home / skills / a5c-ai / babysitter / diagram-generation
This skill generates multi-format diagrams from text descriptions, producing Mermaid, PlantUML, D2, and Graphviz visuals for architecture, data models, and
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---
name: diagram-generation
description: Multi-format diagram generation from text descriptions. Create Mermaid, PlantUML, D2, and Graphviz diagrams including flowcharts, sequence diagrams, architecture diagrams (C4), and data models.
allowed-tools: Read, Write, Edit, Bash, Glob, Grep
backlog-id: SK-006
metadata:
author: babysitter-sdk
version: "1.0.0"
---
# Diagram Generation Skill
Multi-format diagram generation from text descriptions.
## Capabilities
- Mermaid diagram generation (flowcharts, sequence, class, ER)
- PlantUML diagram creation and rendering
- D2 diagram generation
- Graphviz DOT language support
- Architecture diagram generation (C4 model)
- Excalidraw integration for hand-drawn style
- Diagram accessibility analysis
- SVG/PNG export with optimization
## Usage
Invoke this skill when you need to:
- Create architecture diagrams
- Generate sequence diagrams
- Build data model visualizations
- Create flowcharts and decision trees
- Export diagrams in various formats
## Inputs
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|-----------|------|----------|-------------|
| type | string | Yes | mermaid, plantuml, d2, graphviz, c4 |
| diagramType | string | Yes | flowchart, sequence, class, er, architecture |
| source | string | No | Diagram source code |
| inputPath | string | No | Path to diagram source file |
| outputPath | string | Yes | Output file path |
| format | string | No | svg, png, pdf (default: svg) |
| theme | string | No | Theme for styling |
### Input Example
```json
{
"type": "mermaid",
"diagramType": "sequence",
"source": "sequenceDiagram\n Client->>API: Request\n API-->>Client: Response",
"outputPath": "docs/diagrams/api-flow.svg",
"format": "svg"
}
```
## Mermaid Diagrams
### Flowchart
```mermaid
flowchart TD
A[Start] --> B{Is valid?}
B -->|Yes| C[Process]
B -->|No| D[Error]
C --> E[End]
D --> E
```
### Sequence Diagram
```mermaid
sequenceDiagram
participant U as User
participant A as API Gateway
participant S as Service
participant D as Database
U->>A: POST /users
A->>A: Validate Token
A->>S: Create User
S->>D: INSERT user
D-->>S: Success
S-->>A: User Created
A-->>U: 201 Created
```
### Class Diagram
```mermaid
classDiagram
class User {
+String id
+String email
+String name
+create()
+update()
+delete()
}
class Order {
+String id
+Date createdAt
+Status status
+process()
+cancel()
}
class OrderItem {
+String productId
+int quantity
+float price
}
User "1" --> "*" Order : places
Order "1" --> "*" OrderItem : contains
```
### Entity Relationship Diagram
```mermaid
erDiagram
USER ||--o{ ORDER : places
USER {
uuid id PK
string email UK
string name
timestamp created_at
}
ORDER ||--|{ ORDER_ITEM : contains
ORDER {
uuid id PK
uuid user_id FK
enum status
timestamp created_at
}
ORDER_ITEM {
uuid id PK
uuid order_id FK
uuid product_id FK
int quantity
}
PRODUCT ||--o{ ORDER_ITEM : "ordered in"
PRODUCT {
uuid id PK
string name
decimal price
}
```
### State Diagram
```mermaid
stateDiagram-v2
[*] --> Draft
Draft --> Pending: Submit
Pending --> Approved: Approve
Pending --> Rejected: Reject
Rejected --> Draft: Revise
Approved --> Published: Publish
Published --> [*]
```
## C4 Model Diagrams
### System Context
```plantuml
@startuml C4_Context
!include https://raw.githubusercontent.com/plantuml-stdlib/C4-PlantUML/master/C4_Context.puml
Person(user, "User", "A customer of the system")
System(system, "E-Commerce Platform", "Allows users to browse and purchase products")
System_Ext(payment, "Payment Gateway", "Processes payments")
System_Ext(email, "Email Service", "Sends notifications")
Rel(user, system, "Uses", "HTTPS")
Rel(system, payment, "Processes payments", "HTTPS")
Rel(system, email, "Sends emails", "SMTP")
@enduml
```
### Container Diagram
```plantuml
@startuml C4_Container
!include https://raw.githubusercontent.com/plantuml-stdlib/C4-PlantUML/master/C4_Container.puml
Person(user, "User")
System_Boundary(system, "E-Commerce Platform") {
Container(spa, "Web Application", "React", "User interface")
Container(api, "API Gateway", "Node.js", "REST API")
Container(orders, "Order Service", "Go", "Handles orders")
Container(products, "Product Service", "Go", "Product catalog")
ContainerDb(db, "Database", "PostgreSQL", "Stores data")
ContainerQueue(queue, "Message Queue", "RabbitMQ", "Async messaging")
}
Rel(user, spa, "Uses", "HTTPS")
Rel(spa, api, "Calls", "HTTPS")
Rel(api, orders, "Routes", "gRPC")
Rel(api, products, "Routes", "gRPC")
Rel(orders, db, "Reads/Writes", "SQL")
Rel(orders, queue, "Publishes", "AMQP")
@enduml
```
## D2 Diagrams
### Architecture Diagram
```d2
direction: right
users: Users {
shape: person
}
frontend: Frontend {
spa: React SPA
mobile: Mobile App
}
backend: Backend Services {
gateway: API Gateway
auth: Auth Service
orders: Order Service
products: Product Service
}
data: Data Layer {
postgres: PostgreSQL {
shape: cylinder
}
redis: Redis Cache {
shape: cylinder
}
s3: S3 Storage {
shape: cylinder
}
}
users -> frontend.spa
users -> frontend.mobile
frontend -> backend.gateway
backend.gateway -> backend.auth
backend.gateway -> backend.orders
backend.gateway -> backend.products
backend.orders -> data.postgres
backend.auth -> data.redis
backend.products -> data.s3
```
## Graphviz DOT
### Dependency Graph
```dot
digraph Dependencies {
rankdir=LR;
node [shape=box, style=filled, fillcolor=lightblue];
"api-gateway" -> "auth-service";
"api-gateway" -> "user-service";
"api-gateway" -> "order-service";
"order-service" -> "user-service";
"order-service" -> "product-service";
"order-service" -> "payment-service";
"user-service" -> "database" [style=dashed];
"order-service" -> "database" [style=dashed];
"product-service" -> "database" [style=dashed];
"database" [shape=cylinder, fillcolor=lightyellow];
}
```
## Configuration
### Mermaid Config
```json
{
"theme": "neutral",
"themeVariables": {
"primaryColor": "#4a90d9",
"primaryTextColor": "#fff",
"primaryBorderColor": "#2d5986",
"lineColor": "#5c6370",
"secondaryColor": "#f0f0f0",
"tertiaryColor": "#e8e8e8"
},
"flowchart": {
"curve": "basis",
"padding": 20
},
"sequence": {
"actorMargin": 50,
"boxMargin": 10
}
}
```
## Workflow
1. **Parse source** - Load diagram definition
2. **Validate syntax** - Check for errors
3. **Apply theme** - Configure styling
4. **Render diagram** - Generate output
5. **Optimize** - Compress SVG/PNG
6. **Export** - Save to output path
## Dependencies
```json
{
"devDependencies": {
"@mermaid-js/mermaid-cli": "^10.0.0",
"plantuml": "^0.1.0",
"d2": "^0.6.0",
"graphviz": "^0.0.9",
"svgo": "^3.0.0"
}
}
```
## CLI Commands
```bash
# Mermaid to SVG
npx mmdc -i diagram.mmd -o diagram.svg
# PlantUML to PNG
java -jar plantuml.jar diagram.puml
# D2 to SVG
d2 diagram.d2 diagram.svg
# Graphviz to PNG
dot -Tpng diagram.dot -o diagram.png
# Optimize SVG
npx svgo diagram.svg -o diagram.min.svg
```
## Best Practices Applied
- Use consistent direction (LR or TD)
- Limit nodes to 15-20 per diagram
- Use meaningful labels
- Group related components
- Include legends for complex diagrams
- Optimize for accessibility (color contrast)
- Version control diagram source
## References
- Mermaid: https://mermaid.js.org/
- PlantUML: https://plantuml.com/
- D2: https://d2lang.com/
- Graphviz: https://graphviz.org/
- C4 Model: https://c4model.com/
## Target Processes
- arch-docs-c4.js
- data-model-docs.js
- api-reference-docs.js
- adr-docs.js
This skill generates diagrams from plain-text descriptions into multiple diagram languages and export formats. It supports Mermaid, PlantUML, D2, Graphviz (DOT), and C4 architecture diagrams, with options for SVG/PNG/PDF output and optimization. The skill is built to produce clear flowcharts, sequence diagrams, data models, and architecture views suitable for documentation and design workflows.
Provide a diagram type and source (or a path to one). The skill parses the source, validates syntax, applies a configurable theme, then renders the diagram in the requested format. After rendering it runs optimization (SVG/PNG compression) and saves the result to the specified output path. Accessibility checks and optional Excalidraw-style output are available for hand-drawn visualizations.
What input formats are supported?
Mermaid, PlantUML, D2, and Graphviz DOT are supported. You can pass inline source or a path to a source file.
Which export formats can I request?
SVG, PNG, and PDF exports are supported. SVG is the default and is optimized with SVGO when requested.
Can I customize styling and themes?
Yes. Theme variables (colors, spacing, sequence/flow settings) can be applied before rendering to produce consistent visuals.