Visual Capture

Capture complex ideas as diagrams during conversations. Diagrams persist across sessions.

When to Use

Trigger visual capture when:

• Brainstorming ideas with many interconnected concepts
• Discussing system architecture or data flow
• Explaining a process or sequence of steps
• Mapping relationships between entities
• Documenting decisions and their dependencies

Diagram Type Selection

Match the diagram type to what you're capturing:

| Situation | Diagram Type | |-----------|--------------| | Brainstorming, exploring ideas | mindmap | | Process with decision points | flowchart | | Interactions over time | sequence | | System components and connections | architecture (use flowchart syntax) | | Data models and relationships | erd | | Object relationships | classDiagram | | State transitions | stateDiagram | | Project timeline | gantt |

Creating a Diagram

1. Identify the core concept — What's the central idea or starting point?
2. List key relationships — What connects to what?
3. Choose the right type — Match the diagram type to the thinking pattern
4. Write Mermaid syntax — Keep it simple; you can always add detail later
5. Add rich context — Explain what this diagram represents and why

Mermaid Quick Reference

Mindmap (for brainstorming):

mindmap
  root((Central Idea))
    Branch 1
      Leaf 1a
      Leaf 1b
    Branch 2
      Leaf 2a

Flowchart (for processes):

flowchart TD
    A[Start] --> B{Decision}
    B -->|Yes| C[Action 1]
    B -->|No| D[Action 2]
    C --> E[End]
    D --> E

Sequence (for interactions):

sequenceDiagram
    participant User
    participant API
    participant DB
    User->>API: Request
    API->>DB: Query
    DB-->>API: Result
    API-->>User: Response

ERD (for data models):

erDiagram
    USER ||--o{ ORDER : places
    ORDER ||--|{ LINE_ITEM : contains
    PRODUCT ||--o{ LINE_ITEM : "ordered in"

Context Matters

Always provide rich context when creating diagrams:

Bad context:

"Architecture diagram"

Good context:

"Architecture for the real-time notification system. Shows how events flow from user actions through the event bus to connected clients. Created while brainstorming the notification feature for the mobile app project."

Context helps you (and Claude) understand the diagram's purpose when you return to it later.

Scope Selection

• global — Personal thinking patterns, reusable across projects
• project:<name> — Specific to a project (auto-detect from working directory)

Subagent Pattern (Optional)

For complex conversations with lots of context, optionally use a Haiku subagent to draft:

[Task tool with model: "haiku"]
Prompt: "Review the conversation above about [topic]. Draft a [diagram-type]
diagram capturing the key concepts discussed. Return only valid Mermaid syntax."

When this helps:

• Long brainstorming sessions with many ideas scattered across messages
• Technical discussions where the architecture emerged organically
• When you're unsure what the final structure should be

Skip the subagent when:

• The diagram structure is already clear in your head
• Simple diagrams with few nodes
• You're iterating on an existing diagram

The draft is a starting point—review and refine before saving.

After Capture

Once captured, diagrams can be:

• Retrieved and modified with get_diagram and update_diagram
• Searched by content or context with search_diagrams
• Exported to Mermaid files or other formats with export_diagram
• Used as context in future conversations

Related Skills

• resume — Continue working on an existing diagram