Context and Diagrams Are the Best Way to Get AI to Do What You Want

Why It Matters

Embedding diagrams gives AI the situational awareness needed to modify code safely, dramatically cutting development time and error risk.

Key Takeaways

• AI lacks context, leading to erroneous code edits.
• Preloading diagrams supplies essential application knowledge to AI.
• Mermaid diagrams compress system architecture into concise text.
• Loading diagrams into Claude eliminates file reads and speeds tasks.
• Contextual diagrams improve reliability and efficiency of AI code changes.

Summary

The video explains how providing explicit context—particularly through visual diagrams—enables large language models to perform code‑related tasks more accurately. It argues that AI agents start each session with a blank slate, unaware of the relationships between components in an application, which often results in faulty edits.

To remedy this, the presenter demonstrates loading Mermaid‑style diagrams that map database operations and overall system flow into the model’s prompt. By compressing the entire architecture into a few lines of markdown, the AI receives a concise yet comprehensive snapshot of the codebase, eliminating the need for on‑the‑fly file reads.

In the demo, the speaker runs a command that injects these diagrams into Claude, the AI model, and notes that no file‑system queries occur. The tasks complete noticeably faster and with higher reliability because the model can reason about the impact of changes across interconnected modules.

The implication is clear: embedding structured context transforms AI from a blind editor into a knowledgeable collaborator, accelerating development cycles, reducing error rates, and making AI‑assisted programming viable for production environments.

Original Description

Mermaid diagrams in markdown files can compress your application flow into a format that's easy for AI to understand but difficult for humans to parse. By preloading this context, you get faster, more accurate results without the AI having to explore your codebase.