mcpbeat

Extract Tikz

pedrohcgs/extract-tikz

Extract TikZ diagrams from Beamer `.tex` source, compile each to a standalone PDF, and convert to SVG with 0-based indexing. Use when user says "extract the tikz", "regenerate the diagrams", "rebuild the SVGs", "sync tikz to quarto", or after editing TikZ blocks in a Beamer deck that also has a Quarto mirror.

1k tokens
context cost
the whole folder, loaded on every use
1
files
instructions only
0
copies elsewhere
how many repositories repackaged it
1440
stars on the repo
on the repository, not the skill itself

Install

one command, takes just this skill from the repository
npx skills add https://github.com/pedrohcgs/claude-code-my-workflow --skill extract-tikz

What it tells the agent to use

found in the instruction text
Task spawns other agents

The instruction itself

13 sections, as written by the author

Extract TikZ Diagrams to SVG

Extract TikZ diagrams from the Beamer source, compile to multi-page PDF, and convert each page to SVG for use in Quarto slides.

> Creating a brand-new diagram instead of extracting? Use /new-diagram — it scaffolds from templates/tikz-snippets/ with the prevention rules pre-applied.

Steps

Step 0: Freshness Check (MANDATORY)

Before compiling, verify that extract_tikz.tex matches the current Beamer source.

  • Find the Beamer source: ls Slides/$ARGUMENTS*.tex
  • Extract all \begin{tikzpicture} blocks from Beamer
  • Compare with Figures/$ARGUMENTS/extract_tikz.tex
  • If ANY difference exists: update extract_tikz.tex from the Beamer source
  • If extract_tikz.tex doesn't exist: create it from scratch

Step 1: Prevention pre-check (MANDATORY — halt on violation)

Before compiling, verify every \begin{tikzpicture} block in Figures/$ARGUMENTS/extract_tikz.tex satisfies the prevention rules in .claude/rules/tikz-prevention.md. The pre-check is a small Python script shared with /new-diagram so both skills enforce identical behavior:

python3 scripts/check-tikz-prevention.py "Figures/$ARGUMENTS/extract_tikz.tex"

What it checks:

  • P3 — scale=X without node scaling. Bare scale= shrinks coordinates but not text. Allowed forms: scale=X, every node/.style={scale=X} or scale=X, transform shape. The checker parses the full \begin{tikzpicture}[...] options block even when it spans multiple lines.
  • P4 — Directional keyword on edge labels. Every edge label (node inside a \draw) must carry above, below, left, right, or a compound (e.g. above left). midway alone is a path position, not a direction. The checker scans the full \draw ...; statement so \draw on one line and node[...]{...} on the next line are still linked.

Note what the pre-check does NOT enforce: P1 (boxed-node explicit dimensions) and P2 (coordinate-map comment) are structural and get flagged by tikz-reviewer in Step 8, not here.

Exit codes: 0 = all files pass, 1 = one or more P3/P4 violations (stderr lists file, line, snippet, rule), 2 = usage error.

If exit is non-zero: halt, report the offending lines, and ask the user to fix the Beamer source (single source of truth). Do NOT compile.

Step 2: Navigate to the lecture's Figures directory

cd Figures/$ARGUMENTS

Step 3: Compile the extract_tikz.tex file

TEXINPUTS=../../Preambles:$TEXINPUTS xelatex -interaction=nonstopmode extract_tikz.tex

Step 4: Count the number of pages

pdfinfo extract_tikz.pdf | grep "Pages:"

Step 5: Convert each page to SVG using 0-BASED INDEXING

CRITICAL: PDF pages are 1-indexed, but output SVG files are 0-indexed!

PAGES=$(pdfinfo extract_tikz.pdf | grep "Pages:" | awk '{print $2}')
for i in $(seq 1 $PAGES); do
  idx=$(printf "%02d" $((i-1)))
  pdf2svg extract_tikz.pdf tikz_exact_$idx.svg $i
done

Step 6: Sync to docs/ for deployment

cd ../..
./scripts/sync_to_docs.sh $ARGUMENTS

Step 7: Verify SVG files

  • Read 2-3 SVG files to confirm they contain valid SVG markup
  • Confirm file sizes are reasonable (not 0 bytes)

Step 8: Visual Quality Review (tikz-reviewer)

Spawn the tikz-reviewer agent (via Task with subagent_type=tikz-reviewer) on the TikZ source blocks to catch label overlaps, geometric errors, and visual inconsistencies. The reviewer cites specific passes and formulas from .claude/rules/tikz-measurement.md. If it returns NEEDS REVISION or REJECTED, loop:

  • Apply the recommended fixes to the Beamer .tex source (single source of truth).
  • Re-copy the updated block to extract_tikz.tex.
  • Re-run the prevention pre-check (Step 1) and compile.
  • Regenerate SVGs, re-sync.
  • Re-invoke tikz-reviewer.

Stop when tikz-reviewer returns APPROVED (max 5 rounds).

Step 9: Report results

Source of Truth Reminder

TikZ diagrams MUST be edited in the Beamer .tex file first, then copied verbatim to extract_tikz.tex. See .claude/rules/single-source-of-truth.md.

How to use it

Copy the folder

Take pedrohcgs/extract-tikz from the repository into ~/.claude/skills for personal use, or into .claude/skills inside a project.

Check the name does not clash

The agent identifies a skill by the name field in its header. Two skills with the same name cannot sit side by side — one of them will be ignored.