How to use the Draw.io Diagram CLI agent skill

What an agent skill is and what this one does

An agent skill is a folder containing a SKILL.md file that tells an AI agent how to perform a particular task. This skill, named cli-anything-drawio, covers working with Draw.io diagrams through a command-line tool of the same name.

Once installed, the agent can create a new diagram project, add shapes and connectors, move or restyle them, manage pages, undo or redo changes, and export the result to PNG, PDF or SVG. It can also return output as structured JSON so it can read results reliably.

Check the requirements before installing

The skill needs Python 3.10 or newer, the drawio desktop application installed on your system, and the pip package cli-anything-drawio. The drawio desktop application is a required prerequisite, so the skill will not work without it.

The skill runs scripts. It is listed as not using the network, so the CLI works on local files.

• Python 3.10+
• drawio desktop application installed on the system
• pip package cli-anything-drawio

Install the skill for Claude

Download the ZIP for this skill from this page and unzip it into your personal skills folder at ~/.claude/skills/. To limit it to one project, unzip it into that project's .claude/skills/ folder instead.

If you use the Claude apps, you can instead upload the skill under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.

Install the pip package separately, since the skill depends on the cli-anything-drawio command being available.

Trigger the skill with natural requests

You do not need special syntax. Describe the diagram you want in plain language, such as an architecture diagram or a flowchart, and mention that you want it made or changed as a Draw.io file. The agent uses the skill when the request matches what it does.

Good requests name the output and the file. For example, ask for a project file to be created, then ask for shapes and connectors to be added, then ask for a PNG or PDF export. Named files make it easier for the agent to find and check its own work.

• Create a new Draw.io project file for a three-tier web architecture and save it to a named file.
• Add a flowchart with a start, two decision steps and an end, then connect them.
• Move the database shape to the right and change its colour.
• Export the finished diagram to PDF and confirm the file exists.

Know the main command groups

The CLI is organised into groups. Project handles new, open, save, info, xml and presets. Shape handles add, remove, list, label, move, resize, style, info and types. Connect handles connectors, including edge styles. Page handles add, remove, rename and list. Export handles render and formats. Session handles status, undo, redo, save-state and list.

Undo and redo keep up to 50 levels of history. Projects are saved and loaded as JSON.

• Output is human-readable by default and machine-readable with the --json flag.
• Interactive REPL mode starts when you run the command with no subcommand, with tab-completion and history.

Safety notes and tips

The skill runs scripts on your machine and the source lists no network use, so review the SKILL.md and any scripts before you install it, especially if you share a skills folder. Keep the agent working on files you can afford to lose, and check exported output yourself.

The source gives these rules for agents: always use the --json flag, check return codes (0 means success), parse stderr for errors, use absolute paths, and verify outputs exist after export.

• Use absolute paths for all file operations.
• Check that the export file exists after every render.
• Read the README.md and TEST.md in the package for more detail.