Excalidraw

1. NEVER Use Diamond Shapes

Diamond arrow connections are broken in raw Excalidraw JSON. Use styled rectangles instead:

2. Labels Require TWO Elements

The label property does NOT work in raw JSON. Every labeled shape needs:

// 1. Shape with boundElements reference
{
  "id": "my-box",
  "type": "rectangle",
  "boundElements": [{ "type": "text", "id": "my-box-text" }]
}

// 2. Separate text element with containerId
{
  "id": "my-box-text",
  "type": "text",
  "containerId": "my-box",
  "strokeColor": "#1e1e2e",   // ALWAYS near-black — never inherit shape color
  "text": "My Label"
}

3. Text Color Is Always Black

All type: "text" elements must use "strokeColor": "#1e1e2e". Never copy the parent shape's stroke color — colored text is hard to read.

4. Elbow Arrows Need Three Properties

For 90-degree corners (not curved):

{
  "type": "arrow",
  "roughness": 0,        // Clean lines
  "roundness": null,     // Sharp corners
  "elbowed": true        // 90-degree mode
}

4. Arrow Edge Calculations

Arrows must start/end at shape edges, not centers:

Detailed arrow routing: See references/arrows.md

Element Types

Full JSON format: See references/json-format.md

Font Family Values

Use fontFamily in all text elements. Recommended: 3 (Code / Cascadia) for a clean, readable look.

⚠️ fontFamily 5 changed in v0.17+: It used to be Nunito — now it's Excalifont. Nunito moved to 6. Always use Virgil (1) for maximum compatibility across excalidraw versions.

Workflow

Step 1: Analyze Codebase

Discover components by looking for:

Use tools:

• Glob → **/package.json, **/Dockerfile, **/*.tf
• Grep → app.get, @Controller, CREATE TABLE
• Read → README, config files, entry points

Step 2: Plan Layout

Vertical flow (most common):

Row 1: Users/Entry points (y: 100)
Row 2: Frontend/Gateway (y: 230)
Row 3: Orchestration (y: 380)
Row 4: Services (y: 530)
Row 5: Data layer (y: 680)

Columns: x = 100, 300, 500, 700, 900
Element size: 160-200px x 80-90px

Other patterns: See references/examples.md

Step 3: Generate Elements

For each component:

1. Create shape with unique id
2. Add boundElements referencing text
3. Create text with containerId
4. Choose color based on type

Color palettes: See references/colors.md

Step 4: Add Connections

For each relationship:

1. Calculate source edge point
2. Plan elbow route (avoid overlaps)
3. Create arrow with points array
4. Match stroke color to destination type

Arrow patterns: See references/arrows.md

Step 5: Add Grouping (Optional)

For logical groupings:

• Large transparent rectangle with strokeStyle: "dashed"
• Standalone text label at top-left

Step 6: Validate and Write

Run validation before writing. Save to docs/ or user-specified path.

Validation checklist: See references/validation.md

Step 7: Export to PNG/SVG (Optional)

After writing the .excalidraw file, ask the user if they want PNG, SVG, or both exports.

Preferred method: Node.js CLI (no browser required):

node .claude/skills/excalidraw/lib/export.cjs diagram.excalidraw diagram.png

One-time setup: cd .claude/skills/excalidraw/lib && npm install

Fallback: Playwright MCP tools (browser_navigate, browser_run_code, browser_close) if Node.js CLI is unavailable.

Full export procedure: See references/export.md

Quick Arrow Reference

Straight down:

{ "points": [[0, 0], [0, 110]], "x": 590, "y": 290 }

L-shape (left then down):

{ "points": [[0, 0], [-325, 0], [-325, 125]], "x": 525, "y": 420 }

U-turn (callback):

{ "points": [[0, 0], [50, 0], [50, -125], [20, -125]], "x": 710, "y": 440 }

Arrow width/height = bounding box of points:

points [[0,0], [-440,0], [-440,70]] → width=440, height=70

Multiple arrows from same edge - stagger positions:

5 arrows: 20%, 35%, 50%, 65%, 80% across edge width

Default Color Palette

Cloud-specific palettes: See references/colors.md

Quick Validation Checklist

Before writing file:

• Every shape with label has boundElements + text element
• Text elements have containerId matching shape
• Multi-point arrows have elbowed: true, roundness: null
• Arrow x,y = source shape edge point
• Arrow final point offset reaches target edge
• No diamond shapes
• No duplicate IDs

Full validation algorithm: See references/validation.md

Common Issues

Detailed bug fixes: See references/validation.md

Reference Files

Output

• Location: docs/architecture/ or user-specified
• Filename: Descriptive, e.g., system-architecture.excalidraw
• Exports (optional): system-architecture.svg and/or system-architecture.png in same directory
• Testing: Open .excalidraw in https://excalidraw.com or VS Code extension; .svg and .png can be viewed directly or embedded in documentation