Excalidraw Studio

Generate Excalidraw-format diagrams from natural language descriptions. Outputs

.excalidraw

JSON files that can be opened directly in Excalidraw (web, VS Code extension, or Obsidian plugin).

Workflow

UNDERSTAND → CHOOSE TYPE → EXTRACT → GENERATE → SAVE

Step 1: Understand the Request

Analyze the user's description to determine:

Diagram type — Use the decision matrix below
Key elements — Entities, steps, concepts, actors
Relationships — Flow direction, connections, hierarchy
Complexity — Number of elements (target: under 20 for clarity)

Step 2: Choose the Diagram Type and Visual Mode

Diagram type:

User Intent	Diagram Type	Keywords
Process flow, steps	Flowchart	"workflow", "process", "steps"
Connections, dependencies	Relationship	"relationship", "connections", "dependencies"
Concept hierarchy	Mind Map	"mind map", "concepts", "breakdown"
System design	Architecture	"architecture", "system", "components"
Data movement	Data Flow (DFD)	"data flow", "data processing"
Cross-functional processes	Swimlane	"business process", "swimlane", "actors"
Object-oriented design	Class Diagram	"class", "inheritance", "OOP"
Interaction sequences	Sequence Diagram	"sequence", "interaction", "messages"
Database design	ER Diagram	"database", "entity", "data model"

Visual mode — decide upfront and apply consistently to all elements:

Mode	`roughness`	`fontFamily`	When to use
Sketch	`1`	`5`	Default — informal, approachable, Excalidraw-native
Clean	`0`	`2`	Executive presentations, formal specs
Mixed	zones: `0` , shapes: `1`	`5`	Architecture diagrams (structural zones + sketchy shapes)

Step 3: Extract Structured Information

Extract the key components based on diagram type. For each type, identify:

Nodes/entities — What are the boxes/shapes?
Connections — What connects to what, and with what label?
Hierarchy — What contains what, what comes before what?
Decision points — Where does the flow branch?

For detailed extraction guidelines per diagram type, read

references/element-types.md

Step 4: Generate the Excalidraw JSON

CRITICAL: Read
references/excalidraw-schema.md
before generating your first diagram. It contains the correct element format, text container model, and binding system.

Key rules for generation:

Text inside shapes — Use

boundElements

on the shape and a separate text element with

containerId

. Never use a

label

shorthand:

json

[
  {
    "id": "step-1",
    "type": "rectangle",
    "x": 100, "y": 100, "width": 200, "height": 80,
    "boundElements": [{ "type": "text", "id": "text-step-1" }]
  },
  {
    "id": "text-step-1",
    "type": "text",
    "x": 130, "y": 128, "width": 140, "height": 24,
    "text": "My Step", "originalText": "My Step",
    "fontSize": 20, "fontFamily": 5,
    "textAlign": "center", "verticalAlign": "middle",
    "containerId": "step-1", "lineHeight": 1.25, "roundness": null
  }
]

Arrow labels — Also use

boundElements

+ separate text element with

containerId

. Never use a

label

shorthand on arrows:

json

[
  {
    "id": "arrow-1",
    "type": "arrow",
    "x": 100, "y": 150,
    "points": [[0, 0], [200, 0]],
    "boundElements": [{ "type": "text", "id": "text-arrow-1" }]
  },
  {
    "id": "text-arrow-1",
    "type": "text",
    "x": 160, "y": 132, "width": 80, "height": 18,
    "text": "sends data", "originalText": "sends data",
    "fontSize": 14, "fontFamily": 5,
    "textAlign": "center", "verticalAlign": "middle",
    "containerId": "arrow-1", "lineHeight": 1.25, "roundness": null
  }
]

Arrow bindings — Use

startBinding

endBinding

(not

start

end

). Connected shapes must list the arrow in their

boundElements

json

{
  "id": "shape-1",
  "boundElements": [
    { "type": "text", "id": "text-shape-1" },
    { "type": "arrow", "id": "arrow-1" }
  ]
}

json

{
  "id": "arrow-1",
  "type": "arrow",
  "startBinding": { "elementId": "shape-1", "focus": 0, "gap": 1 },
  "endBinding": { "elementId": "shape-2", "focus": 0, "gap": 1 }
}

Element order for z-index — Always declare shapes first, arrows second, text elements last. This guarantees text renders on top and is never obscured by arrows or other shapes.
Positioning — Use grid-aligned coordinates (multiples of 20px when
```
gridSize: 20
```
). Leave 200-300px horizontal gap, 100-150px vertical gap between elements.
Unique IDs — Every element must have a unique
```
id
```
. Use descriptive IDs like
```
"step-1"
```
,
```
"decision-valid"
```
,
```
"arrow-1-to-2"
```
,
```
"text-step-1"
```
.
Colors — Use a consistent palette:
Role Color Hex
Primary entities Light blue
#a5d8ff
Process steps Light green
#b2f2bb
Important/Central Yellow
#ffd43b
Warnings/Errors Light red
#ffc9c9
Secondary Cyan
#96f2d7
Default stroke Dark
#1e1e1e

Role	Color	Hex
Primary entities	Light blue	`#a5d8ff`
Process steps	Light green	`#b2f2bb`
Important/Central	Yellow	`#ffd43b`
Warnings/Errors	Light red	`#ffc9c9`
Secondary	Cyan	`#96f2d7`
Default stroke	Dark	`#1e1e1e`

Step 5: Save and Present

Save as
```
<descriptive-name>.excalidraw
```

Provide a summary:

Created: user-workflow.excalidraw
Type: Flowchart
Elements: 7 shapes, 6 arrows, 1 title
Total: 14 elements

To view:
1. Visit https://excalidraw.com → Open → drag and drop the file
2. Or use the Excalidraw VS Code extension
3. Or open in Obsidian with the Excalidraw plugin

Templates

Pre-built templates are available in

assets/

for quick starting points. Use these when the diagram type matches — they provide correct structure and styling:

Template	File
Flowchart	`assets/flowchart-template.excalidraw`
Relationship	`assets/relationship-template.excalidraw`
Mind Map	`assets/mindmap-template.excalidraw`
Data Flow (DFD)	`assets/data-flow-diagram-template.excalidraw`
Swimlane	`assets/business-flow-swimlane-template.excalidraw`
Class Diagram	`assets/class-diagram-template.excalidraw`
Sequence Diagram	`assets/sequence-diagram-template.excalidraw`
ER Diagram	`assets/er-diagram-template.excalidraw`

Read a template when creating that diagram type for the first time. Use its structure as a base, then modify elements to match the user's request.

Icon Libraries

For professional architecture diagrams with service icons (AWS, GCP, Azure, etc.), icon libraries can be set up. Read

references/icon-libraries.md

when:

User requests an AWS/cloud architecture diagram
User mentions wanting specific service icons
You need to check if icon libraries are available

Best Practices

Element Count

Diagram Type	Recommended	Maximum
Flowchart steps	3-10	15
Relationship entities	3-8	12
Mind map branches	4-6	8
Sub-topics per branch	2-4	6

If the user's request exceeds maximum, suggest breaking into multiple diagrams:

"Your request includes 15 components. For clarity, I recommend: (1) High-level architecture diagram with 6 main components, (2) Detailed sub-diagrams for each subsystem. Want me to start with the high-level view?"

Layout

Flow direction: Left-to-right for processes, top-to-bottom for hierarchies
Spacing: 200-300px horizontal, 100-150px vertical between elements
Grid alignment: Position on multiples of 20px for clean alignment
Margins: Minimum 50px from canvas edge
Text sizing: 28-36px titles, 18-22px labels, 14-16px annotations
Font: Use
```
fontFamily: 5
```
(Excalifont) for hand-drawn consistency. Fallback to
```
1
```
(Virgil) if 5 is not supported.
Background zones: For architecture diagrams, add semi-transparent dashed zone rectangles (
```
opacity: 35
```
,
```
strokeStyle: "dashed"
```
,
```
roughness: 0
```
) as the first elements in the array to create visual grouping regions. See
```
references/excalidraw-schema.md
```
→ Background Zones.
Element order: zones first → shapes → arrows → text elements (ensures correct z-index and text always renders on top)

Common Mistakes to Avoid

❌ Using
```
label: { text: "..." }
```
shorthand on shapes or arrows — not supported by the Excalidraw parser
❌ Putting
```
text
```
directly on shape elements without
```
containerId
```

❌ Using

start

end

for arrow bindings — use

startBinding

endBinding

with

elementId

focus

gap

❌ Forgetting to add arrows to their connected shapes'
```
boundElements
```
arrays

❌ Omitting

originalText

lineHeight

autoResize

, or

backgroundColor: "transparent"

from text elements inside containers

❌ Omitting required base properties (

angle

strokeStyle

opacity

groupIds

frameId

index

isDeleted

seed

version

versionNonce

updated

link

locked

) — elements will not render

❌ Missing
```
"files": {}
```
at the top level of the JSON
❌ Using
```
roundness: { "type": 3 }
```
on ellipses — ellipses must use
```
roundness: null
```

❌ Missing

lastCommittedPoint

startArrowhead

endArrowhead

on arrows

❌ Declaring text elements before arrows — text renders underneath and gets obscured
❌ Floating arrows without bindings (won't move with shapes)
❌ Overlapping elements (increase spacing)
❌ Inconsistent color usage (define palette upfront)
❌ Too many elements on one diagram (break into sub-diagrams)

Validation Checklist

Before delivering the diagram, verify:

All elements have unique IDs

Every element has ALL required base properties:

angle

strokeStyle

opacity

groupIds

frameId

index

isDeleted

link

locked

seed

version

versionNonce

updated

```
index
```
values are assigned in order (
```
"a0"
```
,
```
"a1"
```
, …) with text elements getting higher values than shapes/arrows
Top-level JSON includes
```
"files": {}
```
Shapes with text use
```
boundElements
```
+ separate text element with
```
containerId
```

Text elements inside containers have

containerId

originalText

lineHeight: 1.25

autoResize: true

roundness: null

backgroundColor: "transparent"

Arrows use

startBinding

endBinding

(with

elementId

focus

gap

) when connecting shapes, plus

lastCommittedPoint: null

startArrowhead: null

endArrowhead: "arrow"

Connected shapes list the arrow in their
```
boundElements
```
arrays
Element order: shapes → arrows → text elements (text always on top)
Ellipses use
```
roundness: null
```
(not
```
{ "type": 3 }
```
)
Coordinates prevent overlapping (check spacing)
Text is readable (font size 16+)
Colors follow consistent scheme
File is valid JSON
Element count is reasonable (<20 for clarity)

Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
Text not showing in shapes	Use `boundElements` + separate text element with `containerId` , `originalText` , `lineHeight`
Text hidden behind arrows	Move text elements to end of `elements` array (after all arrows)
Arrows don't move with shapes	Use `startBinding` / `endBinding` with `elementId` , `focus: 0` , `gap: 1`
Shape not moving with arrows	Add the arrow to the shape's `boundElements` array
Elements overlap	Increase spacing between coordinates
Text doesn't fit	Increase shape width or reduce font size
Too many elements	Break into multiple diagrams
Colors look inconsistent	Define color palette upfront, apply consistently

Limitations

Complex curves are simplified to straight/basic curved lines
Hand-drawn roughness is set to default (1)
No embedded images in auto-generation (use icon libraries for service icons)
Maximum recommended: 20 elements per diagram for clarity
No automatic collision detection — use spacing guidelines

excalidraw-studio

NPX Install

Tags

SKILL.md Content

Excalidraw Studio

Workflow

Step 1: Understand the Request

Step 2: Choose the Diagram Type and Visual Mode

Step 3: Extract Structured Information

Step 4: Generate the Excalidraw JSON

Step 5: Save and Present

Templates

Icon Libraries

Best Practices

Element Count

Layout

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Validation Checklist

Troubleshooting

Limitations