CLI Reference

# Install globally
npm install -g datro

# Or run without installing via npx
npx datro --version

# Validate and print human-readable diagnostics
datro validate arch.dtro

# Suppress info-level hints
datro validate arch.dtro --no-info

# Output machine-readable JSON (for CI pipelines, tooling)
datro validate arch.dtro --json

✓ arch.dtro
  nodes=5  edges=6  groups=1  constraints=1
  errors=0  warnings=1  info=1

[W] arch.dtro:38:3 W602 Theme colour 'cache: #C0FFE8' has contrast ratio 1.82:1 ...
[I] arch.dtro:12:1 I003 No meta block found — consider adding one for documentation

# Print canonical form to stdout (no file changes)
datro fmt arch.dtro

# Overwrite file with canonical form
datro fmt --write arch.dtro

# CI check — exits non-zero if file is not already canonical
datro fmt --check arch.dtro

# Export to Graphviz DOT (pipe into dot for rendering)
datro export arch.dtro --to dot

# Export to Cytoscape.js JSON
datro export arch.dtro --to cytoscape --out arch.cytoscape.json

# Export the lossless JSON IR (full metadata preserved)
datro export arch.dtro --to json --out arch.ir.json

# Render to SVG (requires Graphviz installed)
datro render arch.dtro --out diagram.svg

# Render to PNG
datro render arch.dtro --out diagram.png

# Validate all Datro blocks embedded in a Markdown file
datro md check docs/architecture.md

# Validate and output JSON (CI-friendly)
datro md check docs/architecture.md --json

# Render all blocks to SVG files next to the Markdown file
datro md render docs/architecture.md

# Render to a specific output directory in PNG format
datro md render docs/architecture.md --out-dir public/diagrams --format png

# Continue even when some blocks have errors
datro md render docs/architecture.md --no-fail

<!-- docs/architecture.md -->

# System Overview

```datro
#!DATRO 1.0

node api { type: gateway label: "API Gateway" }
node svc { type: service label: "Auth Service" }

edge api -> svc { kind: http }
```

Run `datro md render docs/architecture.md` to generate
`docs/architecture-block-1.svg` alongside this file.

# .github/workflows/ci.yml (excerpt)
- name: Validate Datro diagrams
  run: |
    npx datro fmt --check docs/arch.dtro
    npx datro validate docs/arch.dtro --no-info
    npx datro md check docs/architecture.md --json