mindmap

Generate a mind map image from a topic or plaintext mind map content.

Setup (first run only)

If {baseDir}/scripts/node_modules does not exist, run:

cd {baseDir}/scripts && npm install

Workflow

1. Generate plaintext mind map content from $ARGUMENTS. If the user provides a short topic, expand it into a full mind map tree (3-4 branches, 3-5 leaves each). If the user provides plaintext content, use it directly.

1. Write the plaintext to a temp file at /tmp/mindmap-input.txt.

1. Run the script to render the mind map:

node {baseDir}/scripts/generate_mindmap.mjs -i /tmp/mindmap-input.txt -o "<output-path>" [flags...]

1. Print the script's stdout to the user. Open the output file with open <path>.

Plaintext format

Use mind-elixir plaintext: a markdown-style indented list. Two-space indentation per level.

- Root Topic
  - Branch 1
    - Leaf 1a
    - Leaf 1b
    - Leaf 1c
  - Branch 2
    - Leaf 2a
    - Leaf 2b
  - Branch 3
    - Leaf 3a
    - Leaf 3b
    - Leaf 3c

Keep topics short (2-5 words per node). Aim for 3-5 branches, 3-5 leaves per branch, max 3 levels deep.

For node colors, arrows, and summaries, see [references/advanced-syntax.md](references/advanced-syntax.md).

Flags

-i input, -o output, -f png|svg, -t academic|latte|dark, -d side|right|left, -s scale (default 3), --typst, --caption "...", --typst-width 90%

Defaults: --dir mindmaps/, auto-generates filename from topic.

Example invocation

For /mindmap "Portfolio Theory":

node {baseDir}/scripts/generate_mindmap.mjs \
  -i /tmp/mindmap-input.txt \
  -o "mindmaps/portfolio-theory.png"