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How to use Auto Illustrate: what you can do with it

What is Auto Illustrate? AutoIllustrate is a command-line tool that turns a methods section or system description into an editable draw.io figure, then restyles it into a publication-style PNG with an image model.

How do I use it? Install the draw.io desktop app so the drawio command is on PATH, and install the Claude Code CLI so claude is on PATH; then npm install -g autoillustrate; autoillustrate doctor. Full steps below.

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What do you want to do?

4 use cases

  • Draft a method figure from a paper's methods section

    Generate an editable draw.io figure and a restyled PNG from a LaTeX methods section in one command.

    View prompt
    Using the repo SakanaAI/AutoIllustrate, run autoillustrate on <path to methods .tex file> with a prompt asking for a single-panel front-page method diagram. Confirm that the newest runs/ folder contains figures/full_figure.drawio, figures/full_figure.png and figures/full_figure_enhanced.png, and report that folder path.

  • Hand-edit a generated diagram before the final restyle

    Open the draft diagram in diagrams.net in your browser, fix it, then continue the run to produce the enhanced PNG.

    View prompt
    Using the repo SakanaAI/AutoIllustrate, start an interactive run on <path to .tex file> with -i and wait for the editor step. After the user confirms edits, press Enter and verify that figures/full_figure_enhanced.png is written in the run folder.

  • Resume an earlier figure run from the compose step

    Restart a stopped Auto Illustrate run from the compose phase instead of starting over.

    View prompt
    Using the repo SakanaAI/AutoIllustrate, resume the run in <run directory> from the compose phase with --resume-from compose. Verify that figures/full_figure.drawio is updated and report any error from the terminal output.

  • Diagram a code architecture from a project directory

    Point the tool at a folder of .tex, .md, .py and .txt files to draw a scoped architecture figure.

    View prompt
    Using the repo SakanaAI/AutoIllustrate, run autoillustrate on the project directory <path to project> with a prompt naming one subsystem to diagram. Verify that the run's figures/ folder contains full_figure.drawio and report which files were read and any missing components.

Quick start with Auto Illustrate

  1. Check you have what it needs: Node 22 or newer; draw.io desktop CLI on PATH as drawio; Claude Code CLI (claude) on PATH, since it is the default agent.
  2. Open SakanaAI/AutoIllustrate on GitHub and read the README and license.
  3. Install the draw.io desktop app so the drawio command is on PATH, and install the Claude Code CLI so claude is on PATH. (inferred, check the README)
  4. npm install -g autoillustrate
  5. autoillustrate doctor
  6. autoillustrate examples/ai_scientist_method.tex --prompt "Please make a diagram illustrating the method of our scientific research paper in a single panel. We intend to use it as front-page diagram in our research paper." (replace the path with your own .tex file and edit the prompt to describe your method) (inferred, check the README)

These steps come from our top use case, Draft a method figure from a paper's methods section, which also has a copy-paste agent prompt.

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Auto Illustrate alternatives · Best AI repos for Research

About this repo

  • Who it is forResearchers and paper authors who need a front-page or method diagram drafted from their own text, with a file they can still edit.
  • Why it is hot107 stars, launched 12 days ago, picked up by one AI source we track
  • LanguageTypeScript
  • Sourcegithub.com/SakanaAI/AutoIllustrate · Back to Hot repos

Requirements

  • Node 22 or newer
  • draw.io desktop CLI on PATH as drawio
  • Claude Code CLI (claude) on PATH, since it is the default agent
  • OPENAI_API_KEY set in the shell or a .env file
  • Python 3.10 or newer (the CLI creates its own cached venv on first run)

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Questions about Auto Illustrate

What is Auto Illustrate?

AutoIllustrate is a command-line tool that turns a methods section or system description into an editable draw.io figure, then restyles it into a publication-style PNG with an image model. It is an open-source project on GitHub: https://github.com/SakanaAI/AutoIllustrate.

How do I use Auto Illustrate?

Install the draw.io desktop app so the drawio command is on PATH, and install the Claude Code CLI so claude is on PATH; then npm install -g autoillustrate; autoillustrate doctor. The use cases on this page give the full steps and a copy-paste agent prompt for each job.

Who is Auto Illustrate for?

Researchers and paper authors who need a front-page or method diagram drafted from their own text, with a file they can still edit.

What can I do with Auto Illustrate?

4 use cases so far, for example: Draft a method figure from a paper's methods section; Hand-edit a generated diagram before the final restyle; Resume an earlier figure run from the compose step. Each has steps and a copy-paste agent prompt.

What do I need to run Auto Illustrate?

Node 22 or newer; draw.io desktop CLI on PATH as drawio; Claude Code CLI (claude) on PATH, since it is the default agent; OPENAI_API_KEY set in the shell or a .env file.

What are alternatives to Auto Illustrate?

Other hot AI repos in Research: Scientific Agent Skills, PersonaPlex, PageIndex, Book to Skill, Scientific Figure Library.

Is Auto Illustrate safe to run?

Deduped does not own, audit or vouch for it. Read the README and license, run it on your own systems first and review every command before you run it.