xmind-illustrated-map

Original：🇺🇸 English
Translated

Create Xmind mind maps with generated topic images via a contact-sheet workflow. Requires an image generation capability (built-in for Codex / Gemini CLI, or an external image API). Use for illustrated maps; for text-only maps, use xmind-file.

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Sourcexmindltd/xmind-cli
Added on

NPX Install

npx skill4agent add xmindltd/xmind-cli xmind-illustrated-map

Tags

Translated version includes tags in frontmatter
xmind-climind-mapimage-generationworkflowcontact-sheet

SKILL.md Content

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Xmind Illustrated Map

Prerequisites

  • xmind CLI installed (
    npm i -g @xmindltd/xmind-cli
    )
  • An image generation capability:
    • Codex / Gemini CLI: built-in 
      image_gen
      works out of the box
    • Other agents: configure an external image API and produce a single contact-sheet image as a local file
  • For text-only maps, stop here and use xmind-file

How it works

The CLI is a post-processing tool. The agent owns image generation; the CLI plans slots, slices the local contact sheet, and embeds slices into 
.xmind
resources.
text
[xmind create] -> [xmind image-plan] -> [agent generates contact-sheet.png] -> [xmind enrich-images]
Minimal artifacts:
  • <file>.xmind
    — the final map to enrich
  • plan.json
    — visual slot mapping
  • prompt.txt
    — debug copy of the prompt
  • contact-sheet.png
    — final local raster file for attachment
Do not treat an inline preview or a remembered generated asset as completion. Attach only after 
contact-sheet.png
exists as a real local file.

Workflow

1. Pick the structure strategy

bash
xmind skill list
Default routing:
  • History, evolution, staged change: 
    timeline
  • Item index with rich notes: 
    cards
  • Matrix or table-like content: 
    comparison
  • Everything else: 
    default
Then load the matching guidance:
bash
xmind skill show recipes/default features features/strategy/<name>

2. Build the markdown first

Write the map as markdown before generating images.
Rules:
  • Keep the root title equal to the final map title.
  • Prefer 4 to 6 strong first-level branches when the map will be illustrated.
  • Put supporting detail in 
    ###
    and below.
  • For history/evolution topics, aim for 5 eras plus the root hero so the visual plan becomes a clean 3x2 contact sheet.

3. Create the .xmind

bash
cat <<'MD' | xmind create --stdin --skeleton <skeleton> --color <color> -o output.xmind
# Topic
## Branch
### Detail
MD
Recommended defaults:
  • History/evolution: 
    Timeline-1
    + 
    Aurora
  • General knowledge overview: 
    MindMap-1
    + 
    Aurora
  • Item index: follow the 
    cards
    strategy guidance
Verify immediately:
bash
xmind read output.xmind

4. Plan image slots

bash
xmind image-plan output.xmind \
  --grid-shape <auto|quad|timeline-strip|hero-branches|matrix> \
  --output plan.json \
  --prompt-output prompt.txt \
  --topics-output topics.json
Grid shape by content:
  • hero-branches
    — root hero + major branches
  • timeline-strip
    — chronological / phased
  • quad
    — four-part structures (SWOT)
  • matrix
    — two-axis comparison
  • auto
    — fallback when no strong signal
Planning rules:
  • Default target is the root plus key first-level branches.
  • Keep image coverage selective. Do not try to illustrate every leaf.
  • Treat the root image as a hero summary and branch images as visual anchors.
  • If root or first-level branch titles change before attaching, rerun 
    image-plan
    .

5. Generate one contact sheet

Use the agent's image generation capability with the contents of 
prompt.txt
.
Prompt discipline:
  • Generate one contact sheet, not one image per topic.
  • Match the planned grid. For six slots, ask for 
    3 rows by 2 columns
    .
  • Require clear panel boundaries and uniform gutters so slicing is reliable.
  • Require one consistent art direction across all panels.
  • Require no text, numbers, watermarks, logos, or labels.
After generation, ensure the final raster exists as a local file:
bash
contact-sheet.png
The image may initially be under 
$HOME/.codex/generated_images/...
; move or copy it into the run directory before attaching.

6. Attach images

Use the saved plan:
bash
xmind enrich-images output.xmind --use-plan plan.json --contact-sheet contact-sheet.png
Or use the current map directly for the common root-plus-branches case:
bash
xmind enrich-images output.xmind --contact-sheet contact-sheet.png --limit 6
This step:
  • slices the contact sheet locally
  • attaches each slice to the planned topics
  • writes images into 
    .xmind
    resources/*
  • cleans unreferenced old resources

7. Verify the result

bash
xmind read output.xmind
unzip -l output.xmind
Success criteria:
  • the root and planned first-level branches have images
  • content.json
    uses 
    xap:resources/...
  • the zip contains matching 
    resources/*.png
  • panel order matches the intended topic order

Example

For 
The Evolution of Transportation
:
  • Use 
    timeline
  • Create 5 historical eras as first-level branches
  • Run 
    image-plan ... --output plan.json --prompt-output prompt.txt --topics-output topics.json
  • Generate one 3x2 contact sheet with the agent's image gen capability
  • Put the generated raster at 
    contact-sheet.png
  • Run 
    xmind enrich-images output.xmind --use-plan plan.json --contact-sheet contact-sheet.png
  • Verify the 
    .xmind
    zip contains 6 embedded resources