mermaid-diagram-guide
Create flowcharts, sequence diagrams, and architecture diagrams with Mermaid
Profile →npx skills add brycewang-stanford/Auto-Empirical-Research-Skills --skill mermaid-diagram-guide --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.
# Mermaid Diagram Guide ## Overview Mermaid is a text-based diagramming tool that renders diagrams from Markdown-like syntax. For researchers, Mermaid offers a unique combination of version-controllable source code, instant rendering in documentation platforms (GitHub, GitLab, Notion, Obsidian), and enough expressiveness to create flowcharts, sequence diagrams, class diagrams, Gantt charts, and more. Unlike graphical tools like draw.io or Lucidchart, Mermaid diagrams live as plain text in your documentation, making them easy to maintain alongside code and papers. They are especially valuable for research documentation, README files, software architecture diagrams in methods sections, and graphical abstracts. This guide covers the most useful Mermaid diagram types for academic work, with complete syntax references and real-world examples from research contexts. Each diagram type includes a template you can copy and modify for your specific needs. ## Flowcharts Flowcharts are the most common diagram type for describing algorithms, experimental procedures, and data processing pipelines. ### Basic Syntax ```mermaid flowchart TD A[Start] --> B{Decision} B -->|Yes| C[Process A] B -->|No|
- Overview
- Flowcharts
- Basic Syntax
- Node Shapes
- Research Pipeline Example
- Direction Options
- Sequence Diagrams
- Arrow Types
- Class Diagrams
- Gantt Charts
- State Diagrams
- Rendering and Integration
- GitHub / GitLab
- Command-Line Rendering
Install Mermaid CLI npm install -g @mermaid-js/mermaid-cli Render to PNG mmdc -i diagram.mmd -o diagram.png -w 1200 Render to SVG (preferred for papers) mmdc -i diagram.mmd -o diagram.svg Render to PDF mmdc -i diagram.mmd -o diagram.pdf
What does the mermaid-diagram-guide skill do?
Create flowcharts, sequence diagrams, and architecture diagrams with Mermaid
How do I install it?
Run `npx skills add brycewang-stanford/Auto-Empirical-Research-Skills --skill mermaid-diagram-guide --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 brycewang-stanford/Auto-Empirical-Research-Skills, a repository with 3,244 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.