I use Excalidraw to manage my diagrams for my blog • Hacker News Board

Re: I use Excalidraw to manage my diagrams for my blog

#21

Post by Jnr » Mon, Mar 30, 2026, 9:29 AM UTC

Cool, I did a similar thing last week.

I made a custom Payload CMS block that allows to create and update excalidraw diagrams within the CMS. It supports dark and light mode switching and rendering inline or as external SVG.

And last weekend I added MCP server with Oauth so I could generate and update those diagrams and add them to post drafts from Claude. I think it is more convenient since I don't have to use API billing model and don't need to build a custom UI.

Here is an example post: https://www.janhouse.lv/blog/network/self-hosting-tailscale-...

Originally I wanted to sync posts from Obsidian but it doesn't have good enough image handling which I sometimes need and I needed extra metadata to unlist or password protect or noindex some posts.

Re: I use Excalidraw to manage my diagrams for my blog

#22

Post by lnenad » Mon, Mar 30, 2026, 9:47 AM UTC

I love diagramming, but I genuinely don't understand how people can use these wonky looking tools. It looks off, I had to make my own[1] to create something that's easy to use and looks good/normal.

[1] https://grafly.io

Re: I use Excalidraw to manage my diagrams for my blog

#23

Post by dewey » Mon, Mar 30, 2026, 9:50 AM UTC

hhh wrote: post #18

dewey wrote: post #16

Everyone does that these days and they are becoming AI tells like the em-dash or the blue-glow of the early AI generated images that everyone added to their blog posts.

AI can generate mermaid diagrams, not excalidraw. If you use the mermaid to excalidraw, i guess it can be, but it just looks like a mermaid diagram then and not an excalidraw.

https://claude.com/connectors/excalidraw-app-demo

Re: I use Excalidraw to manage my diagrams for my blog

#24

Post by superkai » Mon, Mar 30, 2026, 9:54 AM UTC

lnenad wrote: post #22

I love diagramming, but I genuinely don't understand how people can use these wonky looking tools. It looks off, I had to make my own[1] to create something that's easy to use and looks good/normal. [1] https://grafly.io

looks awesome man !

Re: I use Excalidraw to manage my diagrams for my blog

#25

Post by emaro » Mon, Mar 30, 2026, 10:26 AM UTC

lnenad wrote: post #22

I love diagramming, but I genuinely don't understand how people can use these wonky looking tools. It looks off, I had to make my own[1] to create something that's easy to use and looks good/normal. [1] https://grafly.io

I like the wonky, hand-drawn looking style. I think it fits well beause usually if I use a diagram it's not 100% precise and accurate, but more a high-level illustration. The wonky style conveys the approximate precision of the presented concept.

Also, and that's personal, I think it's cute.

Re: I use Excalidraw to manage my diagrams for my blog

#26

Post by lloydatkinson » Mon, Mar 30, 2026, 10:33 AM UTC

walthamstow wrote: post #14

Excalidraw has proliferated quite widely in my company since we got Claude Code. Its a shame the default font is ugly, childish and inaccessible.

Whiteboard handwriting is childish?

Re: I use Excalidraw to manage my diagrams for my blog

#27

Post by [deleted] » Mon, Mar 30, 2026, 10:42 AM UTC

lnenad wrote: post #22

I love diagramming, but I genuinely don't understand how people can use these wonky looking tools. It looks off, I had to make my own[1] to create something that's easy to use and looks good/normal. [1] https://grafly.io

[deleted]

Re: I use Excalidraw to manage my diagrams for my blog

#28

Post by iCutMoon » Mon, Mar 30, 2026, 10:53 AM UTC

postatic wrote: post #9

emil-lp wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apparently Excalidraw is An open source virtual hand-drawn style whiteboard. Collaborative and end-to-end encrypted. https://github.com/excalidraw/excalidraw

I love excalidraw, but don't need the excalidraw+. But Excalidraw open source is the frontend only, which means I have to delete my drawings each time. So I built the backend so I can create many canvases. https://drawx.ossy.dev

I actually created a completely free chrome extension exactly for that reason helps you to save and open the files at excalidraw

https://github.com/AykutSarac/excalihub

Re: I use Excalidraw to manage my diagrams for my blog

#29

Post by mtsolitary » Mon, Mar 30, 2026, 10:53 AM UTC

hhh wrote: post #18

dewey wrote: post #16

Everyone does that these days and they are becoming AI tells like the em-dash or the blue-glow of the early AI generated images that everyone added to their blog posts.

AI can generate mermaid diagrams, not excalidraw. If you use the mermaid to excalidraw, i guess it can be, but it just looks like a mermaid diagram then and not an excalidraw.

PlantUML is a better ask for LLMs, you have a lot more control over the output

Re: I use Excalidraw to manage my diagrams for my blog

#30

Post by Ygg2 » Mon, Mar 30, 2026, 10:59 AM UTC

lnenad wrote: post #22

I love diagramming, but I genuinely don't understand how people can use these wonky looking tools. It looks off, I had to make my own[1] to create something that's easy to use and looks good/normal. [1] https://grafly.io

> It looks off

Depends on what you want to achieve with your look. Do you want to scream professionalism, authority, and completed? Use a regular UML tool.

Want to say this is a rough draft of a few ideas? Then using UML is probably THE wrong look. And Exaclidraw should be used instead.

--- Anecdote time. According to one of my professors, they showed how the prototype will look in action, and the customers were so impressed by the smoke and mirrors prototype they wanted to start using it right away.

In the end, customer walked away because they thought they were being strung along to pay for something that was already done.