Create diagrams with D2

SkillMedia

This skill should be used when the user invokes "/d2" to create a diagram from the current context using D2 and output the resulting image path.

Available today. Use it from your connected AI after setup.

Connect ahel once, and every AI you use reads what you have installed.

Then ask your AI: use the Create diagrams with D2 skill

What this skill tells your AI

The instructions your AI receives, as published by xenodium/emacs-skills in skills/d2/SKILL.md and read by ahel’s review.

Create a diagram from the most recent interaction context using D2. Generate a PNG image and output it as a markdown image so it renders inline.

How to create a diagram

  1. Extract or derive diagrammable data from the current context.
  2. If the Emacs foreground color and background mode are not already known from a previous diagram in this session, query them:
    emacsclient --eval '(face-foreground (quote default))'
    emacsclient --eval '(frame-parameter nil (quote background-mode))'
    
    The first returns a hex color like "#eeffff". The second returns dark or light. Reuse both for all subsequent diagrams.
  3. Write a D2 file to a temporary file using the foreground color.
  4. Run D2 with --theme 200 if background mode is dark, or --theme 0 if light.
  5. Output the result as a markdown image on its own line:
    ![description](/tmp/agent-diagram-XXXX.png)
    
# Use --theme 200 for dark, --theme 0 for light
d2 --theme 200 --pad 40 /tmp/agent-diagram-XXXX.d2 /tmp/agent-diagram-XXXX.png

D2 template

Use --theme 200 for dark or --theme 0 for light, based on the Emacs background mode. Apply the queried foreground color to style.font-color and style.stroke on nodes and edges.

direction: right

node1: Label {
  style.font-color: "#eeffff"
  style.fill: "#2d3748"
  style.stroke: "#eeffff"
}

node2: Label {
  style.font-color: "#eeffff"
  style.fill: "#2d3748"
  style.stroke: "#eeffff"
}

node1 -> node2: label {style.stroke: "#eeffff"; style.font-color: "#eeffff"}

Rules

  • Query the Emacs foreground color once per session and reuse it for all subsequent diagrams. Only query again if the color is not already known.
  • Query the Emacs background mode once per session via (frame-parameter nil 'background-mode). Use --theme 200 for dark or --theme 0 for light. Always use --pad 40.
  • Always use a timestamp in the filename (e.g., /tmp/agent-diagram-$(date +%s).png). Never use descriptive names.
  • Set the queried foreground color on style.font-color and style.stroke for all nodes and edges so the diagram is readable on the user's Emacs background.
  • Use meaningful fill colors to distinguish different types of elements.
  • After D2 runs successfully, output a markdown image (![description](path)) on its own line.
  • Choose an appropriate layout direction and structure for the data.
  • Include labels on edges when they add clarity.
  • If no diagrammable data exists in the recent context, inform the user.

Signals

GitHub stars
135
Forks
17
Last commit
Jul 2026
Advanced
Catalog kind
skill
Gateway key
d2
Source
github.com/xenodium/emacs-skills