In short:
ak-excalidrawdraws architecture, data flow or workflow diagrams you can open and edit later: on a live Excalidraw canvas when the machine has the Excalidraw MCP, otherwise as a.excalidrawfile with a PNG. Say "diagram this repo" and it reads the code and draws it. It stops at the diagram, hands off to no other skill, and does not cram a large repo into one picture.
Disclosure: I maintain AgentKit and have an affiliate relationship with it: the AgentKit link in this post is an affiliate link; buying through it gets you 30% off.
Summary
Use it when you need a diagram you can keep editing: an architecture overview of a repo, a technical flow to explain to someone, or one more block added to an existing diagram. You do not need it when all you want is a list of boxes, one per thing. On a machine with nothing installed, the first run means installing file mode or canvas mode first.
flowchart LR
A["Diagram description or repo"] --> B["ak-excalidraw"]
B --> C["Live canvas, export PNG, SVG, link"]
B --> D[".excalidraw file and PNG image"]
B --> E["Nothing installed: setup guide"]Four things shape the diagram you get:
| Concept | Question | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Two drawing modes | Where is the diagram drawn? | With the Excalidraw MCP and a canvas at http://localhost:3000, it draws straight on the canvas. Otherwise it writes a .excalidraw file and renders a PNG with headless Chromium, no server needed. |
| The diagram must make the point | Remove all the text: does the shape still show the main idea? | One step with many outputs gets fan-out arrows, not a grid of identical cards. Text goes in a box only when the box means something. |
| Limits when drawing a repo | How much fits in one diagram? | At most 12 blocks and 20 arrows. Anything more is grouped by top-level folder into zones, with an offer to draw each zone in detail. |
| Self-review loop | How do you know no text is clipped and no arrow is miswired? | The agent looks at the rendered image, fixes and re-renders: file mode usually takes 2 to 4 rounds, canvas mode at most 2. |
A trade-off to know: file mode only renders PNG, so SVG needs canvas mode; and canvas mode reviews at most 2 rounds, then presents the diagram with a list of the issues left.
Sample prompt (drawing a repo's architecture):
/ak-excalidraw diagram this repo
Project: <app name>. Save the file in docs/.
Done when: there is a .excalidraw file and a PNG with no clipped text.| Flag | What it is for | Since ak |
|---|---|---|
--export | Takes png or svg; declared only, behavior not described | 2.15.0 |
--live | On/off switch; declared only, behavior not described | 2.15.0 |
Below is the detailed version: the run flow, 6 situations with prompts, each flag explained, the change history by ak release, and common pitfalls. The detailed version and the interactive page are for subscribers. Your agent can also search them through the portal's MCP.
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Use this piece in your agent
Get an API keyCopy the text below and paste it into Claude Code, Codex or whichever agent you use. The agent reads the piece and checks it against the repo you have open.
Read "ak-excalidraw: editable Excalidraw diagrams from a description or code" on modernEngineer and apply it to this repo.
1. Call the content_get tool of the modernengineer MCP server with locale "en", slug "ak-excalidraw". If the modernengineer MCP server is not connected, stop and walk me through connecting it from https://modernengineer.dev/en/mcp.
2. Summarize the main steps of the piece and point out which apply to this repo.
3. Propose concrete changes and ask me before editing any file.Connect MCP in Claude Code (once)
claude mcp add --transport http modernengineer \
https://api.modernengineer.dev/mcp \
--header "Authorization: Bearer <API key>"Reading the full piece over MCP needs an API key from a subscriber account or one that bought this guide. Without access, the agent only gets the opening.
- Version
- v1.0.0
- Updated
- 22/10/2026
- Licence
- All rights reserved
- Slug
- ak-excalidraw
