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graph-viewer — Claude Code skill: embed a CDF graph

This skill walks an agent through embedding an interactive CDF data model graph in a Flows app: nodes, relations and reverse relations.

Install into Claude Code · Skills CLI (Vercel) All methods and platforms ↓
npx skills add cognitedata/builder-skills --skill graph-viewer -a claude-code
Open on GitHub

What graph-viewer does

The skill gives the agent an ordered workflow: inspect the target app, install missing dependencies, copy the local bundle from skills/graph-viewer/code/ into an app-local folder such as src/features/graph-viewer/, import useGraphViewer from there, and render GraphCanvas inside a container with an explicit height. It finishes with tsc --noEmit and the app's build so path and type errors from the copy surface early.

Some groundwork is required. The app must be wrapped in <DuneProvider> from @cognite/dune so useDune() returns an authenticated SDK, it should use React 18+ and TypeScript, and the data model has to exist in CDF with a known space, externalId and version. The dependency table names @cognite/sdk, @cognite/dune, reagraph and lucide-react; those versions are starting points, and the skill says to reuse the React version the app already pins instead of upgrading it.

Graph expansion can fire a lot of CDF requests, reverse relations especially. The skill tells you to keep whitelistedRelationProps narrow, lower initialConnectionLimit and maxNodes, and declare coreReverseQueries only for relations the UI must show, since each entry adds another query per expansion. Static diagrams and non-CDF graphs are out of scope.

What it helps with

  • embed an interactive CDF data model graph in a Flows app
  • show nodes, direct relations and reverse relations between instances
  • copy the useGraphViewer bundle into a local feature folder and fix imports
  • add @cognite/sdk, @cognite/dune, reagraph and lucide-react to the project
  • cut the number of CDF requests when expanding large models

Example prompts for the agent

  • Copy the graph-viewer bundle into src/features/graph-viewer/ and render the graph for my-data-model in space my-space
  • Embed GraphCanvas in the panel and give the container a 600px height
  • Trim coreReverseQueries to the relations we actually show so CDF isn't hit with extra queries

How to install graph-viewer

1Skills CLI (Vercel)

npx skills add cognitedata/builder-skills --skill graph-viewer -a claude-code

2Manually: put the files in place

~/.claude/skills/graph-viewer/SKILL.md

Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/graph-viewer/

Step by step, with commands for each platform: How to install skills in Claude Code: five ways

Questions about graph-viewer

How do I install graph-viewer in Claude?

Run npx skills add cognitedata/builder-skills --skill graph-viewer -a claude-code. The skill lands at ~/.claude/skills/graph-viewer/SKILL.md.

What does graph-viewer do?

It guides the agent through embedding a CDF data model graph in an app: copying the local useGraphViewer bundle, wiring dependencies and rendering GraphCanvas.

What does graph-viewer need to work?

An app wrapped in <DuneProvider> from @cognite/dune, React 18+ and TypeScript, plus an existing CDF data model with known space, externalId and version.

Source text

SKILL.md · Apache-2.0
---
name: graph-viewer
description: Integrate the reusable CDF graph viewer (useGraphViewer) into a Flows app by copying the local code bundle. Use when embedding a graph visualization, adding a knowledge graph, or showing CDF data model relationships and instances.
---

# Graph Viewer

## Use This When

The user wants to embed an interactive graph of a CDF data model — nodes, direct relations, edges, and reverse relations — inside a Flows app.

Do **not** use this skill for static diagrams, pure dataflow visualizations, or non-CDF graphs.

## Prerequisites

- The app is wrapped in `@cognite/dune`'s `<DuneProvider>` so `useDune()` returns an authenticated SDK.
- The target data model exists in CDF and you know its `space`, `externalId`, and `version`.
- The app uses React 18+ and TypeScript.

## Integration Workflow

Follow these steps in order. Adapt to the target repo's conventions instead of inventing new ones.

1. **Inspect the target app.** Read `package.json` and look at the existing folder structure (e.g. `src/features/*`, `src/components/*`, path aliases like `@/*`).
2. **Install missing dependencies** with the app's package manager (`npm`, `pnpm`, `yarn`, …). See the [Dependencies](#dependencies) table below for purposes and suggested versions. Reuse the React version already pinned by the app rather than upgrading it, and prefer any versions the repo already pins over the suggestions here.
3. **Copy the bundle into the app.** Copy every file from `skills/graph-viewer/code/` into an app-local feature folder, for example:

   ```text
   src/features/graph-viewer/
   ```

   If the repo already has a different feature/components layout or alias, mirror it.
4. **Import from the local folder**, never from `@skills/...`. With a typical `@/*` alias:

   ```tsx
   import { useGraphViewer } from "@/features/graph-viewer";
   ```
5. **Render `GraphCanvas` inside a container with explicit dimensions** (height is required — see the minimal example below).
6. **Run typecheck and build** (`tsc --noEmit`, `npm run build`, etc.) and fix any path or type issues introduced by the copy.

## Minimal Example

```tsx
import { useGraphViewer } from "@/features/graph-viewer";

export function GraphPanel() {
  const { GraphCanvas, isLoading, error } = useGraphViewer({
    dataModel: { space: "my-space", externalId: "my-data-model", version: "1" },
    instance: { space: "my-instance-space", externalId: "pump-001" },
  });

  if (isLoading) return <div>Loading graph…</div>;
  if (error) return <div>Error: {error}</div>;

  return <GraphCanvas className="h-[600px] w-full" />;
}
```

## Dependencies

Suggested versions reflect the latest published majors at the time of writing. They are starting points — if the target app already pins different versions, defer to the app.

| Package         | Suggested version | Purpose                                        |
| --------------- | ----------------- | ---------------------------------------------- |
| `react`         | `^18.2.0`         | UI framework (peer; reuse the app's version)   |
| `@cognite/sdk`  | `^10.10.0`        | CDF API client (instances, data models)        |
| `@cognite/dune` | `^2.1.0`          | Provides the authenticated SDK via `useDune()` |
| `reagraph`      | `^4.30.8`         | WebGL graph rendering engine                   |
| `lucide-react`  | `^1.14.0`         | Icon set used by the node-type legend          |

Example install (npm; adapt to the app's package manager):

```bash
npm install @cognite/sdk@^10.10.0 @cognite/dune@^2.1.0 reagraph@^4.30.8 lucide-react@^1.14.0
```

## CDF Cost & Performance

Graph expansion can issue many CDF requests, especially with reverse relations. For large or unfamiliar data models, be conservative:

- Set `whitelistedRelationProps` to the few properties the app actually needs to traverse.
- Lower `initialConnectionLimit` (it is a **hard maximum** of connections fetched per expansion).
- Lower `maxNodes` to bound the in-memory LRU buffer.
- Only declare `coreReverseQueries` for relations the app must surface; each entry adds an extra query per expansion.

Tuples in `coreReverseQueries` are **version-aware**:
`[space, viewExternalId, viewVersion, propertyName, isList]`.

## Advanced Reference

For full configuration tables, return-value docs, layouts, theming, and richer examples, read `code/README.md`.

For implementation details, inspect the source files under `code/`.

## Verification Checklist

- [ ] The app is wrapped in `<DuneProvider>`.
- [ ] All files from `skills/graph-viewer/code/` were copied into an app-local folder.
- [ ] Imports point to the app-local folder (e.g. `@/features/graph-viewer`), not `@skills/...`.
- [ ] `@cognite/dune`, `@cognite/sdk`, `reagraph`, and `lucide-react` are present in `package.json`.
- [ ] The container that renders `<GraphCanvas>` has an explicit height.
- [ ] `tsc --noEmit` and the app's build both pass.
- [ ] No references to `dune-industrial-components` were introduced.

© cognitedata · Apache-2.0 · cognitedata/builder-skills

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