Excalidraw Diagram Generator

Generate valid Excalidraw JSON for diagrams that can be opened in Excalidraw, embedded in documentation, or used in Obsidian.

JSON Schema Structure

{
  "type": "excalidraw",
  "version": 2,
  "source": "https://excalidraw.com",
  "elements": [],
  "appState": {
    "gridSize": 20,
    "viewBackgroundColor": "#ffffff"
  },
  "files": {}
}

Element Types

Base Properties (all elements)

{
  "id": "unique-id",
  "type": "rectangle|ellipse|diamond|text|arrow|line",
  "x": 0,
  "y": 0,
  "width": 100,
  "height": 50,
  "angle": 0,
  "strokeColor": "#1e1e1e",
  "backgroundColor": "transparent",
  "fillStyle": "solid",
  "strokeWidth": 2,
  "strokeStyle": "solid",
  "roughness": 1,
  "opacity": 100,
  "seed": 12345,
  "version": 1,
  "isDeleted": false,
  "groupIds": [],
  "frameId": null,
  "roundness": { "type": 3 },
  "boundElements": null
}

Shape Elements: rectangle, ellipse, diamond

Use for boxes, containers, nodes. Diamond for decision points.

Text Elements

{
  "type": "text",
  "text": "Label",
  "fontSize": 20,
  "fontFamily": 1,
  "textAlign": "center",
  "verticalAlign": "middle",
  "containerId": null
}

fontFamily: 1=Virgil (hand-drawn), 2=Helvetica, 3=Cascadia (code)

Linear Elements: arrow, line

{
  "type": "arrow",
  "points": [[0, 0], [100, 0]],
  "startBinding": null,
  "endBinding": null,
  "startArrowhead": null,
  "endArrowhead": "arrow"
}

startArrowhead/endArrowhead: null, "arrow", "bar", "dot", "triangle"

Binding Arrows to Shapes

To connect arrows to shapes, use bindings:

{
  "startBinding": {
    "elementId": "target-shape-id",
    "focus": 0,
    "gap": 5
  },
  "endBinding": {
    "elementId": "target-shape-id",
    "focus": 0,
    "gap": 5
  }
}

When binding, add boundElements to the target shape:

{
  "boundElements": [
    { "id": "arrow-id", "type": "arrow" }
  ]
}

Style Values

Color Palette

Stroke: #1e1e1e (black), #e03131 (red), #2f9e44 (green), #1971c2 (blue)
Background: transparent, #ffc9c9 (light red), #b2f2bb (light green), 
            #a5d8ff (light blue), #ffec99 (light yellow), #d0bfff (light purple)

Generation Workflow

1. Plan layout: Sketch positions on a grid (increments of 50-100px)
2. Create shapes first: Generate all boxes/nodes with unique IDs
3. Add text: Create text elements, optionally bound to containers
4. Add connections: Create arrows with bindings to shape IDs
5. Update boundElements: Add arrow references to connected shapes

ID Generation

Use descriptive IDs: "memory-client-box", "arrow-client-to-store", "label-extraction"

Common Patterns

Architecture Box with Label

[
  {
    "id": "box-1",
    "type": "rectangle",
    "x": 100, "y": 100,
    "width": 200, "height": 80,
    "strokeColor": "#1e1e1e",
    "backgroundColor": "#a5d8ff",
    "fillStyle": "solid",
    "boundElements": [{ "id": "text-1", "type": "text" }]
  },
  {
    "id": "text-1",
    "type": "text",
    "x": 200, "y": 140,
    "text": "Component",
    "fontSize": 20,
    "textAlign": "center",
    "containerId": "box-1"
  }
]

Connected Flowchart

See references/examples.md for complete flowchart and architecture examples.

Output

Save as .excalidraw file (JSON with .excalidraw extension). Present to user for download.

Replacing ASCII Placeholder Diagrams

When converting asciidoc placeholder diagrams like:

+------------------+
|   Component      |
+------------------+

Map to proper Excalidraw elements with appropriate sizing, colors, and connections.

Documentation Diagram Workflow

This project uses a structured workflow for managing documentation diagrams:

Finding Placeholders

Placeholder diagrams in AsciiDoc files use this pattern:

.Diagram Title
[cols="1", options="header"]
|===
| [DIAGRAM PLACEHOLDER: Diagram Name]

a|
[source,text]
----
ASCII art representation here
----
|===

Using the Management Script

# List all placeholder diagrams
make docs-diagrams-list

# Show status (which have Excalidraw files)
make docs-diagrams-status

# Show only missing diagrams
make docs-diagrams-missing

# Add image references after generating diagrams
make docs-diagrams-add-refs

File Locations

• Excalidraw JSON: docs/assets/images/diagrams/excalidraw/{slug}.excalidraw
• Exported PNG: docs/assets/images/diagrams/{slug}.png
• Management script: scripts/manage_diagrams.py

Generating a Diagram

1. Run make docs-diagrams-missing to see what's needed
2. Read the ASCII art from the placeholder table
3. Generate Excalidraw JSON following this skill's patterns
4. Save to docs/assets/images/diagrams/excalidraw/{slug}.excalidraw
5. Export to PNG using Excalidraw (https://excalidraw.com)
6. Run make docs-diagrams-add-refs to update AsciiDoc files

Diagram Style Guidelines for This Project

• Memory types: Use distinct colors per memory type

  • Short-Term: Green (#b2f2bb / #2f9e44)
  • Long-Term: Yellow (#ffec99 / #f08c00)
  • Reasoning: Purple (#d0bfff / #9c36b5)
  • Neo4j/Storage: Blue (#a5d8ff / #1971c2)

• Pipeline stages: Use vertical flow with colored boxes

• Graph schemas: Use ellipses for nodes, labeled arrows for relationships

• Architecture: Use rectangles with hierarchy (top-level → components → storage)