Infographic Generator
Two dimensions: layout (information structure) × style (visual aesthetics). Freely combine any layout with any style.
User Input Tools
When this skill prompts the user, follow this tool-selection rule (priority order):
- Prefer built-in user-input tools exposed by the current agent runtime — e.g.,
AskUserQuestion,request_user_input,clarify,ask_user, or any equivalent. - Fallback: if no such tool exists, emit a numbered plain-text message and ask the user to reply with the chosen number/answer for each question.
- Batching: if the tool supports multiple questions per call, combine all applicable questions into a single call; if only single-question, ask them one at a time in priority order.
Concrete AskUserQuestion references below are examples — substitute the local equivalent in other runtimes.
Image Generation Tools
When this skill needs to render an image, resolve the backend in this order:
- Current-request override — if the user names a specific backend in the current message, use it.
- Saved preference — if
EXTEND.mdsetspreferred_image_backendto a backend available right now, use it. - Auto-select (when the preference is
auto, unset, or the pinned backend isn't available):- Codex (
imagegen) — first, inspect your available-skills / tool inventory. If a skill namedimagegenis listed, you are running inside Codex and MUST use it: invoke via theSkilltool withskill: "imagegen", passing the saved prompt file's content (plus output path and aspect ratio per Codeximagegen's own args). Codeximagegenis the official raster backend in that runtime and outranks any non-native skill (e.g.,baoyu-image-gen) unless the user has explicitly pinned a differentpreferred_image_backend. - Codex via
codex exec(codex-imagegen) — if the current runtime exposes no nativeimagegenskill but thecodexCLI is onPATHwith an activecodex login, route throughbaoyu-image-gen --provider codex-cli(preferred), or — if baoyu-image-gen is unavailable — invoke the bundled wrapper directly. Details, parameters, and the runtime-discovery procedure live in references/codex-imagegen.md — load that file only when this branch is selected. - Other runtime-native tools — if the runtime exposes a different native image tool (e.g., Hermes
image_generate), use it the same way. - Otherwise, if exactly one non-native backend is installed (e.g.,
baoyu-image-gen), use it. - Otherwise (multiple non-native backends with no runtime-native tool), ask the user once — batch with any other initial questions.
- Codex (
- If none are available, tell the user and ask how to proceed.
⛔ Never substitute SVG, HTML, canvas, or other code-based rendering for raster image generation. Codex imagegen's own description says it should be used "when the output should be a bitmap asset rather than repo-native code or vector." If you cannot resolve a raster backend via step 3, fall through to step 4 and ask the user — do not silently emit SVG, write inline <svg> markup, or produce HTML/CSS art as a substitute. This applies even if the article/section seems "diagram-like": the consumer skill calling this rule has already decided that a raster image is what it needs.
⛔ Never repair rendered text by painting over a generated bitmap. Do not use ImageMagick, Pillow, Canvas, SVG, HTML/CSS, OCR scripts, or any other programmatic overlay to cover, rewrite, erase, stroke, or replace labels, headings, callouts, data values, or any other text inside an already generated infographic. If text is wrong or unclear, regenerate from a corrected prompt, switch to a layout with less on-image text, or ask the user which imperfect candidate to keep.
Setting preferred_image_backend: ask forces the step-3 prompt every run regardless of available backends. Users change the pinned backend via the ## Changing Preferences section below.
Prompt file requirement (hard): write each image's full, final prompt to a standalone file under prompts/ (naming: NN-{type}-[slug].md) BEFORE invoking any backend. The backend receives the prompt file (or its content); the file is the reproducibility record and lets you switch backends without regenerating prompts.
Concrete tool names (imagegen, image_generate, baoyu-image-gen) above are examples — substitute the local equivalents under the same rule.
Reference Images
Users may supply reference images to guide style, palette, composition, or subject.
Intake: Accept via --ref <files...> or when the user provides file paths / pastes images in conversation.
- File path(s) → copy to
refs/NN-ref-{slug}.{ext}alongside the output - Pasted image with no path → ask the user for the path (per the User Input Tools rule above), or extract style traits verbally as a text fallback
- No reference → skip this section
Usage modes (per reference):
| Usage | Effect |
|---|---|
direct | Pass the file to the backend as a reference image |
style | Extract style traits (line treatment, texture, mood) and append to the prompt body |
palette | Extract hex colors from the image and append to the prompt body |
Record in prompts/infographic.md frontmatter when refs exist:
references:
- ref_id: 01
filename: 01-ref-brand.png
usage: direct
At generation time:
- Verify each referenced file exists on disk
- If
usage: directAND the chosen backend accepts reference images (e.g.,baoyu-image-genvia--ref) → pass the file via the backend's ref parameter - Otherwise → embed extracted
style/palettetraits in the prompt text
Confirmation Policy
Default behavior: confirm before generation.
- Treat explicit skill invocation, a file path, a matched keyword shortcut,
EXTEND.mddefaults, and the documented default combination as recommendation inputs only. None of them authorizes skipping confirmation. - Do not start Step 5 or Step 6 until the user confirms the combination/aspect/language/backend choices.
- Skip confirmation only when the current request explicitly says to do so, for example:
--no-confirm, "直接生成", "不用确认", "跳过确认", "按默认出图", or equivalent wording. - If confirmation is skipped explicitly, state the assumed combination/aspect/language/backend in the next user-facing update before generating.
Options
| Option | Values |
|---|---|
--layout | 21 options (see Layout Gallery), default: bento-grid |
--style | 22 options (see Style Gallery), default: craft-handmade |
--aspect | Named: landscape (16:9), portrait (9:16), square (1:1). Custom: any W:H ratio (e.g., 3:4, 4:3, 2.35:1) |
--lang | en, zh, ja, etc. |
--no-confirm | Skip Step 4 only when the user explicitly requests direct generation without confirmation |
--ref <files...> | Reference images (file paths) for style / palette / composition / subject guidance |
Layout Gallery (21)
| Layout | Best For |
|---|---|
linear-progression | Timelines, processes, tutorials |
binary-comparison | A vs B, before-after, pros-cons |
comparison-matrix | Multi-factor comparisons |
hierarchical-layers | Pyramids, priority levels |
tree-branching | Categories, taxonomies |
hub-spoke | Central concept with related items |
structural-breakdown | Exploded views, cross-sections |
bento-grid | Multiple topics, overview (default) |
iceberg | Surface vs hidden aspects |
bridge | Problem-solution |
funnel | Conversion, filtering |
isometric-map | Spatial relationships |
dashboard | Metrics, KPIs |
periodic-table | Categorized collections |
comic-strip | Narratives, sequences |
story-mountain | Plot structure, tension arcs |
jigsaw | Interconnected parts |
venn-diagram | Overlapping concepts |
winding-roadmap | Journey, milestones |
circular-flow |