Excalidraw

Excalidraw Diagram Generation

Generate professional hand-drawn style diagrams in Excalidraw JSON format.

Critical Rules

1. Arrow Binding (MUST follow): Arrows must bind to components bidirectionally:

   • Arrow needs startBinding and endBinding pointing to component IDs
   • Rectangle needs boundElements array listing bound arrow IDs
   • Without both, arrows won't snap to components

2. Text requires width/height: Text elements must have width and height fields, otherwise they won't render

3. Arrow labels: Place below arrow (y + 30) or above (y - 30), never overlapping components

4. Background region sizing (MUST follow): Background regions (subgraphs/phases) must fully cover all contained elements:

   • Calculate bounding box: find min/max x/y of ALL elements in the region
   • Add padding: 40px on all sides
   • Formula: width = (maxX + maxWidth) - minX + 80, height = (maxY + maxHeight) - minY + 80
   • Verify: every child element's bottom-right corner must be inside the region

5. No overlaps (MUST follow): Arrows must not cross unrelated components; labels must not overlap components. See "Layout Optimization" section for strategies.

6. Container binding (MUST follow): When connecting to grouped/nested structures, arrows must bind to the outer container (background region), NOT to internal elements:

   • If a phase/subgraph contains multiple internal steps, arrows from outside should connect to the container box
   • Internal element connections stay internal; external connections go to the container
   • Example: dag → main-bg (container), NOT dag → read-main (internal element)
   • This keeps the diagram semantically correct and visually clean

7. Sibling layout (MUST follow): Elements at the same hierarchy level must be placed horizontally (same row), NOT vertically:

   • Siblings represent parallel/alternative paths (e.g., TCP and HTTP handlers)
   • Vertical stacking implies sequential execution, which is semantically wrong for siblings
   • Use fork arrows from parent to horizontally-aligned children

8. Nested structure clarity (MUST follow): When a container has internal elements, ensure clear hierarchy and no overlaps:

   • Internal elements must have proper vertical spacing with arrows showing call sequence
   • Text labels must fit entirely within their rectangles (calculate: rect.height >= text.height + 20)
   • Reference annotations (file paths, line numbers) go OUTSIDE the box (below or to the right)
   • Sub-containers within a parent should be visually distinct (different opacity or color shade)

9. Arrow path space reservation (MUST follow): When arrows connect nested containers, ensure sufficient space for arrow routing:

   • Problem: If containers are too close, arrows may pass through target containers instead of connecting to their edges
   • Solution: Proactively enlarge parent containers to leave 40-60px gap between child containers and the next target
   • When multiple sub-containers need to merge arrows to a shared target below, calculate: target.y >= max(child.y + child.height) + 60
   • If arrow crossing occurs after generation, increase container heights rather than using complex bypass paths

10. SVG export requests (MUST follow): If the user asks for SVG output/conversion, ALWAYS convert the generated .excalidraw.json file via https://kroki.io/excalidraw/svg using curl.

Mandatory Workflow (MUST follow before writing JSON)

Step 1: Arrow Path Analysis Before placing any component, list ALL arrows and their source→target pairs:

Arrow 1: A → B (horizontal)
Arrow 2: B → C (horizontal)
Arrow 3: C → A (return arrow - DANGER: will cross B if horizontal layout)

Step 2: Identify Crossing Risks For each arrow, check: "Does a straight line from source to target pass through any other component?"

• If YES → mark as "needs layout adjustment" or "needs bypass path"
• Common patterns that cause crossings:
  • Return arrows in horizontal layouts (e.g., C → A when B is between them)
  • Bidirectional flows between non-adjacent components
  • Hub-and-spoke patterns with central component

Step 3: Choose Layout Strategy Based on crossing risks, select appropriate layout:

• No crossings: Use simple horizontal/vertical layout
• 1-2 crossings: Use bypass paths (multi-point arrows)
• 3+ crossings or complex flows: Restructure to 2D layout (grid, triangle, diamond)

Step 4: Verify Before Finalizing After generating JSON, mentally trace each arrow path and confirm:

• No arrow passes through any component it doesn't connect to
• No label overlaps any component
• All background regions fully contain their elements

Core Elements

Base Template

{
  "type": "excalidraw",
  "version": 2,
  "source": "https://excalidraw.com",
  "elements": [],
  "appState": { "viewBackgroundColor": "#ffffff" },
  "files": {}
}

Element Templates

Rectangle (Component Box)

{
  "id": "unique-id",
  "type": "rectangle",
  "x": 100, "y": 100,
  "width": 140, "height": 60,
  "strokeColor": "#1e1e1e",
  "backgroundColor": "#a5d8ff",
  "roundness": { "type": 3 },
  "boundElements": [{"id": "arrow-id", "type": "arrow"}]
}

Text (width/height required, fontFamily: 4 required)

{
  "id": "unique-id",
  "type": "text",
  "x": 120, "y": 120,
  "width": 80, "height": 24,
  "text": "Label",
  "fontSize": 16,
  "fontFamily": 4,
  "textAlign": "center"
}

Text centering formula (to center text inside a rectangle):

• text.x = rect.x + (rect.width - text.width) / 2
• text.y = rect.y + (rect.height - text.height) / 2

Arrow

{
  "id": "unique-id",
  "type": "arrow",
  "x": 240, "y": 130,
  "points": [[0, 0], [100, 0]],
  "startBinding": { "elementId": "source-id", "focus": 0, "gap": 5 },
  "endBinding": { "elementId": "target-id", "focus": 0, "gap": 5 },
  "endArrowhead": "arrow"
}

Arrow coordinate system:

• x, y: absolute position of arrow start point
• points: relative offsets from (x, y). First point is always [0, 0]
• Example: x: 100, y: 200, points: [[0,0], [50, 0], [50, 100]] draws L-shaped arrow starting at (100, 200)

Background Region - Use rectangle with "opacity": 30

Default Values (can be omitted)

"fillStyle": "solid", "strokeWidth": 2, "roughness": 1,
"opacity": 100, "angle": 0, "seed": 1, "version": 1

Color System

Layout Rules

• Align coordinates to multiples of 20
• Component spacing: 100-150px
• Standard component size: 140×60
• Background regions: opacity: 30
• Render order: earlier elements in array appear behind

Common Diagram Patterns

Sequence Diagram Layout

For sequence diagrams (multiple participants with message flows):

• Place participants horizontally at top (y = 100)
• Each phase/stage gets its own vertical section below
• Use background regions to separate phases
• Vertical lifelines are implicit (not drawn as elements)
• Messages flow left-to-right or right-to-left between participants

Layout strategy:

Phase 1 (y: 80-300):   [A] -----> [B] -----> [C]
                            msg1       msg2
                       [A] <----- [B]
                            response

Phase 2 (y: 320-500):  [A'] ----> [B'] ----> [C']
                       (duplicate participants at new y)

Key insight: For multi-phase sequence diagrams, duplicate participant boxes in each phase rather than drawing long vertical lifelines. This avoids arrow crossing issues.

Layout Optimization (Avoiding Overlaps)

Prevent Arrow Overlap

When multiple arrows connect to the same component:

• Use focus parameter to offset arrow positions on component edge
• focus: -0.5 = upper half, focus: 0.5 = lower half, focus: 0 = center
• Example: two horizontal arrows can use focus: -0.5 and focus: 0.5 to separate vertically

Prevent Arrows Crossing Components

When arrows would cross unrelated components, restructure the layout:

3 components with return arrow (A→B→C, C→A):

• Triangle layout: A at top, B bottom-left, C bottom-right
• All arrows flow along triangle edges, no crossings

4 components with return arrow (A→B→C→D, D→A):

• Diamond layout: A at top, B left, C bottom, D right
• Or 2×2 grid with diagonal return arrow
• Or use bypass path for return arrow (route above/below the row)

4+ components in sequence with return arrows:

• Split into rows: forward flow on top row, return flow on bottom row
• Or use vertical bypass: return arrows route above/below all components

  "points": [[0, 0], [0, -80], [-400, -80], [-400, 0]]
  

Hub-and-spoke (central component connects to many):

• Place hub in center, spokes radially around it
• Avoid placing spokes in a line with hub in middle

Default assumption: If there's a return arrow, horizontal layout will likely fail—plan for bypass or 2D layout upfront.

Complete Example

Flow with Return Arrow (using bypass path) A → B → C, then C → A (return arrow routes above to avoid crossing B)

Arrow analysis:

• Arrow 1: A → B (horizontal) ✓
• Arrow 2: B → C (horizontal) ✓
• Arrow 3: C → A (return) ⚠️ Would cross B → use bypass path above

{
  "type": "excalidraw",
  "version": 2,
  "source": "https://excalidraw.com",
  "elements": [
    {"id": "a", "type": "rectangle", "x": 100, "y": 150, "width": 140, "height": 60, "backgroundColor": "#a5d8ff", "strokeColor": "#1971c2", "roundness": {"type": 3}, "boundElements": [{"id": "arr1", "type": "arrow"}, {"id": "arr3", "type": "arrow"}]},
    {"id": "a-label", "type": "text", "x": 155, "y": 168, "width": 30, "height": 24, "text": "A", "fontSize": 16, "fontFamily": 4, "textAlign": "center"},
    {"id": "b", "type": "rectangle", "x": 340, "y": 150, "width": 140, "height": 60, "backgroundColor": "#b2f2bb", "strokeColor": "#2f9e44", "roundness": {"type": 3}, "boundElements": [{"id": "arr1", "type": "arrow"}, {"id": "arr2", "type": "arrow"}]},
    {"id": "b-label", "type": "text", "x": 395, "y": 168, "width": 30, "height": 24, "text": "B", "fontSize": 16, "fontFamily": 4, "textAlign": "center"},
    {"id": "c", "type": "rectangle", "x": 580, "y": 150, "width": 140, "height": 60, "backgroundColor": "#d0bfff", "strokeColor": "#7048e8", "roundness": {"type": 3}, "boundElements": [{"id": "arr2", "type": "arrow"}, {"id": "arr3", "type": "arrow"}]},
    {"id": "c-label", "type": "text", "x": 635, "y": 168, "width": 30, "height": 24, "text": "C", "fontSize": 16, "fontFamily": 4, "textAlign": "center"},
    {"id": "arr1", "type": "arrow", "x": 245, "y": 180, "points": [[0, 0], [90, 0]], "endArrowhead": "arrow", "startBinding": {"elementId": "a", "focus": 0, "gap": 5}, "endBinding": {"elementId": "b", "focus": 0, "gap": 5}},
    {"id": "arr2", "type": "arrow", "x": 485, "y": 180, "points": [[0, 0], [90, 0]], "endArrowhead": "arrow", "startBinding": {"elementId": "b", "focus": 0, "gap": 5}, "endBinding": {"elementId": "c", "focus": 0, "gap": 5}},
    {"id": "arr3", "type": "arrow", "x": 650, "y": 145, "points": [[0, 0], [0, -60], [-480, -60], [-480, 0]], "endArrowhead": "arrow", "strokeStyle": "dashed", "startBinding": {"elementId": "c", "focus": 0, "gap": 5}, "endBinding": {"elementId": "a", "focus": 0, "gap": 5}},
    {"id": "arr3-label", "type": "text", "x": 380, "y": 60, "width": 60, "height": 20, "text": "return", "fontSize": 12, "fontFamily": 4, "textAlign": "center"}
  ],
  "appState": {"viewBackgroundColor": "#ffffff"},
  "files": {}
}

Output

• Filename: {descriptive-name}.excalidraw.json
• Location: project root or docs/ folder
• Tell user: drag into https://excalidraw.com or open with VS Code Excalidraw extension

SVG conversion via Kroki (when user asks for SVG)

If user explicitly asks for SVG (e.g., "convert to svg", "need svg export"), convert with this command:

curl -sS https://kroki.io/excalidraw/svg \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  --data-binary @diagram.excalidraw.json \
  -o diagram.svg

Notes:

• Input must be a valid Excalidraw JSON file (*.excalidraw.json)
• Keep both outputs: source JSON + exported SVG
• If user asks for SVG, do not skip this conversion step

Notes

• IDs must be unique across the file
• fontFamily: 1=Virgil, 2=Helvetica, 3=Cascadia, 4=Comic Shanns (MUST use for hand-drawn style)
• strokeWidth usage in software diagrams:
  • 1 (thin): background regions, container borders, secondary connections
  • 2 (normal/default): primary components, main flow arrows
  • 4 (bold): emphasis, critical paths, highlighted elements
• Dashed arrows: add "strokeStyle": "dashed"