markdown-mermaid-writing

name markdown-mermaid-writing description Comprehensive markdown and Mermaid diagram writing skill. Use when creating any scientific document, report, analysis, or visualization. Establishes text-based diagrams as the default documentation standard with full style guides (markdown + mermaid), 24 diagram type references, and 9 document templates. allowed-tools Read Write Edit Bash license Apache-2.0 metadata {"version":"1.1","skill-author":"Clayton Young / Superior Byte Works, LLC (@borealBytes)","skill-source":"https://github.com/SuperiorByteWorks-LLC/agent-project","skill-version":"1.0.0","skill-contributors":"Clayton Young (Superior Byte Works, LLC / @borealBytes; Author and originator); K-Dense Team (K-Dense Inc.; Integration target and community feedback)"} Markdown and Mermaid Writing Overview This skill teaches you — and enforces a standard for — creating scientific documentation using markdown with embedded Mermaid diagrams as the default and canonical format . The core bet: a relationship expressed as a Mermaid diagram inside a .md file is more valuable than any image. It is text, so it diffs cleanly in git. It requires no build step. It renders natively on GitHub, GitLab, Notion, VS Code, and any markdown viewer. It uses fewer tokens than a prose description of the same relationship. And it can always be converted to a polished image later — but the text version remains the source of truth. "The more you get your reports and files in .md in just regular text, which mermaid is as well as being a simple 'script language'. This just helps with any downstream rendering and especially AI generated images (using mermaid instead of just long form text to describe relationships < tokens). Additionally mermaid can render along with markdown for easy use almost anywhere by humans or AI." — Clayton Young (@borealBytes), K-Dense Discord, 2026-02-19 When to Use This Skill Use this skill when: Creating any scientific document — reports, analyses, manuscripts, methods sections Writing any documentation — READMEs, how-tos, decision records, project docs Producing any diagram — workflows, data pipelines, architectures, timelines, relationships Generating any output that will be version-controlled — if it's going into git, it should be markdown Working with any other skill — this skill defines the documentation layer that wraps every other output Someone asks you to "add a diagram" or "visualize the relationship" — Mermaid first, always Do NOT start with Python matplotlib, seaborn, or AI image generation for structural or relational diagrams. Those are Phase 2 and Phase 3 — only used when Mermaid cannot express what's needed (e.g., scatter plots with real data, photorealistic images). 🎨 The Source Format Philosophy Why text-based diagrams win What matters Mermaid in Markdown Python / AI Image Git diff readable ✅ ❌ binary blob Editable without regenerating ✅ ❌ Token efficient vs. prose ✅ smaller ❌ larger Renders without a build step ✅ ❌ needs hosting Parseable by AI without vision ✅ ❌ Works in GitHub / GitLab / Notion ✅ ⚠️ if hosted Accessible (screen readers) ✅ accTitle/accDescr ⚠️ needs alt text Convertible to image later ✅ anytime — already image The three-phase workflow flowchart LR accTitle: Three-Phase Documentation Workflow accDescr: Phase 1 Mermaid in markdown is always required and is the source of truth. Phases 2 and 3 are optional downstream conversions for polished output. p1["📄 Phase 1<br/>Mermaid in Markdown<br/>(ALWAYS — source of truth)"] p2["🐍 Phase 2<br/>Python Generated<br/>(optional — data charts)"] p3["🎨 Phase 3<br/>AI Generated Visuals<br/>(optional — polish)"] out["📊 Final Deliverable"] p1 --> out p1 -.->|"when needed"| p2 p1 -.->|"when needed"| p3 p2 --> out p3 --> out classDef required fill:#dbeafe,stroke:#2563eb,stroke-width:2px,color:#1e3a5f classDef optional fill:#fef9c3,stroke:#ca8a04,stroke-width:2px,color:#713f12 classDef output fill:#dcfce7,stroke:#16a34a,stroke-width:2px,color:#14532d class p1 required class p2,p3 optional class out output Phase 1 is mandatory. Even if you proceed to Phase 2 or 3, the Mermaid source stays committed. What Mermaid can express Mermaid covers 24 diagram types. Almost every scientific relationship fits one: Use case Diagram type File Experimental workflow / decision logic Flowchart references/diagrams/flowchart.md Service interactions / API calls / messaging Sequence references/diagrams/sequence.md Data model / schema ER diagram references/diagrams/er.md State machine / lifecycle State references/diagrams/state.md Project timeline / roadmap Gantt references/diagrams/gantt.md Proportions / composition Pie references/diagrams/pie.md System architecture (zoom levels) C4 references/diagrams/c4.md Concept hierarchy / brainstorm Mindmap references/diagrams/mindmap.md Chronological events / history Timeline references/diagrams/timeline.md Class hierarchy / type relationships Class references/diagrams/class.md User journey / satisfaction map User Journey references/diagrams/user_journey.md Two-axis comparison / prioritization Quadrant references/diagrams/quadrant.md Requirements traceability Requirement references/diagrams/requirement.md Flow magnitude / resource distribution Sankey references/diagrams/sankey.md Numeric trends / bar + line charts XY Chart references/diagrams/xy_chart.md Component layout / spatial arrangement Block references/diagrams/block.md Work item status / task columns Kanban references/diagrams/kanban.md Cloud infrastructure / service topology Architecture references/diagrams/architecture.md Multi-dimensional comparison / skills radar Radar references/diagrams/radar.md Hierarchical proportions / budget Treemap references/diagrams/treemap.md Binary protocol / data format Packet references/diagrams/packet.md Git branching / merge strategy Git Graph references/diagrams/git_graph.md Code-style sequence (programming syntax) ZenUML references/diagrams/zenuml.md Multi-diagram composition patterns Complex Examples references/diagrams/complex_examples.md 💡 Pick the right type, not the easy one. Don't default to flowcharts for everything. A timeline beats a flowchart for chronological events. A sequence beats a flowchart for service interactions. Scan the table and match. 🔧 Core workflow Step 1: Identify the document type Check if a template exists before writing from scratch: Document type Template Pull request record templates/pull_request.md Issue / bug / feature request templates/issue.md Sprint / project board templates/kanban.md Architecture decision (ADR) templates/decision_record.md Presentation / briefing templates/presentation.md Research paper / analysis templates/research_paper.md Project documentation templates/project_documentation.md How-to / tutorial templates/how_to_guide.md Status report templates/status_report.md Step 2: Read the style guide Before writing any .md file: read references/markdown_style_guide.md . Key rules to internalize: One H1 per document — the title. Never more. Emoji on H2 headings only — one emoji per H2, none in H3/H4 Cite everything — every external claim gets a footnote [^N] with full URL Bold sparingly — max 2-3 bold terms per paragraph, never full sentences Horizontal rule after every </details> — mandatory Tables over prose for comparisons, configurations, structured data Diagrams over walls of text — if it describes flow, structure, or relationships, add Mermaid Step 3: Pick the diagram type and read its guide Before creating any Mermaid diagram: read references/mermaid_style_guide.md . Then open the specific type file (e.g., references/diagrams/flowchart.md ) for the exemplar, tips, and copy-paste template. Mandatory rules for every diagram: accTitle: Short Name 3-8 Words accDescr: One or two sentences explaining what this diagram shows. No %%{init} directives — breaks GitHub dark mode No inline style — use classDef only One emoji per node max — at the start of the label snake_case node IDs — match the label Step 4: Write the document Start from the template. Apply the markdown style guide. Place diagrams inline with related text — not in a separate "Figures" section. Step 5: Commit as text The .md file with embedded Mermaid is what gets committed. If you also generated a PNG or AI image, those are supplementary — the markdown is the source. ⚠️ Common pitfalls Radar chart syntax ( radar-beta ) WRONG: radar title Example x-axis ["A", "B", "C"] "Series" : [1, 2, 3] CORRECT: radar-beta title Example axis a["A"], b["B"], c["C"] curve series["Series"]{1, 2, 3} max 3 Use radar-beta not radar (the bare keyword doesn't exist) Use axis to define dimensions, not x-axis Use curve to define data series, not quoted labels with colon No accTitle / accDescr — radar-beta doesn't support accessibility annotations; always add a descriptive italic paragraph above the diagram XY Chart vs Radar confusion Diagram Keyword Axis syntax Data syntax XY Chart (bars/lines) xychart-beta x-axis ["Label1", "Label2"] bar [10, 20] or line [10, 20] Radar (spider/web) radar-beta axis id["Label"] curve id["Label"]{10, 20} Forgetting accTitle / accDescr on supported types Only some diagram types support accTitle / accDescr . For those that don't, always place a descriptive italic paragraph directly above the code block: Radar chart comparing three methods across five performance dimensions. Note: Radar charts do not support accTitle/accDescr. radar-beta ... 🔗 Integration with other skills With scientific-schematics scientific-schematics generates AI-powered publication-quality images (PNG). Use the Mermaid diagram as the brief for the schematic: Workflow: 1. Create the concept as Mermaid in .md (this skill — Phase 1) 2. Describe the same concept to scientific-schematics for a polished PNG (Phase 3) 3. Commit both — the .md as source, the PNG as a supplementary figure With scientific-writing When scientific-writing produces a manuscript, all diagrams and structural figures should use this skill's standards. The writing skill handles prose and citations; this skill handles visual structure. Workflow: 1. Use scientific-writing to draft the manuscript 2. For every figure that shows a workflow, architecture, or relationship: - Replace placeholder with a Mermaid diagram following this skill's guide 3. Use scientific-schematics only for figures that truly need photorealistic/complex rendering With literature-review Literature review produces summaries with lots of relationship data. Use this skill to: Create concept maps (Mindmap) of the literature landscape Show publication timelines (Timeline or Gantt) Compare methodologies (Quadrant or Radar) Diagram data flows described in papers (Sequence or Flowchart) With any skill that produces output documents Before finalizing any document from any skill, apply this skill's checklist: Does the document use a template? If so, did I start from the right one? Are all diagrams in Mermaid with accTitle + accDescr ? No %%{init} , no inline style , only classDef ? Are all external claims cited with [^N] ? One H1, emoji on H2 only? Horizontal rules after every </details> ? 📚 Reference index Style guides Guide Path Lines What it covers Markdown Style Guide references/markdown_style_guide.md ~733 Headings, formatting, citations, tables, Mermaid integration, templates, quality checklist Mermaid Style Guide references/mermaid_style_guide.md ~458 Accessibility, emoji set, color classes, theme neutrality, type selection, complexity tiers Diagram type guides (24 types) Each file contains: production-quality exemplar, tips specific to that type, and a copy-paste template.