clean Technical Diagramming Library¶

The built-in clean library provides a cohesive, flat diagramming aesthetic inspired by the Anthropic and OpenAI design languages: a restrained cool-neutral tint scale that groups components by tint and shape, a single clay accent reserved for emphasis, hairline borders, and no drop shadows. Enable it by passing library="clean" to d2.compile().

import d2

svg = d2.compile(code, library="clean")

Use the clean library for:

System and architecture diagrams - services, gateways, APIs, and clients
Data planes - databases, caches, queues, and object storage
AI/agent flows - models, agents, and document artifacts
Control flow - decisions, processes, and grouped boundaries

Differentiation is carried by tint (paper for compute/actors/AI/logic, slate for data, muted-dashed for external systems) and shape, with the clay accent applied only to emphasis nodes (clean-primary) and primary paths (clean-flow-primary).

clean Shapes
- Usage
- Compute
- Data
- Actors
- AI
- Logic & Structure
- Flow Edges
- Panels and Typography

Example¶

direction: right

title: Request Flow { class: clean-title }

system: Platform {
  class: clean-panel

  user: User { class: clean-user }
  web: Web App { class: clean-browser }
  gw: API Gateway { class: clean-gateway }

  data: Data Plane {
    class: clean-band
    api: Orders API { class: clean-primary }
    cache: Redis { class: clean-cache }
    db: Postgres { class: clean-database }
  }

  ext: Payments { class: clean-external }

  user -> web { class: clean-flow }
  web -> gw { class: clean-flow }
  gw -> data.api { class: clean-flow-primary }
  data.api -> data.cache { class: clean-flow-muted }
  data.api -> data.db { class: clean-flow }
  data.api -> ext: webhook { class: clean-flow-dashed }
}

Component Classes¶

Class	Use
`clean-service`	Generic service or component box (paper).
`clean-primary`	Emphasized or primary node, carrying the clay accent.
`clean-api`	API or endpoint.
`clean-gateway`	Gateway or ingress (hexagon).
`clean-function`	Function, lambda, or handler.
`clean-cloud`	Cloud or managed service (cloud shape).
`clean-database`	Relational or primary datastore (cylinder, slate tint).
`clean-cache`	Cache layer (slate tint).
`clean-storage`	Object or blob storage (cylinder, slate tint).
`clean-queue`	Message queue or stream (slate tint).
`clean-client`	Generic client.
`clean-browser`	Web client.
`clean-mobile`	Mobile client.
`clean-user`	End user (person shape).
`clean-external`	Third-party or external system (muted fill, dashed border).
`clean-model`	Model or inference endpoint.
`clean-agent`	Agent.
`clean-document`	Document or artifact (page shape).
`clean-decision`	Branch or decision point (diamond).
`clean-process`	Process or step.
`clean-group`	Transparent grouping container with a hairline boundary.

Panel, Typography, and Flow Classes¶

Use clean-panel for the outer grouped surface and clean-band for a slate-tinted sub-grouping (for example a data plane or subsystem).

Use clean-title, clean-subtitle, clean-label, clean-section-label, and clean-note for text-only labels.

Use clean-flow for standard arrows, clean-flow-primary for the clay-accented primary path, clean-flow-muted for low-emphasis links, and clean-flow-dashed for optional, asynchronous, or external links.

Dark Theme¶

The clean library supports the same dark theme mode as the other libraries:

svg = d2.compile(code, library="clean", theme="dark")