Diagram Design
cathrynlavery/diagram-design
Creates branded diagrams, from architecture, flowchart and sequence to charts and maps, as self-contained HTML with inline SVG, with import from draw.io, Mermaid and Excalidraw.
A skill your agent uses when working with .excalidraw or .excalidraw.json files, user mentions diagrams/flowcharts, or requests architecture visualization - delegates all Excalidraw operations to…
Install Excalidraw
$ npx skills add davila7/claude-code-templates --skill excalidraw -a claude-codeProject install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.
$ gh skill install davila7/claude-code-templates excalidraw --agent claude-codeProject scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/davila7/claude-code-templates.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/cli-tool/components/skills/creative-design/excalidraw .claude/skills/excalidraw && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.
Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/
Install the "excalidraw" agent skill from https://github.com/davila7/claude-code-templates/tree/main/cli-tool/components/skills/creative-design/excalidraw into .claude/skills/excalidraw/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "excalidraw", then confirm the skill loads.Claude Code copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$skill-installer install https://github.com/davila7/claude-code-templates/tree/main/cli-tool/components/skills/creative-design/excalidrawType this inside Codex. $skill-installer <name> installs a curated skill from openai/skills. The installer writes to $CODEX_HOME/skills (default ~/.codex/skills). Restart Codex if the skill does not show up.
$ npx skills add davila7/claude-code-templates --skill excalidraw -a codexProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.
$ gh skill install davila7/claude-code-templates excalidraw --agent codexProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/davila7/claude-code-templates.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/cli-tool/components/skills/creative-design/excalidraw .agents/skills/excalidraw && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.
Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/
Install the "excalidraw" agent skill from https://github.com/davila7/claude-code-templates/tree/main/cli-tool/components/skills/creative-design/excalidraw into .agents/skills/excalidraw/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "excalidraw", then confirm the skill loads.Codex copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ npx skills add davila7/claude-code-templates --skill excalidraw -a cursorProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.
$ gh skill install davila7/claude-code-templates excalidraw --agent cursorProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/davila7/claude-code-templates.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/cli-tool/components/skills/creative-design/excalidraw .cursor/skills/excalidraw && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.cursor/skills/ instead of .cursor/skills for a personal install.
Cursor skills documentation · loads skills from .cursor/skills/, .agents/skills/, .claude/skills/, .codex/skills/
Install the "excalidraw" agent skill from https://github.com/davila7/claude-code-templates/tree/main/cli-tool/components/skills/creative-design/excalidraw into .cursor/skills/excalidraw/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "excalidraw", then confirm the skill loads.Cursor copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ gemini skills install https://github.com/davila7/claude-code-templates.git --path cli-tool/components/skills/creative-design/excalidraw--scope user (default) or --scope workspace; --path is the subfolder of the repo that holds the skill; --consent skips the security confirmation prompt.
$ npx skills add davila7/claude-code-templates --skill excalidraw -a gemini-cliProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.
$ gh skill install davila7/claude-code-templates excalidraw --agent gemini-cliProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/davila7/claude-code-templates.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/cli-tool/components/skills/creative-design/excalidraw .gemini/skills/excalidraw && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.gemini/skills/ instead of .gemini/skills for a personal install, then run /skills reload.
Gemini CLI skills documentation · loads skills from .gemini/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "excalidraw" agent skill from https://github.com/davila7/claude-code-templates/tree/main/cli-tool/components/skills/creative-design/excalidraw into .gemini/skills/excalidraw/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "excalidraw", then confirm the skill loads.Gemini CLI copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ gh skill install davila7/claude-code-templates excalidrawInstalls for Copilot at project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Preview a skill first with gh skill preview. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).
$ npx skills add davila7/claude-code-templates --skill excalidraw -a github-copilotProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/davila7/claude-code-templates.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/cli-tool/components/skills/creative-design/excalidraw .github/skills/excalidraw && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.copilot/skills/ instead of .github/skills for a personal install. Commit .github/skills so cloud agent and code review can use it.
GitHub Copilot skills documentation · loads skills from .github/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "excalidraw" agent skill from https://github.com/davila7/claude-code-templates/tree/main/cli-tool/components/skills/creative-design/excalidraw into .github/skills/excalidraw/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "excalidraw", then confirm the skill loads.GitHub Copilot copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ npx skills add davila7/claude-code-templates --skill excalidraw -a opencodeOpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.
$ gh skill install davila7/claude-code-templates excalidraw --agent opencodeProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/davila7/claude-code-templates.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/cli-tool/components/skills/creative-design/excalidraw .opencode/skills/excalidraw && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.config/opencode/skills/ instead of .opencode/skills for a personal install.
OpenCode skills documentation · loads skills from .opencode/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "excalidraw" agent skill from https://github.com/davila7/claude-code-templates/tree/main/cli-tool/components/skills/creative-design/excalidraw into .opencode/skills/excalidraw/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "excalidraw", then confirm the skill loads.OpenCode copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
Facts
- Skill name
excalidraw- GitHub stars
- 32k
- Used in
- 1 other repo
- Token cost
- ~2k tokens
- SKILL.md length
- 680 words
- Files
- 2
- Skills in repo
- 478
- Repo updated
- First seen
- Licence
- MIT
At a glance
A skill your agent uses when working with .excalidraw or .excalidraw.json files, user mentions diagrams/flowcharts, or requests architecture visualization - delegates all Excalidraw operations to…
- Working with .excalidraw
- SKILL.md covers Overview, The Problem, When to Use and Delegation Pattern, plus 7 more sections
- Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md
- .excalidraw.json files
What it does
Excalidraw is an agent skill from davila7/claude-code-templates. Use when working with .excalidraw or .excalidraw.json files, user mentions diagrams/flowcharts, or requests architecture visualization - delegates all Excalidraw operations to subagents to prevent context exhaustion from verbose JSON (single files: 4k-22k tokens, can exceed read limits)
Its SKILL.md is about 2k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. The skill folder holds 1 other file (for example `README.md`).
It sits in Development, covering Diagrams. It works with Excalidraw. The repository describes itself as: CLI tool for configuring and monitoring Claude Code. The licence is MIT.
When your agent uses it
- Working with .excalidraw
- .excalidraw.json files
- User mentions diagrams/flowcharts
- Can exceed read limits)
Example prompts
- “/excalidraw”
What it can do on your machine
Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 46b4d8b. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.
Tool permissions
Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.
From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.
Runs code
No scripts in the folder and no shell commands in SKILL.md.
From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.
Network
No URLs in SKILL.md.
From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.
Credentials
Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.
From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.
Context cost
Excalidraw loads about 2k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 75 tokens; SKILL.md has 680 words of instructions outside code blocks.
Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.
Safety
Auto-check passed
The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.
Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.
SKILL.md
The full file from davila7/claude-code-templates at commit 46b4d8b, republished under its MIT licence (© davila7). 680 words, ~2,012 tokens.
Download SKILL.mdSave it as
.claude/skills/excalidraw/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder). This skill also uses 1 other file; get the full folder from GitHub.- name
- excalidraw
- description
- Use when working with *.excalidraw or *.excalidraw.json files, user mentions diagrams/flowcharts, or requests architecture visualization - delegates all Excalidraw operations to subagents to prevent context exhaustion from verbose JSON (single files: 4k-22k tokens, can exceed read limits)
Excalidraw Subagent Delegation
Overview
Core principle: Main agents NEVER read Excalidraw files directly. Always delegate to subagents to isolate context consumption.
Excalidraw files are JSON with high token cost but low information density. Single files range from 4k-22k tokens (largest can exceed read tool limits). Reading multiple diagrams quickly exhausts context budget (7 files = 67k tokens = 33% of budget).
The Problem
Excalidraw JSON structure:
- Each shape has 20+ properties (x, y, width, height, strokeColor, seed, version, etc.)
- Most properties are visual metadata (positioning, styling, roughness)
- Actual content: text labels and element relationships (<10% of file)
- Signal-to-noise ratio is extremely low
Example: 14-element diagram = 596 lines, 16K, ~4k tokens. 79-element diagram = 2,916 lines, 88K, ~22k tokens (exceeds read limit).
When to Use
Trigger on ANY of these:
- File path contains
.excalidrawor.excalidraw.json - User requests: "explain/update/create diagram", "show architecture", "visualize flow"
- User mentions: "flowchart", "architecture diagram", "Excalidraw file"
- Architecture/design documentation tasks involving visual artifacts
Use delegation even for:
- "Small" files (smallest is 4k tokens - still significant)
- "Quick checks" (checking component names still loads full JSON)
- Single file operations (isolation prevents context pollution)
- Modifications (don't need full format understanding in main context)
Delegation Pattern
Main Agent Responsibilities
NEVER:
- ❌ Use Read tool on *.excalidraw files
- ❌ Parse Excalidraw JSON in main context
- ❌ Load multiple diagrams for comparison
- ❌ Inspect file to "understand the format"
ALWAYS:
- ✅ Delegate ALL Excalidraw operations to subagents
- ✅ Provide clear task description to subagent
- ✅ Request text-only summaries (not raw JSON)
- ✅ Keep diagram analysis isolated from main work
Subagent Task Templates
Read/Understand Operation
Task: Extract and explain the components in [file.excalidraw.json]
Approach:
1. Read the Excalidraw JSON
2. Extract only text elements (ignore positioning/styling)
3. Identify relationships between components
4. Summarize architecture/flow
Return:
- List of components/services with descriptions
- Connection/dependency relationships
- Key insights about the architecture
- DO NOT return raw JSON or verbose element detailsModify Operation
Task: Add [component] to [file.excalidraw.json], connected to [existing-component]
Approach:
1. Read file to identify existing elements
2. Find [existing-component] and its position
3. Create new element JSON for [component]
4. Add arrow elements for connections
5. Write updated file
Return:
- Confirmation of changes made
- Position of new element
- IDs of created elementsCreate Operation
Task: Create new Excalidraw diagram showing [description]
Approach:
1. Design layout for [number] components
2. Create rectangle elements with text labels
3. Add arrows showing relationships
4. Use consistent styling (colors, fonts)
5. Write to [file.excalidraw.json]
Return:
- Confirmation of file created
- Summary of components included
- File locationCompare Operation
Task: Compare architecture approaches in [file1] vs [file2]
Approach:
1. Read both files
2. Extract text labels from each
3. Identify structural differences
4. Compare component relationships
Return:
- Key differences in architecture
- Components unique to each approach
- Relationship/flow differences
- DO NOT return full element details from both filesCommon Rationalizations (STOP and Delegate Instead)
| Excuse | Reality | What to Do |
|---|---|---|
| "Direct reading is most efficient" | Consumes 4k-22k tokens unnecessarily | Delegate to subagent |
| "It's token-efficient to read directly" | Baseline tests showed 9-45% budget used | Always delegate |
| "This is optimal for one-time analysis" | "One-time" still pollutes main context | Subagent isolation |
| "The JSON is straightforward" | Simplicity ≠ token efficiency | Delegate anyway |
| "I need to understand the format" | Format understanding not needed in main agent | Subagent handles format |
| "Within reasonable bounds" (18k tokens) | "Reasonable" is subjective rationalization | Hard rule: delegate |
| "Just a quick check of components" | "Quick check" still loads full JSON | Extract text via subagent |
| "File is small (16K)" | 4k tokens is NOT small | Size threshold doesn't matter |
Red Flags - STOP and Delegate
Catch yourself about to:
- Use Read tool on .excalidraw file
- "Quickly check" what components exist
- "Understand the structure" before modifying
- Load file to "see what's there"
- Compare multiple diagrams side-by-side
- Parse JSON to "extract just the text"
All of these mean: Use Task tool with subagent instead.
Show full SKILL.md (257 more words)Show less
Quick Reference
| Operation | Main Agent Action | Subagent Returns |
|---|---|---|
| Understand diagram | Delegate with "Extract and explain" template | Component list + relationships |
| Modify diagram | Delegate with "Add [X] connected to [Y]" template | Confirmation + changes made |
| Create diagram | Delegate with "Create showing [description]" template | File location + summary |
| Compare diagrams | Delegate with "Compare [A] vs [B]" template | Key differences (not raw JSON) |
Token Analysis (Why This Matters)
Real data from baseline testing:
| Scenario | Without Delegation | With Delegation | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single large file | 22k tokens (45% budget) | ~500 tokens (subagent summary) | 98% |
| Two-file comparison | 18k tokens (9% budget) | ~800 tokens (diff summary) | 96% |
| Modification task | 14k tokens (7% budget) | ~300 tokens (confirmation) | 98% |
Context pollution impact:
- Reading all 7 project diagrams: 67k tokens (33% of 200k budget)
- With delegation: ~2k tokens (isolated in subagents)
- Savings: 97% context budget preserved
Implementation Example
❌ BAD (Direct Read):
User: "What architecture is shown in detailed-architecture.excalidraw.json?"
Agent: Let me read that file... [reads 22k tokens into main context]✅ GOOD (Subagent Delegation):
User: "What architecture is shown in detailed-architecture.excalidraw.json?"
Agent: I'll use a subagent to extract the architecture details.
[Dispatches Task tool with general-purpose subagent]
Task: Extract and explain components in .ryanquinn3/ticketing/detailed-architecture.excalidraw.json
[Receives ~500 token summary with component list and relationships]
[Responds to user with architecture explanation, main context preserved]Why "Straightforward JSON" Doesn't Matter
Agents often rationalize: "The format is simple, I can just read it."
The problem isn't complexity - it's verbosity:
- Simple structure with 20+ properties per element
- Repetitive metadata (seed, version, nonce, roughness)
- Positioning data (x, y, width, height) not semantically useful
- Visual styling (strokeColor, opacity, fillStyle) irrelevant to content
Token cost comes from volume, not complexity.
Even "straightforward" JSON consumes 4k-22k tokens because:
- 79 elements × ~280 tokens/element = 22k tokens
- Most tokens are metadata noise
- Only text labels and relationships matter (~10% of content)
The Iron Law
Main agents NEVER read Excalidraw files. No exceptions.
Not for:
- "Quick checks"
- "Small files"
- "Understanding format"
- "One-time analysis"
- "Optimal efficiency"
Always delegate. Isolation is free via subagents.
© davila7, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file
Files
SKILL.md and 1 other file in cli-tool/components/skills/creative-design/excalidraw of davila7/claude-code-templates.
- SKILL.md
- README.md
Open the folder on GitHubat commit 46b4d8b
Used in 1 other repository
We found 1 copy of this SKILL.md (exact, near-identical or edited) in other folders, from 1 other GitHub owner. This page covers the copy in davila7/claude-code-templates, which our catalogue first saw on October 7, 2026.
Compare with similar skills
Excalidraw next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.
| Skill | Stars | Used in | Tokens | Auto-check | Licence | Repo updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Excalidraw this skilldavila7/claude-code-templates | 32k | 1 repos | ~2k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Diagram Designcathrynlavery/diagram-design | 47k | 1 repos | ~7.5k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Excalidraw Diagramcoleam00/excalidraw-diagram-skill | 5k | 2 repos | ~6.1k | Automated safety check: Pass | None | |
| Excalidraw Diagrambreferrari/obsidian-mind | 5k | — | ~3.9k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Excalidraw Skillyctimlin/mcp_excalidraw | 2.5k | — | ~4.6k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Lanshu Animated Architecture Diagramcclank/lanshu-animated-architecture-diagram | 994 | — | ~1.1k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT |
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Related
Works with
Categories
Questions about Excalidraw
What does Excalidraw do?
A skill your agent uses when working with .excalidraw or .excalidraw.json files, user mentions diagrams/flowcharts, or requests architecture visualization - delegates all Excalidraw operations to…. Excalidraw is an agent skill from davila7/claude-code-templates.
When should I use Excalidraw?
Excalidraw fits situations like: working with .excalidraw; .excalidraw.json files; user mentions diagrams/flowcharts; can exceed read limits).
How do I install Excalidraw in Claude Code?
Run `npx skills add davila7/claude-code-templates --skill excalidraw -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (cli-tool/components/skills/creative-design/excalidraw in davila7/claude-code-templates) into .claude/skills/excalidraw in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.
How do I install Excalidraw in Codex?
Run `npx skills add davila7/claude-code-templates --skill excalidraw -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (cli-tool/components/skills/creative-design/excalidraw in davila7/claude-code-templates) into .agents/skills/excalidraw in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.
Can I use Excalidraw in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?
Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add davila7/claude-code-templates --skill excalidraw -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/excalidraw, .gemini/skills/excalidraw, .github/skills/excalidraw and .opencode/skills/excalidraw in your project.
What does Excalidraw need to run?
SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: Excalidraw is instructions for the agent only.
Does Excalidraw access the network?
SKILL.md contains no URLs. Any network use would come from the scripts or tools the agent runs. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.
Is Excalidraw safe to install?
Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.
What licence does Excalidraw use?
Excalidraw is published under the MIT licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.
How many tokens does Excalidraw use?
About 2k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 8k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.
What are the alternatives to Excalidraw?
Skills that share tags, products or a category with Excalidraw: Diagram Design (cathrynlavery/diagram-design, 47k stars), Excalidraw Diagram (coleam00/excalidraw-diagram-skill, 5k stars), Excalidraw Diagram (breferrari/obsidian-mind, 5k stars) and Excalidraw Skill (yctimlin/mcp_excalidraw, 2.5k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.
Who maintains Excalidraw?
davila7 (a GitHub user) maintains it in davila7/claude-code-templates, which has 32,483 GitHub stars. The repository holds 478 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 9, 2026.
Source: davila7/claude-code-templates on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.