hive.chart-creation-foundations
Required reading whenever any chart_* tool is available. Teaches the one-tool embedding contract (call chart_render → live chart appears in chat AND a downloadable PNG lands in the queen session dir), the ECharts (data viz) vs Mermaid (structural diagrams) decision, the BI/financial-grade aesthetic baseline (no chartjunk, restrained palette, proper typography, single message per chart), and the canonical spec patterns for the 12 most-common chart types. Skipping this leads to 1990s-Excel charts, missing downloads, and the agent writing markdown image links by hand instead of letting chart_rend
npx skills add aden-hive/hive --skill chart-creation-foundations --agent claude-code
Same command for any agent — swap --agent for codex, cursor, copilot.
Weekly change comes from our own snapshots, not the repository page — it measures attention, not adoption.
# Chart creation foundations These tools render BI/financial-analyst-grade charts and diagrams that show up live in the chat AND save as high-DPI PNGs in the user's queen session dir. ## The embedding contract — one rule > **To put a chart in chat, call `chart_render`. The chat reads `result.spec` and renders the chart live in the message bubble. The download link is `result.file_url`. Do not write `` image markdown by hand — the tool's result drives the UI.** That's it. One tool call, one chart in chat, one file on disk. No two-step "remember to also save it" pattern. The chat's chart-rendering UI is fed by the tool result envelope automatically. ## When to chart at all Chart when the data is **visual at heart**: trends over time, distributions, comparisons across categories, hierarchies, flows, geo. Skip the chart when: - The point is one number → just say it. ("Revenue was $4.2M, up 12% YoY.") - The point is a ranking of 5 things → use a markdown table with bold and emoji indicators. - The data is so noisy a chart would mislead → describe the takeaway in prose. A chart costs the user attention. It must repay that cost with a takeaway they couldn't get from prose. ##
- The embedding contract — one rule
- When to chart at all
- ECharts vs Mermaid — the picking rule
- The aesthetic baseline (non-negotiable)
- 1. Theme & background
- 2. Palette discipline — DO NOT set color on series
- 3. Typography
- 4. No chartjunk
- 5. Axis hygiene
- 6. One message per chart
- Calling chartrender — the canonical pattern
- The 12 chart types you'll use 95% of the time
- Mermaid quick rules
- Common mistakes the agent makes
What does the hive.chart-creation-foundations skill do?
Required reading whenever any chart_* tool is available. Teaches the one-tool embedding contract (call chart_render → live chart appears in chat AND a downloadable PNG lands in the queen session dir), the ECharts (data viz) vs Mermaid (structural diagrams) decision, the BI/financial-grade aesthetic baseline (no chartjunk, restrained palette, proper typography, single message per chart), and the canonical spec patterns for the 12 most-common chart types. Skipping this leads to 1990s-Excel charts, missing downloads, and the agent writing markdown image links by hand instead of letting chart_rend
How do I install it?
Run `npx skills add aden-hive/hive --skill chart-creation-foundations --agent claude-code` — it drops the skill into your project so the agent can pick it up. Swap the --agent value for codex, cursor or copilot if you use one of those.
Where does this skill come from?
From aden-hive/hive, a repository with 10,850 stars. We read it straight from the repository tree rather than a submitted listing, so what you see here is what is actually published.
Is a popular skill a good skill?
Not necessarily. Stars measure attention, not adoption — a repository can trend for a week and be abandoned. That is why we show the weekly change from our own snapshots next to the total, instead of a single flattering number.