make-chart

name: make-chart description: Render a Vega-Lite JSON specification to a PNG chart image using the vl2png command from the vega-cli package. Write the spec to ~/.ethos/files/generated/-spec.json, install vega-cli and vega-lite if missing, then run vl2png at 2x scale. Supports bar, line, point, area, and other Vega-Lite v5 mark types. version: 1.0.0 author: ethosagent tags: [document, chart, visualization, png, vega-lite] required_tools: [terminal, write_file]

ethos: external_cli_alternatives: - vl2png category: document default_personalities: [] prerequisites: external_cli: [vl2png] auth: [] env_vars: [] optional_tools: [] integrates_with: [] surface_metadata: invocation_trigger: "user says 'create a chart', 'plot this data', 'generate a bar/line/pie chart', 'visualise this as a PNG'" estimated_turns: "2-4"

Make Chart

Render a Vega-Lite JSON specification to a PNG chart image. Write the spec to ~/.ethos/files/generated/<slug>-spec.json, then run vl2png to produce a PNG at ~/.ethos/files/generated/<slug>.png. Supports bar, line, point, area, and any other Vega-Lite v5 mark type.

When to use this skill

• User asks to create a chart, plot data, generate a bar chart / line chart / scatter plot / area chart, or visualise data as an image.
• User wants a PNG or image of a chart to embed in a document or share.
• User says "visualise this", "chart this", "make a graph of this data".

When NOT to use this skill

• User wants an interactive chart (use an HTML file with Vega-Embed instead).
• User wants a PDF or HTML report — use make-pdf or make-html-report.
• The data doesn't have a clear chart type — ask the user which type they want before proceeding.
• User wants a pie chart: Vega-Lite uses "mark": "arc" with theta encoding for pie/donut charts — still valid, but confirm the user is aware it's a donut by default.

Vega-Lite spec format

Vega-Lite v5 specs are JSON objects. The minimal structure:

{
  "$schema": "https://vega.github.io/schema/vega-lite/v5.json",
  "width": 600,
  "height": 400,
  "data": {
    "values": [
      { "category": "A", "value": 42 },
      { "category": "B", "value": 28 },
      { "category": "C", "value": 61 }
    ]
  },
  "mark": "bar",
  "encoding": {
    "x": { "field": "category", "type": "nominal", "axis": { "labelAngle": 0 } },
    "y": { "field": "value", "type": "quantitative" },
    "color": { "field": "category", "type": "nominal" }
  }
}

Common mark types: "bar", "line", "point", "area", "arc" (pie/donut), "rule", "text".

Field types: "quantitative" (numbers), "nominal" (categories), "ordinal" (ordered categories), "temporal" (dates).

For a line chart, use "mark": "line" and set "x" to a temporal or ordinal field:

{
  "$schema": "https://vega.github.io/schema/vega-lite/v5.json",
  "width": 600,
  "height": 400,
  "data": {
    "values": [
      { "month": "2026-01", "revenue": 12000 },
      { "month": "2026-02", "revenue": 15400 },
      { "month": "2026-03", "revenue": 11800 }
    ]
  },
  "mark": { "type": "line", "point": true },
  "encoding": {
    "x": { "field": "month", "type": "ordinal" },
    "y": { "field": "revenue", "type": "quantitative", "title": "Revenue ($)" }
  }
}

Workflow

Step 1: Write the Vega-Lite spec

Construct the spec from the user's data and chart request. Use write_file to write it to:

~/.ethos/files/generated/<slug>-spec.json

Where <slug> is a lowercase-hyphenated identifier derived from the user's request (e.g. monthly-revenue, category-breakdown).

Always set "width" and "height" explicitly. A good default is 600 x 400. For wide charts (many categories), use 800 x 400.

Step 2: Check if vl2png is installed

which vl2png 2>/dev/null || echo "not found"

Step 3a: If found — proceed to Step 4.

Step 3b: If not found — attempt install

npm install -g vega-cli vega-lite

If the install fails (no npm, no network, permission denied), stop and tell the user:

"This skill requires vega-cli. Run: npm install -g vega-cli vega-lite If npm is unavailable, ask your system administrator to install it."

Do not proceed further.

Step 4: Render the PNG

vl2png ~/.ethos/files/generated/<slug>-spec.json ~/.ethos/files/generated/<slug>.png --scale 2

--scale 2 doubles the resolution for crisp rendering on high-DPI displays.

Step 5: Confirm to the user

Tell the user:

"Chart created at: ~/.ethos/files/generated/<slug>.png"

Anti-patterns

• Do not omit $schema — vl2png may default to an older schema version and produce incorrect output.
• Do not pass URLs as data.url — vl2png runs locally and cannot fetch remote data. Always use data.values with inline data.
• Do not omit width and height — default sizes are small and produce low-quality PNGs.
• Do not use --scale 1 — the output will look blurry on most screens; --scale 2 is the minimum for quality output.
• Do not use mark types not in Vega-Lite v5 — check the spec before writing it.

Hard rules

• All generated files go to ~/.ethos/files/generated/. Never write outside this directory.
• Always tell the user the exact output path after completion.
• If vl2png install fails, show the fallback message verbatim — do not proceed.
• Always use data.values (inline data) in the spec — never data.url.
• The slug must be lowercase, hyphen-separated, and contain no spaces or special characters.