Studio Overview

Studio is the right-side workspace for generation, code-backed editing, imports, infrastructure parsing, and rule-driven validation. Use it when the canvas alone is not the best tool for the job.

Studio matters because OpenFlowKit is not only a drag-and-drop editor. The product is built around moving between visual editing and structured inputs. Studio is where those structured workflows live.

Studio tabs in the current product path

Tab	Purpose
Flowpilot	AI-assisted generation, revision, and guided import flows
Code	OpenFlow DSL and Mermaid editing against the current canvas
Infra	Infrastructure Sync for supported infra file inputs
Lint	Architecture rules and live violation feedback

When to open Studio

Open Studio when you want to:

draft a diagram from a prompt
paste or edit OpenFlow DSL or Mermaid
import SQL, OpenAPI, Terraform, or Kubernetes-oriented inputs
parse infra files without AI
define architecture constraints and review violations

If you are already happy with the diagram structure and only need visual cleanup, stay on the canvas and use the Properties Panel instead.

Flowpilot tab

Flowpilot is the AI-first area of Studio. Use it when you want:

a first draft from plain language
a different structural take on an existing concept
code-to-architecture generation
structured imports that benefit from model interpretation

Good Flowpilot sessions are specific. Name the systems, actors, branches, constraints, and intended audience. If you want output that is easy to refine later, ask for explicit structure instead of purely aesthetic phrasing.

Code tab

The Code tab is where you switch from visual editing to text representations.

Use it when:

you want to review or edit OpenFlow DSL
you already have Mermaid and want to apply it to the canvas
you want to compare an editor-native representation with a portable one

This tab is best when you want repeatability and precision. It is also the right choice when AI is unnecessary and the diagram is easier to reason about as code.

Infra tab

The Infra tab exists for deterministic infrastructure parsing. It is the best option when you already have:

Terraform state
Kubernetes YAML
Docker Compose YAML
other supported infra-oriented inputs

Use this tab when you want a trustworthy structural import instead of a model-generated interpretation. The result still comes back as a regular editable OpenFlowKit diagram.

Lint tab

The Lint tab turns the diagram into something closer to a governed system model. You can define JSON rules and review violations as errors, warnings, or informational findings.

This is useful when a diagram is doing real architecture work instead of just presentation work. It helps answer questions like:

should this service be allowed to talk to that datastore?
did an imported architecture diagram violate an agreed boundary?
did a large refactor accidentally break a documented rule?

How Studio fits into the editor

Studio complements, rather than replaces, the canvas:

use the canvas for spatial editing
use Studio for generation, import, code, and rule workflows
switch back to the Properties Panel when a generated result needs exact tuning
use the Command Center when you want to jump between workflows quickly

Recommended workflow

For most serious diagrams, a good sequence is:

start with AI, code, template, or import
inspect the result on the canvas
make exact changes in the inspector
save a snapshot before another major Studio operation
export or share once the structure is stable