data-flow

name	data-flow
description	Generates a Mermaid sequence diagram showing how data moves between components. Use when tracing request flows or documenting data transformation pipelines.

Data Flow Diagram

Generate a Mermaid sequence diagram showing how data moves between components in a codebase.

When To Use

• Tracing how a request flows through the system
• Understanding data transformation pipelines
• Documenting API call chains
• Answering "what happens when X is called?"

When NOT To Use

• Static call structure (use cartograph:call-chain)
• Process steps and state transitions (use cartograph:workflow-diagram)

Workflow

Step 1: Explore the Codebase

Dispatch the codebase explorer agent:

Agent(cartograph:codebase-explorer)
Prompt: Explore [scope] and return a structural model.
Focus on function calls, data transformations, and
inter-module communication for a data flow diagram.

Step 2: Generate Mermaid Syntax

Transform the structural model into a Mermaid sequence diagram.

Rules for data flow diagrams:

• Use sequenceDiagram for request/response flows
• Participants are modules or components (not functions)
• Arrows show data direction: ->> for calls, -->> for returns
• Use activate/deactivate for long-running operations
• Add Note over for data transformations
• Limit to 8-10 participants maximum
• Use alt/else for conditional flows
• Handle circular calls by showing them once with a note