osFoundry / Platform
Notes — Diagrams
Mermaid diagrams live next to their source. Edit on one side, render on the other.
What it is
Notes — Diagrams is the Mermaid authoring surface inside osFoundry's Notes. A Mermaid diagram is defined in plain text — flowcharts, sequence diagrams, class diagrams, state machines, ER diagrams, Gantt charts — and this feature keeps that text and its rendered picture in the same note. You edit the source on one side and the diagram renders on the other, so the definition and the result never drift apart.
Because the diagram is stored as its source, not as an exported image, it stays part of the note's text. You can diff it, copy it, hand it to an agent, or paste it into another note without losing the ability to edit. Nothing is flattened into a screenshot you would have to redraw to change. Change one arrow in the code and the render reflects it immediately, which is what makes iterating on a diagram fast instead of a chore.
This sits inside osFoundry, a bring-your-own-key desktop workspace where chat, agents, apps, code, and knowledge share one place. Notes are local-first, so a diagram you sketch out — an architecture, a process, a data model — stays on your device unless you choose otherwise. And because osFoundry runs any model you bring your own key for, an agent in the workspace can draft or revise the Mermaid source directly in the note, and you see it render the moment it lands.
Key capabilities
- Author Mermaid diagrams in a note and see them render side by side, source on one side, picture on the other
- Edits to the diagram code re-render the picture as you type, so iterating on a flow or sequence is immediate
- Diagrams are stored as their text source, not baked-in images, so they stay editable, diffable, and copyable
- Supports the diagram types Mermaid covers: flowcharts, sequence, class, state, ER, and Gantt
- Local-first Notes keep your diagram source on your device; agents you run with your own key can draft or revise the Mermaid directly
Use cases
- Engineer: documents a service's request flow as a Mermaid sequence diagram in a note and tweaks the source as the design changes
- Technical writer: keeps an architecture flowchart inline with the doc it explains, editing the code instead of re-exporting an image
- Team lead: sketches a project timeline as a Gantt diagram and asks a workspace agent to update the Mermaid source when dates shift
Frequently asked questions
Which Mermaid diagram types can I render?
The standard Mermaid set: flowcharts, sequence diagrams, class diagrams, state diagrams, entity-relationship diagrams, and Gantt charts. You write them in Mermaid's text syntax and the note renders them live.
Is the diagram saved as an image or as editable text?
As text. The Mermaid source lives in the note, and the render is generated from it. That means you can always go back and edit the definition rather than redraw a static picture, and the source travels with the note when you copy it.
Can an AI agent write the diagram for me?
Yes. osFoundry is a bring-your-own-key workspace, so an agent running on a model you've connected can produce or revise the Mermaid source inside the note. Since the diagram is source text, whatever the agent writes renders the same way your own edits do.