Use when asked to draw an architecture diagram, flowchart, call/sequence path, deployment topology, troubleshooting SOP, or before/after comparison as a draw.io / diagrams.net diagram. Designs the layout first (six-se…
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name: drawio-arch
description: Use when asked to draw an architecture diagram, flowchart, call/sequence path, deployment topology, troubleshooting SOP, or before/after comparison as a draw.io / diagrams.net diagram. Designs the layout first (six-segment plan), writes semantic XML, renders to PNG/SVG with the draw.io CLI, and self-reviews the rendered image — delivers files, never raw XML for the user to paste.
---
# drawio-arch
End-to-end diagram production with draw.io / diagrams.net. The rules below are a
distilled set that keeps diagrams from looking like PowerPoint sketches: design
before XML, give shapes semantic meaning, keep the palette restrained, aggregate
many-to-many edges onto buses, and **always self-review the rendered PNG** before
delivering. You deliver rendered files (`.drawio` + PNG + SVG), not XML.
## When to use
- Architecture diagrams (components + relationships)
- Call/sequence/request-path diagrams
- Flowcharts / runbooks / SOPs with branches or loops
- Deployment topology (region → VPC → cluster → namespace nesting)
- Before/after or option-A/option-B comparisons
- State machines
**When *not* to use:** a one-box doodle, or when the user explicitly wants raw XML
to hand-edit. This skill assumes the draw.io CLI toolchain is available (see
[Rendering](#step-5--render--self-review-mandatory)).… install to load the full skill