Environment:Diagram of thought Diagram of thought Graphviz
| Knowledge Sources | |
|---|---|
| Domains | Infrastructure, Visualization |
| Last Updated | 2026-02-14 04:30 GMT |
Overview
Environment providing Graphviz (DOT language renderer) for visualizing DoT reasoning DAGs as graph diagrams.
Description
This environment provides the Graphviz graph visualization toolkit, which renders Directed Acyclic Graphs in the DOT language format into visual images (PNG, SVG, PDF). It includes both the system-level Graphviz binary (`dot` command) and the optional Python `graphviz` package for programmatic graph construction. This is used to produce visual representations of the DoT reasoning trace, showing nodes (problem, proposer, critic, summarizer) and edges (use, critique, refine) with validation status coloring.
Usage
Use this environment when generating visual trace reports from DoT reasoning output. It is the mandatory prerequisite for the Graphviz_DAG_Visualization implementation, which renders the reconstructed DAG as an image for human inspection and debugging.
System Requirements
| Category | Requirement | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Linux, macOS, or Windows | All platforms supported |
| Hardware | Standard CPU | No GPU required |
| Disk | ~50MB | For Graphviz binary and fonts |
Dependencies
System Packages
- `graphviz` (the system binary providing the `dot`, `neato`, `fdp` commands)
Python Packages
- `graphviz` >= 0.20 (Python wrapper for programmatic DOT generation)
Credentials
No credentials required for this environment.
Quick Install
# Install system Graphviz binary
# On Ubuntu/Debian:
sudo apt-get install graphviz
# On macOS:
brew install graphviz
# Install Python graphviz wrapper
pip install graphviz>=0.20
Code Evidence
Trace report generation requirement from `README.md:L22`:
Auditable & Verifiable Traces: A typed serialization protocol (@node, @edge,
@status) ensures that the reasoning process is recorded as a well-structured
DAG. This allows for deterministic extraction, post-hoc analysis, and
verification of the model's reasoning path.
The structural view from `README.md:L116-124` defines the DAG format that feeds into visualization:
@node id=3 role=critic
@edge src=2 dst=3 kind=critique
@status target=2 mark=validated
This protocol guarantees the graph is acyclic and enables deterministic
extraction of the reasoning structure for analysis.
Node roles that map to visual elements from `prompts/iterative-reasoner.md:L3-7`:
- `<proposer>...</proposer>`
- `<critic>...</critic>`
- `<summarizer>...</summarizer>`
Common Errors
| Error Message | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| `ExecutableNotFound: failed to execute 'dot'` | Graphviz system binary not installed | Install Graphviz: `apt-get install graphviz` (Linux) or `brew install graphviz` (macOS) |
| `graphviz.backend.execute.CalledProcessError` | Invalid DOT syntax in generated graph | Validate DOT source string; check for unescaped special characters in node labels |
| `ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'graphviz'` | Python graphviz package not installed | `pip install graphviz` |
Compatibility Notes
- Linux: Install via package manager (`apt-get install graphviz`). The `dot` binary must be on `PATH`.
- macOS: Install via Homebrew (`brew install graphviz`). Conda environments may also provide it.
- Windows: Install from the official Graphviz MSI installer. Ensure the install directory is added to `PATH`.
- Docker: Add `RUN apt-get install -y graphviz` to your Dockerfile.
- Output Formats: Supports PNG, SVG, PDF, and many others. SVG is recommended for interactive/web viewing.