Text to Diagram: Voice to Visual in Seconds

I've never been patient enough to sit and drag boxes around to make a flowchart. But I need diagrams all the time—especially when building out N8N workflows or HighLevel automations. Here's the trick I've been using.

The Problem

You've got an idea in your head. Maybe it's an automation workflow, maybe it's a process you want to document. You could:

1. Open a diagramming tool
2. Drag boxes
3. Type labels
4. Draw arrows
5. Realize you forgot a step
6. Rearrange everything

Or you could just talk.

The Workflow

Step 1: Voice dictate to Claude

Just start talking. Describe your workflow out loud, even if you're rambling and stuttering. Something like:

"Hey, so I've got this workflow where there's a ChatGPT step where I say 'Hey, I'm this handyman in Springville, Utah' and I want it to pretend to be a social media pro that's going to automatically post. It needs to know today's date, create a Google Business Profile post, come up with the image generation prompt, then submit for approval. If they click yes, it posts automatically. If not, it generates another one."

Don't worry about being polished. Claude (or ChatGPT) will clean it up.

Step 2: Ask for Mermaid format

End your dictation with: "Can you please turn this into a Mermaid style text diagram?"

Claude will output something like:

flowchart TD
    A[Start] --> B[ChatGPT: Generate Post]
    B --> C[Create Image Prompt]
    C --> D[Submit for Approval]
    D --> E{Approved?}
    E -->|Yes| F[Auto-Post to GBP]
    E -->|No| B

Step 3: Paste into Excalidraw

Excalidraw is free. Open it, click the "Text to Diagram" feature, paste your Mermaid code, and hit Generate.

You get a clean, editable flowchart in seconds.

Why This Works

It's like letting your brain breathe. Instead of fighting with a diagramming tool, you just explain what you're thinking—messy, incomplete, whatever—and AI handles the structure. Then the visual tool handles the layout.

All I had to do was talk, and I got a diagram I can actually tweak and use.

Tools Used

• Claude or ChatGPT — For cleaning up voice notes and generating Mermaid code
• Excalidraw — Free diagramming tool with text-to-diagram feature
• Mermaid — The text-based diagram syntax that bridges AI output to visual tools

When to Use This

• Planning N8N or HighLevel workflows before building
• Documenting processes for clients or team members
• Sketching out ideas quickly during a call
• Creating visuals for content or presentations

The next time you catch yourself dreading "I should probably make a diagram for this"—just talk instead.