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CLI: Graph Export

Export your knowledge graph in multiple visualization formats.

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Overview

The graph export feature allows you to visualize your knowledge graph in multiple formats. Export to Graphviz DOT for powerful graph rendering, JSON for D3.js web visualizations, or Mermaid for documentation and Markdown files.

Export Formats

FormatDescriptionBest For
dotGraphviz DOT formatHigh-quality renderings, complex graphs, PDF/PNG export
jsonD3.js compatible JSONInteractive web visualizations, custom applications
mermaidMermaid diagram syntaxDocumentation, GitHub/GitLab Markdown, wikis

Basic Export

# Export to Graphviz DOT
trix graph export --format dot --output graph.dot

# Export to JSON (D3.js compatible)
trix graph export --format json --output graph.json

# Export to Mermaid
trix graph export --format mermaid --output graph.md

# Output to stdout (for piping)
trix graph export --format dot

Filtering Options

Filter the exported graph by space, tags, relationship types, or time range:

# Export a specific space
trix graph export --format dot --space work --output work-graph.dot

# Filter by tags
trix graph export --format json --tags "adr,decision" --output decisions.json

# Filter by relationship types
trix graph export --format mermaid --types "depends_on,implements"

# Time-based filtering (relative duration string, e.g. 30d, 7d, 24h)
trix graph export --format dot --since 30d

# Combine filters
trix graph export --format json \
  --space project-x \
  --tags architecture \
  --since 30d \
  --output architecture.json

Depth Control

Control how deep the graph traversal goes from each node:

# Default depth (2 levels)
trix graph export --format dot --output graph.dot

# Shallow graph (direct connections only)
trix graph export --format dot --depth 1 --output shallow.dot

# Deep graph (3 levels of connections)
trix graph export --format dot --depth 3 --output deep.dot

Higher depth values include more relationships but may result in very large graphs. Start with depth 1 or 2 and increase as needed.

DOT Format (Graphviz)

The DOT format produces files compatible with Graphviz tools for high-quality rendering:

# Export to DOT
trix graph export --format dot --output graph.dot

# Render to PNG using Graphviz
dot -Tpng graph.dot -o graph.png

# Render to PDF
dot -Tpdf graph.dot -o graph.pdf

# Render to SVG (scalable)
dot -Tsvg graph.dot -o graph.svg

# Use different layout engines
neato -Tpng graph.dot -o graph-neato.png   # Spring model
fdp -Tpng graph.dot -o graph-fdp.png       # Force-directed
circo -Tpng graph.dot -o graph-circo.png   # Circular

Example DOT output:

digraph TrixMemories {
  rankdir=LR;
  node [shape=box, style=rounded];
  edge [fontsize=10];

  // Nodes
  "mem_abc" [label="Sarah Chen\n(team,architect)",
             color="#e74c3c", fillcolor="#2e1a1a", style="filled,rounded"];
  "mem_def" [label="ADR-001: Use PostgreSQL\n(decision,database)",
             color="#5a9a8a", fillcolor="#1a2e2a", style="filled,rounded"];

  // Edges
  "mem_abc" -> "mem_def" [label="approved"];
  "mem_def" -> "mem_ghi" [label="implements"];
}

JSON Format (D3.js)

The JSON format is optimized for D3.js force-directed graphs and web visualizations:

# Export to JSON
trix graph export --format json --output graph.json

Example JSON output:

{
  "metadata": {
    "exported_at": "2026-01-15T10:30:00Z",
    "node_count": 45,
    "edge_count": 72,
    "filters": {
      "space": "work",
      "depth": 2
    }
  },
  "nodes": [
    {
      "id": "mem_abc123",
      "label": "Sarah Chen",
      "tags": ["team", "architect"],
      "type": "memory",
      "group": 1
    },
    {
      "id": "mem_def456",
      "label": "ADR-001: Use PostgreSQL",
      "tags": ["decision", "database"],
      "type": "memory",
      "group": 2
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    {
      "source": "mem_abc123",
      "target": "mem_def456",
      "label": "approved",
      "type": "approved"
    }
  ]
}

The group field can be used for D3.js coloring based on memory clusters or categories.

Mermaid Format

Mermaid diagrams render directly in GitHub, GitLab, and documentation tools:

# Export to Mermaid
trix graph export --format mermaid --output graph.md

# With title
trix graph export --format mermaid --title "Project Architecture" --output arch.md

Example Mermaid output:

---
title: Knowledge Graph
---
graph LR
  %% Styles
  classDef person fill:#2e1a1a,stroke:#e74c3c
  classDef decision fill:#1a2e2a,stroke:#5a9a8a
  classDef concept fill:#1a1a2e,stroke:#5a5a9a

  %% Nodes
  mem_abc123["Sarah Chen"]:::person
  mem_def456["ADR-001: PostgreSQL"]:::decision
  mem_ghi789["Database Layer"]:::concept

  %% Relationships
  mem_abc123 -->|approved| mem_def456
  mem_def456 -->|implements| mem_ghi789

Command Reference

OptionDescription
--formatOutput format: dot, json, mermaid
--output, -oOutput file path (stdout if not specified)
--spaceFilter by space (name or ID)
--tagsFilter by tags (comma-separated)
--typesFilter by relationship types
--sinceDuration filter (e.g. 30d, 7d, 24h)
--depthTraversal depth (default: 2)
--titleTitle for the diagram (Mermaid only)

Use Cases

Architecture Documentation

# Export architecture decisions
trix graph export --format mermaid \
  --tags "adr,architecture" \
  --output docs/architecture.md

# Include in README
echo '## Architecture Decisions' >> README.md
cat docs/architecture.md >> README.md

Team Knowledge Map

# Export team knowledge graph
trix graph export --format dot \
  --space team \
  --types "owns,leads,mentors" \
  --output team-knowledge.dot

# Render to image
dot -Tpng team-knowledge.dot -o team-knowledge.png

Interactive Web Dashboard

# Export for D3.js visualization
trix graph export --format json --output public/graph-data.json

# Use in D3.js force-directed graph
# (Example D3.js code would consume this JSON)

Next Steps