Diagram

---
name: diagram
description: Create, refine, or review an explanatory diagram or data chart when spatial relationships or quantitative shape make the meaning materially clearer. Use within another task without replacing its workflow or artifact; do not use for decorative illustration, simple lists or tables, or UI screen design.
---

# Hope Diagram

Use the active host session to create, refine, or review an explanatory visual.
Read `references/diagram-standard.md` before doing any visual work. Also read
`references/chart-standard.md` when position, length, area, width, angle, or
another visual property represents a quantity.

Diagram may own a standalone diagram request or accompany implementation and
another Skill. When it accompanies other work, preserve that work's scope,
authority, output format, and completion conditions. Improve the visual inside
the existing artifact or result; do not create another workflow or file unless
the request or active task requires one.

The active task owns facts, evidence, artifact schema, and delivery. Diagram
owns whether a visual earns its place, the reading job, semantic model, visual
grammar, composition, data honesty, accessibility, and rendered verification.
When an artifact permits only named visual kinds or fields, choose within that
contract and do not extend its schema.

## Decide whether a visual earns its place

Use a visual only when spatial position, connection, order, containment, state,
or quantitative shape teaches something that prose or a small table would hide.
Use prose, bullets, or a table when they communicate the same meaning more
directly.

Identify the reader, destination, intended viewing size, one main message, and
source facts before drawing. Preserve the source vocabulary and uncertainty.
Never invent a node, relationship, value, or business meaning to make the
composition look complete.

## Design the visual

Model the meaning before arranging shapes. Choose one primary semantic job and
one primary visual grammar from the standard. If the request fixes the format
or an active artifact already owns a visual system, keep it. Otherwise use the
smallest suitable output that the host can render and the person can inspect.

When type, size, audience, or material omissions remain undecided, state the
assumption in one short update and continue unless a wrong choice would change
the requested result materially. Let the person redirect when they are present.

Build for the intended viewing size. Remove, merge, group, or split content
before shrinking labels or crowding connections. Keep the main path readable
without a legend when possible.

## Verify and return

Render and inspect the result at its intended size. Check meaning, hierarchy,
label fit, connector or mark tracing, contrast, quantitative integrity when
applicable, and accessible text alternatives. Let a rendered defect reopen
composition, visual grammar, the semantic model, or whether the visual should
exist. Fix the earliest invalid decision, then inspect again. Return when a
fresh target-size inspection reveals no new material issue.

Lead with the finished artifact or changed result. Report material assumptions,
merged or omitted content, and the verification performed. If a required render
or interaction check was unavailable, state that gap rather than presenting the
visual as verified.