII
- Convert on sight - if you see ASCII art representing a flow, architecture, sequence, or any visual concept, convert it to a proper diagram
ASCII art is:
- Not accessible (screen readers can't interpret it)
- Not maintainable (hard to modify)
- Not portable (breaks with font changes)
- Not professional (looks dated)
Mermaid/DOT diagrams are:
- Accessible (with
accTitle/accDescr) - Maintainable (text-based, version-controllable)
- Renderable (to PNG/SVG for documentation)
- Professional (clean, consistent styling)
Tool Selection
| Use Case | Tool | Reason | |----------|------|--------| | Flowcharts, sequences, ER, Gantt | Mermaid | Structured labeled relationships, markdown embedding | | Pure network graphs, semantic webs | DOT/Graphviz | Community standard, maximum layout control | | SHACL shapes, RDF with constraints | Mermaid | Dashed strokes, subgraphs for named graphs | | Ball-and-arrow graphs, large networks | DOT/Graphviz | Native graph notation, better edge routing | | Documentation, web embedding | Mermaid | GitHub/GitLab rendering, web-native |
Default: Start with Mermaid. Switch to DOT when pure network topology is primary concern.
Diagram Type Router
Load only ONE guide per request. Match user intent to the most specific keywords:
| User Intent | Load Guide | Output Format |
|-------------|------------|---------------|
| Process, flow, decision tree, algorithm | 02-FLOWCHART-GUIDE.md | Mermaid flowchart |
| API calls, service interaction, request/response | 03-SEQUENCE-DIAGRAM-GUIDE.md | Mermaid sequenceDiagram |
| OOP, classes, interfaces, inheritance | 04-CLASS-DIAGRAM-GUIDE.md | Mermaid classDiagram |
| State machine, workflow states, lifecycle | 05-STATE-DIAGRAM-GUIDE.md | Mermaid stateDiagram-v2 |
| Database schema, data model, entities | 06-ER-DIAGRAM-GUIDE.md | Mermaid erDiagram |
| Project timeline, schedule, milestones | 07-GANTT-GUIDE.md | Mermaid gantt |
| Pie, mindmap, journey, timeline, git, C4, sankey, XY | 08-OTHER-DIAGRAMS-GUIDE.md | Mermaid various |
| Styling, themes, colors, accessibility | 09-STYLING-GUIDE.md | n/a |
| "What diagram should I use?" | 10-USE-CASE-SCENARIOS.md | n/a |
| System architecture, platform design | 12-SOLUTION-ARCHITECTURE-GUIDE.md | Mermaid flowchart |
| Data flow, async, events, streaming | 13-DATA-FLOW-PATTERNS-GUIDE.md | Mermaid various |
| Kubernetes, cloud, CI/CD, deployment | 14-DEPLOYMENT-ARCHITECTURE-GUIDE.md | Mermaid flowchart |
| Design patterns, DDD, API design | 15-TECHNICAL-DESIGN-PATTERNS-GUIDE.md | Mermaid various |
| Configuration options, all settings | 16-CONFIGURATION-REFERENCE.md | n/a |
| RDF, ontology, SHACL, triples, linked data, SPARQL | 17-LINKED-DATA-GUIDE.md | Mermaid flowchart LR + ELK |
| Property graph, Neo4j, Cypher, graph database | 18-PROPERTY-GRAPH-GUIDE.md | Mermaid flowchart + ELK |
| Pure network graph, semantic graph, Turtle→DOT | 19-DOT-GRAPHVIZ-GUIDE.md | DOT/Graphviz |
Decision Logic (Specificity Order)
Match most specific first. Check in this order:
| Priority | Keywords | Guide | Format | |----------|----------|-------|--------| | 1 | DOT, Graphviz, digraph, Turtle→graph, "pure network" | 19-DOT-GRAPHVIZ-GUIDE.md | DOT | | 2 | RDF, ontology, SHACL, triple, linked data, SPARQL | 17-LINKED-DATA-GUIDE.md | Mermaid | | 3 | Neo4j, Cypher, property graph, graph database | 18-PROPERTY-GRAPH-GUIDE.md | Mermaid | | 4 | pie chart, mindmap, journey map, C4, sankey, quadrant, gitGraph | 08-OTHER-DIAGRAMS-GUIDE.md | Mermaid | | 5 | kubernetes, docker, container, CI/CD, pipeline, helm | 14-DEPLOYMENT-ARCHITECTURE-GUIDE.md | Mermaid | | 6 | microservice, system architecture, platform design | 12-SOLUTION-ARCHITECTURE-GUIDE.md | Mermaid | | 7 | async, event-driven, pub/sub, streaming, message queue | 13-DATA-FLOW-PATTERNS-GUIDE.md | Mermaid | | 8 | design pattern, DDD, domain model, factory, singleton | 15-TECHNICAL-DESIGN-PATTERNS-GUIDE.md | Mermaid | | 9 | database, schema, entity, table, ERD | 06-ER-DIAGRAM-GUIDE.md | Mermaid | | 10 | API, request/response, service call, HTTP | 03-SEQUENCE-DIAGRAM-GUIDE.md | Mermaid | | 11 | state machine, lifecycle, status, workflow state | 05-STATE-DIAGRAM-GUIDE.md | Mermaid | | 12 | class, interface, inheritance, OOP, UML class | 04-CLASS-DIAGRAM-GUIDE.md | Mermaid | | 13 | project schedule, gantt, milestone, timeline (project) | 07-GANTT-GUIDE.md | Mermaid | | 14 | timeline (chronology), history, evolution | 08-OTHER-DIAGRAMS-GUIDE.md | Mermaid | | 15 | theme, styling, colors, classDef, WCAG, accessibility, Cagle palette | 09-STYLING-GUIDE.md | Mermaid | | 16 | configuration, settings, ELK options, layout, spacing | 16-CONFIGURATION-REFERENCE.md | Mermaid | | 17 | flowchart, process, decision tree, algorithm | 02-FLOWCHART-GUIDE.md | Mermaid | | 18 | "what diagram should I use", help choosing | 10-USE-CASE-SCENARIOS.md | n/a |
Default: If unclear, ask user to clarify or suggest options from 10-USE-CASE-SCENARIOS.md.
Essential Configuration (Always Available)
ELK Layout (Use for Complex Diagrams)
---
config:
layout: elk
elk:
mergeEdges: false
nodePlacementStrategy: BRANDES_KOEPF
---
When to use ELK: >10 nodes, dense connections, knowledge graphs, complex architectures
Theme Configuration (Base Theme Required)
%%{init: {
"theme": "base",
"themeVariables": {
"primaryColor": "#E3F2FD",
"primaryTextColor": "#0D47A1",
"primaryBorderColor": "#1565C0",
"lineColor": "#37474F"
}
}}%%
CRITICAL: Only base theme supports customization. Only hex colors work.
Cagle Color Palette (Memorize)
Architecture Colors
| Type | Fill | Stroke | Use |
|------|------|--------|-----|
| Infrastructure | #E3F2FD | #1565C0 | Cloud, platforms, networks |
| Service | #E8F5E9 | #2E7D32 | APIs, microservices |
| Data | #FFF8E1 | #F57F17 | Databases, storage |
| User/Actor | #F3E5F5 | #7B1FA2 | People, roles |
| Process | #E1F5FE | #0277BD | Workflows, actions |
| Security | #E0F2F1 | #00695C | Auth, encryption |
| External | #ECEFF1 | #455A64 | Third-party systems |
Status Colors
| Status | Fill | Stroke |
|--------|------|--------|
| Success | #C8E6C9 | #2E7D32 |
| Warning | #FFF9C4 | #F9A825 |
| Error | #FFCDD2 | #C62828 |
| Info | #BBDEFB | #1565C0 |
Knowledge Graph Colors (Semantic)
| Entity | Fill | Stroke |
|--------|------|--------|
| Class/Type | #E1BEE7 | #6A1B9A |
| Instance | #B3E5FC | #0277BD |
| Property | #F8BBD9 | #AD1457 |
| Literal | #FFF9C4 | #F57F17 |
classDef Template (Copy-Paste Ready)
classDef infra fill:#E3F2FD,stroke:#1565C0,stroke-width:2px,color:#0D47A1
classDef service fill:#E8F5E9,stroke:#2E7D32,stroke-width:2px,color:#1B5E20
classDef data fill:#FFF8E1,stroke:#F57F17,stroke-width:2px,color:#E65100
classDef user fill:#F3E5F5,stroke:#7B1FA2,stroke-width:2px,color:#4A148C
classDef process fill:#E1F5FE,stroke:#0277BD,stroke-width:2px,color:#01579B
classDef security fill:#E0F2F1,stroke:#00695C,stroke-width:2px,color:#004D40
classDef external fill:#ECEFF1,stroke:#455A64,stroke-width:2px,color:#263238
classDef success fill:#C8E6C9,stroke:#2E7D32,stroke-width:2px,color:#1B5E20
classDef warning fill:#FFF9C4,stroke:#F9A825,stroke-width:2px,color:#F57F17
classDef error fill:#FFCDD2,stroke:#C62828,stroke-width:2px,color:#B71C1C
Output Format
When generating diagrams, always:
- Use backticks (``` ) not tildes (~~~) for code fences - required for renderer compatibility
- Start with configuration if using ELK or custom theme
- Declare classDef styles before using them
- Use semantic colors based on entity type
- Add comments for complex diagrams explaining structure
- Include the complete diagram - never truncate
CRITICAL: Always use triple backticks (```) for mermaid/dot code blocks, never triple tildes (~~~). Renderers and export tools require backtick fences.
Document Structure (After Export)
After exporting diagrams to PNG, the document should have:
- The rendered PNG image (using
<img>tag for size control) - A collapsible
<details>block containing the mermaid source
CRITICAL: For image sizing, MUST use <img> tag with width attribute. NEVER use CSS.
NOTE: Diagrams export to PNG by default for maximum compatibility with markdown previews (VS Code, GitHub, Zed). Use --format=svg only when SVG is specifically needed.
<img src="diagrams/doc/diagram-name.png" alt="Diagram Name" width="90%">
<details>
<summary>Mermaid Source</summary>
` ``mermaid
flowchart LR
A --> B
` ``
</details>
Size Guidelines:
| Diagram Type | Recommended Width |
|--------------|-------------------|
| Simple flowcharts | width="70%" |
| Complex architectures | width="90%" |
| Sequence diagrams | width="80%" |
| State machines | width="60%" |
| ER diagrams | width="85%" |
This preserves the source for future editing while keeping the document clean.
Standard Output Structure
---
config:
layout: elk # Only if needed
---
%%{init: {"theme": "base", "themeVariables": {...}}}%%
diagramType
accTitle: Brief diagram title for screen readers
accDescr: One-line description of what the diagram shows
%% Style definitions
classDef type1 fill:...,stroke:...
%% Diagram content
Node1[Label]:::type1
Node1 --> Node2
Accessibility Directives
Always include accessibility metadata for screen readers:
flowchart LR
accTitle: User Authentication Flow
accDescr: Shows login request from client through API gateway to auth service
%% For multi-line descriptions:
accDescr {
Detailed description spanning
multiple lines for complex diagrams
}
Client --> Gateway --> AuthService
MANDATORY: Image sizing — generate high-res, display small via CSS, never upscale
Load-bearing rule for any document with diagrams:
-
Generate PNGs at HIGH NATIVE RESOLUTION (the renderer at
~/.claude/tools/mermaid-renderer/render-mermaid.jsdoes this by default — viewport4800×3200,deviceScaleFactor: 6, producing PNGs typically 1920px+ wide depending on diagram bbox). Do NOT lower the resolution defaults. -
Display via CSS or
<img>width attribute, never via browser upscaling. A small PNG stretched to fill a container produces blur. A large PNG displayed at smaller width via CSS produces a crisp image AND a high-res asset available for click-to-fullscreen. -
The HTML export's lightbox/pan-zoom viewer opens images at NATIVE resolution on click. Combined with high-res PNGs, this means a user sees the full-fidelity diagram when they zoom in — without the browser ever upscaling.
-
Display sizing hierarchy (priority order):
- Best:
<img src="..." alt="..." width="800">— explicit width in HTML, scales proportionally, predictable across renderers. - Acceptable: CSS rules
max-width: 100%; max-height: 700pxon theimgselector — what the markdown-export skill's HTML template uses by default. - Avoid:
width: 100%withoutmax-width(can upscale on wide screens). - Never:
style="image-rendering: pixelated"or any forced upscaling.
- Best:
-
Recommended widths: | Diagram type |
<img>width | |--------------|--------------| | Simple flowcharts |800(≈70% column) | | Complex architectures |1100(≈90% column) | | Sequence diagrams |900(≈80% column) | | State machines |700(≈60% column) | | ER diagrams |1000(≈85% column) | -
CSS in HTML exports must include:
img { max-width: 100%; max-height: 700px; height: auto; } .image-viewer img { max-width: none; max-height: none; }This shrinks display, lets the viewer show native size.
-
Same rule applies to DOT/Graphviz exports (
~/.claude/tools/dot-renderer/) — render at high DPI, display via CSS, never upscale at the browser.
If the rendered PNG looks blurry in the document, the cause is almost always browser upscaling, not the renderer. Verify with identify <png> — the PNG should be ≥1500px wide for any architecture diagram.
MANDATORY: Line Breaks — ALWAYS <br/>, NEVER \n
Mermaid does NOT interpret \n as a line break. It renders as the literal characters \n in the output. This applies everywhere: node labels, edge labels, subgraph titles, and any quoted string.
ALWAYS use <br/>. NEVER use \n. No exceptions.
WRONG: A["First line\nSecond line"] → shows literal \n
WRONG: A -->|"line one\nline two"| B → shows literal \n
CORRECT: A["First line<br/>Second line"] → actual line break
CORRECT: A -->|"line one<br/>line two"| B → actual line break
Before writing ANY mermaid code, mentally replace every \n with <br/>. After writing, search the block for \n — if found in any label or string, replace it.
MANDATORY: Reserved Keywords — Never Use as classDef Names
Mermaid reserves these keywords. Using them as classDef names causes silent parse failures (diagram renders as "Syntax error in text" with no useful message):
| Reserved Word | What It Does | Use Instead |
|---------------|-------------|-------------|
| class | Applies styles to nodes | cls, rdfClass, ontClass |
| graph | Declares diagram type | graphNode, namedGraph |
| subgraph | Opens a group | subGroup, cluster |
| end | Closes a group | endNode, terminal |
| default | Default style | defaultStyle, base |
| direction | Sets flow direction | dir, flowDir |
| style | Inline styles | styleNode, styled |
| click | Click events | clickable, interactive |
| linkStyle | Edge styling | edgeStyle, linkFmt |
WRONG: classDef class fill:#E1BEE7,stroke:#6A1B9A
WRONG: classDef graph fill:#FFF9C4,stroke:#F9A825
CORRECT: classDef cls fill:#E1BEE7,stroke:#6A1B9A
CORRECT: classDef namedGraph fill:#FFF9C4,stroke:#F9A825
Validation Gate (MANDATORY before export)
After creating or modifying mermaid diagrams in a document, ALWAYS validate before rendering:
bash ~/.claude/tools/mermaid-renderer/validate-diagrams.sh <document-path>
This runs every mermaid block through the mermaid parser and reports OK/FAIL with error details. Do not render or export until all blocks pass.
If a block fails:
- Read the error message — it shows the line number and unexpected token
- Common causes: reserved keyword as classDef name, unescaped special characters, malformed YAML frontmatter
- Fix and re-validate
MANDATORY: Common Errors — Avoid These
These are the most frequently encountered mermaid errors. Each causes silent rendering failure ("Syntax error in text"):
1. Angle brackets in comments parsed as HTML
When mermaid code is embedded in <pre class="mermaid"> for rendering, angle brackets in comments like %% @prefix ex: <http://example.org/> are parsed as HTML tags, destroying the mermaid source before the parser sees it.
The renderer handles this automatically, but be aware:
<br/>,<b>,<i>in labels are safe (explicitly preserved)- All other
<characters in comments are escaped automatically - If rendering fails silently, check for unescaped
<in comments
2. \n in labels (renders as literal text)
See the MANDATORY: Line Breaks section above.
3. Reserved words as classDef names
See the MANDATORY: Reserved Keywords section above.
4. Unescaped HTML special characters in labels
<, >, & in node labels are interpreted as HTML:
WRONG: A["Latency <15min"] → <15min parsed as HTML tag
CORRECT: A["Latency <15min"] → renders correctly
CORRECT: A["Latency under 15min"] → avoid the issue entirely
5. Unquoted labels with special characters
Labels containing (, ), [, ], {, }, #, &, or : must be quoted:
WRONG: A[Count: 42] → colon breaks the parser
CORRECT: A["Count: 42"] → quoted label is safe
6. Missing diagram type declaration
Every mermaid block must start with a diagram type (or YAML frontmatter followed by a diagram type):
WRONG: A --> B → no diagram type
CORRECT: flowchart LR → diagram type declared
A --> B
7. Subgraph end keyword conflicts
The word end closes subgraphs. Never use it as a node ID:
WRONG: end[End State] → conflicts with subgraph end
CORRECT: endState[End State] → safe
Quality Checklist
Before returning any diagram:
- [ ] Correct diagram type for the use case?
- [ ] ELK enabled if >10 nodes or complex relationships?
- [ ] Semantic colors applied consistently?
- [ ] All nodes labeled clearly (≤30 characters for readability)?
- [ ] Line breaks use
<br/>not\n? (search the block!) - [ ] No reserved words as classDef names? (
class,graph,end,default, etc.) - [ ] Relationships have meaningful labels where needed?
- [ ] Configuration block properly formatted?
- [ ] No syntax errors — run validation gate?
- [ ] Accessibility:
accTitleandaccDescrincluded?
Loading Secondary Guides
When you need detailed syntax or patterns beyond this entry point:
- Match user request to the Decision Logic table above
- Use the Read tool to load the guide from the same directory as this SKILL.md file
- Apply patterns from the guide to user's specific need
- Use Cagle colors from this file (always available)
Load only ONE guide per request to minimize context usage.
Example Interactions
User: "Create a database schema for a blog"
Action: Load 06-ER-DIAGRAM-GUIDE.md, generate erDiagram with USER, POST, COMMENT, TAG entities
User: "Show me how a REST API request flows"
Action: Load 03-SEQUENCE-DIAGRAM-GUIDE.md, generate sequenceDiagram with Client, Gateway, Service, Database
User: "Architecture diagram for a microservices platform"
Action: Load 12-SOLUTION-ARCHITECTURE-GUIDE.md, generate flowchart with ELK, using service/data/infra colors
User: "What diagram should I use for showing order states?"
Action: Recommend State Diagram, load 05-STATE-DIAGRAM-GUIDE.md
User: "I need to show project milestones"
Action: Load 07-GANTT-GUIDE.md, generate gantt with milestones
User: "Visualize this RDF ontology"
Action: Load 17-LINKED-DATA-GUIDE.md, generate flowchart LR with ELK, class/instance/literal colors
User: "Show a Neo4j social network model"
Action: Load 18-PROPERTY-GRAPH-GUIDE.md, generate flowchart with labeled relationships (:KNOWS, :FOLLOWS)
User: "Generate a DOT graph from this Turtle data"
Action: Load 19-DOT-GRAPHVIZ-GUIDE.md, generate DOT digraph with semantic colors
User: "I need a pure network graph visualization"
Action: Load 19-DOT-GRAPHVIZ-GUIDE.md, generate DOT with layout attributes
Default Behaviors
- ELK layout: Enable for >10 nodes or dense connections
- LR direction: Use for semantic/knowledge graphs (S-P-O structure)
- Semantic colors: Apply consistently from Cagle palette above
- Accessibility: Always include
accTitleandaccDescr - Namespaces: Document as comments (
%% @prefix ex: <...>) - Ambiguity: Ask user to clarify rather than guess
Post-Creation Export Workflow (MANDATORY)
CRITICAL: After creating or editing ANY mermaid/DOT diagram in a markdown document, you MUST run the export command to render the diagram to an image. This is NOT optional.
Automatic Export Rule
ALWAYS run the export command immediately after:
- Adding a new mermaid or DOT code block to a document
- Modifying an existing diagram in a document
- Replacing ASCII art with a mermaid/DOT diagram
DO NOT leave mermaid code blocks unrendered in documents. The final document must contain:
- The rendered image (PNG/SVG)
- The source code in a collapsible
<details>block
Export Commands
For Mermaid diagrams (```mermaid blocks):
node ~/.claude/tools/mermaid-renderer/process-document.js <document-path> --verbose
For DOT/Graphviz diagrams (```dot, ```graphviz, ```gv blocks):
node ~/.claude/tools/dot-renderer/process-document.js <document-path> --verbose
Result Structure
document.md
diagrams/
└── document/
├── diagram-1.png
├── architecture-overview.png
└── data-flow.png
What Export Does
- Extracts all diagram code blocks from the document
- Renders each to PNG in
diagrams/{document-name}/ - Replaces code blocks with image references:
 - Preserves original code in
<details>block for future editing
Post-Export Document Format
<!-- Before -->
` ``mermaid
flowchart LR
A --> B
` ``
<!-- After (use <img> tag for sizing, NEVER CSS) -->
<img src="diagrams/document/diagram-1.png" alt="Diagram 1" width="70%">
<details>
<summary>Mermaid Source</summary>
` ``mermaid
flowchart LR
A --> B
` ``
</details>
Re-editing Workflow
- Find the
<details>block containing the mermaid source - Copy the mermaid code block above the image reference
- Edit the diagram
- Re-run the export command
- New SVG replaces the old one,
<details>block is updated
HTML/PDF Export (After Diagram Rendering)
After rendering diagrams to PNG, export the full document to HTML/PDF:
node ~/.claude/tools/markdown-export/convert.js <document-path> --verbose
What the HTML Export Does
- Embeds images inline as base64 data URIs for self-contained HTML
- Renders Mermaid blocks client-side via Mermaid.js with ELK layout
- Applies max-height (
80vh) to images so they fit on screen without scrolling - Adds pan/zoom viewer — clicking any image opens an interactive overlay with:
- Mouse wheel zoom (centered on cursor)
- Click-drag pan
- Double-click to toggle fit/1:1
- Touch: pinch-zoom and drag
- Keyboard:
+/-zoom,0fit,1actual size,Escclose - Control bar with zoom buttons and percentage display
- Generates PDF via Puppeteer with rendered diagrams
- Copies diagrams to
export/html/diagrams/for reference
HTML Export Features
| Feature | Details |
|---------|---------|
| Image embedding | All PNGs/JPGs converted to base64 data URIs |
| Image max-height | 80vh — diagrams never require page scrolling |
| Image click | Opens pan/zoom overlay (not blank tab) |
| SVG embedding | SVGs inlined as <svg> elements |
| Mermaid | Client-side rendering with ELK layout engine |
| Code highlighting | highlight.js with GitHub theme |
| PDF | Puppeteer-based, waits for Mermaid render |
HTML Renderer: Angle Bracket Escaping
The mermaid renderer (render-mermaid.js) automatically escapes angle brackets in HTML <pre> context to prevent them being parsed as HTML tags. This handles:
%% @prefix ex: <http://...>comments —<escaped to<- Preserves allowed HTML tags in labels:
<br/>,<b>,<i>,<u>,<em>,<strong>,<sub>,<sup> - Without this, mermaid blocks with URL comments silently fail (rendering as 53,854-byte error PNGs)