| name | plannotator-visual-explainer |
| disable-model-invocation | true |
| description | Generate self-contained HTML visualizations with Plannotator theming. Use for implementation plans, PR explainers, architecture diagrams, data tables, slide decks, and any visual explanation of technical concepts. Plans and PR explainers follow Plannotator's prescriptive approach; all other visual content delegates to nicobailon/visual-explainer.
|
Plannotator Visual Explainer
Three paths depending on content type. Each has its own references and structure.
Route by content type
Implementation plan, design doc, or proposal → Follow the Plan path. Read references/design-system.md and references/svg-patterns.md. Prescriptive structure.
PR explainer, diff review, or code change walkthrough → Follow the PR path. Read references/design-system.md and references/pr-components.md. Prescriptive structure.
Everything else (architecture diagrams, data tables, slide decks, project recaps, general visual explanations) → Follow the Visual explainer path. Delegates to nicobailon/visual-explainer with Plannotator theme tokens.
Delivery
Always deliver via Plannotator's annotation UI. Do NOT use open or xdg-open.
For any deliverable that uses Mermaid, render every diagram with Mermaid 11 in both the light
and dark palettes before opening the annotation UI. Rendering is a hard gate: an exception,
empty SVG, or error output such as aria-roledescription="error" or Syntax error in text
means the explainer is not deliverable. Fix the diagram or theme configuration and rerun both
palettes until every SVG passes.
Plans/proposals (user should approve/deny):
plannotator annotate <file> --gate
Everything else (informational):
plannotator annotate <file>
Plan path
For implementation plans, design docs, feature specs, migration guides, and proposals.
Before generating, read:
references/design-system.md — Plannotator theme tokens, typography, component patternsreferences/svg-patterns.md — inline SVG building blocks for architecture diagrams, flowcharts, data flow
Document structure (in order, pick what fits):
- Header — eyebrow label (mono, uppercase), title (serif, large), prompt box (the original brief)
- Summary strip — 3-5 stat cards showing key numbers at a glance (components, endpoints, tables, etc.)
- Milestones / timeline — vertical timeline showing phases without time estimates. Phases show sequence and dependencies, not duration.
- Architecture / data flow — inline SVG diagram. Use for 3+ interacting components. Highlighted boxes for new components, dashed arrows for async paths.
- Mockups — build UI mockups in HTML/CSS directly, not as descriptions
- Key code — dark-theme code blocks with syntax highlighting. Only architecturally significant interfaces/schemas — not every function.
- Risks & mitigations — table with severity badges (HIGH/MED/LOW)
- Open questions — callout cards with decision owner ("Decide with: backend team")
Not every plan needs every section. Skip what doesn't serve the content. Never include time estimates, boilerplate sections, or exhaustive file lists.
Adapt to the task: Backend → lead with data flow. Frontend → lead with mockups. Refactoring → lead with before/after diagrams. Infrastructure → lead with architecture.
Quality bar: The plan answers "what, why, and how" within 30 seconds of reading. Whitespace is a feature — one idea per viewport.
PR path
For PR walkthroughs, diff reviews, code change explainers, and reviewer guides.
Before generating, read:
references/design-system.md — Plannotator theme tokens, typography, component patternsreferences/pr-components.md — diff rendering, review comment bubbles, risk chips, file cards, before/after panels
Document structure (in order, pick what fits):
- Header — PR title, meta strip (file count, +/- lines, branch, author)
- TL;DR — bordered card with primary accent left border. 2-3 sentences. Readers who see nothing else should get the gist.
- Why — motivation and before/after comparison (two-column grid)
- File tour — collapsible cards per file. Each has: file path + badge (NEW/MOD/DEL) + line stats, a "why" paragraph, and important diff hunks. High-risk files expanded, safe files collapsed.
- Risk map — visual chips showing which files need careful review vs. which are mechanical. Three tiers: attention (destructive), medium (warning), safe (success).
- Where to focus — numbered callout cards. Each names a file/function and describes the concern.
- Test plan — checkbox-style verification checklist
- Rollout (if applicable) — phased deployment with feature flags
Use Pierre diffs via CDN for syntax-highlighted inline diffs — see references/pr-components.md for the pattern.
Visual explainer path
For architecture diagrams, data tables, slide decks, project recaps, comparisons, and any other visual explanation.
Before generating:
- Ensure
visual-explainer is installed:
- Check:
~/.claude/skills/visual-explainer/SKILL.md or ~/.agents/skills/visual-explainer/SKILL.md
- If not found:
npx skills add nicobailon/visual-explainer -g --yes
- Read visual-explainer's
SKILL.md (workflow, diagram types, anti-slop rules)
- Read the relevant visual-explainer references and templates for your content type
- Read
references/theme-override.md — Plannotator tokens replacing Nico's palettes
Follow visual-explainer's structure, component classes (.ve-card, .kpi-card, .pipeline), and anti-slop rules. The only override is the color/typography layer — Plannotator tokens instead of Nico's custom palettes.
Design philosophy (all paths)
- Whitespace is a feature. Generous padding, large section gaps. If cramped, add space — don't shrink text.
- One idea per viewport. Hero section, then diagram, then detail grid — not all crammed together.
- Show, don't describe. A timeline shows sequencing. A diagram shows relationships. A code block shows the interface.
- No time estimates. Timelines show phases and dependencies. Never attach hour/day estimates.
