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Official agent skill

Plantuml Ascii

by github in github/awesome-copilot

Generate ASCII art diagrams using PlantUML text mode. An agent skill from github/awesome-copilot.

OfficialMITAuto-check: notesDevelopment

Install Plantuml Ascii

skills CLI
$ npx skills add github/awesome-copilot --skill plantuml-ascii -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install github/awesome-copilot plantuml-ascii --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/github/awesome-copilot.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/plantuml-ascii .claude/skills/plantuml-ascii && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.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/

Facts

Skill name
plantuml-ascii
GitHub stars
40k
Used in
1 other repo
Token cost
~1.5k tokens
SKILL.md length
250 words
Files
1
Skills in repo
417
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
MIT

At a glance

Generate ASCII art diagrams using PlantUML text mode. An agent skill from github/awesome-copilot.

  • Works in 3 steps: Create PlantUML Diagram File → Generate ASCII Art → View Output
  • User asks to create ASCII diagrams
  • SKILL.md covers Overview, What is PlantUML ASCII Art?, Installation and Output Formats, plus 8 more sections
  • Calls java, brew and apt-get; reaches github.com

What it does

Plantuml Ascii is an agent skill from github/awesome-copilot, published by the product's own GitHub organization. Generate ASCII art diagrams using PlantUML text mode. Use when user asks to create ASCII diagrams, text-based diagrams, terminal-friendly diagrams, or mentions plantuml ascii, text diagram, ascii art diagram. Supports: Converting PlantUML diagrams to ASCII art, Creating sequence diagrams, class diagrams, flowcharts in ASCII format, Generating Unicode-enhanced ASCII art with -utxt flag

Its SKILL.md is about 1.5k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. It is a single SKILL.md file with no bundled scripts.

It sits in Development, covering Diagrams. The repository describes itself as: Community-contributed instructions, agents, skills, and configurations to help you make the most of GitHub Copilot. The licence is MIT.

When your agent uses it

  • User asks to create ASCII diagrams
  • Text-based diagrams
  • Terminal-friendly diagrams
  • Mentions plantuml ascii

Example prompts

  • “/plantuml-ascii”

Requirements

  • Pre-approved tools (allowed-tools): Bash, Write, Read

Workflow steps

3 steps, taken from the step headings in SKILL.md.

  1. Create PlantUML Diagram File
  2. Generate ASCII Art
  3. View Output

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 7cce7cf. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

  • Tool permissions

    Pre-approves these tools, so the agent can use them without asking each time:

    • Bash
    • Write
    • Read

    From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.

  • Runs code

    Shell commands in SKILL.md call:

    • java
    • brew
    • apt-get
    • yum
    • wget

    From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.

  • Network

    Hosts in commands or code, which the agent is likely to contact:

    • github.com

    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

Plantuml Ascii loads about 1.5k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 101 tokens; SKILL.md has 250 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~101
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~1.5k

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: notes

The automated check noted patterns worth knowing about, such as sudo or a known installer.

  • NoteRuns commands with sudoSKILL.md:30
    sudo apt-get install plantuml  # Ubuntu/Debian
  • NoteRuns commands with sudoSKILL.md:31
    sudo yum install plantuml      # RHEL/CentOS
  • NotePre-approves every shell command (allowed-tools: Bash)SKILL.md
    allowed-tools: Bash, Write, Read

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 github/awesome-copilot at commit 7cce7cf, republished under its MIT licence (© github). 250 words, ~1,489 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/plantuml-ascii/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).
name
plantuml-ascii
description
Generate ASCII art diagrams using PlantUML text mode. Use when user asks to create ASCII diagrams, text-based diagrams, terminal-friendly diagrams, or mentions plantuml ascii, text diagram, ascii art diagram. Supports: Converting PlantUML diagrams to ASCII art, Creating sequence diagrams, class diagrams, flowcharts in ASCII format, Generating Unicode-enhanced ASCII art with -utxt flag
allowed-tools
Bash, Write, Read
license
MIT

PlantUML ASCII Art Diagram Generator

Overview

Create text-based ASCII art diagrams using PlantUML. Perfect for documentation in terminal environments, README files, emails, or any scenario where graphical diagrams aren't suitable.

What is PlantUML ASCII Art?

PlantUML can generate diagrams as plain text (ASCII art) instead of images. This is useful for:

  • Terminal-based workflows
  • Git commits/PRs without image support
  • Documentation that needs to be version-controlled
  • Environments where graphical tools aren't available

Installation

bash
# macOS
brew install plantuml

# Linux (varies by distro)
sudo apt-get install plantuml  # Ubuntu/Debian
sudo yum install plantuml      # RHEL/CentOS

# Or download JAR directly
wget https://github.com/plantuml/plantuml/releases/download/v1.2024.0/plantuml-1.2024.0.jar

Output Formats

FlagFormatDescription
-txtASCIIPure ASCII characters
-utxtUnicode ASCIIEnhanced with box-drawing characters

Basic Workflow

1. Create PlantUML Diagram File
plantuml
@startuml
participant Bob
actor Alice

Bob -> Alice : hello
Alice -> Bob : Is it ok?
@enduml
2. Generate ASCII Art
bash
# Standard ASCII output
plantuml -txt diagram.puml

# Unicode-enhanced output (better looking)
plantuml -utxt diagram.puml

# Using JAR directly
java -jar plantuml.jar -txt diagram.puml
java -jar plantuml.jar -utxt diagram.puml
3. View Output

Output is saved as diagram.atxt (ASCII) or diagram.utxt (Unicode).

Diagram Types Supported

Sequence Diagram
plantuml
@startuml
actor User
participant "Web App" as App
database "Database" as DB

User -> App : Login Request
App -> DB : Validate Credentials
DB --> App : User Data
App --> User : Auth Token
@enduml
Class Diagram
plantuml
@startuml
class User {
  +id: int
  +name: string
  +email: string
  +login(): bool
}

class Order {
  +id: int
  +total: float
  +items: List
  +calculateTotal(): float
}

User "1" -- "*" Order : places
@enduml
Activity Diagram
plantuml
@startuml
start
:Initialize;
if (Is Valid?) then (yes)
  :Process Data;
  :Save Result;
else (no)
  :Log Error;
  stop
endif
:Complete;
stop
@enduml
State Diagram
plantuml
@startuml
[*] --> Idle
Idle --> Processing : start
Processing --> Success : complete
Processing --> Error : fail
Success --> [*]
Error --> Idle : retry
@enduml
Component Diagram
plantuml
@startuml
[Client] as client
[API Gateway] as gateway
[Service A] as svcA
[Service B] as svcB
[Database] as db

client --> gateway
gateway --> svcA
gateway --> svcB
svcA --> db
svcB --> db
@enduml
Use Case Diagram
plantuml
@startuml
actor "User" as user
actor "Admin" as admin

rectangle "System" {
  user -- (Login)
  user -- (View Profile)
  user -- (Update Settings)
  admin -- (Manage Users)
  admin -- (Configure System)
}
@enduml
Deployment Diagram
plantuml
@startuml
actor "User" as user
node "Load Balancer" as lb
node "Web Server 1" as ws1
node "Web Server 2" as ws2
database "Primary DB" as db1
database "Replica DB" as db2

user --> lb
lb --> ws1
lb --> ws2
ws1 --> db1
ws2 --> db1
db1 --> db2 : replicate
@enduml

Command-Line Options

bash
# Specify output directory
plantuml -txt -o ./output diagram.puml

# Process all files in directory
plantuml -txt ./diagrams/

# Include dot files (hidden files)
plantuml -txt -includeDot diagrams/

# Verbose output
plantuml -txt -v diagram.puml

# Specify charset
plantuml -txt -charset UTF-8 diagram.puml

Ant Task Integration

xml
<target name="generate-ascii">
  <plantuml dir="./src" format="txt" />
</target>

<target name="generate-unicode-ascii">
  <plantuml dir="./src" format="utxt" />
</target>

Tips for Better ASCII Diagrams

  1. Keep it simple: Complex diagrams don't render well in ASCII
  2. Short labels: Long text breaks ASCII alignment
  3. Use Unicode (-utxt): Better visual quality with box-drawing chars
  4. Test before sharing: Verify in terminal with fixed-width font
  5. Consider alternatives: For complex diagrams, use Mermaid.js or graphviz

Example Output Comparison

Standard ASCII (-txt):

     ,---.          ,---.
     |Bob|          |Alice|
     `---'          `---'
      |   hello      |
      |------------->|
      |              |
      |  Is it ok?   |
      |<-------------|
      |              |

Unicode ASCII (-utxt):

┌─────┐        ┌─────┐
│ Bob │        │Alice│
└─────┘        └─────┘
  │   hello      │
  │─────────────>│
  │              │
  │  Is it ok?   │
  │<─────────────│
  │              │

Quick Reference

bash
# Create sequence diagram in ASCII
cat > seq.puml << 'EOF'
@startuml
Alice -> Bob: Request
Bob --> Alice: Response
@enduml
EOF

plantuml -txt seq.puml
cat seq.atxt

# Create with Unicode
plantuml -utxt seq.puml
cat seq.utxt

Troubleshooting

Problem: Garbled Unicode characters

  • Solution: Ensure terminal supports UTF-8 and has proper font

Problem: Diagram looks misaligned

  • Solution: Use fixed-width font (Courier, Monaco, Consolas)

Problem: Command not found

  • Solution: Install PlantUML or use Java JAR directly

Problem: Output file not created

  • Solution: Check file permissions, ensure PlantUML has write access

© github, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file

Files

Just SKILL.md in skills/plantuml-ascii of github/awesome-copilot.

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 7cce7cf

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 github/awesome-copilot, which our catalogue first saw on October 7, 2026.

Compare with similar skills

Plantuml Ascii 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.

Plantuml Ascii compared with similar skills
SkillStarsUsed inTokensAuto-checkLicenceRepo updated
Plantuml Ascii this skillgithub/awesome-copilot40k1 repos~1.5kAutomated safety check: NotesMIT
Archify Diagramstt-a1i/archify79k—~2.9kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
JSON Canvasheyitsnoah/claudesidian2.6k18 repos~3.5kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Diagram Designcathrynlavery/diagram-design45k1 repos~7.5kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Fireworks Tech Graphtisfeng/Easydict15k1 repos~1.4kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Excalidraw Diagramcoleam00/excalidraw-diagram-skill5k2 repos~6.1kAutomated safety check: PassNone

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Categories

Questions about Plantuml Ascii

What does Plantuml Ascii do?

Generate ASCII art diagrams using PlantUML text mode. An agent skill from github/awesome-copilot. Plantuml Ascii is an agent skill from github/awesome-copilot, published by the product's own GitHub organization. Generate ASCII art diagrams using PlantUML text mode.

When should I use Plantuml Ascii?

Plantuml Ascii fits situations like: user asks to create ASCII diagrams; text-based diagrams; terminal-friendly diagrams; mentions plantuml ascii.

How do I install Plantuml Ascii in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add github/awesome-copilot --skill plantuml-ascii -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/plantuml-ascii in github/awesome-copilot) into .claude/skills/plantuml-ascii in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Plantuml Ascii in Codex?

Run `npx skills add github/awesome-copilot --skill plantuml-ascii -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/plantuml-ascii in github/awesome-copilot) into .agents/skills/plantuml-ascii in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Plantuml Ascii 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 github/awesome-copilot --skill plantuml-ascii -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/plantuml-ascii, .gemini/skills/plantuml-ascii, .github/skills/plantuml-ascii and .opencode/skills/plantuml-ascii in your project.

What does Plantuml Ascii need to run?

Going by SKILL.md and its folder, Plantuml Ascii needs the command-line tools its instructions call (java, brew, apt-get, yum and wget). Its frontmatter pre-approves these tools: Bash, Write, Read.

Does Plantuml Ascii access the network?

SKILL.md names 1 domain. In commands or code: github.com; the agent is likely to contact it when it follows the instructions. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Plantuml Ascii safe to install?

Our automated static check of SKILL.md found notes only (runs commands with sudo; pre-approves every shell command (allowed-tools: bash)), nothing it rates as a warning. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.

What licence does Plantuml Ascii use?

Plantuml Ascii is published under the MIT licence (declared in SKILL.md). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does Plantuml Ascii use?

About 1.5k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 6k 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 Plantuml Ascii?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Plantuml Ascii: Archify Diagrams (tt-a1i/archify, 79k stars), JSON Canvas (heyitsnoah/claudesidian, 2.6k stars), Diagram Design (cathrynlavery/diagram-design, 45k stars) and Fireworks Tech Graph (tisfeng/Easydict, 15k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Plantuml Ascii?

github (a GitHub organization, an official publisher) maintains it in github/awesome-copilot, which has 39,792 GitHub stars. The repository holds 417 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 8, 2026.

Source: github/awesome-copilot on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.