Diagrams Skills Discovery

Provides automatic access to comprehensive Mermaid.js diagram skills for visual documentation.

When This Skill Activates

This skill auto-activates when you're working with:

• Process flows and flowcharts
• Sequence and interaction diagrams
• System architecture and C4 diagrams
• Database schemas and ER diagrams
• Class diagrams and state machines
• Data visualization charts
• Project timelines and Gantt charts
• Git workflows and branching
• Mindmaps and concept hierarchies
• Any Mermaid.js diagram creation

Available Skills

Quick Reference

The diagrams category contains 8 specialized Mermaid.js skills:

1. mermaid-flowcharts - Process flows, decision trees, node shapes, subgraphs
2. mermaid-sequence-diagrams - Interactions, message flows, participants, lifelines
3. mermaid-class-state-diagrams - UML classes, relationships, state machines, FSM
4. mermaid-er-diagrams - Entity-relationship, database schemas, cardinality
5. mermaid-architecture-diagrams - C4 diagrams, block diagrams, system design
6. mermaid-charts - Pie, XY, quadrant, radar charts for data visualization
7. mermaid-project-diagrams - Gantt charts, timelines, project planning
8. mermaid-specialized - Git graphs, Sankey flows, mindmaps, requirement diagrams

Load Full Category Details

For complete descriptions and workflows:

cat ~/.claude/skills/diagrams/INDEX.md

This loads the full diagrams category index with:

• Detailed skill descriptions
• When to use which diagram type
• Common workflow combinations
• Best practices and integration patterns

Load Specific Skills

Load individual skills as needed:

# Process and logic
cat ~/.claude/skills/diagrams/mermaid-flowcharts.md
cat ~/.claude/skills/diagrams/mermaid-sequence-diagrams.md

# Structure and design
cat ~/.claude/skills/diagrams/mermaid-class-state-diagrams.md
cat ~/.claude/skills/diagrams/mermaid-er-diagrams.md
cat ~/.claude/skills/diagrams/mermaid-architecture-diagrams.md

# Data and metrics
cat ~/.claude/skills/diagrams/mermaid-charts.md

# Planning and history
cat ~/.claude/skills/diagrams/mermaid-project-diagrams.md

# Specialized diagrams
cat ~/.claude/skills/diagrams/mermaid-specialized.md

Common Workflows

Document REST API

Sequence: Architecture → Sequence → ER

cat ~/.claude/skills/diagrams/mermaid-architecture-diagrams.md  # System design
cat ~/.claude/skills/diagrams/mermaid-sequence-diagrams.md      # Request/response flows
cat ~/.claude/skills/diagrams/mermaid-er-diagrams.md            # Database schema

Document Feature Implementation

Sequence: Flowchart → Sequence → State

cat ~/.claude/skills/diagrams/mermaid-flowcharts.md             # Business logic
cat ~/.claude/skills/diagrams/mermaid-sequence-diagrams.md      # Service interactions
cat ~/.claude/skills/diagrams/mermaid-class-state-diagrams.md   # State management

Project Planning

Sequence: Mindmap → Gantt → Timeline

cat ~/.claude/skills/diagrams/mermaid-specialized.md            # Brainstorm with mindmap
cat ~/.claude/skills/diagrams/mermaid-project-diagrams.md       # Schedule with Gantt
cat ~/.claude/skills/diagrams/mermaid-project-diagrams.md       # Roadmap with timeline

System Architecture Documentation

Sequence: C4 Context → C4 Container → Sequence

cat ~/.claude/skills/diagrams/mermaid-architecture-diagrams.md  # System context
cat ~/.claude/skills/diagrams/mermaid-architecture-diagrams.md  # Technology choices
cat ~/.claude/skills/diagrams/mermaid-sequence-diagrams.md      # Runtime behavior

Database Design

Sequence: ER → Class

cat ~/.claude/skills/diagrams/mermaid-er-diagrams.md            # Schema design
cat ~/.claude/skills/diagrams/mermaid-class-state-diagrams.md   # ORM models

Diagram Selection Guide

Process & Logic:

• Flowchart: Algorithms, workflows, decision trees
• Sequence: API calls, protocols, service communication
• State: Lifecycle management, FSM, protocol states

Structure & Design:

• Class: Object models, API structure, OOP design
• ER: Database schema, data relationships
• Architecture: System topology, infrastructure, C4 diagrams

Data & Metrics:

• Pie: Distribution percentages, market share
• XY Charts: Trends over time, performance metrics
• Quadrant: Prioritization matrices, risk assessment
• Radar: Skill assessments, feature comparison
• Sankey: Flow analysis, conversion funnels

Planning & History:

• Gantt: Project schedules, task dependencies
• Timeline: Product roadmaps, company history
• GitGraph: Branching strategies, release workflows

Ideation:

• Mindmap: Brainstorming, concept hierarchies, learning paths

Integration with Other Skills

Diagram skills commonly combine with:

API skills (discover-api):

• Sequence diagrams for API interactions
• ER diagrams for data models
• Architecture diagrams for system design

Database skills (discover-database):

• ER diagrams for schema design
• Sequence diagrams for query patterns
• Flowcharts for migration processes

Testing skills (discover-testing):

• Flowcharts for test scenarios
• Sequence diagrams for test flows
• State diagrams for state-based testing

Frontend skills (discover-frontend):

• Flowcharts for user flows
• State diagrams for UI state management
• Sequence diagrams for data fetching

Infrastructure skills (discover-infra, discover-cloud):

• Architecture diagrams for deployment
• Sequence diagrams for CI/CD pipelines
• Gantt charts for migration schedules

Usage Instructions

1. Auto-activation: This skill loads automatically when Claude Code detects diagram/visualization work
2. Browse skills: Run cat ~/.claude/skills/diagrams/INDEX.md for full category overview
3. Load specific skills: Use bash commands above to load individual diagram skills
4. Follow workflows: Use recommended sequences for comprehensive documentation
5. Combine diagrams: Multiple diagram types provide complete picture

Progressive Loading

This gateway skill (~200 lines, ~2K tokens) enables progressive loading:

• Level 1: Gateway loads automatically (you're here now)
• Level 2: Load category INDEX.md (~3K tokens) for full overview
• Level 3: Load specific skills (~2-3K tokens each) as needed

Total context: 2K + 3K + skill(s) = 5-10K tokens vs 30K+ for entire category.

Quick Start Examples

"Create a flowchart for user authentication":

cat ~/.claude/skills/diagrams/mermaid-flowcharts.md

"Document API interactions":

cat ~/.claude/skills/diagrams/mermaid-sequence-diagrams.md

"Design database schema":

cat ~/.claude/skills/diagrams/mermaid-er-diagrams.md

"Show system architecture":

cat ~/.claude/skills/diagrams/mermaid-architecture-diagrams.md

"Create class diagram for ORM models":

cat ~/.claude/skills/diagrams/mermaid-class-state-diagrams.md

"Visualize project timeline":

cat ~/.claude/skills/diagrams/mermaid-project-diagrams.md

"Show data distribution":

cat ~/.claude/skills/diagrams/mermaid-charts.md

"Document Git workflow":

cat ~/.claude/skills/diagrams/mermaid-specialized.md

Best Practices

1. Start broad, drill down: Architecture → Sequence → Class → Flowchart
2. One diagram, one purpose: Don't mix abstraction levels
3. Label everything: Relationships, transitions, axes, values
4. Limit complexity: Split large diagrams into focused views
5. Use GitHub/GitLab rendering: Diagrams auto-render in markdown
6. Iterate in https://mermaid.live: Fast feedback loop

Mermaid.js Quick Tips

In Markdown files:

```mermaid
graph TD
    A --> B
```

Live Preview:

• https://mermaid.live - Official editor
• VS Code: Install "Mermaid Preview" extension
• GitHub/GitLab: Auto-renders in README.md

Common Gotchas:

• Use quotes for labels with spaces: A["Label with spaces"]
• Escape special characters in labels
• Check syntax highlighting for errors
• Start simple, add complexity incrementally

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Next Steps: Run cat ~/.claude/skills/diagrams/INDEX.md to see full category details, or load specific diagram skills using the bash commands above.