excalidraw-diagram-generator
Generate Excalidraw diagrams from natural language descriptions. Use when asked to "create a diagram", "make a flowchart", "visualize a process", "draw a system architecture", "create a mind map", or "generate an Excalidraw file". Supports flowcharts, relationship diagrams, mind maps, and system arc
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npx skills add github/awesome-copilot --skill excalidraw-diagram-generator
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Excalidraw Diagram Generator
A skill for generating Excalidraw format diagrams from natural language descriptions. This skill helps create visual representations of processes, systems, relationships, and ideas without manual drawing.
When to Use This Skill
Use this skill when users request:
"Create a diagram showing..."
"Make a flowchart for..."
"Visualize the process of..."
"Draw the system architecture of..."
"Generate a mind map about..."
"Create an Excalidraw file for..."
"Show the relationship between..."
"Diagram the workflow of..."
Supported diagram types:
📊 Flowcharts : Sequential processes, workflows, decision trees
🔗 Relationship Diagrams : Entity relationships, system components, dependencies
🧠 Mind Maps : Concept hierarchies, brainstorming results, topic organization
🏗️ Architecture Diagrams : System design, module interactions, data flow
📈 Data Flow Diagrams (DFD) : Data flow visualization, data transformation processes
🏊 Business Flow (Swimlane) : Cross functional workflows, actor based process flows
📦 Class Diagrams : Object oriented design, class structures and relationships
🔄 Sequence Diagrams : Object interactions over time, message flows
🗃️ ER Diagrams : Database entity relationships, data models
Prerequisites
Clear description of what should be visualized
Identification of key entities, steps, or concepts
Understanding of relationships or flow between elements
Step by Step Workflow
Step 1: Understand the Request
Analyze the user's description to determine:
1. Diagram type (flowchart, relationship, mind map, architecture)
2. Key elements (entities, steps, concepts)
3. Relationships (flow, connections, hierarchy)
4. Complexity (number of elements)
Step 2: Choose the Appropriate Diagram Type
User Intent Diagram Type Example Keywords
Process flow, steps, procedures Flowchart "workflow", "process", "steps", "procedure"
Connections, dependencies, associations Relationship Diagram "relationship", "connections", "dependencies", "structure"
Concept hierarchy, brainstorming Mind Map "mind map", "concepts", "ideas", "breakdown"
System design, components Architecture Diagram "architecture", "system", "components", "modules"
Data flow, transformation processes Data Flow Diagram (DFD) "data flow", "data processing", "data transformation"
Cross functional processes, actor responsibilities Business Flow (Swimlane) "business process", "swimlane", "actors", "responsibilities"
Object oriented design, class structures Class Diagram "class", "inheritance", "OOP", "object model"
Interaction sequences, message flows Sequence Diagram "sequence", "interaction", "messages", "timeline"
Database design, entity relationships ER Diagram "database", "entity", "relationship", "data model"
Step 3: Extract Structured Information
For Flowcharts:
List of sequential steps
Decision points (if any)
Start and end points
For Relationship Diagrams:
Entities/nodes (name + optional description)
Relationships between entities (from → to, with label)
For Mind Maps:
Central topic
Main branches (3 6 recommended)
Sub topics for each branch (optional)
For Data Flow Diagrams (DFD):
Data sources and destinations (external entities)
Processes (data transformations)
Data stores (databases, files)
Data flows (arrows showing data movement from left to right or from top left to bottom right)
Important : Do not represent process order, only data flow
For Business Flow (Swimlane):
Actors/roles (departments, systems, people) displayed as header columns
Process lanes (vertical lanes under each actor)
Process boxes (activities within each lane)
Flow arrows (connecting process boxes, including cross lane handoffs)
For Class Diagrams:
Classes with names
Attributes with visibility (+, , )
Methods with visibility and parameters
Relationships: inheritance (solid line + white triangle), implementation (dashed line + white triangle), association (solid line), dependency (dashed line), aggregation (solid line + white diamond), composition (solid line + filled diamond)
Multiplicity notations (1, 0..1, 1.. , )
For Sequence Diagrams:
Objects/actors (arranged horizontally at top)
Lifelines (vertical lines from each object)
Messages (horizontal arrows between lifelines)
Synchronous messages (solid arrow), asynchronous messages (dashed arrow)
Return values (dashed arrows)
Activation boxes (rectangles on lifelines during execution)
Time flows from top to bottom
For ER Diagrams:
Entities (rectangles with entity names)
Attributes (listed inside entities)
Primary keys (underlined or marked with PK)
Foreign keys (marked with FK)
Relationships (lines connecting entities)
Cardinality: 1:1 (one to one), 1:N (one to many), N:M (many to many)
Junction/associative entities for many to many relationships (dashed rectangles)
Step 4: Generate the Excalidraw JSON
Create the .excalidraw file with appropriate elements:
Available element types:
rectangle : Boxes for entities, steps, concepts
ellipse : Alternative shapes for emphasis
diamond : Decision points
arrow : Directional connections
text : Labels and annotations
Key properties to set:
Position : x , y coordinates
Size : width , height
Style : strokeColor , backgroundColor , fillStyle
Font : fontFamily: 5 (Excalifont required for all text elements )
Text : Embedded text for labels
Connections : points array for arrows
Important : All text elements must use fontFamily: 5 (Excalifont) for consistent visual appearance.
Step 5: Format the Output
Structure the complete Excalidraw file:
Step 6: Save and Provide Instructions
1. Save as <descriptive name .excalidraw
2. Inform user how to open:
Visit https://excalidraw.com
Click "Open" or drag and drop the file
Or use Excalidraw VS Code extension
Best Practices
Element Count Guidelines
Diagram Type Recommended Count Maximum
Flowchart steps 3 10 15
Relationship entities 3 8 12
Mind map branches 4 6 8
Mind map sub topics per branch 2 4 6
Layout Tips
1. Start positions : Center important elements, use consistent spacing
2. Spacing :
Horizontal gap: 200 300px between elements
Vertical gap: 100 150px between rows
3. Colors : Use consistent color scheme
Primary elements: Light blue ( a5d8ff )
Secondary elements: Light green ( b2f2bb )
Important/Central: Yellow ( ffd43b )
Alerts/Warnings: Light red ( ffc9c9 )
4. Text sizing : 16 24px for readability
5. Font : Always use fontFamily: 5 (Excalifont) for all text elements
6. Arrow style : Use straight arrows for simple flows, curved for complex relationships
Complexity Management
If user request has too many elements:
Suggest breaking into multiple diagrams
Focus on main elements first
Offer to create detailed sub diagrams
Example response:
Example Prompts and Responses
Example 1: Simple Flowchart
User: "Create a flowchart for user registration"
Agent generates:
1. Extract steps: "Enter email" → "Verify email" → "Set password" → "Complete"
2. Create flowchart with 4 rectangles + 3 arrows
3. Save as user registration flow.excalidraw
Example 2: Relationship Diagram
User: "Diagram the relationship between User, Post, and Comment entities"
Agent generates:
1. Entities: User, Post, Comment
2. Relationships: User → Post ("creates"), User → Comment ("writes"), Post → Comment ("contains")
3. Save as user content relationships.excalidraw
Example 3: Mind Map
User: "Mind map about machine learning concepts"
Agent generates:
1. Center: "Machine Learning"
2. Branches: Supervised Learning, Unsupervised Learning, Reinforcement Learning, Deep Learning
3. Sub topics under each branch
4. Save as machine learning mindmap.excalidraw
Troubleshooting
Issue Solution
Elements overlap Increase spacing between coordinates
Text doesn't fit in boxes Increase box width or reduce font size
Too many elements Break into multiple diagrams
Unclear layout Use grid layout (rows/columns) or radial layout (mind maps)
Colors inconsistent Define color palette upfront based on element types
Advanced Techniques
Grid Layout (for Relationship Diagrams)
Radial Layout (for Mind Maps)
Auto generated IDs
Use timestamp + random string for unique IDs:
Output Format
Always provide:
1. ✅ Complete .excalidraw JSON file
2. 📊 Summary of what was created
3. 📝 Element count
4. 💡 Instructions for opening/editing
Example summary:
Validation Checklist
Before delivering the diagram:
[ ] All elements have unique IDs
[ ] Coordinates prevent overlapping
[ ] Text is readable (font size 16+)
[ ] All text elements use fontFamily: 5 (Excalifont)
[ ] Arrows connect logically
[ ] Colors follow consistent scheme
[ ] File is valid JSON
[ ] Element count is reasonable (<20 for clarity)
Icon Libraries (Optional Enhancement)
For specialized diagrams (e.g., AWS/GCP/Azure architecture diagrams), you can use pre made icon libraries from Excalidraw. This provides professional, standardized icons instead of basic shapes.
When User Requests Icons
If user asks for AWS/cloud architecture diagrams or mentions wanting to use specific icons:
1. Check if library exists : Look for libraries/<library name /reference.md
2. If library exists : Proceed to use icons (see AI Assistant Workflow below)
3. If library does NOT exist : Respond with setup instructions:
User Setup Instructions (Detailed)
Step 1: Create Library Directory
Step 2: Download Library
Visit: https://libraries.excalidraw.com/
Search for your desired icon set (e.g., "AWS Architecture Icons")
Click download to get the .excalidrawlib file
Example categories (availability varies; confirm on the site):
Cloud service icons
UI/Material icons
Flowchart symbols
Step 3: Place Library File
Rename the downloaded file to match the directory name (e.g., aws architecture icons.excalidrawlib )
Move it to the directory created in Step 1
Step 4: Run Splitter Script
Step 5: Verify Setup
After running the script, verify the following structure exists:
AI Assistant Workflow
When icon libraries are available in libraries/ :
RECOMMENDED APPROACH: Use Python Scripts (Efficient & Reliable)
The repository includes Python scripts that handle icon integration automatically:
1. Create base diagram structure :
Create .excalidraw file with basic layout (title, boxes, regions)
This establishes the canvas and overall structure
2. Add icons using Python script :
Edit via .excalidraw.edit is enabled by default to avoid overwrite issues; pass no use edit suffix to disable.
Examples :
3. Add connecting arrows :
Edit via .excalidraw.edit is enabled by default to avoid overwrite issues; pass no use edit suffix to disable.
Examples :
4. Workflow summary :
Benefits of Python Script Approach :
✅ No token consumption : Icon JSON data (200 1000 lines each) never enters AI context
✅ Accurate transformations : Coordinate calculations handled deterministically
✅ ID management : Automatic UUID generation prevents conflicts
✅ Reliable : No risk of coordinate miscalculation or ID collision
✅ Fast : Direct file manipulation, no parsing overhead
✅ Reusable : Works with any Excalidraw library you provide
ALTERNATIVE: Manual Icon Integration (Not Recommended)
Only use this if Python scripts are unavailable:
1. Check for libraries :
2. Read reference.md :
3. Find relevant icons :
4. Load specific icon data (WARNING: Large files):
5. Extract an