# Ascii Hierarchy Diagram

> Generate a hierarchical ASCII diagram that can be used for representing folder structures, decomposition diagrams, or any other kind of diagrams that might benefit from being represented by an ASCII hierarchy diagram.

- Skill: `rohingosling/ascii-hierarchy-diagram` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add rohingosling/ascii-hierarchy-diagram`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/rohingosling/ascii-hierarchy-diagram/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: rohingosling (https://skillmd.com/u/rohingosling)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/rohingosling/ascii-hierarchy-diagram

---


Render a hierarchical ASCII tree diagram using the Python script at `${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/render_ascii_hierarchy_diagram.py`.

## Instructions

1. Construct a JSON object describing the hierarchy tree. Each node has:
   - `"name"`: the node label (required)
   - `"comment"`: a trailing comment displayed after the node (optional)
   - `"children"`: an array of child nodes (optional)

2. Write the JSON to a temporary file in the current project's working directory (e.g. `hierarchy.json`).

3. Run with one of two modes (use `python3` on macOS/Linux, `python` on Windows):

   Include the root node in the output:
   ```
   python3 "${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/render_ascii_hierarchy_diagram.py" --file hierarchy.json --include-root
   ```

   Skip the root node and render each top-level child as an independent tree:
   ```
   python3 "${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/render_ascii_hierarchy_diagram.py" --file hierarchy.json --no-include-root
   ```

4. Copy the output into the target markdown file inside a fenced code block.

5. Delete the temporary JSON file.

## Modes

- **`--include-root`**: Render the root node and all descendants as a single unified tree. One global comment margin is computed across the entire tree. A blank separator line (carrying the `│` continuation glyph at the relevant column) is inserted after every completed sub-tree at every depth — that is, after any node that has its own children and is not the last sibling. Leaf entries and final siblings get no gap.

- **`--no-include-root`**: Skip the root node. Render each top-level child as a separate independent tree. Each group computes its own comment margin. Groups are separated by a blank line, and within each group sub-trees are gapped at every depth by the same rule as `--include-root`.

## Comment alignment

Comments are aligned to a margin computed as: length of the longest `prefix + name` string + 4. This margin is global in `--include-root` mode and per-group in `--no-include-root` mode.

## Example JSON

```json
{
    "name": "project",
    "children": [
        {
            "name": "src",
            "comment": "Source code",
            "children": [
                { "name": "main.cpp", "comment": "Entry point" },
                { "name": "utils.h", "comment": "Helpers" }
            ]
        },
        {
            "name": "docs",
            "comment": "Documentation",
            "children": [
                { "name": "README.md", "comment": "Project overview" }
            ]
        }
    ]
}
```

### Output with `--include-root`

```
project
├─ src             Source code
│  ├─ main.cpp     Entry point
│  └─ utils.h      Helpers
│
└─ docs            Documentation
   └─ README.md    Project overview
```

### Output with `--no-include-root`

```
src            Source code
├─ main.cpp    Entry point
└─ utils.h     Helpers

docs            Documentation
└─ README.md    Project overview
```

## User argument

$ARGUMENTS