Pma Draw

ReactFlow Diagram Creator

Generate .rfd.json files that encode meaning in shape, position, and connection — consumed by a ReactFlow-based viewer (pma-viewer) with a predefined catalog of custom node types.

Keep this entry file small. Load only the references needed for the current diagram.

Always-On Rules

1. Isomorphism first: node layout and edge topology must mirror the concept's structure. If removing all labels still communicates the idea, the design is right.
2. Use predefined node types only. Pull every node type from references/node-types.md. Never invent new types unless the user asks and the viewer supports them.
3. Use predefined edge types only. Pull every edge type from references/edges.md. Avoid raw default unless no preset fits.
4. Colors come from references/colors.md. Node styling is driven by the preset; override only when semantics require it.
5. Grouping via parent-child, not by drawing a container rectangle. Use parentNode + extent: "parent" on child nodes and a group type parent.
6. Every relationship needs an edge. Proximity alone is not a connection.
7. No local render: the skill emits .rfd.json only. Rendering and export happen in pma-viewer (SPA). Quality must be enforced at JSON level — see references/validation.md.
8. Build large diagrams section-by-section. Append nodes/edges per edit, namespace IDs by section prefix (ingest__, process__, deliver__) to keep cross-section references readable.

Core Workflow

Step 1: Depth Assessment

• Simple / Conceptual — abstract node types (process, start, end), generic edges. For mental models and philosophies.
• Comprehensive / Technical — semantic node types (backend, database, queue, ai), evidence nodes with real code/JSON, typed edges (stream, callback). For real systems, protocols, tutorials.

Technical diagrams require research: look up actual specs, endpoints, event names, and data formats before writing JSON.

Step 2: Concept-to-Pattern Mapping

For each major concept pick the visual pattern that mirrors its behavior — fan-out, convergence, tree, timeline, cycle, assembly line, side-by-side, gap, cloud. No two major concepts should share the same pattern. Details in references/design.md.

Step 3: Layout Planning

Pick a layout template from references/layouts.md (vertical-flow, horizontal-pipeline, hub-and-spoke, swimlanes, timeline, matrix). Compute a grid of position values before emitting nodes. ReactFlow uses absolute pixel positions — consistency comes from a shared grid, not from an auto-layout pass.

Step 4: Pick Node & Edge Types

• Each discovered component → pick a node type from the catalog.
• Each relationship → pick an edge type that matches its semantics (flow, stream, callback, dependency, comparison).
• For technical diagrams, add evidence nodes for real code snippets or data payloads.

Step 5: Emit JSON

Write the wrapper + nodes[] + edges[] + viewport. Use predefined templates from references/templates.md as starting points. Keep IDs descriptive (api-server, edge__api-to-db).

Step 6: Validate & Hand Off

Run the pre-flight checklist in references/validation.md (IDs unique, edges reference existing nodes, parentNode refs valid, sourceHandle/targetHandle match node contracts, no position collisions). Then tell the user to open the file in pma-viewer (see references/render.md). The agent cannot see the rendered result, so JSON-level discipline is mandatory.

Section-by-Section for Large Diagrams

1. Write the wrapper (schema, type, viewport, metadata) and Section 1's nodes + edges.
2. Append one section per edit. Prefix IDs by section (ingest__source, ingest__queue) to keep later cross-section edges readable.
3. When a new section's edge targets an earlier node, cite the exact existing node ID from the previous section.
4. Namespace positions by section: reserve columns (x) or rows (y) per section so later edits don't collide with earlier ones.
5. After all sections exist, re-read the full file once to check edge references and position overlaps before handing off.

Do not generate an entire comprehensive diagram in one response, hand-write a generator script, or delegate JSON emission to a coding sub-agent — each path produces worse output than section-by-section edits.

Output

• File: docs/architecture/<name>.rfd.json by default, or a path the user specifies. Extension .rfd.json marks the ReactFlow Diagram schema and keeps plain JSON tooling compatibility.
• Viewing: open in pma-viewer (ReactFlow-based SPA). PNG / SVG export and editing are handled there — references/render.md covers the handoff.
• Embedding: four paths in references/integration.md:
  • React / MDX sites → <PmaViewer src="..." /> component
  • Plain HTML → pma-viewer UMD <script> + PmaViewer.mount(...)
  • Interactive link → hosted viewer with ?src=<url> query param
  • Static image (GitHub README, email, PDF) → GET /render.svg?src=<url> server-rendered SVG endpoint

Reference Packs

• references/design.md Visual pattern library, evidence artifacts, multi-zoom architecture, concept-to-pattern mapping.
• references/json-schema.md File wrapper, nodes / edges / viewport structure, parentNode grouping rules, handles.
• references/node-types.md Preset custom node catalog with data-schema per type. Semantic, structural, and utility categories.
• references/edges.md Preset edge catalog: flow, stream, callback, dependency, comparison, annotated. Handle positions, animation, labels.
• references/colors.md Semantic color palette (default / AWS / Azure / GCP / K8s) and text hierarchy. Styled presets in node-types reference this file.
• references/layouts.md Layout templates (vertical flow, horizontal pipeline, hub-and-spoke, swimlanes, timeline, matrix) with grid math.
• references/templates.md Copy-paste node / edge JSON and full starter diagrams (3-tier, microservices, event-driven, data pipeline, CI/CD).
• references/validation.md Pre-flight algorithm, checklists, common bug recipes.
• references/render.md pma-viewer SPA contract, handoff format, in-viewer export, troubleshooting.
• references/integration.md How downstream consumers embed the diagram: MDX / React component, browser <script> SDK, URL-loaded JSON with the hosted viewer, and server-rendered SVG endpoint (for GitHub READMEs, email, PDFs).

Quick Routing

• Designing from scratch: load references/design.md, then references/layouts.md.
• Picking node / edge types: load references/node-types.md + references/edges.md.
• Writing JSON: load references/json-schema.md + references/templates.md.
• Codebase-to-architecture extraction: load references/node-types.md + references/layouts.md.
• Validating before delivery: load references/validation.md.
• Telling the user how to open or export in pma-viewer: load references/render.md.
• Embedding the diagram in docs (MDX / HTML / README / SVG): load references/integration.md.

If the project also uses /pma for workflow control, load /pma first, then /pma-draw only when a diagram is required.