Xmind

XMind Mind Map Creator

Create .xmind files by building a JSON structure and piping it to the bundled script.

How to create an XMind file

1. Build a JSON object with path and sheets fields (see format below)
2. Write it to a temp file, then run:

node <skill-dir>/scripts/create_xmind.mjs < /tmp/xmind_input.json

Where <skill-dir> is the directory containing this SKILL.md file.

JSON Input Format

{
  "path": "/Users/user/Desktop/my_mindmap.xmind",
  "sheets": [
    {
      "title": "Sheet 1",
      "rootTopic": {
        "title": "Central Topic",
        "children": [
          {
            "title": "Branch 1",
            "notes": "Plain text note",
            "children": [
              { "title": "Sub-topic A" },
              { "title": "Sub-topic B" }
            ]
          }
        ]
      },
      "relationships": [
        { "sourceTitle": "Sub-topic A", "targetTitle": "Sub-topic B", "title": "related" }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Topic Properties

Each topic object supports:

Topic shapes

• org.xmind.topicShape.roundedRect — rounded rectangle (default)
• org.xmind.topicShape.diamond — diamond (use for conditions/decisions)
• org.xmind.topicShape.ellipserect — ellipse (use for start/end)
• org.xmind.topicShape.rect — rectangle
• org.xmind.topicShape.underline — underline only
• org.xmind.topicShape.circle — circle
• org.xmind.topicShape.parallelogram — parallelogram (use for I/O)

Layout structures

• org.xmind.ui.map.clockwise — balanced map
• org.xmind.ui.map.unbalanced — unbalanced map
• org.xmind.ui.logic.right — logic chart (right)
• org.xmind.ui.org-chart.down — org chart (down)
• org.xmind.ui.tree.right — tree (right)
• org.xmind.ui.fishbone.leftHeaded — fishbone
• org.xmind.ui.timeline.horizontal — timeline

Task properties

Simple checkbox (no dates needed):

• taskStatus: "todo" or "done"

Planned tasks (for Gantt/timeline view in XMind):

Two approaches for planned tasks:

1. Relative (preferred): Use durationDays + dependencies. XMind auto-calculates dates.
2. Absolute: Use startDate + dueDate for fixed dates.

When the user mentions "planning", "schedule", "timeline", "Gantt", "project", "phases", use RELATIVE planned tasks unless specific dates are given.

Sheet properties

Logic / Flow diagrams

For flowcharts, logic diagrams, or algorithmic diagrams, use free positioning with detached topics and straight relationships:

{
  "path": "/tmp/flowchart.xmind",
  "sheets": [{
    "title": "Algorithm",
    "freePositioning": true,
    "rootTopic": {
      "title": "START",
      "shape": "org.xmind.topicShape.ellipserect",
      "structureClass": "org.xmind.ui.map.clockwise"
    },
    "detachedTopics": [
      {"title": "IS X > 0?", "position": {"x": 0, "y": 130}, "shape": "org.xmind.topicShape.diamond"},
      {"title": "PRINT YES", "position": {"x": 200, "y": 130}},
      {"title": "PRINT NO", "position": {"x": -200, "y": 130}},
      {"title": "END", "position": {"x": 0, "y": 260}, "shape": "org.xmind.topicShape.ellipserect"}
    ],
    "relationships": [
      {"sourceTitle": "START", "targetTitle": "IS X > 0?", "shape": "org.xmind.relationshipShape.straight"},
      {"sourceTitle": "IS X > 0?", "targetTitle": "PRINT YES", "title": "YES", "shape": "org.xmind.relationshipShape.straight"},
      {"sourceTitle": "IS X > 0?", "targetTitle": "PRINT NO", "title": "NO", "shape": "org.xmind.relationshipShape.straight"},
      {"sourceTitle": "PRINT YES", "targetTitle": "END", "shape": "org.xmind.relationshipShape.straight"},
      {"sourceTitle": "PRINT NO", "targetTitle": "END", "shape": "org.xmind.relationshipShape.straight"}
    ]
  }]
}

Conventions: Use ellipse for start/end, diamond for conditions, rectangle (default) for actions, parallelogram for I/O. Use "org.xmind.relationshipShape.straight" for all connectors. Position topics on a grid (y increments of ~130px, x offsets of ~200px for branches).

When the user mentions "flowchart", "algorithm", "logic diagram", "organigramme de programmation", "diagramme logique", use this pattern.

Working with large files

When reading a PDF or other large file fails (e.g. "PDF too large"), extract text using CLI tools before building the mind map:

# Preferred: pdftotext (install: apt install poppler-utils)
pdftotext input.pdf /tmp/extracted.txt

# Fallback if pdftotext unavailable:
python3 -c "
import subprocess, pathlib, sys
p = sys.argv[1]
try:
    subprocess.run(['pdftotext', p, '/tmp/extracted.txt'], check=True)
except FileNotFoundError:
    subprocess.run(['pip', 'install', 'pymupdf'], check=True, capture_output=True)
    import importlib; fitz = importlib.import_module('fitz')
    doc = fitz.open(p)
    pathlib.Path('/tmp/extracted.txt').write_text('\n'.join(page.get_text() for page in doc))
" input.pdf

Then read /tmp/extracted.txt to build the mind map.

Important rules

• The output path MUST end with .xmind
• Always write the file where the user requests (e.g. ~/Downloads, ~/Desktop)
• IDs are generated automatically
• Topic references in relationships and dependencies are resolved by title
• HTML notes: only <strong>, <u>, <ul>, <ol>, <li>, <br> are supported. <code> is NOT supported by XMind.
• Internal links (linkToTopic) work across sheets
• Notes should be substantial and detailed — don't just repeat the topic title. Use notes to add explanations, context, definitions, examples, key points, or reasoning. Aim for 2-5 sentences minimum per note. Use HTML notes with <strong>, <ul>/<li>, <br> for well-structured content. Most topics should have notes unless they are self-explanatory leaf nodes.