creating-mermaid-diagrams

name	creating-mermaid-diagrams
description	Create, revise, convert, or validate Mermaid diagrams, including flowcharts, sequence, ER, class, state, Gantt, and optional SVG rendering for documents or slides.

Mermaid Diagrams

Preserve editable Mermaid source. Render a static asset only when the consumer requires one.

Route by Structure

Type	Best for	Basic source
Flowchart	processes and decisions	assets/examples/flowchart/basic.mmd
Sequence	ordered system interactions	assets/examples/sequence/basic.mmd
Class	object models	assets/examples/class/basic.mmd
State	lifecycle transitions	assets/examples/state/basic.mmd
ER	data entities and relationships	assets/examples/er/basic.mmd
Other	Gantt, pie, git, journey, timeline, mindmap, requirement, C4	assets/examples/other/gantt-basic.mmd

Read references/types.md only for type-specific decisions or syntax beyond the basic source.

Workflow

1. Identify the relationships, sequence, or states the diagram must communicate and choose the matching type.
2. Write one focused .mmd source with descriptive labels and simple alphanumeric or underscore IDs. Split a graph that becomes unreadable.
3. Validate with the consumer's Mermaid renderer when known. Otherwise, use Mermaid CLI when available:

mmdc -i diagram.mmd -o /tmp/diagram-check.svg

4. If a slide or document needs a static asset, render the requested SVG with an appropriate theme, background, and dimensions, then inspect it in the target artifact.
5. Return or preserve the source, any requested rendered artifact, validation performed, and renderer/version compatibility caveats.

Quote labels containing punctuation. Prefer high contrast for slides. Diagram creation does not authorize a Git commit or publication.