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:

[
  {
    "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:

[
  {
    "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:

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

{
  "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`

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

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:

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

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