Draw.io Diagrams

Overview

Generate .drawio XML files and export to PNG/SVG/PDF/JPG locally using the native draw.io desktop app CLI.

Supported formats: PNG, SVG, PDF, JPG — no browser automation needed.

PNG, SVG, and PDF exports support --embed-diagram (-e) — the exported file contains the full diagram XML, so opening it in draw.io recovers the editable diagram. Use double extensions (name.drawio.png) to signal embedded XML.

When to Use

Explicit triggers: user says "diagram", "visualize", "flowchart", "draw", "architecture diagram", "process flow", "ER diagram", "UML", "sequence diagram", "class diagram", "neural network", "model architecture"

Proactive triggers:

• Explaining a system with 3+ interacting components
• Describing a multi-step process or decision tree
• Comparing architectures or approaches side by side

Skip when: a simple list or table suffices, or user is in a quick Q&A flow

Prerequisites

The draw.io desktop app must be installed and the CLI accessible:

# macOS (Homebrew — recommended)
brew install --cask drawio
draw.io --version

# macOS (full path if not in PATH)
/Applications/draw.io.app/Contents/MacOS/draw.io --version

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

# Linux
draw.io --version

Install draw.io desktop if missing:

• macOS: brew install --cask drawio or download from https://github.com/jgraph/drawio-desktop/releases
• Windows: download installer from https://github.com/jgraph/drawio-desktop/releases
• Linux: download .deb/.rpm from https://github.com/jgraph/drawio-desktop/releases — do not use snap (AppArmor sandbox denies secrets/keyring on servers, causes crash)

Workflow

Before starting the workflow, assess whether the user's request is specific enough. If key details are missing, ask 1-3 focused questions:

• Diagram type — which preset? (ERD, UML, Sequence, Architecture, ML/DL, Flowchart, or general)
• Output format — PNG (default), SVG, PDF, or JPG?
• Output location — default is the user's working dir; honor any explicit path the user gives (e.g. "put it in ./artifacts/"). Don't ask if they didn't mention one.
• Scope/fidelity — how many components? Any specific technologies or labels?

Skip clarification if the request already specifies these details or is clearly simple (e.g., "draw a flowchart of X").

0. Update check (notify, don't pull) — first use per conversation. Throttle to once per 24 h via <this-skill-dir>/.last_update; never mutate the skill directory without explicit user consent.

   • If .last_update exists and is <24 h old, skip this step entirely.

   • Otherwise, fetch the latest tag from upstream:

     git -C <this-skill-dir> ls-remote --tags origin 'v*' 2>/dev/null \
       | awk '{print $2}' | sed 's|refs/tags/||' | sort -V | tail -1
     

   • Compare with this skill's metadata.version from the frontmatter. If the upstream tag is strictly newer (semver), tell the user one line and ask:

     "A newer version of this skill is available: vX.Y.Z → vA.B.C. Want me to git pull?"

     If they say yes, run git -C <this-skill-dir> pull --ff-only. Refresh .last_update either way so the prompt doesn't repeat for 24 hours.

   • If upstream is the same or older, refresh .last_update silently and continue.

   • On any failure (offline, not a git checkout — e.g. ClawHub-installed copy, read-only path, no permission), swallow the error silently and continue with the user's task. Do not mention the failure.

Step 0.5 — Resolve active preset. Determine which (if any) user-defined style preset applies to this generation.

• Scan the user's message for a phrase that clearly names a style preset: "use my <name> style", "with my <name> style", "in <name> mode", "in the style of <name>". A bare with <name> does not count — "draw a diagram with redis" names a component, not a style. If a clear match is found → active preset = <name>.
• Else, check ~/.drawio-skill/styles/ for any file with "default": true. If found → active preset = that one.
• Else → no preset active; fall through to the built-in color/shape/edge conventions for the rest of the workflow.

Load the preset JSON from ~/.drawio-skill/styles/<name>.json, falling back to <this-skill-dir>/styles/built-in/<name>.json. If the named preset exists in neither location, tell the user the name is unknown, list the available presets (user dir + built-in), and stop — do not silently fall back to defaults.

When a preset loads successfully, mention it in the first line of the reply: "Using preset <name> (confidence: <level>)." See the Applying a preset subsection below for how the preset changes color/shape/edge/font decisions.

1. Check deps — verify draw.io --version succeeds; note platform for correct CLI path
2. Plan — identify shapes, relationships, layout (LR or TB), group by tier/layer
3. Generate — write .drawio XML file to disk. Default output dir is the user's working dir; if the user specified an output path or directory (e.g. ./artifacts/, docs/images/), use that instead — mkdir -p the target dir first. Apply the same dir choice to PNG/SVG/PDF exports in steps 4 and 7.
4. Export draft — run CLI to produce a preview PNG. Do NOT pass -e at this step — the embedded zTXt mxGraphModel chunk it adds causes vision APIs (Claude included) to return 400 "Could not process image" in step 5. Save the clean preview as <name>.png (single extension). Embedding is for the final export only (step 7).
5. Self-check — use the agent's built-in vision capability to read the exported PNG, catch obvious issues, auto-fix before showing user (requires a vision-enabled model such as Claude Sonnet/Opus). If reading the PNG returns a 400 / "Could not process image" error, you almost certainly exported with -e by mistake — re-export without -e and retry once. If it still fails, skip self-check and continue to step 6.
6. Review loop — show image to user, collect feedback, apply targeted XML edits, re-export, repeat until approved
7. Final export — re-export the approved version to all requested formats. Use -e here (PNG/SVG/PDF) so the deliverable stays editable in draw.io; save as <name>.drawio.png to signal embedded XML. For PNG with -e, run the IEND repair snippet immediately after — draw.io's CLI truncates the IEND chunk in -e PNG output (8 bytes missing), producing a corrupt file that vision APIs and strict PNG decoders reject (issue #8). See Export → Post-export PNG repair. Report file paths.

Step 5: Self-Check

After exporting the draft PNG, use the agent's vision capability (e.g., Claude's image input) to read the image and check for these issues before showing the user. If the agent does not support vision, skip self-check and show the PNG directly.

Important: the draft PNG read here must have been exported without -e. Draw.io's -e flag emits a PNG with a truncated IEND chunk (8 bytes of type+CRC missing) that the Anthropic vision API rejects with 400 "Could not process image" (issue #8). The simplest fix for the preview step is to skip -e entirely; the final export in step 7 keeps -e and runs the repair snippet. If you see the 400 error here, re-export without -e and retry once; if it still fails (any other reason), skip self-check and proceed to step 6.

Check	What to look for	Auto-fix action
Overlapping shapes	Two or more shapes stacked on top of each other	Shift shapes apart by ≥200px
Clipped labels	Text cut off at shape boundaries	Increase shape width/height to fit label
Missing connections	Arrows that don't visually connect to shapes	Verify source/target ids match existing cells
Off-canvas shapes	Shapes at negative coordinates or far from the main group	Move to positive coordinates near the cluster
Edge-shape overlap	An edge/arrow visually crosses through an unrelated shape	Add waypoints (<Array as="points">) to route around the shape, or increase spacing between shapes
Stacked edges	Multiple edges overlap each other on the same path	Distribute entry/exit points across the shape perimeter (use different exitX/entryX values)

• Max 2 self-check rounds — if issues remain after 2 fixes, show the user anyway
• Re-export after each fix and re-read the new PNG

Step 6: Review Loop

After self-check, show the exported image and ask the user for feedback.

Targeted edit rules — for each type of feedback, apply the minimal XML change:

User request	XML edit action
Change color of X	Find mxCell by value matching X, update fillColor/strokeColor in style
Add a new node	Append a new mxCell vertex with next available id, position near related nodes
Remove a node	Delete the mxCell vertex and any edges with matching source/target
Move shape X	Update x/y in the mxGeometry of the matching mxCell
Resize shape X	Update width/height in the mxGeometry of the matching mxCell
Add arrow from A to B	Append a new mxCell edge with source/target matching A and B ids
Change label text	Update the value attribute of the matching mxCell
Change layout direction	Full regeneration — rebuild XML with new orientation

Rules:

• For single-element changes: edit existing XML in place — preserves layout tuning from prior iterations
• For layout-wide changes (e.g., swap LR↔TB, "start over"): regenerate full XML
• Overwrite the same {name}.png (no -e) each iteration — do not create v1, v2, v3 files. -e is reserved for the final export in step 7.
• After applying edits, re-export and show the updated image
• Loop continues until user says approved / done / LGTM
• Safety valve: after 5 iteration rounds, suggest the user open the .drawio file in draw.io desktop for fine-grained adjustments

Step 7: Final Export

Once the user approves:

• Export to all requested formats (PNG, SVG, PDF, JPG) — default to PNG if not specified
• Report file paths for both the .drawio source file and exported image(s)
• Auto-launch: offer to open the .drawio file in draw.io desktop for fine-tuning — open diagram.drawio (macOS), xdg-open (Linux), start (Windows)
• Confirm files are saved and ready to use

Style Presets

A style preset is a named JSON file that captures a user's visual preferences — palette, shape vocabulary, fonts, edge style. When a preset is active, it fully replaces the built-in conventions described in the ### Applying a preset subsection below (under ## Draw.io XML Structure).

Locations, in lookup order:

1. ~/.drawio-skill/styles/<name>.json — user presets (survive git pull).
2. <this-skill-dir>/styles/built-in/<name>.json — built-ins shipped with the skill (default, corporate, handdrawn).

A user preset shadows a built-in of the same name.

Only user presets can have "default": true. When the user says "make <built-in-name> my default", copy the built-in JSON to ~/.drawio-skill/styles/<name>.json first, then set default: true on the copy — leave the shipped built-in untouched.

Name normalisation: always lowercase the user-provided name before writing or looking up files (the preset schema enforces lowercase; uppercase names will fail validation).

Learn flow

Triggers: "learn my style from <path> as <name>", "save this as <name> style", "remember this style as <name>".

Dispatch by file extension:

• .drawio, .xml → XML path
• .png, .jpg, .jpeg, .svg (rasterized flat image) → image path

Steps:

1. Load the extraction reference. Read references/style-extraction.md into context.
2. Extract following the XML path or image path procedure in the reference.
3. Normalize and build candidate. Convert the user-provided preset name to lowercase. Use this normalized name for ALL file paths in this flow. Build the candidate preset JSON and write it to /tmp/drawio-preset-<name>.json (where <name> is the already-normalized name). Do not save to ~/.drawio-skill/styles/<name>.json yet.
4. Render a sample using the sample-diagram skeleton in references/style-extraction.md, parameterized by the candidate preset. Export PNG to ./preset-<name>-sample.png using the same draw.io -x -f png -e -s 2 -o ./preset-<name>-sample.png /tmp/drawio-preset-<name>.drawio command the main workflow uses.
5. Show the user:
   • Preset summary table (palette hex values, shapes per role, font, edge style, extras).
   • The sample PNG path (and embed the image if the environment supports it).
   • Provenance line: source.type, source.path, extracted_at, confidence.
6. Wait for approval:
   • "save" / "looks good" → write candidate to ~/.drawio-skill/styles/<name>.json. Create ~/.drawio-skill/styles/ if it doesn't exist. Delete tempfile and sample PNG.
   • "change <field> to <value>" → edit the in-memory candidate, re-render, re-ask.
   • "cancel" / "abort" / "no" → delete tempfile and sample PNG; nothing saved.

Error behavior:

Failure	Behavior
Source path does not exist	Stop; report path not found.
XML parse fails	Stop; report the parse error; suggest opening the file in drawio desktop to repair.
Image vision unavailable	Stop; tell user to re-run on a vision-capable model or provide the .drawio file.
Extraction yields 0 vertices / shapes	Stop; refuse to save.
Extraction yields <3 distinct color pairs	Continue; mark confidence: "low" (image) or "medium" (XML); warn in summary.
Preset name collides with existing user preset	Ask: overwrite, or pick a new name.
Preset name collides with a built-in preset	Save to user dir (shadows the built-in); warn once.
Sample render fails	Still show summary; note "could not render sample — saving on your OK anyway". Do not block.

Management operations

All operations are natural language — no slash commands.

Apply name normalisation (lowercase) to all <name>, <a>, <b> arguments before any file operation.

User says	Agent does
"list my styles", "what styles do I have", "show me my style presets"	Read ~/.drawio-skill/styles/ and <this-skill-dir>/styles/built-in/. Print a table: name, location (user/built-in), source.type, confidence, default flag. Built-ins shadowed by a user preset are marked so.
"show my <name> style", "what's in <name>"	Print the preset JSON (pretty-printed) + a one-line summary (source, confidence, is-default).
"make <name> the default", "set <name> as default"	If <name> is a user preset: set default: true on it; clear default on any other user preset that had it; save both files. If <name> is a built-in: copy <this-skill-dir>/styles/built-in/<name>.json → ~/.drawio-skill/styles/<name>.json first, then set default: true on the copy. Never mutate the shipped built-in.
"remove default", "unset default"	Clear default: true from whichever user preset has it.
"delete <name>", "remove <name>"	Confirm first. Then rm ~/.drawio-skill/styles/<name>.json. Refuse to delete files under <this-skill-dir>/styles/built-in/ — suggest shadowing with a user preset of the same name.
"rename <a> to <b>"	mv ~/.drawio-skill/styles/<a>.json ~/.drawio-skill/styles/<b>.json, then update the name field inside. Fails if <a> is a built-in (offer to copy-then-rename instead).
"learn my style from <path> as <name>"	Dispatch to the Learn flow above.

Preset file validation

When loading any preset (for generation or management), do a lightweight structural check:

• Required top-level fields present (name, version, palette, roles, shapes, font, edges).
• version === 1.
• Every populated palette slot has both fillColor and strokeColor as #RRGGBB.
• confidence ∈ {"low", "medium", "high"} if present.

On validation failure:

• During generation: warn the user, fall back to built-in conventions for this one diagram, do not mutate the file.
• During learn: refuse to save the candidate; report which field failed.

Draw.io XML Structure

File skeleton

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<mxfile host="drawio" version="26.0.0">
  <diagram name="Page-1">
    <mxGraphModel>
      <root>
        <mxCell id="0" />
        <mxCell id="1" parent="0" />
        <!-- user shapes start at id="2" -->
      </root>
    </mxGraphModel>
  </diagram>
</mxfile>

Rules:

• id="0" and id="1" are required root cells — never omit them
• User shapes start at id="2" and increment sequentially
• All shapes have parent="1" (unless inside a container — then use container's id)
• All text uses html=1 in style for proper rendering
• Never use -- inside XML comments — it's illegal per XML spec and causes parse errors
• Escape special characters in attribute values: &, <, >, "
• Multi-line text in labels: use 
 for line breaks inside value attributes (not literal \n). Example: value="Line 1
Line 2"

Shape types (vertex)

Style keyword	Use for
rounded=0	plain rectangle (default)
rounded=1	rounded rectangle — services, modules
ellipse;	circles/ovals — start/end, databases
rhombus;	diamond — decision points
shape=mxgraph.aws4.resourceIcon;	AWS icons
shape=cylinder3;	cylinder — databases
swimlane;	group/container with title bar

Required properties

<!-- Rectangle / rounded box -->
<mxCell id="2" value="Label" style="rounded=1;whiteSpace=wrap;html=1;fillColor=#dae8fc;strokeColor=#6c8ebf;" vertex="1" parent="1">
  <mxGeometry x="100" y="100" width="160" height="60" as="geometry" />
</mxCell>

<!-- Cylinder (database) -->
<mxCell id="3" value="DB" style="shape=cylinder3;whiteSpace=wrap;html=1;fillColor=#f5f5f5;strokeColor=#666666;fontColor=#333333;" vertex="1" parent="1">
  <mxGeometry x="350" y="100" width="120" height="80" as="geometry" />
</mxCell>

<!-- Diamond (decision) -->
<mxCell id="4" value="Check?" style="rhombus;whiteSpace=wrap;html=1;fillColor=#fff2cc;strokeColor=#d6b656;" vertex="1" parent="1">
  <mxGeometry x="100" y="220" width="160" height="80" as="geometry" />
</mxCell>

Containers and groups

For architecture diagrams with nested elements, use draw.io's parent-child containment — do not just place shapes on top of larger shapes.

Type	Style	When to use
Group (invisible)	group;pointerEvents=0;	No visual border needed, container has no connections
Swimlane (titled)	swimlane;startSize=30;	Container needs a visible title bar, or container itself has connections
Custom container	Add container=1;pointerEvents=0; to any shape	Any shape acting as a container without its own connections

Key rules:

• Add pointerEvents=0; to container styles that should not capture connections between children
• Children set parent="containerId" and use coordinates relative to the container

<!-- Swimlane container -->
<mxCell id="svc1" value="User Service" style="swimlane;startSize=30;fillColor=#dae8fc;strokeColor=#6c8ebf;" vertex="1" parent="1">
  <mxGeometry x="100" y="100" width="300" height="200" as="geometry"/>
</mxCell>
<!-- Child inside container — coordinates relative to parent -->
<mxCell id="api1" value="REST API" style="rounded=1;whiteSpace=wrap;html=1;" vertex="1" parent="svc1">
  <mxGeometry x="20" y="40" width="120" height="60" as="geometry"/>
</mxCell>
<mxCell id="db1" value="Database" style="shape=cylinder3;whiteSpace=wrap;html=1;" vertex="1" parent="svc1">
  <mxGeometry x="160" y="40" width="120" height="60" as="geometry"/>
</mxCell>

Connector (edge)

CRITICAL: Every edge mxCell must contain a <mxGeometry relative="1" as="geometry" /> child element. Self-closing edge cells (<mxCell ... edge="1" ... />) are invalid and will not render. Always use the expanded form.

<!-- Directed arrow — always include rounded, orthogonalLoop, jettySize for clean routing -->
<mxCell id="10" value="" style="edgeStyle=orthogonalEdgeStyle;rounded=1;orthogonalLoop=1;jettySize=auto;html=1;" edge="1" parent="1" source="2" target="3">
  <mxGeometry relative="1" as="geometry" />
</mxCell>

<!-- Arrow with label + explicit entry/exit points to control direction -->
<mxCell id="11" value="HTTP/REST" style="edgeStyle=orthogonalEdgeStyle;rounded=1;orthogonalLoop=1;jettySize=auto;html=1;exitX=0.5;exitY=1;exitDx=0;exitDy=0;entryX=0.5;entryY=0;entryDx=0;entryDy=0;" edge="1" parent="1" source="2" target="4">
  <mxGeometry relative="1" as="geometry" />
</mxCell>

<!-- Arrow with waypoints — use when edge must route around other shapes -->
<mxCell id="12" value="" style="edgeStyle=orthogonalEdgeStyle;rounded=1;orthogonalLoop=1;jettySize=auto;html=1;" edge="1" parent="1" source="3" target="5">
  <mxGeometry relative="1" as="geometry">
    <Array as="points">
      <mxPoint x="500" y="50" />
    </Array>
  </mxGeometry>
</mxCell>

Edge style rules:

• Animated connectors: add flowAnimation=1; to any edge style to show a moving dot animation along the arrow. Works in SVG export and draw.io desktop — ideal for data-flow and pipeline diagrams. Example: style="edgeStyle=orthogonalEdgeStyle;flowAnimation=1;rounded=1;..."
• Always include rounded=1;orthogonalLoop=1;jettySize=auto — these enable smart routing that avoids overlaps
• Pin exitX/exitY/entryX/entryY on every edge when a node has 2+ connections — distributes lines across the shape perimeter
• Add <Array as="points"> waypoints when an edge must detour around an intermediate shape
• Leave room for arrowheads: the final straight segment between the last bend and the target shape must be ≥20px long. If too short, the arrowhead overlaps the bend and looks broken. Fix by increasing node spacing or adding explicit waypoints

Distributing connections on a shape

When multiple edges connect to the same shape, assign different entry/exit points to prevent stacking:

Position	exitX/entryX	exitY/entryY	Use when
Top center	0.5	0	connecting to node above
Top-left	0.25	0	2nd connection from top
Top-right	0.75	0	3rd connection from top
Right center	1	0.5	connecting to node on right
Bottom center	0.5	1	connecting to node below
Left center	0	0.5	connecting to node on left

Rule: if a shape has N connections on one side, space them evenly (e.g., 3 connections on bottom → exitX = 0.25, 0.5, 0.75)

Applying a preset

When the Workflow's step Resolve active preset identified a preset, it fully replaces the built-in palette, shape keywords, edge defaults, and font for this diagram — do not mix values from the built-in color table below.

Color lookup. For each role a shape plays (service / database / queue / gateway / error / external / security), resolve preset.roles[role] to a slot name, then preset.palette[<slot>] to the (fillColor, strokeColor) pair. If roles[role] is unset or the resolved slot is null, follow this fallback ladder:

1. Try the role's canonical slot (service→primary, database→success, queue→warning, gateway→accent, error→danger, external→neutral, security→secondary).
2. If that slot is also empty, pick the most-populated non-null slot in the preset.
3. Never reach into the built-in color table below — the preset is authoritative.

Decision and container shapes are not in preset.roles — they have shape vocabulary (preset.shapes.decision, preset.shapes.container) but no role-to-slot mapping. Pick their colors as follows:

• Decision (rhombus) → use preset.palette.warning (the canonical yellow slot in the built-in conventions). If warning is empty, apply the slot-fallback ladder above starting from warning.
• Container (swimlane) → use the palette slot matching the tier/grouping the container represents (e.g., a "Services" tier container uses primary; a "Data" tier uses success). If no tier signal is available, default to primary.

Shape keywords. Use preset.shapes[role] as the prefix of the vertex style string (before whiteSpace=wrap;html=1;...). Example: for a database role, if preset.shapes.database = "shape=cylinder3", the vertex style starts shape=cylinder3;whiteSpace=wrap;html=1;fillColor=.... The six named shape keys are service, database, queue, decision, external, container. Roles gateway, error, and security reuse preset.shapes.service unless the preset explicitly populates a key with their name.

Edges. Use preset.edges.style as the base edge style string. Append preset.edges.arrow. Per-edge routing keys (exitX/exitY/entryX/entryY/...) are still added by the usual routing rules in the rest of this document. If the flow between two shapes matches a token from preset.edges.dashedFor (either because the user's prompt used that word, or because one end of the edge plays a role whose typical relation is "optional"), append ;dashed=1 to the edge style.

Fonts. Append fontFamily=<preset.font.fontFamily>;fontSize=<preset.font.fontSize> to every vertex style. Container headers and swimlane titles additionally get fontSize=<preset.font.titleFontSize>;fontStyle=1 when preset.font.titleBold is true.

Extras.

• preset.extras.sketch === true → append sketch=1 to every vertex style and every edge style.
• preset.extras.globalStrokeWidth !== 1 (any value other than the drawio default of 1, including 0.5) → append strokeWidth=<n> to every vertex style and every edge style.

Interaction with diagram-type presets (ERD / UML / Sequence / ML / Flowchart). Diagram-type presets earlier in this document set structural style keywords that the user preset must preserve (e.g., ERD tables rely on shape=table;startSize=30;container=1;childLayout=tableLayout;...). The rule: keep the diagram-type preset's structural keywords, then layer the user preset's color / font / edge / extras on top. When a diagram-type preset hardcodes a color (fillColor=#dae8fc, etc.) that conflicts with the user preset, the user preset's color wins. Exception: fillColor=none is structural — do not replace it with a palette color.

Color palette (fillColor / strokeColor)

Used only when no preset is active (see "Applying a preset" above).

Color name	fillColor	strokeColor	Use for
Blue	#dae8fc	#6c8ebf	services, clients
Green	#d5e8d4	#82b366	success, databases
Yellow	#fff2cc	#d6b656	queues, decisions
Orange	#ffe6cc	#d79b00	gateways, APIs
Red/Pink	#f8cecc	#b85450	errors, alerts
Grey	#f5f5f5	#666666	external/neutral
Purple	#e1d5e7	#9673a6	security, auth

Layout tips

Spacing — scale with complexity:

Diagram complexity	Nodes	Horizontal gap	Vertical gap
Simple	≤5	200px	150px
Medium	6–10	280px	200px
Complex	>10	350px	250px

Routing corridors: between shape rows/columns, leave an extra ~80px empty corridor where edges can route without crossing shapes. Never place a shape in a gap that edges need to traverse.

Grid alignment: snap all x, y, width, height values to multiples of 10 — this ensures shapes align cleanly on draw.io's default grid and makes manual editing easier.

General rules:

• Plan a grid before assigning x/y coordinates — sketch node positions on paper/mentally first
• Group related nodes in the same horizontal or vertical band
• Use swimlane cells for logical grouping with visible borders
• Place heavily-connected "hub" nodes centrally so edges radiate outward instead of crossing
• To force straight vertical connections, pin entry/exit points explicitly on edges: exitX=0.5;exitY=1;exitDx=0;exitDy=0;entryX=0.5;entryY=0;entryDx=0;entryDy=0
• Always center-align a child node under its parent (same center x) to avoid diagonal routing
• Event bus pattern: place Kafka/bus nodes in the center of the service row, not below — services on either side can reach it with short horizontal arrows (exitX=1 left side, exitX=0 right side), eliminating all line crossings
• Horizontal connections (exitX=1 or exitX=0) never cross vertical nodes in the same row; use them for peer-to-peer and publish connections

Avoiding edge-shape overlap:

• Before finalizing coordinates, trace each edge path mentally — if it must cross an unrelated shape, either move the shape or add waypoints
• For tree/hierarchical layouts: assign nodes to layers (rows), connect only between adjacent layers to minimize crossings
• For star/hub layouts: place the hub center, satellites around it — edges stay short and radial
• When an edge must span multiple rows/columns, route it along the outer corridor, not through the middle of the diagram

Export

Commands

There are two export modes:

• Preview / self-check (step 4 of the workflow) — no -e. Output diagram.png. Required for vision self-check; using -e here triggers a 400 "Could not process image" error from the vision API (issue #8).
• Final / deliverable (step 7) — pass -e. Output diagram.drawio.png. The embedded XML keeps the file editable in draw.io.

# Preview PNG (use this in step 4, before self-check) — NO -e
draw.io -x -f png -s 2 -o diagram.png input.drawio

# Final PNG (step 7, after user approval) — WITH -e, double extension
draw.io -x -f png -e -s 2 -o diagram.drawio.png input.drawio

# macOS — full path (if not in PATH); preview / final variants
/Applications/draw.io.app/Contents/MacOS/draw.io -x -f png -s 2 -o diagram.png input.drawio
/Applications/draw.io.app/Contents/MacOS/draw.io -x -f png -e -s 2 -o diagram.drawio.png input.drawio

# Windows
"C:\Program Files\draw.io\draw.io.exe" -x -f png -e -s 2 -o diagram.drawio.png input.drawio

# Linux (headless — requires xvfb-run; on servers add HOME and --disable-gpu)
export HOME=${HOME:-/tmp}
xvfb-run -a --server-args="-screen 0 1280x1024x24" \
  draw.io -x -f png -e -s 2 -o diagram.drawio.png input.drawio --disable-gpu
# Running as root (CI / Docker)? Append --no-sandbox AT THE END (placing it earlier makes drawio treat it as the input filename)

# SVG export (final — -e is safe; SVG is text)
draw.io -x -f svg -e -o diagram.svg input.drawio

# PDF export (final)
draw.io -x -f pdf -e -o diagram.pdf input.drawio

# Custom output directory (e.g. CI artifacts dir) — create if missing, then export there
mkdir -p ./artifacts && draw.io -x -f png -e -s 2 -o ./artifacts/diagram.drawio.png input.drawio

Post-export PNG repair (required after -e PNG export)

draw.io CLI truncates the IEND chunk when emitting -e PNGs — the file ends with the 4-byte IEND length field but the IEND type + CRC (8 bytes) are missing. Result: vision APIs return 400 "Could not process image" and strict PNG decoders error out. SVG/PDF are unaffected (no IEND chunk).

Run this immediately after every -e PNG export:

python3 - "diagram.drawio.png" <<'PY'
import sys
p = sys.argv[1]
data = open(p, 'rb').read()
IEND = b'\x00\x00\x00\x00IEND\xaeB`\x82'
if not data.endswith(IEND):
    if data.endswith(b'\x00\x00\x00\x00'):  # truncated length field
        data = data[:-4]
    open(p, 'wb').write(data + IEND)
    print(f"repaired {p}")
PY

The endswith(IEND) guard makes this a no-op if draw.io fixes the bug upstream — safe to run unconditionally.

Key flags:

• -x — export mode (required)
• -f — format: png, svg, pdf, jpg
• -e — embed diagram XML in output (PNG, SVG, PDF) — exported file remains editable in draw.io. Skip for the preview PNG used in step 5 self-check — -e PNGs have a truncated IEND chunk that vision APIs reject (issue #8). For final PNG export, keep -e and run the IEND repair snippet (see Post-export PNG repair). SVG/PDF unaffected.
• -s — scale: 1, 2, 3 (2 recommended for PNG)
• -o — output file path; accepts any directory (e.g. ./artifacts/diagram.drawio.png) — mkdir -p the target dir first. Use .drawio.png double extension when embedding.
• -b — border width around diagram (default: 0, recommend 10)
• -t — transparent background (PNG only)
• --page-index 0 — export specific page (default: all)

Browser fallback (no CLI needed)

When the draw.io desktop CLI is unavailable, generate a browser-editable URL by deflate-compressing and base64-encoding the XML:

# Encode .drawio XML into a diagrams.net URL
python3 -c "
import zlib, base64, urllib.parse, sys
xml = open(sys.argv[1]).read()
# Raw deflate (no zlib header) — diagrams.net uses mxGraph's raw inflate
c = zlib.compressobj(9, zlib.DEFLATED, -zlib.MAX_WBITS)
compressed = c.compress(xml.encode('utf-8')) + c.flush()
# Standard base64 (atob rejects url-safe -/_); strip any newlines
encoded = base64.b64encode(compressed).decode('utf-8').replace('\n', '')
print('https://viewer.diagrams.net/?tags=%7B%7D&lightbox=1&edit=_blank#R' + urllib.parse.quote(encoded, safe=''))
" input.drawio

This produces a client-side URL that opens the diagram in the browser for viewing and editing. No data is uploaded to any server — the entire diagram XML is encoded in the URL fragment (after #), which is never sent to the server. Useful when the user cannot install the desktop app.

Fallback chain

When tools are unavailable, degrade gracefully:

Scenario	Behavior
draw.io CLI missing, Python available	Use browser fallback (diagrams.net URL)
draw.io CLI missing, Python missing	Generate .drawio XML only; instruct user to open in draw.io desktop or diagrams.net manually
Vision unavailable for self-check	Skip self-check (step 5); proceed directly to showing user the exported PNG
Export fails (Chromium/display issues)	On Linux, retry with xvfb-run -a; if still failing, deliver .drawio XML and suggest manual export
Export fails on Linux server (headless)	Try in order: (1) xvfb-run -a, (2) append --no-sandbox at the very end if root, (3) add --disable-gpu, (4) export HOME=/tmp, (5) install apt deps (libgtk-3-0 libnotify4 libnss3 libgbm1 libasound2t64 etc.), (6) fall back to tomkludy/drawio-renderer Docker (REST API for headless export)

Checking if draw.io is in PATH

# Try short command first
if command -v draw.io &>/dev/null; then
  DRAWIO="draw.io"
elif [ -f "/Applications/draw.io.app/Contents/MacOS/draw.io" ]; then
  DRAWIO="/Applications/draw.io.app/Contents/MacOS/draw.io"
else
  echo "draw.io not found — install from https://github.com/jgraph/drawio-desktop/releases"
fi

Common Mistakes

Mistake	Fix
Missing id="0" and id="1" root cells	Always include both at the top of <root>
Shapes not connected	source and target on edge must match existing shape id values
Export command not found on macOS	Try full path /Applications/draw.io.app/Contents/MacOS/draw.io
Linux: blank/error output headlessly	Prefix command with xvfb-run -a
Linux: --no-sandbox placed before input file (parsed as filename)	Move --no-sandbox to the very end of the command (drawio-desktop#249, #1056)
Linux: Failed to get 'appData' path / Home directory not accessible	export HOME=/tmp before invoking drawio (drawio-desktop#127)
Linux server: segfault / EGL / MESA failed to load driver errors	Add --disable-gpu (suppresses Chromium GL init when no GPU available)
PDF export fails	Ensure Chromium is available (draw.io bundles it on desktop)
Background color wrong in CLI export	Known CLI bug; add --transparent flag or set background via style
Overlapping shapes	Scale spacing with complexity (200–350px); leave routing corridors
Edges crossing through shapes	Add waypoints, distribute entry/exit points, or increase spacing
Special characters in value	Use XML entities: &amp; &lt; &gt; &quot;
Iteration loop never ends	After 5 rounds, suggest user open .drawio in draw.io desktop for fine-tuning
Self-closing edge mxCell	Always use expanded form with <mxGeometry> child — self-closing edges won't render
-- inside XML comments	Illegal per XML spec — use single hyphens or rephrase
Arrowhead overlaps bend	Final edge segment before target must be ≥20px — increase spacing or add waypoints
Literal \n in label text	Use &#xa; for line breaks in value attributes
Vision returns 400 "Could not process image" on draft PNG	Re-export the preview without -e (issue #8). Root cause is actually a truncated IEND chunk in -e PNGs (issue #8), not the zTXt chunk itself — but the simplest fix for the preview is just to skip -e.
Final -e PNG won't open in image viewers / vision APIs	Run the IEND repair snippet (Export → Post-export PNG repair). draw.io CLI emits -e PNGs with an 8-byte truncation at IEND. SVG/PDF unaffected.

Diagram Type Presets

When the user requests a specific diagram type, apply the matching preset below for shapes, styles, and layout conventions.

ERD (Entity-Relationship Diagram)

Element	Style	Notes
Table	shape=table;startSize=30;container=1;collapsible=1;childLayout=tableLayout;fixedRows=1;rowLines=0;fontStyle=1;strokeColor=#6c8ebf;fillColor=#dae8fc;	Each table is a container
Row (column)	shape=tableRow;horizontal=0;startSize=0;swimlaneHead=0;swimlaneBody=0;fillColor=none;collapsible=0;dropTarget=0;points=[[0,0.5],[1,0.5]];portConstraint=eastwest;fontSize=12;	Child of table, parent=tableId
PK column	Bold text: fontStyle=1 on the row	Mark with PK prefix or key icon
FK relationship	Dashed edge: dashed=1;endArrow=ERmandOne;startArrow=ERmandOne;	Use ER notation arrows
Layout	TB, tables spaced 300px apart	Group related tables vertically

UML Class Diagram

Element	Style	Notes
Class box	swimlane;fontStyle=1;align=center;startSize=26;html=1;	3-section: title / attributes / methods
Separator	line;strokeWidth=1;fillColor=none;align=left;verticalAlign=middle;spacingTop=-1;spacingLeft=3;spacingRight=10;rotatable=0;labelPosition=left;points=[];portConstraint=eastwest;	Between sections
Inheritance	endArrow=block;endFill=0;	Hollow triangle arrow
Implementation	endArrow=block;endFill=0;dashed=1;	Dashed + hollow triangle
Composition	endArrow=diamondThin;endFill=1;	Filled diamond
Aggregation	endArrow=diamondThin;endFill=0;	Hollow diamond
Layout	TB, classes 250px apart	Interfaces above implementations

Sequence Diagram

Element	Style	Notes
Actor/Object	shape=umlLifeline;perimeter=lifelinePerimeter;whiteSpace=wrap;html=1;container=1;collapsible=0;recursiveResize=0;outlineConnect=0;portConstraint=eastwest;	Lifeline with dashed vertical line
Sync message	html=1;verticalAlign=bottom;endArrow=block;	Solid line, filled arrowhead
Async message	html=1;verticalAlign=bottom;endArrow=open;dashed=1;	Dashed line, open arrowhead
Return message	html=1;verticalAlign=bottom;endArrow=open;dashed=1;strokeColor=#999999;	Grey dashed
Activation box	shape=umlFrame;whiteSpace=wrap; on the lifeline	Narrow rectangle on lifeline
Layout	LR, lifelines spaced 200px apart	Time flows top to bottom

Architecture Diagram

Element	Style	Notes
Layer/tier	swimlane;startSize=30;	Containers for grouping: Client / API / Service / Data
Service	rounded=1;whiteSpace=wrap;html=1; + tier color	Use color palette by tier
Database	shape=cylinder3;whiteSpace=wrap;html=1;	Green palette
Queue/Bus	rounded=1;whiteSpace=wrap;html=1;fillColor=#fff2cc;strokeColor=#d6b656;	Yellow — place centrally for hub pattern
Gateway/LB	shape=mxgraph.aws4.resourceIcon; or rounded=1; with orange	Orange palette
External	rounded=1;dashed=1;fillColor=#f5f5f5;strokeColor=#666666;	Dashed border for external systems
Layout	TB or LR by tier count; ≥4 tiers → TB	Hub nodes centered

ML / Deep Learning Model Diagram

For neural network architecture diagrams — ideal for papers targeting NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR.

Element	Style	Notes
Layer block	rounded=1;whiteSpace=wrap;html=1; + type color	Main building block
Input/Output	fillColor=#d5e8d4;strokeColor=#82b366;	Green
Conv / Pooling	fillColor=#dae8fc;strokeColor=#6c8ebf;	Blue
Attention / Transformer	fillColor=#e1d5e7;strokeColor=#9673a6;	Purple
RNN / LSTM / GRU	fillColor=#fff2cc;strokeColor=#d6b656;	Yellow
FC / Linear	fillColor=#ffe6cc;strokeColor=#d79b00;	Orange
Loss / Activation	fillColor=#f8cecc;strokeColor=#b85450;	Red/Pink
Skip connection	dashed=1;endArrow=block;curved=1;	Dashed curved arrow
Tensor shape label	Add shape annotation as secondary label: value="Conv2D
(B, 64, 32, 32)"	Use 
 for multi-line
Layout	TB (data flows top→bottom), layers 150px apart	Group encoder/decoder as swimlanes

Tensor shape convention: annotate each layer with input/output tensor dimensions in (B, C, H, W) or (B, T, D) format. Place dimensions as the second line of the label using 
.

Flowchart (enhanced)

Element	Style	Notes
Start/End	ellipse;whiteSpace=wrap;html=1;fillColor=#d5e8d4;strokeColor=#82b366;	Green oval
Process	rounded=0;whiteSpace=wrap;html=1;fillColor=#dae8fc;strokeColor=#6c8ebf;	Blue rectangle
Decision	rhombus;whiteSpace=wrap;html=1;fillColor=#fff2cc;strokeColor=#d6b656;	Yellow diamond
I/O	shape=parallelogram;perimeter=parallelogramPerimeter;whiteSpace=wrap;html=1;fillColor=#ffe6cc;strokeColor=#d79b00;	Orange parallelogram
Subprocess	rounded=0;whiteSpace=wrap;html=1;fillColor=#e1d5e7;strokeColor=#9673a6; + double border	Purple
Yes/No labels	value="Yes" / value="No" on decision edges	Always label decision branches
Layout	TB, 200px vertical gap	Decisions branch LR, merge back to center