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Draw.io Diagrams

Draw.io Diagrams Skill

by Agents365-ai Agents365-ai/drawio-skill skills/drawio-skill

Generates .drawio XML from natural language — UML, ERD, BPMN, SysML, network and cloud topology — and exports PNG, SVG, PDF or JPG through the native draw.io desktop CLI.

GitHub Docs
Design & Creative
Released
v2.1.0
MIT

Install

Install with the skills CLI

One command for Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Windsurf and dozens of other agents. Needs Node.js; the skill is fetched straight from Agents365-ai/drawio-skill.

$ npx skills add Agents365-ai/drawio-skill --skill drawio-skill

Run it in a terminal. The CLI finds the agents installed on your machine, asks which ones to add the skill to, and whether to install it into the folder you ran it from or for all your projects.

Other ways to install

Copy the whole skill folder — SKILL.md and any scripts or references beside it — into ~/.claude/skills/drawio-skill/, where Claude Code picks it up in every project. Only git is needed.

tmp=$(mktemp -d) && \
  git clone --depth 1 --branch main https://github.com/Agents365-ai/drawio-skill.git "$tmp" && \
  mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills && \
  cp -R "$tmp"/skills/drawio-skill ~/.claude/skills/drawio-skill

No scripts or references next to it? Saving the SKILL.md alone as ~/.claude/skills/drawio-skill/SKILL.md works too.

Using another agent? Its personal skills folder
Codex
~/.agents/skills/
Cursor
~/.cursor/skills/
GitHub Copilot
~/.copilot/skills/
Gemini CLI
~/.gemini/skills/
Windsurf
~/.codeium/windsurf/skills/
OpenCode
~/.config/opencode/skills/
Open folder on GitHub

About

  • Writes real .drawio XML with access to 10,000+ stock and branded shapes
  • UML, ERD, BPMN, SysML/MBSE, network topology, mind maps and ML model figures
  • Cloud architecture generated from Terraform or Kubernetes manifests
  • Local export to PNG, SVG, PDF and JPG with no browser automation
  • --embed-diagram keeps the editable source inside the exported image
  • Optional Graphviz auto-layout and vision-model self-check
  • Runs from a single SKILL.md — no MCP server or background daemon
  • Documents when to route to Excalidraw, Mermaid or PlantUML instead

This skill lets an agent author real draw.io files instead of approximating a diagram in ASCII or Mermaid. It writes .drawio XML and exports locally through the native draw.io desktop CLI, so the result is a genuine editable diagram with access to draw.io's full shape library — more than 10,000 stock and branded shapes — rather than a flat image.

Coverage is broad: flowcharts and architecture diagrams, entity-relationship diagrams, UML class, sequence and state diagrams, SysML and MBSE views (block definition, internal block, requirement and parametric), BPMN business processes, swimlane and cross-functional charts, network topology, mind maps, and ML/DL model figures such as Transformer, CNN and LSTM layouts. It can also generate cloud architecture directly from Terraform or Kubernetes manifests, turning infrastructure-as-code into a diagram of what that code actually provisions.

Exports to PNG, SVG, PDF and JPG run locally with no browser automation. PNG, SVG and PDF support --embed-diagram, which writes the full diagram XML into the exported file — save as name.drawio.png and opening it in draw.io recovers the editable source, so the image and its master copy never drift apart. An optional auto-layout pass uses Graphviz, and a vision-enabled model can run a self-check on the rendered output, a step that is skipped gracefully when unavailable.

The skill is refreshingly clear about its own boundaries, routing hand-drawn or whiteboard aesthetics to Excalidraw or tldraw and diagrams-as-code that belong in git to Mermaid or PlantUML. It runs from a single SKILL.md with no MCP server and no background daemon. Requires the draw.io desktop CLI on PATH (version 30 or newer unlocks Mermaid conversion and the ELK layout pass); WSL2 setups are detected automatically. MIT licensed.

SKILL.md

The instructions your agent loads, as published by Agents365-ai.

SKILL.md
name
drawio-skill
version
2.1.0
description
Use when the user requests diagrams, flowcharts, architecture diagrams, ER diagrams, UML / sequence / class diagrams, SysML / MBSE diagrams (block definition, internal block, requirement, parametric), BPMN business process diagrams, swimlane / cross-functional flowcharts, network topology, cloud architecture from Terraform or Kubernetes manifests, ML/DL model figures (Transformer/CNN/LSTM), mind maps, or any visualization. Also use proactively when explaining systems with 3+ components, complex data flows, or relationships that benefit from visual representation. Best suited when the diagram needs custom styling, rich shape vocabulary, swimlanes, or exportable images (PNG/SVG/PDF/JPG). Generates .drawio XML and exports locally via the native draw.io desktop CLI.
license
MIT
homepage
https://github.com/Agents365-ai/drawio-skill
compatibility
Requires draw.io desktop app CLI on PATH (macOS/Linux/Windows). Self-check step requires a vision-enabled model (e.g., Claude Sonnet/Opus); gracefully skipped if unavailable. Optional auto-layout (scripts/autolayout.py) needs Graphviz (dot).
platforms
[macos, linux, windows]
metadata
{"openclaw":{"requires":{"anyBins":["draw.io","drawio"]},"emoji":"📐","os":["darwin","linux","win32"],"install":[{"id":"brew-drawio","kind":"brew","formula":"drawio","bins":["drawio"],"label":"Install draw.io via Homebrew","os":["darwin"]},{"id":"brew-graphviz","kind":"brew","formula":"graphviz","bins":["dot"],"label":"Install Graphviz for optional autolayout.py","os":["darwin"],"optional":true}]},"hermes":{"tags":["drawio","diagram","flowchart","architecture","visualization","uml"],"category":"design","requires_tools":["drawio","draw.io"],"related_skills":["mermaid","excalidraw","plantuml"]},"author":"Agents365-ai","version":"2.1.0"}

Draw.io Diagrams

Overview

Generate .drawio XML files and export to PNG/SVG/PDF/JPG locally using the native draw.io desktop app CLI.

Supported formats: PNG, SVG, PDF, JPG — no browser automation needed.

PNG, SVG, and PDF exports support --embed-diagram (-e) — the exported file contains the full diagram XML, so opening it in draw.io recovers the editable diagram. Use double extensions (name.drawio.png) to signal embedded XML.

When to use / when NOT to use

Use this skill for: polished, precise diagrams (architecture, network, strict UML, ERD), anything needing solid opaque fills, 10,000+ stock/branded shapes, swimlanes, or custom geometry, exported as editable PNG/SVG/PDF.

Do NOT use it — route elsewhere — for:

  • A casual hand-drawn / whiteboard look → excalidraw or tldraw.
  • Diagrams-as-code that live in git / render in Markdown → mermaid (general) or plantuml (UML).
  • Freeform infinite-canvas sketching or freehand strokes → tldraw.
Bundled resources

When the workflow references one of these, read it on demand — none of them need to be in context up front.

FileRead it when
references/toolbox.mdYou're not sure which bundled script fits a request, or want to chain several — a map of all 31 scripts grouped by use-case (author / import code / import IaC / import API spec / live infra / compare / annotate / reverse-export / utilities) with an "I have X, I want Y → use Z" guide
references/xml-authoring.mdYou're about to hand-write `.drawio` XML (workflow step 3) — file skeleton, shape/edge cells, containers, connection distribution, palette, spacing/grid rules. Not needed when a bundled generator writes the XML
references/mermaid-authoring.mdThe diagram is a standard type with no custom styling/icon needs (flowchart, state, gantt, mindmap, timeline, journey, pie, …) and the CLI is ≥ v30 — author it as Mermaid text and let the CLI convert to native .drawio (structure only, layout free). Also documents the CLI's ELK --layout pass for XML
references/diagram-types.mdThe user names a specific diagram type (ERD, UML class, sequence, C4, architecture, ML/DL, flowchart, SysML, BPMN, network topology, swimlane)
references/shapes.md + scripts/shapesearch.pyThe diagram needs a specific shape — a cloud icon (AWS/Azure/GCP), Cisco/Kubernetes/network symbol, UML/BPMN/ER/electrical/P&ID element — or any time you'd otherwise guess a style= string. shapesearch.py "<keywords>" returns the exact official style for 10k+ shapes
scripts/aiicons.pyThe diagram involves an AI/LLM brand (OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, Mistral, Llama, HuggingFace, Ollama, LangChain, …) — aiicons.py "<brand>" returns a draw.io image style for the brand logo (lobe-icons via CDN; --embed to inline). draw.io has no built-in AI logos. See references/shapes.md → "AI / LLM brand logos"
references/style-presets.mdThe user asks to learn / save / list / set-default / delete a style preset, or you've resolved an active preset and need the application rules
references/style-extraction.mdYou're inside the Learn flow and need the extraction procedure (called from style-presets.md)
references/troubleshooting.mdAn export fails, vision rejects a PNG, or a rendering looks wrong
scripts/repair_png.pyAfter every -e PNG export — fixes draw.io's truncated IEND chunk (issue #8)
scripts/encode_drawio_url.pyThe CLI is unavailable and you need a browser-fallback diagrams.net URL (--edit for an editable editor URL)
references/autolayout.mdThe diagram is large or layout-heavy (dependency/call graph, code structure, >~15 nodes) and you want Graphviz to place nodes + route edges instead of hand-placing coordinates
scripts/pyimports.py · jsimports.py · goimports.py · rustimports.pyThe user wants to visualize a Python, JS/TS, Go, or Rust project structure — extracts the import graph (transitive-reduced, optional --group containers, nested by sub-package) for autolayout
scripts/pyclasses.pyThe user wants a Python class hierarchy / class diagram — extracts classes + inheritance edges (boxed by module with --group) for autolayout
scripts/tfimports.py · k8simports.py · composeimports.pyThe user wants to visualize declared infrastructure (Terraform .tf, Kubernetes manifests, or docker-compose) — extracts the resource/service reference graph (official AWS/Azure/GCP/K8s icons for tf/k8s; service boxes + volume cylinders for compose) for autolayout
scripts/tfstate.py · dockerimports.py (+ k8simports.py)The user wants to draw what is ACTUALLY running / deployed — pipe terraform show -json (deployed state), docker inspect $(docker ps -q) (live containers), or kubectl get all,ing,cm,secret,pvc -o json (live cluster, via k8simports) and get the real topology with the same official icons. See references/live-infra.md
scripts/drawiodiff.pyThe user wants to compare / diff two diagrams or two snapshots ("what changed", infra drift) — drawiodiff.py old.drawio new.drawio -o diff.json emits a colour-coded graph (added=green, removed=red, changed=orange, same=grey) for autolayout. Matches by cell id (importer/live-snapshot output) or --by-label (hand-drawn)
scripts/timelapse.pyThe user wants an architecture time-lapse / to see how a codebase's structure evolved over git history — timelapse.py <dir> --importer pyimports re-runs an importer at each sampled commit and assembles a self-contained HTML player (embedded frames, play/step controls). Best on a package with real import edges (point <dir> at the module root)
scripts/explain.pyThe user wants to describe / document / summarize an existing `.drawio` in words (reverse of generating one) — explain.py diagram.drawio emits structured Markdown: components grouped by container/tier, relations (A —label→ B), per-page sections for multi-page/C4. Good for a README/PR summary or a text-only read-out
scripts/drawio2pptx.pyThe user wants a PowerPoint deck / slides from a diagram — drawio2pptx.py diagram.drawio -o deck.pptx puts each page on its own 16:9 slide (page name as title), so a multi-page C4 model becomes a ready-to-present deck. Needs python-pptx (pip install python-pptx) + the draw.io CLI
scripts/drawiohtml.pyThe user wants a shareable interactive viewer for a diagram (pan / zoom / search, no draw.io needed) — drawiohtml.py diagram.drawio -o viewer.html inlines every page's SVG into ONE self-contained HTML with page tabs, drag-pan, wheel-zoom, node search (Enter cycles + centres matches) and working drill-down links (a C4 model's data:page/id links switch tabs). No server, no external requests — send the file to anyone
scripts/svgflow.pyThe user wants an animated / "flowing" diagram (data-flow, moving edges) — svgflow.py diagram.drawio -o flow.svg exports to SVG and makes every edge a marching-ants animation (dashes travel along the arrows). Self-contained looping .svg that renders on GitHub / any browser; --speed / --dash / --reverse
scripts/drawio2mermaid.pyThe user wants to convert a `.drawio` into Mermaid text (diagrams-as-code for a Markdown file that GitHub renders) — drawio2mermaid.py diagram.drawio emits a flowchart (containers → subgraphs, edge labels kept, cylinder/rhombus shapes mapped); --fenced wraps in ```mermaid, multi-page → one graph per page. Structural only (styling/icons don't survive)
scripts/sqlerd.pyThe user wants an ER diagram from SQL DDL — parses CREATE TABLE statements into per-table nodes (columns with PK/FK markers) and crow's-foot FK edges for autolayout
scripts/ciimports.pyThe user wants a CI pipeline diagram (GitHub Actions workflows or GitLab CI) — ciimports.py <repo-root> reads .github/workflows/*.yml + .gitlab-ci.yml and emits jobs (runner, matrix size, reusable-workflow calls), needs: dependency edges, per-workflow trigger nodes, and stage/workflow containers for autolayout. Needs PyYAML
scripts/openapiimports.pyThe user wants an API diagram from an OpenAPI / Swagger spec — openapiimports.py spec.yaml maps each operation to a node coloured by HTTP method (GET blue, POST green, PUT/PATCH orange, DELETE red) plus one node per component schema, with edges from operations to the schemas they use and between nested schemas. --group boxes by tag, --no-schemas shows just the endpoint surface; feeds autolayout
scripts/heatmap.pyThe user wants to colour an existing `.drawio` by data (a cost / latency / traffic / error-rate heat map) — heatmap.py diagram.drawio -m metrics.csv matches each metric (CSV key,value or JSON {key:value}) to a node by id or label and recolours it along a gradient (--palette heat|cool|warm, --reverse), optionally scaling node size (--size) and adding a legend. Post-processes any diagram; export as usual
scripts/seqlayout.pyThe user wants a sequence diagram — describe participants + messages as JSON and the script computes all lifeline/activation/arrow geometry deterministically (no hand-placed coordinates, no Graphviz needed)
scripts/c4.pyThe user wants a C4 model (System Context / Container / Component) — levels JSON in, one multi-page .drawio out with official C4 shapes/colors and click-to-drill-down links between levels
scripts/relabel.pyThe user wants a language variant or bulk text swap of an existing `.drawio` (e.g. an EN diagram re-labelled in Chinese for a bilingual README) — relabel.py diagram.drawio --extract -o labels.json dumps every label as an identity JSON map; translate the values (keep the keys), then relabel.py diagram.drawio --map labels.json -o diagram_cn.drawio swaps them with layout/styles/ids untouched
scripts/restyle.pyThe user wants to re-theme an EXISTING `.drawio` ("make this dark", "apply my corporate style to this diagram") — restyle.py diagram.drawio --preset <name> remaps every vertex fill/stroke to the preset palette by hue, applies font/extras (dark fontColor, edge color, background), and leaves layout, shapes, and edge routing untouched. Presets resolve like Step 0 (user dir, then built-ins)
scripts/edgeports.pyEdges stack on top of each other where they meet a shape — the usual swimlane/cross-functional complaint, and anywhere a node has several connections leaving the same side. edgeports.py diagram.drawio pins exitX/exitY+entryX/entryY: it picks the side of each node facing the other endpoint, then spreads that side's edges over evenly-spaced slots ordered by the far endpoint's position, so they keep their relative order instead of crossing. Resolves absolute coordinates through swimlane parents, skips ends you already pinned, and is idempotent. It is a port assigner, not a router — it separates lines at the shape boundary, it will not stop an edge crossing an unrelated shape mid-run (add waypoints for that)
scripts/validate.pyYou generated a .drawio (especially via autolayout or for a large hand-placed diagram) and want a fast deterministic structural lint (dangling edges, dup/reserved ids, broken parents, overlaps) before the vision self-check. --score prints a readability score for comparing layout variants
scripts/raster2drawio.pyThe user has an image of a diagram (whiteboard photo, legacy PNG, Visio screenshot) and wants an editable `.drawio` — read the image with your own vision, extract nodes/edges as JSON (schema + full workflow in references/derasterize.md), then raster2drawio.py graph.json -o out.drawio honours those coordinates/labels/shapes; nodes missing x/y fall back to autolayout.py placement
scripts/buildup.pyThe user wants a diagram to build itself node-by-node as a video/GIF (a construction time-lapse of ONE static diagram — distinct from timelapse.py's git-history animation) — buildup.py diagram.drawio reveals cells in topological (dependency) order into a self-contained HTML player (play/pause/step/scrub); --gif also exports an animated GIF (needs Pillow). Needs the draw.io CLI
scripts/compress.pyThe user wants an executive / boardroom summary of a big diagram — collapses clusters (pure-Python label propagation, no networkx) into one labeled node each with aggregated inter-cluster edges, emitting a 2-page .drawio (exec view + click-to-drill-down into the full original). Claude can rename clusters semantically afterward. Needs Graphviz dot
scripts/runbook.pyThe user wants a flowchart/decision-tree .drawio turned into a click-through triage app (on-call runbook) — runbook.py flow.drawio reads the XML (no draw.io CLI needed) and emits a self-contained HTML runbook: current-step text, per-edge choice buttons, breadcrumb trail, Back/Restart, end-state on terminal nodes
scripts/prdiff.pyYou're setting up automated PR diagram review in CI — for every .drawio changed between two git refs it renders base/head/diff PNGs and emits a Markdown report; ships with a composite GitHub Action (.github/actions/drawio-diff/) that posts a sticky PR comment. See references/pr-bot.md
scripts/tubemap.pyThe user wants a metro / subway / tube map — a system, pipeline, or journey drawn as coloured transit lines with octilinear (H/V/45°) routing, white interchange circles, and station stops. Compose a metro JSON (lines = ordered stations on an integer grid, shared stations = interchanges), then tubemap.py metro.json -o metro.drawio. Stdlib-only; schema + the one grid rule in references/tubemap.md
Prerequisites

The draw.io desktop app must be installed and the CLI accessible:

<!-- truncated — see the upstream repository for the complete SKILL.md -->

Install

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