Excalidraw diagram generator skill: have Claude draw diagrams from a description

Makes Claude turn a plain description into an Excalidraw diagram file: flowchart, mind map, architecture and more.

Installs: 32.9K; on skills.sh
Stars: 40.7K; on GitHub
Files: 15; besides SKILL.md
Updated: Oct 2026; last repo commit

This skill, from GitHub's awesome-copilot collection, makes Claude write Excalidraw files from a description. It picks one of nine diagram types, pulls out the steps or entities, and saves a .excalidraw file you open at excalidraw.com or in the VS Code extension.

It bundles eight starter templates and three Python scripts for adding icons and arrows from an Excalidraw icon library you download yourself. Basic diagrams need nothing else. The scripts edit local files and need Python 3.6 or newer.

Good for

Developers who need architecture or sequence diagrams for docs
Teams sketching flows, data models or mind maps quickly
Anyone who wants an editable diagram instead of a static image

Install excalidraw-diagram-generator

Claude Code

Copy this prompt.

Install the excalidraw-diagram-generator skill in Claude Code. Run this command:

npx skills add https://github.com/github/awesome-copilot --skill excalidraw-diagram-generator

Then check that it loaded and tell me how to use it.

2
Paste it into Claude Code. It shows the change and asks before running it.

Requires Node.js.

From its listing on skills.sh. Source.

What's in the skill

When it loads

Generate Excalidraw diagrams from natural language descriptions. Use when asked to "create a diagram", "make a flowchart", "visualize a process", "draw a system architecture", "create a mind map", or "generate an Excalidraw file". Supports flowcharts, relationship diagrams, mind maps, and system architecture diagrams. Outputs .excalidraw JSON files that can be opened directly in Excalidraw.

Sections in SKILL.md

When to Use This Skill
Prerequisites
Step-by-Step Workflow
Step 1: Understand the Request
Step 2: Choose the Appropriate Diagram Type
Step 3: Extract Structured Information
Step 4: Generate the Excalidraw JSON
Step 5: Format the Output
Step 6: Save and Provide Instructions
Best Practices
Element Count Guidelines
Layout Tips
Complexity Management
Example Prompts and Responses
Example 1: Simple Flowchart
Example 2: Relationship Diagram

Key facts

Author: github (awesome-copilot)
Repo: github/awesome-copilot
Installs on skills.sh: 32,941 as of Nov 2, 2026
GitHub stars: 40,666 for the whole github/awesome-copilot repo, Nov 2, 2026
License: MIT
Last repo commit: Oct 30, 2026
What is inside: 16 files including SKILL.md: 8 templates, 3 Python scripts, 2 reference guides, a scripts README and .gitignore
skills.sh audits: Gen Agent Trust Hub pass, Socket pass, Snyk pass
Output: .excalidraw JSON files you open at excalidraw.com or in the Excalidraw VS Code extension
Needs: Nothing for basic diagrams; Python 3.6+ for the library splitter script
Origin: awesome-copilot, a community collection; its README says to inspect third-party customisations before installing

What it includes

Picks the diagram type from your wording
Nine types: flowchart, relationship, mind map, architecture, data flow, swimlane, class, sequence and ER.
Try: “Create a flowchart for user registration.”
Read · Understand and choose a type
Lists the steps, entities, relationships or branches to draw
Extract structure
Writes rectangles, ellipses, diamonds, arrows and text with fontFamily 5
Saves <descriptive-name>.excalidraw, then tells you how to open it.
Write · Generate the .excalidraw JSON
Eight starter files, one per diagram type
business-flow-swimlane, class-diagram, data-flow-diagram, er-diagram, flowchart, mindmap, relationship and sequence-diagram.
templates/
excalidraw-schema.md and element-types.md describe the file format
references/
Suggests splitting a very large request into several diagrams
Recommended maximum is 20 elements per diagram.
Complexity management
Splits an .excalidrawlib icon file into one JSON per icon
Run once per downloaded library. Writes an icons folder and a reference.md.
Runs code · scripts/split-excalidraw-library.py
Places a named icon at x, y in an existing diagram, with an optional label
By default it edits through a .excalidraw.edit copy.
Try: “Add the EC2 icon at 450, 350 labelled Web Server.”
Runs code · scripts/add-icon-to-diagram.py
Adds an arrow between two points, solid, dashed or dotted
Runs code · scripts/add-arrow.py
Unique IDs, no overlaps, readable text, fontFamily 5, valid JSON
Validation checklist

From the official docs

Permissions

Low risk

The skill writes diagram files in your folder, and its optional scripts rename and rewrite them. Keep a copy of diagrams you care about.

What it can do

Read your data
Create and change things
Delete things
Read-only mode

Watch out for

Scripts rename and replace diagram files
add-icon-to-diagram.py and add-arrow.py rename your diagram to a .excalidraw.edit copy and write the result back. Keep a copy of important diagrams. github.com
Icon libraries come from a third-party site
The setup steps tell you to download .excalidrawlib files from libraries.excalidraw.com and split them with a script. Only use libraries you trust. github.com
Community collection
The awesome-copilot README says its customisations come from third-party developers and asks you to inspect them before installing. github.com

Security advisories

No published security advisories as of Nov 2, 2026.

Technical details

Turning on read-only	SKILL.md defines no read-only mode. The icon scripts edit through a .excalidraw.edit copy by default; pass --no-use-edit-suffix to change that.
Sign-in and keys	SKILL.md names no credentials or sign-in.
Scopes	Claude writes .excalidraw files in your working folder Claude may run three Python scripts that read and write diagram and icon files

Questions

What does the Excalidraw diagram generator skill do?

It makes Claude turn a plain description into an Excalidraw file: flowcharts, mind maps, architecture, data flow, swimlane, class, sequence and ER diagrams. The file opens at excalidraw.com or in the VS Code extension.

How do I install it?

Use the install box at the top of this page. Then ask for a diagram, for example a flowchart of user registration, and open the saved .excalidraw file.

Does it need Python or an API key?

No key. Basic diagrams need no scripts. The scripts README lists Python 3.6 or newer and no extra packages for the library splitter, and the other two scripts import only standard library modules.

Can it use AWS or other cloud icons?

Yes, but you supply the icons. Download an .excalidrawlib from libraries.excalidraw.com, put it in the skill's libraries folder, and run the splitter script. Without icons, Claude draws with basic shapes.

How many elements can one diagram hold?

The skill recommends 20 or fewer, for example 3 to 10 flowchart steps. If your request is bigger it suggests a high-level diagram plus one per subsystem.

Can I edit the result?

Yes. Open the file in Excalidraw and edit as usual. The skill lists limits: complex curves are simplified, hand-drawn roughness is the default, and embedded images are not generated.

Is it safe?

The scripts read and write local diagram and icon files and use only Python's standard library. The skill writes .excalidraw files in your working folder. The awesome-copilot README says its entries come from third parties and should be inspected before you install them.

Information

updated Nov 2, 2026

Repository: github/awesome-copilot
Folder: skills/excalidraw-diagram-generator

github/awesome-copilot skills.sh

Sources

Docs, issue trackers and discussions this page is built from.

Show all 4

excalidraw-diagram-generator SKILL.md · github.com
scripts README · github.com
awesome-copilot README · github.com
skills.sh listing · skills.sh