excalidraw-skill MCP — Use Cases, Install & Live Demo

Why use it

Key features

Five diagram modes with specialized layout rules (flowchart, architecture, sequence, mind map, swimlane)
Auto-invokes when Claude detects architecture-worthy discussions
Three export paths: Kroki (curl, zero-install), local CLI (PNG/SVG), editable .excalidraw
Accepts Chinese or English natural-language input
Hand-drawn aesthetic avoids the sterile-looking AI diagram problem

Live Demo

What it looks like in practice

excalidraw-skill.replay ▶ ready

0/0

Install

Pick your client

~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json · Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "excalidraw-skill": {
      "command": "git",
      "args": [
        "clone",
        "https://github.com/Agents365-ai/excalidraw-skill",
        "~/.claude/skills/excalidraw-skill"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Developer → Edit Config. Restart after saving.

~/.cursor/mcp.json · .cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "excalidraw-skill": {
      "command": "git",
      "args": [
        "clone",
        "https://github.com/Agents365-ai/excalidraw-skill",
        "~/.claude/skills/excalidraw-skill"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Cursor uses the same mcpServers schema as Claude Desktop. Project config wins over global.

VS Code → Cline → MCP Servers → Edit

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "excalidraw-skill": {
      "command": "git",
      "args": [
        "clone",
        "https://github.com/Agents365-ai/excalidraw-skill",
        "~/.claude/skills/excalidraw-skill"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Click the MCP Servers icon in the Cline sidebar, then "Edit Configuration".

~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "excalidraw-skill": {
      "command": "git",
      "args": [
        "clone",
        "https://github.com/Agents365-ai/excalidraw-skill",
        "~/.claude/skills/excalidraw-skill"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Same shape as Claude Desktop. Restart Windsurf to pick up changes.

~/.continue/config.json

{
  "mcpServers": [
    {
      "name": "excalidraw-skill",
      "command": "git",
      "args": [
        "clone",
        "https://github.com/Agents365-ai/excalidraw-skill",
        "~/.claude/skills/excalidraw-skill"
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Continue uses an array of server objects rather than a map.

~/.config/zed/settings.json

{
  "context_servers": {
    "excalidraw-skill": {
      "command": {
        "path": "git",
        "args": [
          "clone",
          "https://github.com/Agents365-ai/excalidraw-skill",
          "~/.claude/skills/excalidraw-skill"
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}

Add to context_servers. Zed hot-reloads on save.

claude mcp add excalidraw-skill -- git clone https://github.com/Agents365-ai/excalidraw-skill ~/.claude/skills/excalidraw-skill

One-liner. Verify with claude mcp list. Remove with claude mcp remove.

Use Cases

Real-world ways to use excalidraw-skill

Sketch a microservices architecture diagram from a prose description

👤 Engineers writing design docs ⏱ ~10 min beginner

When to use: You're writing an RFC and want a diagram without opening a separate tool.

Prerequisites

Skill cloned to ~/.claude/skills/excalidraw-skill — git clone https://github.com/Agents365-ai/excalidraw-skill ~/.claude/skills/excalidraw-skill
Network access to kroki.io (zero-install path) — No setup if outbound HTTPS works

Flow

Describe the system

Use the excalidraw skill — draw a microservices e-commerce architecture with clients, API gateway, 4 services, RabbitMQ, and per-service databases.✓ Copied

→ Claude generates layout + exports an SVG via Kroki
Tweak and re-export

Add Redis in front of the product service and regenerate.✓ Copied

→ Updated diagram with Redis inserted, layout re-balanced
Save editable version

Save as .excalidraw so I can edit it on excalidraw.com.✓ Copied

→ File saved to CWD

Outcome: A hand-drawn-style architecture diagram in your doc in under 5 minutes.

Pitfalls

Diagram is cluttered for 10+ components — Ask Claude to group by tier first; the skill has layout rules for that

Combine with: filesystem

Generate a sequence diagram from an API interaction you just debugged

👤 Backend engineers documenting flows for teammates ⏱ ~10 min beginner

When to use: You finally figured out the 5-service OAuth dance and want to document it.

Flow

Paste the log or describe the flow

Excalidraw skill — sequence diagram: user → frontend → auth service → identity provider → callback → session.✓ Copied

→ Sequence diagram with correct arrows and return messages
Refine

Add the error path when the IdP returns 401.✓ Copied

→ Alternative flow rendered distinctly

Outcome: A sequence diagram you can drop into the PR description.

Combinations

Pair with other MCPs for X10 leverage

excalidraw-skill + filesystem

Save generated diagrams directly into your docs folder

Generate the architecture diagram and save it to docs/architecture/v2.svg.✓ Copied

excalidraw-skill + github

Attach the diagram to a PR by committing it alongside the spec

Create the diagram, commit to docs/, and reference it in the PR body.✓ Copied

Tools

What this MCP exposes

Tool	Inputs	When to call	Cost
generate_flowchart	process description	Process has decision points and sequential steps	0 via Kroki, 0 local
generate_architecture	components + relationships	System has tiers or service boundaries	0
generate_sequence	actors + messages	Documenting a time-ordered interaction	0
export_png	diagram ID	Need rasterized image for docs that don't support SVG	0 (requires local CLI)

Cost & Limits

What this costs to run

API quota: Kroki has no explicit quota but don't hammer it
Tokens per call: Diagram specs are compact (<2k tokens typically)
Monetary: Free — skills are local files. Kroki is free.
Tip: Use Kroki for one-offs, install excalidraw-brute-export-cli only if you need offline.

Security

Permissions, secrets, blast radius

Credential storage: No credentials — pure prompts

Data egress: Kroki path sends your diagram spec to kroki.io. Local CLI path sends nothing.

If your diagrams leak system internals, use the local CLI path instead of Kroki.

Troubleshooting

Common errors and fixes

Skill not invoked when you ask for a diagram

Mention 'excalidraw' or 'diagram' explicitly; or verify the clone exists.

Verify: ls ~/.claude/skills/excalidraw-skill/SKILL.md

SKILL.md frontmatter wrong

Re-clone; the frontmatter drives auto-activation.

Verify: head ~/.claude/skills/excalidraw-skill/SKILL.md

Wrong trigger keywords — Claude writes Mermaid instead

Say 'excalidraw' explicitly; 'draw a diagram' alone can pick other tools.

Alternatives

excalidraw-skill vs others

Alternative	When to use it instead	Tradeoff
Mermaid via markdown	Your docs already render Mermaid natively (GitHub, etc.)	No hand-drawn aesthetic, less layout control
drawio via desktop app	You want click-heavy manual layout	Not agent-driven

More

Resources

📖 Read the official README on GitHub

🐙 Browse open issues

🔍 Browse all 400+ MCP servers and Skills