Mermaid

What This Skill Does

The Mermaid skill for OpenClaw empowers users to visualize complex data, processes, and architectures directly within their workflow. By leveraging the industry-standard Mermaid.js library, this skill converts natural language descriptions and structured Mermaid syntax into high-quality PNG or SVG diagrams. It operates by generating a temporary definition file (.mmd) and executing the Mermaid CLI (mmdc) to render the visual output. Whether you are mapping out a system architecture, documenting a user journey, or creating a project timeline, this skill bridges the gap between text-based documentation and visual clarity.

Installation

To use this skill, ensure you have Node.js installed on your system. Install the Mermaid CLI globally by running npm install -g @mermaid-js/mermaid-cli. Once the dependencies are ready, install the skill via the OpenClaw hub using the command clawhub install openclaw/skills/skills/jarekbird/mermaid. This integrates the rendering engine into your agent's capability set, allowing it to invoke the CLI as needed.

Use Cases

This skill is indispensable for technical documentation and project management. Use it to:

• Architecture Documentation: Define cloud infrastructure, API flows, or database schemas visually for team review.
• Process Mapping: Create flowcharts for onboarding sequences or automated decision trees.
• Project Tracking: Build Gantt charts to track milestones and dependencies across long-term development cycles.
• Behavior Modeling: Use state diagrams to document the complex lifecycle of entities within your application logic.
• Data Structure Visualization: Generate ER diagrams for SQL databases or mindmaps for brainstorming sessions.

Example Prompts

1. "Create a sequence diagram showing the authentication flow for a user logging into my app via GitHub, including the callback handling."
2. "Generate a flowchart explaining the logic for our new support ticket routing system where VIP clients get priority."
3. "Visualize the database schema for a blog application as an ER diagram with users, posts, and comments tables."

Tips & Limitations

• Styling: For professional presentations, use the -c flag with a custom configuration JSON to match your company's brand colors.
• Quality: Always use -s 2 or -s 3 when generating images for documentation to ensure they remain sharp on high-DPI displays.
• Clarity: Keep your Mermaid syntax modular. If a diagram becomes too complex, use subgraphs to group related logic, which prevents the output from appearing cluttered.
• Performance: Note that the tool writes files to /tmp. Ensure your environment has sufficient disk space and permissions to handle these temporary assets. Always specify pty: false during execution to avoid terminal hang-ups during automated rendering tasks.