Visual architecture

Visual Architecture

Render architecture diagrams with the bundled Python renderer instead of hand-writing SVG.

Workflow

1. Create a JSON file with title, nodes, and edges.
2. Snap intended node positions to the renderer grid mentally before writing them:
   • horizontal grid: 120px
   • vertical grid: 80px
3. Run:

python3 skills/visual-architecture/scripts/render_architecture.py input.json output.svg

4. If rsvg-convert is available and you need a bitmap preview, run:

rsvg-convert -o output.png output.svg

JSON Input Structure

{
  "title": "Service Map",
  "nodes": [
    {
      "id": "web",
      "label": "Web App",
      "subtitle": "User interface",
      "kind": "service",
      "x": 120,
      "y": 160
    },
    {
      "id": "api",
      "label": "API",
      "subtitle": "Business logic",
      "kind": "service",
      "x": 360,
      "y": 160
    }
  ],
  "edges": [
    {
      "from": "web",
      "to": "api",
      "kind": "primary-data",
      "label": "HTTP"
    }
  ]
}

Node Kinds

• service: rounded rectangle
• llm: double-border rounded rectangle
• agent: hexagon
• memory: cylinder

Each node requires:

• id: unique string
• label: primary title
• kind: one of the node kinds above
• x, y: grid-aligned center coordinates

Optional:

• subtitle: smaller secondary label
• show_grid: set true to display the editing grid in the exported SVG

Edge Kinds

• primary-data: blue solid arrow
• memory-write: green dashed arrow
• control: slate dashed arrow

Each edge requires:

• from: source node id
• to: target node id

Optional:

• label: rendered on the route with a shielding background rect
• source_side, target_side: force edge anchors (left, right, top, bottom)
• via: array of orthogonal turn points, each with x and y
• label_segment: zero-based segment index to place the label on
• label_offset: [dx, dy] shift for fine label placement

Renderer Guarantees

• Route arrows orthogonally only
• Render in this order: background, arrows, nodes, labels
• Keep label shields behind arrow text for readability
• Stay restrained: clean strokes, no decorative effects, and hide the editing grid unless explicitly requested

Usage Notes

• Prefer this skill when the user wants architecture diagrams, routing maps, or system relationship visuals.
• Choose semantic kinds first, then place nodes on the grid, then add only the edges needed to explain flow.
• Keep diagrams sparse. If a diagram feels crowded, split it into two files instead of forcing a dense composite.

Example

Use examples/service-map.json as a generic starting point for web app, API, worker, database, and LLM provider diagrams.