diagram-orchestrator

name

diagram-orchestrator

description

Orchestrate the diagram pipeline: content analysis → visual encoding → graphic design → rendering (Illustrator or SVG). Routes user requests to the appropriate skill, manages the handoff of specifications between skills, and provides re-entry points when the user identifies problems at any layer. Use this skill as the primary entry point when asked to create a diagram, chart, or visual explanation. Also use when the user wants to modify an existing diagram and you need to determine which layer the change belongs to. Triggers on: create a diagram, make a diagram, visualize this, diagram this, Illustrator diagram, SVG diagram, information design, one-pager, visual explanation, render as SVG, no Illustrator, web diagram, portable diagram.

Diagram Pipeline Orchestrator

Entry point for creating information design diagrams. Routes work through specialized skills, each handling a distinct layer of the design process. The first three skills (content → encoding → design) are shared; the final rendering step branches to either Illustrator or SVG.

The Pipeline

User request (document, concept, data)
        │
        ▼
┌─────────────────────────────┐
│  Skill 1: Content Analysis  │  What to show
│  diagram-content-analysis   │  → Content specification (YAML)
└──────────────┬──────────────┘
               │
               ▼
┌─────────────────────────────┐
│  Skill 2: Visual Encoding   │  How to encode it
│  diagram-visual-encoding    │  → Visual design plan (YAML)
└──────────────┬──────────────┘
               │
               ▼
┌─────────────────────────────┐
│  Skill 3: Graphic Design    │  How to make it look right
│  diagram-graphic-design     │  → Design specification (YAML)
└──────────────┬──────────────┘
               │
               ▼
        ┌──────┴──────┐
        │  Renderer?  │
        └──┬───────┬──┘
           │       │
     ┌─────┘       └─────┐
     ▼                    ▼
┌────────────────┐  ┌────────────────┐
│  Skill 4a:     │  │  Skill 4b:     │
│  Illustrator   │  │  SVG Render    │
│  Render        │  │                │
│  → .ai + PNG   │  │  → .svg + PNG  │
└────────────────┘  └────────────────┘

Each skill produces a structured YAML specification that the next skill consumes. The user can approve, modify, or reject the output at each stage.

Renderer Selection

After Skill 3 completes, choose the renderer:

Use Illustrator (Skill 4a) when:

• User explicitly requests Illustrator / .ai output
• User needs editable vector layers with named groups
• User will do further manual editing in Illustrator
• Illustrator is installed and accessible via osascript

Use SVG (Skill 4b) when:

• User explicitly requests SVG / "no Illustrator" / "portable"
• Illustrator is not installed or not available
• Output is for web embedding or browser display
• User wants a self-contained file with no app dependencies
• User wants to version-control the diagram (SVG is text-based)

Default: If the user doesn't specify, check whether Illustrator is available. If yes, use Illustrator. If no, use SVG. When in doubt, ask.

When to Use This Skill

New diagram from scratch: User provides source material (document, dataset, concept description) and wants a diagram. Run the full pipeline.

Modify an existing diagram: User identifies a problem. Route to the appropriate skill based on what layer the problem lives in (see Routing Guide below).

Explore before committing: User isn't sure what kind of diagram they want. Start with Skill 1 to analyze the content, then present options at Skill 2.

Core Workflow

Step 1: Assess the Request

Read the user's request and determine:

1. What source material exists? Document, dataset, conversation notes, or just a concept description? This determines how much Skill 1 needs to do.

2. How clear is the intent? "Make a diagram of this chapter" is clear — run the pipeline. "Help me visualize something" is ambiguous — interview first.

3. Are there constraints? Page size, medium (print/screen/presentation), audience, standalone vs. companion to text. Capture these for Skill 1's constraint section.

Step 2: Run Skill 1 — Content Analysis

Read the diagram-content-analysis skill and follow its workflow. Feed it the source material and constraints.

Output: A content specification with story, dimensions, relationships, concepts (if applicable), written content, and constraints.

Checkpoint: Present the content spec to the user. Key questions:

• "Is this the right story? Should the diagram emphasize something different?"
• "Are the priorities right? What's most important to communicate?"
• "Is any important information missing?"

If the user wants changes, iterate within Skill 1. Don't proceed until the content spec is approved.

Step 3: Run Skill 2 — Visual Encoding

Read the diagram-visual-encoding skill. Feed it the approved content spec.

Output: A visual design plan with composition type, channel assignments (which visual channels encode which data dimensions), dynamic range verification, spatial layout, and Tufte audit.

Checkpoint: Present the visual plan. Key questions:

• "Does this composition type match what you're imagining?"
• "The primary visual encoding is [X] — does that capture the main message?"

This is where the user might say "I was thinking more of a flowchart" or "Can we show the volume differences more prominently?" Those are Skill 2 decisions.

Step 4: Run Skill 3 — Graphic Design

Read the diagram-graphic-design skill. Feed it the approved visual plan.

Output: A complete design specification with grid system, type scale, color palette, element styling, and composition rules — all as concrete values (point sizes, RGB values, spacing in grid units).

Checkpoint: The design spec is technical. For most users, present a summary:

• "Using a 12pt grid, Helvetica Neue, blue accent (#2563EB)"
• "Letter-size page, 48pt margins, 2×2 card grid with synthesis card"

Most users will approve this quickly. Designers may want to adjust colors, fonts, or spacing — those are Skill 3 decisions.

Step 5: Render the Diagram

Choose the renderer based on the Renderer Selection rules above.

Step 5a: Illustrator Renderer

Read the diagram-illustrator-render skill. Feed it both the visual plan (Skill 2) and the design spec (Skill 3).

Output: A rendered diagram in Illustrator, exported as PNG for review.

Evaluation loop: View the PNG. Check against the design spec. Fix rendering issues (misalignment, wrong colors, text overflow, MRAP errors). Typically 2-4 iterations.

Step 5b: SVG Renderer

Read the diagram-svg-render skill. Feed it both the visual plan (Skill 2) and the design spec (Skill 3).

Output: An SVG file, optionally converted to PNG for review.

Evaluation loop: Read the SVG file to view it. Check against the design spec. Fix rendering issues (text clipping, missing markers, foreignObject problems). Typically 2-3 iterations. SVG is declarative, so iteration is faster — no app launch or osascript round-trips.

SVG-specific notes:

• Coordinate system is top-left origin, Y-down (simpler than Illustrator)
• No text measurement available — approximate at 0.55× font-size per character
• Use <marker> for arrows instead of manual arrowhead triangles
• Use <foreignObject> for wrapped text
• Convert to PNG via cairosvg if the user needs raster output

Final checkpoint: Show the user the rendered diagram. If they identify issues, route to the appropriate skill (see below).

Step 6: Final Export

Once approved:

Illustrator path:

• Export PNG at 200% for digital use
• Save .ai for future editing
• Optionally export PDF for print
• Copy to the workspace folder

SVG path:

• Save .svg as the primary deliverable
• Optionally convert to PNG via cairosvg at desired resolution
• Optionally export PDF via cairosvg
• Copy to the workspace folder

Routing Guide: Where Does This Problem Live?

When the user identifies a problem with a diagram, route to the skill that owns that layer. The diagnostic question: what kind of change would fix it?

Route to Skill 1 (Content Analysis) if:

• "The story is wrong" / "It should emphasize X instead"
• "This concept is missing" / "That concept isn't important"
• "The definitions don't make sense" / "The examples are wrong"
• "There's too much / too little information"
• "The text on the cards needs rewriting"

Signal words: story, message, content, concepts, definitions, examples, text, what it says, missing information, wrong emphasis.

Route to Skill 2 (Visual Encoding) if:

• "Wrong type of diagram" / "Should be a flowchart, not cards"
• "Can't see the volume differences" / "The sizes don't work"
• "The flow direction is confusing" / "Reading order is wrong"
• "There's too much visual clutter" / "Not enough data-ink"
• "The comparison doesn't work" / "Can't spot the pattern"

Signal words: diagram type, composition, chart type, encoding, channel, flow direction, reading order, can't see the difference, clutter, pattern.

Route to Skill 3 (Graphic Design) if:

• "Colors are wrong" / "Too many colors" / "Not enough contrast"
• "Font is too small" / "Typography feels off"
• "Spacing is weird" / "Things aren't aligned"
• "Looks unprofessional" / "Feels cluttered but I can't say why"
• "The hierarchy isn't clear" / "Don't know where to look first"

Signal words: colors, fonts, spacing, alignment, grid, typography, hierarchy, professional, polish, clean up, looks off, feels wrong.

Route to Skill 4a (Illustrator Render) if:

• "Text is behind the boxes" / "Elements are overlapping"
• "The export is blurry" / "Wrong file format"
• "Illustrator threw an error" / "Script didn't work"
• "Positions are off by a few points" / "Rounding errors"
• "Need to re-export at different size"

Signal words: rendering, Illustrator, error, export, z-order, overlap, blurry, positions, script, JSX, MRAP.

Route to Skill 4b (SVG Render) if:

• "Text is clipped" / "Text overflows the box"
• "Arrows aren't showing" / "Markers are missing"
• "The foreignObject isn't rendering" / "HTML inside SVG is blank"
• "SVG looks different in different browsers"
• "Need PNG instead of SVG" / "Convert to raster"

Signal words: SVG, markup, viewBox, marker, foreignObject, text clipping, xmlns, browser rendering, cairosvg, convert to PNG.

Ambiguous Cases

Sometimes the user says something like "it doesn't look right" without being specific. Ask a diagnostic question:

• "Is the information wrong (what it shows), or does the presentation feel off (how it looks)?"

• If information → Skill 1 or 2

• If presentation → Skill 3 or 4

• "Can you see the main message in the first 3 seconds?"

• If no → probably Skill 2 (encoding not working)

• If yes but it's ugly → Skill 3 (graphic design)

Adaptive Autonomy

When intent is clear (user provides a document and says "make a one-page diagram of the key concepts"): Run the pipeline, present checkpoints briefly, move quickly. Propose rather than interview.

When intent is ambiguous (user says "help me visualize this"): Interview at Skill 1 to understand what they want to communicate. Present composition options at Skill 2. Move to rendering only after the design direction is confirmed.

When iterating (user has seen a render and wants changes): Identify the layer, route directly to that skill, and re-render. Don't re-run upstream skills unless the change cascades (e.g., changing the story in Skill 1 requires re-running 2, 3, and 4).

Cascade Rules

Changes at an upstream skill may invalidate downstream work:

Change at	Must re-run
Skill 1 (content)	Skills 2, 3, 4a/4b
Skill 2 (encoding)	Skills 3, 4a/4b
Skill 3 (design)	Skill 4a or 4b only
Skill 4a/4b (render)	Nothing — just fix and re-render
Switch renderer	Skill 4a ↔ 4b only (design spec is shared)

In practice, most iterations after the first render are Skill 3 or 4 changes that don't cascade. Content and encoding changes are rarer but more expensive. Switching between Illustrator and SVG is cheap — the design spec feeds both renderers, so only the rendering step re-runs.

Quick Start

For the common case — user provides a document and wants a diagram:

1. Read the document
2. Run Skill 1: extract story, dimensions, concepts, write content
3. Present content spec → get approval
4. Run Skill 2: select composition, map channels, verify dynamic range
5. Present visual plan → get approval (brief)
6. Run Skill 3: design grid, type, color, elements
7. Summarize design choices → get approval (usually quick)
8. Choose renderer: Illustrator (4a) or SVG (4b) — see Renderer Selection
9. Run chosen renderer: write JSX/SVG, execute/save, export PNG
10. View render → evaluate → fix → iterate (2-4 cycles)
11. Present final diagram → get approval
12. Export and deliver

References

Each skill has its own reference documents. Read them when that skill runs:

• Skill 1: references/content-writing.md, references/output-format.md
• Skill 2: references/channel-effectiveness.md, references/compositions.md
• Skill 3: references/design-rules.md
• Skill 4a: references/extendscript-api.md, references/composition-implementations.md
• Skill 4b: references/svg-patterns.md