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.
Best practices for creating research diagrams with Excalidraw MCP tools
Install Diagram Design
$ npx skills add vstorm-co/pydantic-deepagents --skill diagram-design -a claude-codeProject install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.
$ gh skill install vstorm-co/pydantic-deepagents diagram-design --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/vstorm-co/pydantic-deepagents.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/apps/deepresearch/skills/diagram-design .claude/skills/diagram-design && 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 "diagram-design" agent skill from https://github.com/vstorm-co/pydantic-deepagents/tree/main/apps/deepresearch/skills/diagram-design into .claude/skills/diagram-design/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "diagram-design", 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/vstorm-co/pydantic-deepagents/tree/main/apps/deepresearch/skills/diagram-designType 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 vstorm-co/pydantic-deepagents --skill diagram-design -a codexProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.
$ gh skill install vstorm-co/pydantic-deepagents diagram-design --agent codexProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/vstorm-co/pydantic-deepagents.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/apps/deepresearch/skills/diagram-design .agents/skills/diagram-design && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.
Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/
Install the "diagram-design" agent skill from https://github.com/vstorm-co/pydantic-deepagents/tree/main/apps/deepresearch/skills/diagram-design into .agents/skills/diagram-design/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "diagram-design", 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 vstorm-co/pydantic-deepagents --skill diagram-design -a cursorProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.
$ gh skill install vstorm-co/pydantic-deepagents diagram-design --agent cursorProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/vstorm-co/pydantic-deepagents.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/apps/deepresearch/skills/diagram-design .cursor/skills/diagram-design && 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 "diagram-design" agent skill from https://github.com/vstorm-co/pydantic-deepagents/tree/main/apps/deepresearch/skills/diagram-design into .cursor/skills/diagram-design/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "diagram-design", 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/vstorm-co/pydantic-deepagents.git --path apps/deepresearch/skills/diagram-design--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 vstorm-co/pydantic-deepagents --skill diagram-design -a gemini-cliProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.
$ gh skill install vstorm-co/pydantic-deepagents diagram-design --agent gemini-cliProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/vstorm-co/pydantic-deepagents.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/apps/deepresearch/skills/diagram-design .gemini/skills/diagram-design && 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 "diagram-design" agent skill from https://github.com/vstorm-co/pydantic-deepagents/tree/main/apps/deepresearch/skills/diagram-design into .gemini/skills/diagram-design/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "diagram-design", 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 vstorm-co/pydantic-deepagents diagram-designInstalls 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 vstorm-co/pydantic-deepagents --skill diagram-design -a github-copilotProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/vstorm-co/pydantic-deepagents.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/apps/deepresearch/skills/diagram-design .github/skills/diagram-design && 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 "diagram-design" agent skill from https://github.com/vstorm-co/pydantic-deepagents/tree/main/apps/deepresearch/skills/diagram-design into .github/skills/diagram-design/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "diagram-design", 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 vstorm-co/pydantic-deepagents --skill diagram-design -a opencodeOpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.
$ gh skill install vstorm-co/pydantic-deepagents diagram-design --agent opencodeProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/vstorm-co/pydantic-deepagents.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/apps/deepresearch/skills/diagram-design .opencode/skills/diagram-design && 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 "diagram-design" agent skill from https://github.com/vstorm-co/pydantic-deepagents/tree/main/apps/deepresearch/skills/diagram-design into .opencode/skills/diagram-design/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "diagram-design", 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
diagram-design- GitHub stars
- 1.1k
- Token cost
- ~884 tokens
- SKILL.md length
- 321 words
- Files
- 1
- Skills in repo
- 14
- Repo updated
- First seen
- Licence
- MIT
At a glance
Best practices for creating research diagrams with Excalidraw MCP tools
- Works in 6 steps: Plan the diagram — decide type,… → Create elements — use create_element or… → Arrange — use align_elements and… → …
- Tasks that involve Diagrams
- SKILL.md covers When to Create Diagrams, Excalidraw Workflow, Color Palette and Layout Patterns, plus 3 more sections
- Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md
What it does
Diagram Design is an agent skill from vstorm-co/pydantic-deepagents. Best practices for creating research diagrams with Excalidraw MCP tools
Its SKILL.md is about 880 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. It works with Excalidraw. The repository describes itself as: Open-source, self-hosted Claude Code - a terminal AI assistant and the Python framework behind it. Tool-calling, sandboxed execution, multi-agent teams, skills, checkpoints… The licence is MIT.
When your agent uses it
- Tasks that involve Diagrams
Example prompts
- “/diagram-design”
Workflow steps
6 steps, taken from the first numbered list in SKILL.md.
- Plan the diagram — decide type, elements, and layout before creating
- Create elements — use create_element or batch_create_elements
- Arrange — use align_elements and distribute_elements for clean layout
- Inspect — use describe_scene to verify the diagram looks right
- Adjust — use update_element to fix positioning or text
- Group — use group_elements to lock related items together
What it can do on your machine
Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 650b592. 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
Diagram Design loads about 884 tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 22 tokens; SKILL.md has 321 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 vstorm-co/pydantic-deepagents at commit 650b592, republished under its MIT licence (© vstorm-co). 321 words, ~884 tokens.
Download SKILL.mdSave it as
.claude/skills/diagram-design/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).- name
- diagram-design
- description
- Best practices for creating research diagrams with Excalidraw MCP tools
Diagram Design Guide for Research
When to Create Diagrams
Create a diagram when your research findings involve:
- Comparing 3+ options — comparison table or matrix diagram
- Process with 4+ steps — flowchart or sequence diagram
- System with multiple components — architecture diagram
- Chronological events — timeline
- Hierarchical relationships — tree or mind map
- Data flows — data flow diagram
Excalidraw Workflow
- Plan the diagram — decide type, elements, and layout before creating
- Create elements — use
create_elementorbatch_create_elements - Arrange — use
align_elementsanddistribute_elementsfor clean layout - Inspect — use
describe_sceneto verify the diagram looks right - Adjust — use
update_elementto fix positioning or text - Group — use
group_elementsto lock related items together
Note: Do NOT export or share links — the user sees a live embedded canvas that auto-syncs.
Color Palette
Use consistent colors across diagrams:
| Purpose | Color | Hex |
|---|---|---|
| Primary concepts | Blue | #1971c2 |
| Positive / supported | Green | #2f9e44 |
| Negative / limitations | Red | #e03131 |
| Warning / caveats | Orange | #e8590c |
| Neutral / context | Gray | #868e96 |
| Highlight / focus | Yellow | #f08c00 |
Layout Patterns
- Top-to-bottom: Process flows, decision trees, timelines
- Left-to-right: Comparisons, before/after, pipelines
- Radial / center-out: Concept maps, mind maps
- Grid: Feature matrices, comparison tables
Element Guidelines
Text
- Use short labels (2-4 words per element)
- Title font size: 20-24px
- Label font size: 14-16px
- Add detail in sub-labels, not element titles
Shapes
- Rectangles: Processes, components, entities
- Diamonds: Decision points
- Ellipses: Start/end points, concepts
- Rectangles with rounded corners: Groups, categories
Arrows
- Solid arrows: Direct relationships, data flow
- Dashed arrows: Optional paths, indirect relationships
- Label arrows to clarify the relationship
Spacing
- 40px minimum between elements
- 80px between groups
- Consistent spacing within a group
Diagram Types for Research
Comparison Diagram
[Option A] [Option B] [Option C]
| | |
[Pros] [Pros] [Pros]
[Cons] [Cons] [Cons]
| | |
└──── [Verdict] ─────────┘Architecture Diagram
┌─────────────────────────────┐
│ [System Name] │
│ ┌──────┐ ┌──────┐ │
│ │Comp A│──│Comp B│ │
│ └──────┘ └──┬───┘ │
│ │ │
│ ┌────▼────┐ │
│ │ Comp C │ │
│ └─────────┘ │
└─────────────────────────────┘Timeline
[2020]──[2021]──[2022]──[2023]──[2024]──[2025]
│ │ │ │ │ │
Event Event Event Event Event EventTips
- Always call
describe_sceneafter creating elements to verify layout - Use
batch_create_elementsfor efficiency (multiple elements at once) - Group related elements before aligning for cleaner organization
- Do NOT export or share links — the live embedded canvas auto-syncs for the user
- NEVER use
create_from_mermaid— it produces invisible results. Always usebatch_create_elementswith element JSON instead
© vstorm-co, 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 apps/deepresearch/skills/diagram-design of vstorm-co/pydantic-deepagents.
Open the folder on GitHubat commit 650b592
Compare with similar skills
Diagram Design 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diagram Design this skillvstorm-co/pydantic-deepagents | 1.1k | — | ~884 | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Diagram Designcathrynlavery/diagram-design | 49k | 1 repos | ~7.6k | 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 | 995 | — | ~1.1k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT |
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Related
Works with
Categories
Questions about Diagram Design
What does Diagram Design do?
Best practices for creating research diagrams with Excalidraw MCP tools. Diagram Design is an agent skill from vstorm-co/pydantic-deepagents.
When should I use Diagram Design?
Diagram Design fits situations like: tasks that involve Diagrams.
How do I install Diagram Design in Claude Code?
Run `npx skills add vstorm-co/pydantic-deepagents --skill diagram-design -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (apps/deepresearch/skills/diagram-design in vstorm-co/pydantic-deepagents) into .claude/skills/diagram-design in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.
How do I install Diagram Design in Codex?
Run `npx skills add vstorm-co/pydantic-deepagents --skill diagram-design -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (apps/deepresearch/skills/diagram-design in vstorm-co/pydantic-deepagents) into .agents/skills/diagram-design in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.
Can I use Diagram Design 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 vstorm-co/pydantic-deepagents --skill diagram-design -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/diagram-design, .gemini/skills/diagram-design, .github/skills/diagram-design and .opencode/skills/diagram-design in your project.
What does Diagram Design need to run?
SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: Diagram Design is instructions for the agent only.
Does Diagram Design 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 Diagram Design 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 Diagram Design use?
Diagram Design 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 Diagram Design use?
About 884 tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 3.5k 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 Diagram Design?
Skills that share tags, products or a category with Diagram Design: Diagram Design (cathrynlavery/diagram-design, 49k 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 Diagram Design?
vstorm-co (a GitHub organization) maintains it in vstorm-co/pydantic-deepagents, which has 1,078 GitHub stars. The repository holds 14 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 6, 2026.
Source: vstorm-co/pydantic-deepagents on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.