drawio-skill — From Text to Professional Diagrams

中文文档 | Online Docs

What it does

• Generates .drawio XML files from natural language descriptions
• Exports diagrams to PNG, SVG, PDF, or JPG using the native draw.io desktop CLI
• 6 diagram type presets: ERD, UML Class, Sequence, Architecture, ML/Deep Learning, Flowchart — with preset shapes, styles, and layout conventions
• Animated connectors (flowAnimation=1) for data-flow and pipeline diagrams (visible in SVG and draw.io desktop)
• ML model diagram support with tensor shape annotations (B, C, H, W) — ideal for NeurIPS/ICML/ICLR papers
• Grid-aligned layout — all coordinates snap to 10px multiples for clean alignment
• Browser fallback — generates diagrams.net URLs when the desktop CLI is unavailable
• Iterative design: preview, get feedback, and refine diagrams until they look right
• Auto-launch draw.io desktop after export for manual fine-tuning
• Triggers automatically when diagrams would help explain complex systems
• Style presets (v1.3 new) — teach the skill your visual style from a .drawio file or image, save it by name, and apply it to future diagrams. See ## Style Presets in SKILL.md.
• Custom output directory (v1.4 new) — ask for any output path (e.g. ./artifacts/, docs/images/) and the skill will mkdir -p and export there; ideal for CI/CD artifact pipelines.

Comparison

vs No Skill (native agent)

Feature	Native agent	This skill
Generate draw.io XML	Yes — LLMs know the format	Yes
Self-check after export	No	Yes — reads PNG and auto-fixes 6 issue types
Iterative review loop	No — must manually re-prompt	Yes — targeted edits, 5-round safety valve
Proactive triggers	No — only when explicitly asked	Yes — auto-suggests when 3+ components
Layout guidelines	None — varies by run	Complexity-scaled spacing, routing corridors, hub placement
Grid alignment	No	Yes — all coordinates snap to 10px multiples
Diagram type presets	No	Yes — 6 presets (ERD, UML, Sequence, Architecture, ML/DL, Flowchart)
Animated connectors	No	Yes — flowAnimation=1 for data-flow visualization
ML model diagrams	No	Yes — tensor shape annotations, layer-type color coding
Color palette	Random/inconsistent	7-color semantic system (blue=services, green=DB, purple=auth...)
Edge routing rules	Basic	Pin entry/exit points, distribute connections, waypoint corridors
Container/group patterns	None	Swimlane, group, custom container with parent-child nesting
Embed diagram in export	No	Yes — --embed-diagram keeps exported PNG/SVG/PDF editable
Browser fallback	No	Yes — generates diagrams.net URL when CLI unavailable
Auto-launch desktop app	No	Yes — opens .drawio file after export for fine-tuning

vs Other draw.io Skills & Tools

Feature	This skill	jgraph/drawio-mcp (official, 1.3k⭐)	bahayonghang/drawio-skills (60⭐)	GBSOSS/ai-drawio (63⭐)
Approach	Pure SKILL.md	SKILL.md / MCP / Project	YAML DSL + MCP	Plugin + browser
Dependencies	draw.io desktop only	draw.io desktop	MCP server (npx)	Browser + local server
Multi-agent	✅ 6 platforms	❌ Claude Code only	❌ Claude Code only	❌
Self-check	✅ 2-round auto-fix	❌	❌	❌ screenshot
Iterative review	✅ 5-round loop	❌ generate once	✅ 3 workflows	❌
Layout guidance	✅ complexity-scaled + grid snap	✅ basic spacing	❌ relies on MCP	❌
Diagram presets	✅ 6 types (ERD, UML, Seq, Arch, ML, Flow)	❌	❌	❌
Animated edges	✅ flowAnimation=1	❌	❌	❌
ML/DL diagrams	✅ tensor shapes, layer colors	❌	❌	❌
Color system	✅ 7-color semantic	❌	✅ 5 themes	❌
Container/group	✅ swimlane + group	✅ detailed	❌	❌
Embed diagram	✅ --embed-diagram	✅	❌	❌
Edge routing	✅ corridors + waypoints	✅ arrowhead rules	❌	❌
Browser fallback	✅ diagrams.net URL	❌	❌	❌
Auto-launch	✅ opens desktop app	❌	❌	❌
Cloud icons	AWS basic	❌	✅ AWS/GCP/Azure/K8s	❌
Zero-config	✅ copy skills/drawio-skill/	✅	❌ needs npx	❌ needs plugin install

Key advantages

1. Self-check + iterative loop — the only pure-SKILL.md solution that reads its own output and auto-fixes before showing the user, then supports multi-round refinement
2. 6 diagram type presets — ERD, UML Class, Sequence, Architecture, ML/Deep Learning, Flowchart — each with preset shapes, styles, and layout conventions
3. ML/DL model diagrams — tensor shape annotations, layer-type color coding, encoder/decoder swimlanes — built for academic papers
4. Multi-agent, zero-config — works across 6 platforms with just the skills/drawio-skill/ directory + draw.io desktop. No MCP server, no Python, no Node.js, no browser
5. Production-grade layout — grid-aligned coordinates, complexity-scaled spacing, routing corridors, hub-center strategy, animated connectors
6. Browser fallback — generates diagrams.net URLs when the desktop CLI is unavailable, plus auto-launch for desktop editing

Supported diagram types

• Architecture: microservices, cloud (AWS/GCP/Azure), network topology, deployment — with tier-based swimlanes and hub-center strategy
• ML / Deep Learning: Transformer, CNN, LSTM, GRU architectures — with tensor shape annotations and layer-type color coding
• Flowcharts: business processes, workflows, decision trees, state machines — with semantic shape types (parallelogram I/O, diamond decisions)
• UML: class diagrams (inheritance/composition/aggregation arrows), sequence diagrams (lifelines, activation boxes)
• Data: ER diagrams (table containers, PK/FK notation), data flow diagrams (DFD)
• Other: org charts, mind maps, wireframes

How it works

Prerequisites

The draw.io desktop app must be installed for diagram export:

macOS

# Recommended — Homebrew
brew install --cask drawio

# Verify
drawio --version

Windows

Download and install from: https://github.com/jgraph/drawio-desktop/releases

# Verify
"C:\Program Files\draw.io\draw.io.exe" --version

Linux

Download .deb or .rpm from: https://github.com/jgraph/drawio-desktop/releases

# Headless export (required on Linux servers without display)
sudo apt install xvfb  # Debian/Ubuntu
xvfb-run -a drawio --version

Platform	Extra step
macOS	No extra steps after Homebrew install
Windows	Use full path if not in PATH
Linux	Wrap commands with xvfb-run -a for headless export

Installation

# Any agent (Claude Code, Cursor, Copilot, etc.)
npx skills add Agents365-ai/365-skills -g

# Claude Code only
> /plugin marketplace add Agents365-ai/365-skills
> /plugin install drawio

Manual install — clone into your agent's skills directory:

git clone https://github.com/Agents365-ai/drawio-skill.git ~/.claude/skills/drawio-skill

Common paths: ~/.claude/skills/ (Claude Code), ~/.config/opencode/skills/ (Opencode), ~/.openclaw/skills/ (OpenClaw), ~/.agents/skills/ (Codex). Also indexed on SkillsMP and ClawHub.

Updates

The skill auto-checks for updates once per 24 hours on first use in a conversation. When a new version is available, the agent prints a one-line notice in the reply. To apply:

cd <your-install-path>/drawio-skill && git pull

The check is read-only, self-throttled, and silent when up to date, offline, or not a git install — it won't block or slow the workflow.

Plugin-marketplace installs update automatically via the 365-skills umbrella. Package-manager installs handle updates themselves:

# Claude Code plugin
/plugin update drawio

# OpenClaw
clawhub update drawio-pro-skill

# SkillsMP
skills update drawio-skill

Usage

Just describe what you want:

Create a microservices e-commerce architecture with API Gateway, auth/user/order/product/payment services,
Kafka message queue, notification service, and separate databases for each service

The agent will generate the .drawio XML file and export it to PNG automatically.

Example

Prompt:

Create a microservices e-commerce architecture with Mobile/Web/Admin clients, API Gateway, Auth/User/Order/Product/Payment services, Kafka message queue, Notification service, and User DB / Order DB / Product DB / Redis Cache / Stripe API

Output:

Topology demos

The skill handles various diagram topologies with clean edge routing — no lines crossing through shapes.

Star topology (7 nodes)

Central message broker with 6 microservices radiating outward. Edges enter Kafka from different sides, zero crossings.

Layered flow (10 nodes, 4 tiers)

E-commerce architecture with 2 cross-connections: Order→Product (same-tier horizontal) and Auth→Redis (diagonal via routing corridor). All edges route cleanly.

Ring / cycle (8 nodes)

CI/CD pipeline with a closed loop and 2 spur branches. Edges flow along the perimeter without crossing the interior.

Files

• skills/drawio-skill/SKILL.md — the only required file. Loaded by all platforms as the skill instructions.
• skills/drawio-skill/references/ — detail references (diagram types, style presets, extraction, troubleshooting)
• skills/drawio-skill/scripts/ — bundled scripts (PNG repair, browser URL encoder)
• skills/drawio-skill/styles/built-in/ — built-in style presets (default.json, corporate.json, handdrawn.json)
• README.md — this file (English, displayed on GitHub homepage)
• README_CN.md — Chinese documentation
• assets/ — example diagrams and workflow images

Note: Only skills/drawio-skill/SKILL.md and its references/ + scripts/ + styles/ are needed for the skill to work. The assets/ and README files are documentation only and can be safely deleted to save space.

All example diagrams were generated by Claude Opus 4.6 with this skill.

Style Presets

Style presets let you capture and reuse a visual style across diagrams. When a preset is active, it replaces the built-in color palette, shape vocabulary, fonts, and edge defaults.

Built-in presets

Name	Description
default	Clean blue/green/yellow palette matching the built-in conventions
corporate	Muted, professional palette suited for business presentations
handdrawn	Sketch-style strokes for informal or whiteboard-style diagrams

Apply a preset to a diagram

Draw a microservices architecture using my "corporate" style

Or set a default so all future diagrams use it automatically:

Make "corporate" my default style

Learn your style from a file

Point the skill at any .drawio file or flat image:

Learn my style from ~/diagrams/brand.drawio as "mybrand"
Learn my style from ~/diagrams/screenshot.png as "mybrand"

The skill extracts colors, shapes, fonts, and edge style, renders a sample diagram for preview, and saves to ~/.drawio-skill/styles/mybrand.json only after you approve.

Manage presets

What you say	What happens
"list my styles"	Shows all user and built-in presets in a table
"show my <name> style"	Pretty-prints the preset JSON
"make <name> the default"	Sets it as the active default for all diagrams
"remove default"	Clears the default (reverts to built-in conventions)
"delete <name>"	Deletes the user preset (prompts for confirmation)
"rename <a> to <b>"	Renames a user preset

Known Limitations

• Command name varies by platform: macOS Homebrew installs the command as draw.io; some Linux packages use drawio. The skill handles both, but verify which name works on your system with draw.io --version or drawio --version
• Linux headless export: Requires xvfb for display virtualization — without it, CLI export will fail on servers without a display
• Browser fallback requires Python: The diagrams.net URL generator uses python3 for compression/encoding. If neither CLI nor Python is available, the skill generates .drawio XML only
• Self-check requires vision: The auto-fix step reads exported PNGs using the model's vision capability. Models without vision support skip this step
• Cloud icons: Currently supports basic AWS resource icons. GCP, Azure, and Kubernetes icon sets are not yet included
• No source .drawio for microservices example: The microservices-example.png in assets was generated in a session but the source .drawio was not preserved

License

MIT

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Author

Agents365-ai

• Bilibili: https://space.bilibili.com/441831884
• GitHub: https://github.com/Agents365-ai