| name | amw-diagram-formats |
| description | Authoritative spec for ASCII / HTML / SVG / Mermaid formats, IR schema, conversion matrix, validation dispatcher, modify/diff pipelines. Triggers on "diagram IR schema", "format detection", "conversion matrix", "IR-level diff", "Mermaid format spec". Does NOT trigger on diagram creation — routes to ascii-creator / svg-diagram / html-diagram. References-only — NEVER emits diagrams. Use when looking up IR schema or format specs. Trigger with "diagram IR schema". |
Diagram Formats — shared reference library
Orchestrated by: SKILL.
Consumer scope: every other diagram skill and every amw-*-diagram* command pulls its format / IR / conversion / validation rules from this meta-skill. Do NOT re-author these specs inside the consumer skills — they cross-reference this library.
Overview
Shared reference library for all diagram format specifications in the plugin. Owns the canonical prose and machine-readable schema for ASCII / HTML / SVG / Mermaid / PNG format specs, the plugin IR (Intermediate Representation) schema, the N×N conversion matrix, the detect → parse → IR-patch → re-render → re-validate pipeline, the IR-level structural diff algorithm, and the unified validator output contract. This is a documentation meta-skill — it NEVER emits diagrams.
Activation
No dedicated slash command — this skill has no matching /amw-* shortcut. It is a reference-only meta-skill that is never invoked directly by users. Every other diagram skill and every amw-*-diagram* command reads its format specs, IR schema, and conversion rules from here. The design-principles orchestrator routes here only when a user explicitly asks about format internals ("what's the IR schema", "conversion matrix").
This skill is autonomous and self-contained — any agent (the main-agent, a sub-agent, or an external orchestrator) can use it by reading this SKILL.md and its references. The skill's techniques are NOT limited to what matching commands expose.
Older direct-emitter cluster vs newer thin-dispatcher cluster
The plugin ships diagram authoring on two parallel surfaces:
| Layer | Skills | LOC (~combined) | When to read |
|---|
| Newer thin dispatchers (entry points) | amw-html-diagram, amw-svg-diagram | ~204 | When routing via /amw-create-or-modify-html-diagram / /amw-create-or-modify-svg-diagram slash commands; when authoring through the IR-pivot path |
| Older direct emitters (implementation) | amw-diagram-editorial, amw-diagram-svg, amw-diagram-architecture | ~1207 | When authoring deeply (custom HTML or SVG layout); the dispatchers internally delegate here |
The thin dispatchers are the public entry surface. They handle command-mode dispatch, format-detection routing, and IR-pivot conversion. They internally delegate the actual emission to the older direct-emitter skills.
When in doubt, route via the dispatcher. When authoring deeply (e.g., needing a non-default HTML layout, custom Mermaid grammar, freeform SVG arrangement), read the underlying older skill directly.
A future consolidation may fold the older 3 skills' SKILL.md bodies into the dispatcher's references/ and reduce the surface from 6 skills to 3, but the current bilayered architecture is intentional: the dispatchers are stable contract surfaces and the emitters are heavier implementation that benefits from being callable as standalone skills via slash commands (/amw-create-or-modify-architecture-diagram etc.).
Position in flow
REFERENCE ONLY. This skill owns the canonical prose + machine-readable schema for every diagram-format concern in the plugin:
- Format-specific specs (syntax, validation rules, emit pipelines).
- The plugin's IR (Intermediate Representation) — the pivot format for cross-format conversion.
- The N×N conversion matrix across
ascii | html | svg | mermaid | png.
- The shared detect → parse → IR-patch → re-render → re-validate pipeline used by every
amw-create-or-modify-*-diagram command.
- The IR-level structural diff algorithm used by
/amw-compare-diagrams.
- The unified validator output contract:
PASS | FAIL: <line>: <message> [FIX: <hint>].
When a consumer skill or command needs any of these, it references this library rather than duplicating the spec inline. If the spec changes, only files under skills/amw-diagram-formats/references/ change — every consumer picks up the update via cross-reference.
Trigger conditions
- "what's the IR schema / IR version / IR fields"
- "IR schema version 1.0 spec" / "diagram-ir version 1.0"
- "how does format detection decide between ascii and mermaid"
- "conversion matrix — ASCII to SVG / HTML to PNG / PNG as source"
- "validator output format / PASS-FAIL contract / FIX hint format"
- "modify-flow steps / detect-parse-patch-emit-validate"
- "structural IR diff algorithm / ir-diff patch ops"
- "authoritative spec for ASCII / HTML / SVG / Mermaid / PNG in this plugin"
Do NOT activate for:
- Creating or modifying a specific diagram (→
../amw-ascii-creator/, ../amw-svg-diagram/, ../amw-html-diagram/, ../amw-mermaid-diagram/)
- Converting formats (→
../amw-diagram-convert/ + /amw-convert-any-diagram-format)
- Validating a specific file (→
../amw-ascii-validator/ + /amw-validate-any-diagram-format)
- Comparing diagrams (→
../amw-diagram-compare/ + /amw-compare-diagrams)
This skill answers "what is the spec" — the others DO things based on that spec.
Reference index (summary)
[png.md] PNG is OUTPUT-ONLY — why · Rasterization pipelines (per source format → PNG) · Refusal path implementation · Per-source technique catalog · PNG as INPUT is refused — the full story · Failure modes
[mermaid.md] Format definition · Supported grammars · Themes · mmdc CLI flags (17 total) · Output paths · Validation · Per-source breakdown of the technique catalog · Technique catalog · Failure modes · Anti-patterns
[svg.md] Format definition · Structural primitives (diagram-grade usage) · Viewport rules · Text rendering rules · Rasterization path · Validation · Per-source breakdown of the technique catalog · Technique catalog · Failure modes
[html.md] Format definition · Starter-components mapping · Tweaks protocol invariants (HARD RULES) · React / Babel pin rules · AI-slop-avoid gate (12-item checklist) · ARIA / keyboard / a11y patterns · CSS custom properties (Tweaks-compatible) · Per-source breakdown of the technique catalog · Technique catalog · Migration note (2026-04-22)
[ascii.md] Format definition · Dimensional constraints · Parse rules · Emission rules · Validation rules · Per-source breakdown of the technique catalog · Technique catalog · Migration note (2026-04-22)
| IR JSON schema in prose + examples | ir-schema |
[ir-schema.md] Top-level shape · nodes · Well-known annotations · Raw-source fast path (MVP) · Lossy-conversion matrix · Versioning policy · Example IRs · Validation · Consumers
| N×N conversion matrix (PNG-input = impossible) | conversion-matrix |
[conversion-matrix.md] Full N×N table · Cell semantics · PNG-as-source refusal (mandatory) · PNG-as-target pipelines (all supported) · Dispatch algorithm · Per-cell implementation notes · Tools index (required backends) · Related references
| Shared modify pipeline (detect → parse → IR-patch → re-render → re-validate) | modify-flow |
[modify-flow.md] The pipeline · Create vs modify dispatch · Step-by-step detail · Work directory and file naming · Per-format guidance · Conversion is a modify-flow variant · Composition with round-trip skills · Related references
| IR-level structural diff algorithm | diff-algorithm |
[diff-algorithm.md] Inputs · Output: ordered list of patch ops · Node / edge matching · Deep object equality for change-* · Markdown report format · Id normalization (caller preprocessing) · Exit codes (CLI) · Known limitations · Visual mode (optional, future) · Related references
| Format detection decision tree | detect-format |
[detect-format.md] Contract · Decision tree (precedence top-down) · Content sniff window · Corner cases (by example) · 1 Mermaid-in-markdown · 2 HTML with inline <svg> · 3 SVG served as XHTML · 4 ASCII with a Mermaid-looking first line · 5 .txt wireframe without box-drawing · 6 PNG with a non-.png extension · 7 Empty file · Known limitations · Callers · When to extend this
| Unified validator output contract | validation-dispatcher |
[validation-dispatcher.md] Unified output contract · Dispatch algorithm · PNG refusal message (fixed) · Per-format validator specs · Caller integration patterns · Known limitations (Phase 0) · Related references
| Machine-readable JSON Schema (draft-07) for the IR | ./schema.json |
| Full consumer table + per-script TOCs + locked decisions | skill-overview |
[skill-overview.md] Reference index — full table · Backing scripts (cross-reference only) · Locked decisions (do not re-litigate) · Consumer skill cross-reference · Non-negotiables
See skill-overview for the full reference index with per-file scope, consumer skills, and backing-script descriptions.
[skill-overview.md] Reference index — full table · Backing scripts (cross-reference only) · Locked decisions (do not re-litigate) · Consumer skill cross-reference · Non-negotiables
Backing scripts (cross-reference only)
These live in bin/, not in this skill. The skill documents them; it does not own them. See skill-overview for the full per-script TOCs.
[skill-overview.md] Reference index — full table · Backing scripts (cross-reference only) · Locked decisions (do not re-litigate) · Consumer skill cross-reference · Non-negotiables
bin/amw-diagram-ir.py — parse / emit / validate / diff the IR (see ir-schema).
[ir-schema.md] Top-level shape · nodes · Well-known annotations · Raw-source fast path (MVP) · Lossy-conversion matrix · Versioning policy · Example IRs · Validation · Consumers
bin/amw-diagram-detect-format.sh — sniffs format; see detect-format.
[detect-format.md] Contract · Decision tree (precedence top-down) · Content sniff window · Corner cases (by example) · 1 Mermaid-in-markdown · 2 HTML with inline <svg> · 3 SVG served as XHTML · 4 ASCII with a Mermaid-looking first line · 5 .txt wireframe without box-drawing · 6 PNG with a non-.png extension · 7 Empty file · Known limitations · Callers · When to extend this
[validation-dispatcher.md] Unified output contract · Dispatch algorithm · PNG refusal message (fixed) · Per-format validator specs · Caller integration patterns · Known limitations (Phase 0) · Related references
bin/amw-validate-html-diagram.sh, bin/amw-validate-svg-diagram.sh, bin/amw-mermaid-lint.sh — per-format validator wrappers (see the corresponding references/*.md).bin/amw-validate-ascii.py — ASCII validator; the contract lines up with the unified output format. See SKILL.
Locked decisions (do not re-litigate)
Full list with rationale: skill-overview § Locked decisions.
[skill-overview.md] Reference index — full table · Backing scripts (cross-reference only) · Locked decisions (do not re-litigate) · Consumer skill cross-reference · Non-negotiables
Per user directive 2026-04-22 (summary):
- IR version is diagram-ir version 1.0 — schema evolution requires an ADR + version bump.
- PNG is OUTPUT-ONLY — every PNG-as-SOURCE conversion cell is
impossible.
- Mermaid backend is
mmdc (no Kroki).
- SVG validator is
xmllint --noout.
- HTML validator is
xmllint --html + tidy -e -q -errors (when available).
- Round-trip path (for
/amw-create-webpage-from-diagram) goes via IR → ASCII → HTML until a dedicated direct pipeline is justified.
Instructions
- Use this skill as a reference library only — it emits no artifacts and runs no transformations.
- Locate the needed file using the Reference index table above: format spec, IR schema, conversion matrix, detect-format contract, validation dispatcher, modify-flow, or diff algorithm.
- Reference files via relative paths (
../amw-diagram-formats/references/<name>.md); never copy the prose inline into other skills.
- Before performing any cross-format operation, check the conversion matrix at conversion-matrix for the correct cell type (
direct, via IR, via X, wrap, or impossible).
[conversion-matrix.md] Full N×N table · Cell semantics · PNG-as-source refusal (mandatory) · PNG-as-target pipelines (all supported) · Dispatch algorithm · Per-cell implementation notes · Tools index (required backends) · Related references
- Consult skill-overview § Locked decisions for immutable rules established by user directive; do not override these decisions.
[skill-overview.md] Reference index — full table · Backing scripts (cross-reference only) · Locked decisions (do not re-litigate) · Consumer skill cross-reference · Non-negotiables
Consumers reference this library via relative paths (../amw-diagram-formats/references/<name>.md). Never copy the prose inline.
Output
This skill produces no artifacts. It answers lookup questions against the references only and returns the content of the requested reference file.
Examples
See the worked examples in the per-mode sub-sections above and in references/.
Prerequisites
- runtime_binaries: none directly (this is a documentation skill). Consumer skills/scripts declare their own deps.
- python_packages: none.
- cpan / npm: none.
Error Handling
On failure, the skill emits a non-zero exit code or returns a structured error in the response. Consumer skills handle errors per their own SKILL.md.
Resources
For the full consumer table with cross-references, see skill-overview § Consumer skill cross-reference.
[skill-overview.md] Reference index — full table · Backing scripts (cross-reference only) · Locked decisions (do not re-litigate) · Consumer skill cross-reference · Non-negotiables
- SKILL — orchestrator; routes generic design intent to executor skills.
- SKILL — primary ASCII authoring skill.
- SKILL — ASCII validator.
- SKILL — plan-phase ASCII loop.
- SKILL, SKILL — direct ASCII conversion skills.
Non-negotiables
- This skill NEVER emits diagrams, files, or artifacts. It answers lookup questions against the references only.
- Consumer skills and commands MUST cross-reference this library via relative paths (
../amw-diagram-formats/references/<name>.md). They MUST NOT copy the prose inline.
- The IR schema version is SINGLE-VALUE. No "legacy" or "compat" variants live alongside the canonical IR schema version 1.0.
- PNG-as-source is
impossible in every dispatch table. Do not add a "fallback OCR" or "re-interpret" path.
