Mermaid Chart
Hosted Mermaid diagrams with visual editing and collaboration
Mermaid Chart's solo core is compact: build a browser-based diagram-as-code editor with drag, resize, connect, keyboard shortcuts, autosave, and SVG or PNG export. A competent builder can reach a useful personal version in one sitting, while the paid product mainly wins on interaction polish, collaboration.
Build verification: not recorded. How we judge buildability
What you give up
- high-fidelity import and export
- presentation and enterprise controls
- multiplayer cursors and comments
- large template libraries
Why people still pay
Mermaid Chart: The shapes are easy; customers pay for low-friction editing, reliable exports, collaboration, and a canvas that never fights them.
Your build guide
The stack, security requirements, and agent rules for a focused replacement.
Before you start
- A supported Node release, a writable local data directory and a separate backup location. Bind to localhost; remote use requires authentication and HTTPS first.
- Implementation components: Node.js, TypeScript and Express with server-rendered HTML and small browser modules. SQLite through better-sqlite3 with migrations, prepared statements and a single background worker. Monaco source editor and a pinned Mermaid renderer with strict security configuration and visible syntax diagnostics.
- Scope boundary: high-fidelity import and export; presentation and enterprise controls
Use these project rules and optional skill references alongside the prompt. Review each skill before adding it to your agent; the AGENTS.md export includes the same guidance.
Optional external skill: web-design-guidelines — Review web interfaces for accessibility, keyboard focus, forms, navigation and interaction quality. Review its instructions and compatibility before use; it does not grant deployment, data-access or publication permission.
Optional external skill: sharp-edges — Review security-sensitive APIs and configuration for dangerous defaults and easy-to-misuse interfaces. Review its instructions and compatibility before use; it does not grant deployment, data-access or publication permission.
Project rule — data model: Mermaid source documents, syntax versions, render diagnostics, diagram revisions and export settings
Project rule — preserve this invariant: Source text is canonical; visual controls must make explicit source edits and unsupported syntax cannot be silently dropped.
Project rule — acceptance evidence: An invalid diagram keeps the previous source editable and shows a parser error; rejecting an AI diff leaves the saved diagram unchanged.
Implementation plan
Phase 1
Scope and fixtures. Implement this bounded workflow: Edit Mermaid source beside a sanitized preview, surface parse errors at the relevant line and save named revisions. Provide pan/zoom and SVG export, with optional AI suggestions shown as source diffs. Record prerequisites, select representative user-owned fixtures and document the unsupported features: high-fidelity import and export; presentation and enterprise controls
Phase 2
Durable model. Model Mermaid source documents, syntax versions, render diagnostics, diagram revisions and export settings Add migrations or a versioned document format, explicit validation, stable IDs and a visible import-error report. Preserve this rule: Source text is canonical; visual controls must make explicit source edits and unsupported syntax cannot be silently dropped.
Phase 3
Complete the first useful path. Implement the workflow's input, review and output interface, with clear controls and explicit empty/error states. Use short SQLite transactions and persist job state before starting work. Give retries stable operation IDs; report incomplete or unknown results instead of silently repeating them.
Phase 4
Permissions and integration failure. Reject unexpected origins and unbounded request bodies even on localhost. Keep credentials outside the database export and redact sensitive text from logs. Request integration credentials and permissions only for the enabled feature; show a disconnected state instead of mock results.
Phase 5
Portable handoff. Use a consistent SQLite backup and an attachment manifest. Export portable JSON/CSV, then restore to a new directory without overwriting the original data. Include setup, operating limits, fixture walkthrough and shutdown/restart instructions in the README.
Phase 6
Acceptance scenarios. An invalid diagram keeps the previous source editable and shows a parser error; rejecting an AI diff leaves the saved diagram unchanged. Repeat the workflow after restart and with a denied permission or unavailable dependency; show recoverable failure rather than a success placeholder.
WORKING SLICE Edit Mermaid source beside a sanitized preview, surface parse errors at the relevant line and save named revisions. Provide pan/zoom and SVG export, with optional AI suggestions shown as source diffs. Build this scoped Mermaid Chart-inspired workflow with a documented data model and visible failure states. Architecture - Node.js, TypeScript and Express with server-rendered HTML and small browser modules. - SQLite through better-sqlite3 with migrations, prepared statements and a single background worker. - Monaco source editor and a pinned Mermaid renderer with strict security configuration and visible syntax diagnostics. Prerequisites and limits A supported Node release, a writable local data directory and a separate backup location. Bind to localhost; remote use requires authentication and HTTPS first. Outside this release: high-fidelity import and export; presentation and enterprise controls Data model and correctness Mermaid source documents, syntax versions, render diagnostics, diagram revisions and export settings Invariant: Source text is canonical; visual controls must make explicit source edits and unsupported syntax cannot be silently dropped. Use short SQLite transactions and persist job state before starting work. Give retries stable operation IDs; report incomplete or unknown results instead of silently repeating them. Security and privacy Reject unexpected origins and unbounded request bodies even on localhost. Keep credentials outside the database export and redact sensitive text from logs. Recovery and export Use a consistent SQLite backup and an attachment manifest. Export portable JSON/CSV, then restore to a new directory without overwriting the original data. Implementation order 1. Phase 1 — Scope and fixtures. Implement this bounded workflow: Edit Mermaid source beside a sanitized preview, surface parse errors at the relevant line and save named revisions. Provide pan/zoom and SVG export, with optional AI suggestions shown as source diffs. Record prerequisites, select representative user-owned fixtures and document the unsupported features: high-fidelity import and export; presentation and enterprise controls 2. Phase 2 — Durable model. Model Mermaid source documents, syntax versions, render diagnostics, diagram revisions and export settings Add migrations or a versioned document format, explicit validation, stable IDs and a visible import-error report. Preserve this rule: Source text is canonical; visual controls must make explicit source edits and unsupported syntax cannot be silently dropped. 3. Phase 3 — Complete the first useful path. Implement the workflow's input, review and output interface, with clear controls and explicit empty/error states. Use short SQLite transactions and persist job state before starting work. Give retries stable operation IDs; report incomplete or unknown results instead of silently repeating them. 4. Phase 4 — Permissions and integration failure. Reject unexpected origins and unbounded request bodies even on localhost. Keep credentials outside the database export and redact sensitive text from logs. Request integration credentials and permissions only for the enabled feature; show a disconnected state instead of mock results. 5. Phase 5 — Portable handoff. Use a consistent SQLite backup and an attachment manifest. Export portable JSON/CSV, then restore to a new directory without overwriting the original data. Include setup, operating limits, fixture walkthrough and shutdown/restart instructions in the README. 6. Phase 6 — Acceptance scenarios. An invalid diagram keeps the previous source editable and shows a parser error; rejecting an AI diff leaves the saved diagram unchanged. Repeat the workflow after restart and with a denied permission or unavailable dependency; show recoverable failure rather than a success placeholder. Acceptance An invalid diagram keeps the previous source editable and shows a parser error; rejecting an AI diff leaves the saved diagram unchanged. Use real source data or clearly labeled fixtures. Explain unsupported input and provider failures; do not fabricate analytics, delivery receipts, accuracy claims or security guarantees. Optional agent guidance Optional external skill: [web-design-guidelines](https://github.com/vercel-labs/agent-skills/blob/main/skills/web-design-guidelines/SKILL.md) — Review web interfaces for accessibility, keyboard focus, forms, navigation and interaction quality. Review its instructions and compatibility before use; it does not grant deployment, data-access or publication permission. Optional external skill: [sharp-edges](https://github.com/trailofbits/skills/blob/main/plugins/sharp-edges/skills/sharp-edges/SKILL.md) — Review security-sensitive APIs and configuration for dangerous defaults and easy-to-misuse interfaces. Review its instructions and compatibility before use; it does not grant deployment, data-access or publication permission. Project rule — data model: Mermaid source documents, syntax versions, render diagnostics, diagram revisions and export settings Project rule — preserve this invariant: Source text is canonical; visual controls must make explicit source edits and unsupported syntax cannot be silently dropped. Project rule — acceptance evidence: An invalid diagram keeps the previous source editable and shows a parser error; rejecting an AI diff leaves the saved diagram unchanged.
$ open in your agent (prompt prefilled, you press enter), copy the prompt or copy or download AGENTS.md
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Mermaid Chart pricing
| plan | monthly | annual (per mo) | what you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| basic | $0/user | $0/user | Up to 3 diagrams; 1 team and 1 project; limited AI usage (credit cap not publicly quantified)Free hosted Mermaid Chart plan; the open-source Mermaid renderer itself remains free separately. |
| plus | — | $10/user | Unlimited diagrams and diagram size; 300 AI credits/year; view-and-comment collaborationBilled annually. |
| premium | — | $20/user | Unlimited diagrams; 2,000 AI credits/year; unlimited viewer seats, teams and projects; co-editing and SSOBilled annually. |
| enterprise | — | — | Premium features; custom contracts, support and enterprise controls; numeric caps customContact sales; custom pricing. |
free tierUp to 3 hosted diagrams; 1 team and 1 project; limited AI usage (no numeric AI-credit cap published)
billingpaid self-serve plans are annual only; no month-to-month plan
hidden costsPaid prices are per user. Included AI credits reset on the plan cadence; Enterprise pricing and any extra-credit pricing are not published.
pricing sources checked 2026-08-12 · pricing source ↗
Questions about Mermaid Chart
Can you build your own Mermaid Chart with AI?
The verdict is yes for the scoped workflow. Mermaid Chart's solo core is compact: build a browser-based diagram-as-code editor with drag, resize, connect, keyboard shortcuts, autosave, and SVG or PNG export. A competent builder can reach a useful personal version in one sitting, while the paid product mainly wins on interaction polish, collaboration.
What does the Mermaid Chart build prompt cover?
The prompt starts with this scope: Edit Mermaid source beside a sanitized preview, surface parse errors at the relevant line and save named revisions. Provide pan/zoom and SVG export, with optional AI suggestions shown as source diffs. Full-product capabilities excluded from the comparison include: high-fidelity import and export; presentation and enterprise controls; multiplayer cursors and comments. Follow the implementation plan and its prerequisites before expanding the build.
How do I use the prompt, AGENTS.md and agent skills?
Start with the Mermaid Chart prerequisites and stack, then copy the prompt into your coding agent. Save the project rules as AGENTS.md in the project root. Linked skills are optional packages or source instructions for specific tasks; review their current contents and install only those matching the chosen stack. A skill does not supply API credentials or verify the finished app.
How long will this Mermaid Chart project take?
The catalogue estimate is one sitting for the limited scope. Setup, integration approvals, debugging, deployment and ongoing maintenance can add time. This is an estimate, not a delivery guarantee.
What would I give up by replacing Mermaid Chart?
high-fidelity import and export; presentation and enterprise controls; multiplayer cursors and comments; large template libraries. Mermaid Chart: The shapes are easy; customers pay for low-friction editing, reliable exports, collaboration, and a canvas that never fights them.
What can I use instead of building Mermaid Chart?
The prior-art section lists Mermaid as starting points. Review their current scope, license and maintenance before adopting one.