draw-io
draw.io diagram creation, editing, and review. Use for .drawio XML editing, PNG conversion, layout adjustment, and AWS icon usage.
Best use case
draw-io is best used when you need a repeatable AI agent workflow instead of a one-off prompt.
draw.io diagram creation, editing, and review. Use for .drawio XML editing, PNG conversion, layout adjustment, and AWS icon usage.
Teams using draw-io should expect a more consistent output, faster repeated execution, less prompt rewriting.
When to use this skill
- You want a reusable workflow that can be run more than once with consistent structure.
When not to use this skill
- You only need a quick one-off answer and do not need a reusable workflow.
- You cannot install or maintain the underlying files, dependencies, or repository context.
Installation
Claude Code / Cursor / Codex
Manual Installation
- Download SKILL.md from GitHub
- Place it in
.claude/skills/draw-io/SKILL.mdinside your project - Restart your AI agent — it will auto-discover the skill
How draw-io Compares
| Feature / Agent | draw-io | Standard Approach |
|---|---|---|
| Platform Support | Not specified | Limited / Varies |
| Context Awareness | High | Baseline |
| Installation Complexity | Unknown | N/A |
Frequently Asked Questions
What does this skill do?
draw.io diagram creation, editing, and review. Use for .drawio XML editing, PNG conversion, layout adjustment, and AWS icon usage.
Where can I find the source code?
You can find the source code on GitHub using the link provided at the top of the page.
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SKILL.md Source
# draw.io Diagram Skill
## 1. Basic Rules
- Edit only `.drawio` files
- Do not directly edit `.drawio.png` files
- Use auto-generated `.drawio.png` by pre-commit hook in slides
## 2. Font Settings
For diagrams used in Quarto slides,
specify `defaultFontFamily` in mxGraphModel tag:
```xml
<mxGraphModel defaultFontFamily="Noto Sans JP" ...>
```
Also explicitly specify `fontFamily` in each text element's style attribute:
```xml
style="text;html=1;fontSize=27;fontFamily=Noto Sans JP;"
```
## 3. Conversion Commands
See conversion script at [scripts/convert-drawio-to-png.sh](scripts/convert-drawio-to-png.sh).
```sh
# Convert all .drawio files
mise exec -- pre-commit run --all-files
# Convert specific .drawio file
mise exec -- pre-commit run convert-drawio-to-png --files assets/my-diagram.drawio
# Run script directly (using skill's script)
bash ~/.claude/skills/draw-io/scripts/convert-drawio-to-png.sh assets/diagram1.drawio
```
Internal command used:
```sh
drawio -x -f png -s 2 -t -o output.drawio.png input.drawio
```
| Option | Description |
|--------|-------------|
| `-x` | Export mode |
| `-f png` | PNG format output |
| `-s 2` | 2x scale (high resolution) |
| `-t` | Transparent background |
| `-o` | Output file path |
## 4. Layout Adjustment
### 4.1. Coordinate Adjustment Steps
1. Open `.drawio` file in text editor (plain XML format)
2. Find `mxCell` for element to adjust (search by `value` attribute for text)
3. Adjust coordinates in `mxGeometry` tag
- `x`: Position from left
- `y`: Position from top
- `width`: Width
- `height`: Height
4. Run conversion and verify
### 4.2. Coordinate Calculation
- Element center coordinate = `y + (height / 2)`
- To align multiple elements, calculate and match center coordinates
## 5. Design Principles
### 5.1. Basic Principles
- Clarity: Create simple, visually clean diagrams
- Consistency: Unify colors, fonts, icon sizes, line thickness
- Accuracy: Do not sacrifice accuracy for simplification
### 5.2. Element Rules
- Label all elements
- Use arrows to indicate direction
(prefer 2 unidirectional arrows over bidirectional)
- Use latest official icons
- Add legend to explain custom symbols
### 5.3. Accessibility
- Ensure sufficient color contrast
- Use patterns in addition to colors
### 5.4. Progressive Disclosure
Separate complex systems into staged diagrams:
| Diagram Type | Purpose |
|--------------|---------|
| Context Diagram | System overview from external perspective |
| System Diagram | Main components and relationships |
| Component Diagram | Technical details and integration points |
| Deployment Diagram | Infrastructure configuration |
| Data Flow Diagram | Data flow and transformation |
| Sequence Diagram | Time-series interactions |
### 5.5. Metadata
Include title, description, last updated, author, and version in diagrams.
## 6. Best Practices
### 6.1. Background Color
- Remove `background="#ffffff"`
- Transparent background adapts to various themes
### 6.2. Font Size
- Use 1.5x standard font size (around 18px) for PDF readability
### 6.3. Japanese Text Width
- Allow 30-40px per character
- Insufficient width causes unintended line breaks
```xml
<!-- For 10-character text, allow 300-400px -->
<mxGeometry x="140" y="60" width="400" height="40" />
```
### 6.4. Arrow Placement
- Always place arrows at back (position in XML right after Title)
- Position arrows to avoid overlapping with labels
- Keep arrow start/end at least 20px from label bottom edge
```xml
<!-- Title -->
<mxCell id="title" value="..." .../>
<!-- Arrows (back layer) -->
<mxCell id="arrow1" style="edgeStyle=..." .../>
<!-- Other elements (front layer) -->
<mxCell id="box1" .../>
```
### 6.5. Arrow Connection to Text Labels
For text elements, exitX/exitY don't work, so use explicit coordinates:
```xml
<!-- Good: Explicit coordinates with sourcePoint/targetPoint -->
<mxCell id="arrow" style="..." edge="1" parent="1">
<mxGeometry relative="1" as="geometry">
<mxPoint x="1279" y="500" as="sourcePoint"/>
<mxPoint x="119" y="500" as="targetPoint"/>
<Array as="points">
<mxPoint x="1279" y="560"/>
<mxPoint x="119" y="560"/>
</Array>
</mxGeometry>
</mxCell>
```
### 6.6. edgeLabel Offset Adjustment
Adjust offset attribute to distance arrow labels from arrows:
```xml
<!-- Place above arrow (negative value to distance) -->
<mxPoint x="0" y="-40" as="offset"/>
<!-- Place below arrow (positive value to distance) -->
<mxPoint x="0" y="40" as="offset"/>
```
### 6.7. Remove Unnecessary Elements
- Remove decorative icons irrelevant to context
- Example: If ECR exists, separate Docker icon is unnecessary
### 6.8. Labels and Headings
- Service name only: 1 line
- Service name + supplementary info: 2 lines with line break
- Redundant notation (e.g., ECR Container Registry): shorten to 1 line
- Use `<br>` tag for line breaks
### 6.9. Background Frame and Internal Element Placement
When placing elements inside background frames (grouping boxes),
ensure sufficient margin.
- YOU MUST: Internal elements must have at least 30px margin from frame boundary
- YOU MUST: Account for rounded corners (`rounded=1`) and stroke width
- YOU MUST: Always visually verify PNG output for overflow
Coordinate calculation verification:
```text
Background frame: y=20, height=400 -> range is y=20-420
Internal element top: frame y + 30 or more (e.g., y=50)
Internal element bottom: frame y + height - 30 or less (e.g., up to y=390)
```
Bad example (may overflow):
```xml
<!-- Background frame -->
<mxCell id="bg" style="rounded=1;strokeWidth=3;...">
<mxGeometry x="500" y="20" width="560" height="400" />
</mxCell>
<!-- Text: y=30 is too close to frame top (y=20) -->
<mxCell id="label" value="Title" style="text;...">
<mxGeometry x="510" y="30" width="540" height="35" />
</mxCell>
```
Good example (sufficient margin):
```xml
<!-- Background frame -->
<mxCell id="bg" style="rounded=1;strokeWidth=3;...">
<mxGeometry x="500" y="20" width="560" height="430" />
</mxCell>
<!-- Text: y=50 is 30px from frame top (y=20) -->
<mxCell id="label" value="Title" style="text;...">
<mxGeometry x="510" y="50" width="540" height="35" />
</mxCell>
```
## 7. Reference
- [Layout Guidelines](references/layout-guidelines.md)
- [AWS Icons](references/aws-icons.md)
- [AWS Icon Search Script](scripts/find_aws_icon.py)
AWS icon search examples:
```sh
python ~/.claude/skills/draw-io/scripts/find_aws_icon.py ec2
python ~/.claude/skills/draw-io/scripts/find_aws_icon.py lambda
```
## 8. Checklist
- [ ] No background color set (page="0")
- [ ] Font size appropriate (larger recommended)
- [ ] Arrows placed at back layer
- [ ] Arrows not overlapping labels (verify in PNG)
- [ ] Arrow start/end sufficiently distant from labels (at least 20px)
- [ ] Arrows not penetrating boxes or icons (verify in PNG)
- [ ] Internal elements not overflowing background frame (verify in PNG)
- [ ] 30px+ margin between background frame and internal elements
- [ ] AWS service names are official names/correct abbreviations
- [ ] AWS icons are latest version (mxgraph.aws4.*)
- [ ] No unnecessary elements remaining
- [ ] Visually verified PNG conversion
## 9. Image Display in reveal.js Slides
Add `auto-stretch: false` to YAML header:
```yaml
---
title: "Your Presentation"
format:
revealjs:
auto-stretch: false
---
```
This ensures correct image display on mobile devices.Related Skills
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