💡 How It Works
Describe your system in plain English → your AI agent generates the Markdy script → your browser renders the animated diagram.
🚀 Quick Start (60 Seconds)
1. Prompt Your AI Agent
You don't need to write MarkdyScript manually. Ask Cursor, Claude Code, Google Antigravity, ChatGPT, or any coding agent:
"Follow the canonical Markdy specification (https://markdy.com/AGENT.md) and generate a
.markdyscene:
Explain a Cache-Aside Architecture with a Web Client, API Gateway, URL Service, Redis Cluster, and PostgreSQL database. Include two animated storyboard beats: 1. Cache Hit Path and 2. Cache Miss & Async Warm."
(Tip: If you have the official Markdy MCP Server installed, just ask: "Create an animated Markdy architecture diagram for our cache-aside service.")
scene "Cache-Aside Architecture" theme=auto
layout LR
browser Client "Web Client"
gateway Gateway "API Gateway"
service Svc "URL Service"
cache Redis "Redis Cluster"
database Postgres "PostgreSQL 16"
beat cache_hit "1. Cache Hit Path":
show $nodes stagger=60ms
frame Client Gateway Svc Redis zoom=1.12
Client -> Gateway "GET /link" -> Svc "resolve"
Svc -> Redis "GET key:link"
Svc <- Redis "200 Target URL"
Client <- Gateway "301 Redirect"
beat cache_miss "2. Cache Miss & Async Warm":
frame Svc Redis Postgres zoom=1.15
Svc -> Postgres "SELECT destination WHERE key = 'link'"
Svc <- Postgres "Row Found"
Svc ~> Redis "SETEX key:link (Warm Cache)"
glow Postgres color=#38bdf8 & glow Redis color=#22c55e
2. Preview & Explore
Choose your preferred preview environment:
-
Interactive Web Studio: markdy.com/playground ↗:
Instant browser playground with timeline scrubbing, GIF/SVG export, and shareable links. -
VS Code / Cursor Extension:
hoangyell.markdy-vscode:
PressCmd+K V(macOS) orCtrl+K V(Windows/Linux) for live side-by-side animated preview. -
Terminal CLI:
@markdy/cli:npx @markdy/cli render system.markdy --out diagram.html
3. Embed in Web Apps & Docs
Choose the package that fits your stack:
-
Web Apps (Vanilla JS, React, Vue, Svelte):
@markdy/renderer-dom:npm install @markdy/renderer-domimport { createDiagram } from "@markdy/renderer-dom"; // Mount and render interactive 60fps WAAPI diagram directly from code const diagram = createDiagram({ container: document.getElementById("diagram-container")!, code: markdyScriptCode, }); -
Astro Sites & Blogs:
@markdy/astro:npm install @markdy/astro(Zero-CLS SSR island:
<Markdy code={code} client:visible />- see Astro Guide ↓) -
Next.js / MDX Docs:
@markdy/mdx:npm install @markdy/mdx(Auto-renders fenced
```markdyblocks - see MDX Guide ↓)
👉 DOM Renderer Guide ↗ • Astro Guide ↗ • MDX Guide ↗ • Core Compiler ↗
⚡ Why Markdy?
Static boxes and arrows fail to capture distributed systems in action. Markdy turns text into choreographed 60fps motion graphics directly in your browser.
- 🎬 Kinetic Storytelling: Choreograph requests (
->), responses (<-), and events (~>) across sequentialbeattimelines with auto-zooms and glow cues. - 📐 Dynamic Port Multiplexing: Automatically balances parallel connections across node boundaries with zero line congestion or overlapping paths.
- 🔗 Code Provenance & Git Grounding: Anchor high-level architecture nodes directly to verified source code (
@src="src/auth.ts#L10-L50") with automated in-tree Git verification. - 🔄 Architectural Evolution Matrix: Compare architecture states across Git commits and automatically synthesize animated migration storyboards (
markdy diff). - 🏛️ C4 Hierarchy & Architecture Drift: Native Context, Container, Component, and Code level projections (
markdy c4) with automatic drift detection (markdy drift). - 🔬 Blast Radius & Route Pathfinder: Compute upstream dependency callers, downstream failure blast radius, and shortest message paths in real-time.
- 💎 Native Vector Symbol Registry: Embedded, zero-dependency SVG vector glyphs for AWS, GCP, Kubernetes, Docker, Postgres, Redis, Kafka, Grafana, and 20+ stacks.
- ⚡ Zero-Dep & Web-Native: Powered by pure CSS/SVG transforms and the Web Animations API (WAAPI): ~14 kB parser, no Canvas, no GSAP.
- 🔄 Universal Ingestion: 1-click migration from Mermaid, D2, PlantUML, Draw.io, Docker Compose, Kubernetes manifests, and Terraform states.
- 🤖 AI-Native & MCP: Official Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for Claude, Cursor, Antigravity, and Cline with self-healing syntax diagnostics.
- 🛡️ Architecture Governance: Built-in rules prevent deadlock cycles and cross-layer bypasses.
🌟 Advanced Engineering Superpowers
Markdy goes beyond basic diagram drawing into a comprehensive Architecture Intelligence Platform:
scene "Cloud Native Microservices Mesh" theme=paper
layout LR
gateway ApiGateway "API Gateway" icon=nginx @src="src/gateway/router.ts#L20"
service OrderSvc "Order Service" icon=nodejs @src="src/orders/service.ts#L45"
service UserSvc "User Service" icon=golang @src="src/users/handler.go#L30"
cache Redis "Redis Cluster" icon=redis
database Postgres "PostgreSQL 16" icon=postgresql
beat workflow:
show $nodes stagger=60ms
ApiGateway -> OrderSvc "POST /orders" & ApiGateway -> UserSvc "GET /profile"
OrderSvc -> Postgres "Write Order" & UserSvc -> Postgres "Read User"
OrderSvc ~> Redis "Cache Invalidation"
🔌 Integrations & Ecosystem
Extend Markdy across your favorite AI agents, editors, frameworks, and deployment workflows:
Equip Claude, Cursor, Antigravity, VS Code, Cline, Windsurf, or Zed with self-healing syntax diagnostics, auto-repair, and transpilers:
# Claude Code / CLI
claude mcp add markdy -- npx -y @markdy/mcp-server
# Google Antigravity & Gemini CLI
agy mcp add markdy -- npx -y @markdy/mcp-server
👉 1-Click Install for Cursor ↗ • 1-Click Install for VS Code ↗ • Full JSON Configs for 6 IDEs ↓ • AI Agent Guide (AGENT.md) ↗
Live side-by-side animated preview (Cmd+K V), syntax highlighting, auto-completion, error squiggles, and SVG/PNG export:
# Visual Studio Code
code --install-extension hoangyell.markdy-vscode
# Cursor / VSCodium (Open VSX Registry)
cursor --install-extension hoangyell.markdy-vscode
👉 VS Code Marketplace ↗ • Open VSX Registry ↗ • Extension Docs ↗
Zero-CLS, SSR-placeholder islands with viewport-triggered lazy hydration for Astro documentation sites and blogs:
pnpm add @markdy/astro
---
import { Markdy } from "@markdy/astro";
import code from "./diagram.markdy?raw";
---
<Markdy code={code} client:visible />
👉 @markdy/astro Package Guide ↗
Render fenced ```markdy code blocks directly inside .mdx files with automatic lazy loading:
pnpm add @markdy/mdx react react-dom
// mdx.config.js
import { remarkMarkdy } from "@markdy/mdx";
export default {
remarkPlugins: [[remarkMarkdy, { componentName: "MarkdyDiagram" }]],
};
Render standalone HTML diagrams, verify showcase quality, or run architecture linting in CI/CD pipelines:
# Global install
npm install -g @markdy/cli
# Render diagram to animated HTML or SVG
markdy render system.markdy --out diagram.html
# Lint Markdy architecture scenes in CI/CD
markdy lint **/*.markdy
# Verify showcase blueprint quality gate
markdy verify system.markdy --quality showcase
# Detect architecture drift against Git source code
markdy drift system.markdy
# Model C4 multi-level architectural hierarchy
markdy c4 system.markdy --level container
# Transpile external diagrams (Mermaid, D2, PlantUML, Compose, K8s, Terraform, Draw.io)
markdy import flow.mmd --out flow.markdy
👉 CLI Package Guide ↗ • Universal Ingestion Guide ↗
@markdy/stdlib-systems: Standard library of semantic cloud and distributed systems node kinds.@markdy/language-server: Headless LSP for custom editor integrations (Neovim, Helix, Emacs).
📊 Feature Comparison
📦 Component Responsibilities & Packages
Markdy is architected as a modular monorepo where each package fulfills a focused responsibility:
🔍 Detailed Features & Advanced Usage
Markdy provides topological layout algorithms tailored to specific system patterns:
- Distributed Systems:
architecture,flowchart,tree,state,sequence - Security & Structure:
layers,nested,swimlane,quadrant,pyramid - Data & Product Loops:
medallion,timeline,gantt,flywheel,loop,constellation,radar,venn
Themes: midnight (dark modern), paper (light technical), blueprint (CAD cyan), editorial (serif publication), graphite (minimal dark), nebula (cosmic violet), terminal (CLI retro), sketchy (hand-drawn), ink (blue ballpoint & fountain pen ink), doodle (playful doodle).
👉 Explore all 33+ interactive scenes in the Live Gallery ↗
Convert existing diagrams and infrastructure configs into animated MarkdyScript scenes:
markdy import flow.mmd --out flow.markdy # Mermaid.js Flowcharts & Sequences
markdy import architecture.d2 --out arch.markdy # D2 Architecture & Sequence Diagrams
markdy import system.puml --out system.markdy # PlantUML Component & Sequence Specs
markdy import docker-compose.yml --out compose.markdy # Docker Compose Services & Networks
markdy import k8s-manifests/ --out cluster.markdy # Kubernetes Ingress, Pods & Services
markdy import terraform.tfstate --out infra.markdy # Terraform Provisioned State
markdy import architecture.drawio --out diagram.markdy # Draw.io / diagrams.net XML
Equip your favorite AI Coding Agent with native Markdy tools (validate_markdy_code, diagnose_markdy_syntax, fix_markdy_code, transpile_to_markdy, explain_architecture, generate_markdy_prompt, get_architecture_catalog, get_markdy_intellicode) and live specification resources (markdy://spec/agent-reference).
⚡ Quick MCP Server Setup & Installation
🛠️ Client Configuration Snippets
1. Claude Code & Claude Desktop
Claude Code (Anthropic CLI):
claude mcp add markdy -- npx -y @markdy/mcp-server
Claude Desktop GUI (claude_desktop_config.json):
{
"mcpServers": {
"markdy": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@markdy/mcp-server"]
}
}
}
2. Cursor & VS Code (.cursor/mcp.json or .vscode/mcp.json)
{
"mcpServers": {
"markdy": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@markdy/mcp-server"]
}
}
}
3. Google Antigravity & Gemini CLI
Via 1-Command CLI:
agy mcp add markdy -- npx -y @markdy/mcp-server
Or via Config File (~/.gemini/antigravity/mcp_config.json or .agents/mcp_config.json):
{
"mcpServers": {
"markdy": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@markdy/mcp-server"]
}
}
}
4. Cline & Roo Code (cline_mcp_settings.json)
{
"mcpServers": {
"markdy": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@markdy/mcp-server"]
}
}
}
5. Windsurf / Cascade (~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json)
{
"mcpServers": {
"markdy": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@markdy/mcp-server"]
}
}
}
6. Zed Editor (settings.json)
{
"context_servers": {
"markdy": {
"command": {
"path": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@markdy/mcp-server"]
}
}
}
}
🧰 Available Agent Tools & Resources
- 🔍
validate_markdy_code: Check syntax, unresolved node references, and cycle rules. - 💡
diagnose_markdy_syntax: Detailed diagnostics with exact line numbers and remediation steps. - 🩹
fix_markdy_code: Self-healing code repair that fixes common syntax mistakes and formats AST. - 🔄
transpile_to_markdy: Convert Mermaid, D2, PlantUML, Docker Compose, Kubernetes, Terraform, or Draw.io into valid MarkdyScript. - 🧭
explain_architecture: Structural topology summaries, component role counts, and governance health metrics. - 💬
generate_markdy_prompt: Optimal LLM system prompts and grammar constraints for AI coding agents. - 📦
get_architecture_catalog: Golden architecture templates with full runnable MarkdyScript code. - ⚡
get_markdy_intellicode: Zero-dependency predictive completion and proactive recommendations. - 📚
markdy://spec/agent-reference: Full AST grammar reference and token catalog. - 📐
markdy://spec/grammar-rules: Grammar conventions and cycle-safe routing rules. - 🏛️
markdy://governance/rules: Architecture rules (Well-Architected, cycle bounds, layer separation). - 📦
markdy://templates/catalog: 33 production-grade architecture blueprints.
👉 Read the Full AI Agent Reference Guide (AGENT.md) ↗
🚦 Verification Gates & Quality Engineering
Every pull request and build must pass the automated full-cycle verification pipeline: