Excalidraw CLI

Excalidraw CLI Plugin

CLI tool for creating Excalidraw hand-drawn-style flowcharts and diagrams programmatically from a text-based DSL or JSON input. Supports auto-layout, node styling, multiple flow directions, and export to PNG/SVG.

Commands

Diagram Creation

• excalidraw-cli diagram create <input> — Create flowchart from DSL or JSON file
• excalidraw-cli diagram create --inline <dsl> — Create from inline DSL string
• excalidraw-cli diagram create --stdin — Create from stdin pipe

Conversion & Export

• excalidraw-cli diagram convert <file> — Convert .excalidraw to PNG/SVG
• excalidraw-cli diagram parse <file> — Validate DSL/JSON without generating output

Info

• excalidraw-cli self version — Print version

Usage Examples

• "Create a flowchart from this DSL: (Start) -> [Process] -> (End)"
• "Generate an architecture diagram for our microservices system"
• "Convert my diagram.excalidraw file to a PNG image"

Installation

npm install -g @swiftlysingh/excalidraw-cli

Examples

Create from inline DSL

excalidraw-cli diagram create --inline "(Start) -> [Process] -> {Decision?}" -o flow.excalidraw

Create from file

excalidraw-cli diagram create flowchart.dsl -o diagram.excalidraw

Pipe from stdin

echo "[A] -> [B] -> [C]" | excalidraw-cli diagram create --stdin -o diagram.excalidraw

Export to PNG with dark mode

excalidraw-cli diagram convert diagram.excalidraw --format png --scale 2 --dark

Export to SVG

excalidraw-cli diagram convert diagram.excalidraw --format svg

Parse and validate DSL

excalidraw-cli diagram parse flowchart.dsl

Key Features

• Text-based DSL for quick flowchart creation
• JSON API for programmatic use
• Auto-layout using ELK.js (Eclipse Layout Kernel)
• Multiple flow directions: TB, BT, LR, RL
• Node styling: fillStyle, backgroundColor, strokeColor, etc.
• Export to PNG & SVG with dark mode, custom backgrounds, scale, and padding
• Generated .excalidraw files open in excalidraw.com, Obsidian, or any Excalidraw-compatible tool

DSL Syntax Reference