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ascii-visualizer
// ASCII diagram patterns for architecture, workflows, file trees, and data visualizations. Use when creating terminal-rendered diagrams, box-drawing layouts, progress bars, swimlanes, or blast radius visualizations.
// ASCII diagram patterns for architecture, workflows, file trees, and data visualizations. Use when creating terminal-rendered diagrams, box-drawing layouts, progress bars, swimlanes, or blast radius visualizations.
[HINT] Download the complete skill directory including SKILL.md and all related files
| name | ascii-visualizer |
| license | MIT |
| compatibility | Claude Code 2.1.76+. |
| description | ASCII diagram patterns for architecture, workflows, file trees, and data visualizations. Use when creating terminal-rendered diagrams, box-drawing layouts, progress bars, swimlanes, or blast radius visualizations. |
| tags | ["ascii","diagrams","visualization","box-drawing","architecture","terminal"] |
| version | 1.0.0 |
| author | OrchestKit |
| user-invocable | false |
| disable-model-invocation | true |
| context | inherit |
| allowed-tools | ["Read","Grep","Glob"] |
| complexity | low |
| persuasion-type | reference |
| effort | low |
| model | haiku |
| metadata | {"category":"document-asset-creation"} |
Consistent, readable ASCII diagrams for architecture, workflows, file trees, and data visualizations. All output renders correctly in monospace terminals without external tools.
Core principle: Encode information into structure, not decoration. Every diagram element should communicate something meaningful.
This block intentionally shows multiple sets together as a key. Authors
should use ONE set per real diagram; the single-set lint rule enforces
this on production diagrams.
default: โโโ โ โโโ โโโค โฌ โด โผ
emphasis: โโโ โ โโโ โฃโโซ โณ โป โ
title: โโโ โ โโโ โ โโฃ โฆ โฉ โฌ
soft: โญโโฎ โ โฐโโฏ
portable: +-+ | +-+ +-+ + + +
Arrows: โ โ โ โ โ> <โ โโ> <โโ
Blocks: โ โ โ โโโโโโโ
Status: โ โ โ โ โ โ โ โถ โท โโโ โโโ (closed-set vocab โ see rules)
Tokens live in tokens.json. Names describe USE not APPEARANCE.
| Set | Characters | Use For |
|---|---|---|
default โโ | Normal boxes and connectors | Most diagrams |
emphasis โโ | Headers, focus, draw the eye | Key components, outer frames |
title โโ | Document titles | ยง0-style banners only |
soft โญโฎโฐโฏ โโ | Status cards, ambient UI | Diff blocks |
portable +-| | NO_COLOR / CI / bare TTY | Fallback |
Rename codemod (D8): old light/heavy/double/rounded/ascii-fallback โ new names above. Old names accepted with warning for one minor release.
Closed-set v1 of 11 semantic glyphs (โโโโโ โโโถโท โโโ โโโ). Single source of truth โ see rules/status-glyph-vocabulary.md. Add-a-glyph process in CONTRIBUTING.md.
โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ
โ Frontend โโโโโโ>โ Backend โ
โ React 19 โ โ FastAPI โ
โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ โโโโโโโโโฌโโโโโโโ
โ
v
โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ
โ PostgreSQL โ
โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ
src/
โโโ api/
โ โโโ routes.py [M] +45 -12 !! high-traffic path
โ โโโ schemas.py [M] +20 -5
โโโ services/
โ โโโ billing.py [A] +180 ** new file
โโโ tests/
โโโ test_billing.py [A] +120 ** new file
Legend: [A]dd [M]odify [D]elete !! Risk ** New
[โโโโโโโโโโ] 80% Complete
+ Design (2 days)
+ Backend (5 days)
~ Frontend (3 days)
- Testing (pending)
Backend ===[Schema]======[API]===========================[Deploy]====>
| | ^
| +------blocks------+ |
| | |
Frontend ------[Wait]--------[Components]=======[Integration]=+
=== Active work --- Blocked/waiting | Dependency
Ring 3: Tests (8 files)
+-------------------------------+
| Ring 2: Transitive (5) |
| +------------------------+ |
| | Ring 1: Direct (3) | |
| | +--------------+ | |
| | | CHANGED FILE | | |
| | +--------------+ | |
| +------------------------+ |
+-------------------------------+
BEFORE AFTER
โโโโโโโโโโโโโโ โโโโโโโโโโโโโโ
โ Monolith โ โ Service A โโโโ
โ (all-in-1)โ โโโโโโโโโโโโโโ โ โโโโโโโโโโโโ
โโโโโโโโโโโโโโ โโโโโโโโโโโโโโ โโ>โ Shared โ
โ Service B โโโโ โ Queue โ
โโโโโโโโโโโโโโ โโโโโโโโโโโโ
Phase 1 [================] FULLY REVERSIBLE (add column)
Phase 2 [================] FULLY REVERSIBLE (new endpoint)
Phase 3 [============....] PARTIALLY (backfill)
--- POINT OF NO RETURN ---
Phase 4 [........????????] IRREVERSIBLE (drop column)
| Rule | Description |
|---|---|
| Font | Always monospace โ box-drawing requires fixed-width |
| Weight | Standard for normal, Heavy for emphasis, Double for titles |
| Arrows | โ>, โโ>, or โ with v/^ for direction |
| Alignment | Right-pad labels to match column widths |
| Annotations | !! for risk, ** for new, [A/M/D] for change type |
| Width | Keep under 80 chars for terminal compatibility |
| Nesting | Max 3 levels of box nesting before readability degrades |
| Pattern | Use Case |
|---|---|
| Layered boxes | System architecture, deployment topology |
| Concentric rings | Blast radius, impact analysis |
| Timeline bars | Reversibility, migration phases |
| Swimlanes | Execution order, parallel work streams |
| Annotated trees | File change manifests, directory structures |
| Comparison tables | Cross-layer consistency, before/after |
| Progress bars | Status tracking, completion metrics |
brainstorm โ Design exploration where diagrams communicate ideasarchitecture-patterns โ System architecture that benefits from ASCII diagramscode-review-playbook โ Review comments with inline diagrams