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graph-viewer

cognitedata/builder-skills

Embed interactive CDF graph visualizations in Flows apps with nodes, relations, and data model instances.

What is graph-viewer?

Integrates a reusable React hook (useGraphViewer) to render interactive graphs of CDF data models, relationships, and instances inside a Flows application. Use this when you need to visualize knowledge graphs, data model structures, or connected CDF entities within your app.

  • Renders interactive WebGL-powered graph visualization of CDF data model nodes and relationships
  • Fetches and displays direct relations, reverse relations, and edges from CDF instances
  • Provides node-type legend with icons and expandable connection traversal
  • Supports configurable whitelisting of relation properties and connection limits to optimize CDF API costs
  • Includes LRU buffer with configurable max nodes for memory-efficient large graph handling

How to install graph-viewer

npx skills add https://github.com/cognitedata/builder-skills --skill graph-viewer
Prerequisites
  • App wrapped in @cognite/dune's <DuneProvider> with authenticated SDK access
  • Target data model exists in CDF with known space, externalId, and version
  • React 18+ and TypeScript in the target application
  • Container element with explicit height for GraphCanvas rendering
Claude Code
Cursor
Windsurf
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How to use graph-viewer

  1. 1.Inspect the target app's package.json and folder structure to understand conventions
  2. 2.Install required dependencies (@cognite/sdk, @cognite/dune, reagraph, lucide-react) using the app's package manager
  3. 3.Copy all files from skills/graph-viewer/code/ into an app-local folder (e.g., src/features/graph-viewer/)
  4. 4.Import useGraphViewer from the local folder path, not from @skills/
  5. 5.Call useGraphViewer with dataModel and instance configuration to get GraphCanvas component
  6. 6.Render GraphCanvas inside a container with explicit height and width CSS classes
  7. 7.Run typecheck (tsc --noEmit) and build to verify no path or type errors
  8. 8.Optionally tune CDF performance by setting whitelistedRelationProps, initialConnectionLimit, and maxNodes

Use cases

Good for
  • Visualize a pump asset and all connected equipment, sensors, and maintenance records in a data model
  • Display a knowledge graph of organizational relationships, dependencies, and metadata within CDF
  • Embed a data model schema browser showing entity types, properties, and relationships in a Flows dashboard
  • Explore reverse relations to find all instances referencing a particular asset or entity
Who it's for
  • React/TypeScript developers building Flows apps with CDF data models
  • Data engineers and analysts embedding graph exploration into dashboards
  • Teams managing complex asset hierarchies or knowledge graphs in CDF

graph-viewer FAQ

Should I use this for static diagrams or non-CDF graphs?

No. This skill is specifically for interactive CDF data model graphs. Do not use it for static diagrams, pure dataflow visualizations, or graphs not backed by CDF.

How do I reduce CDF API costs when expanding large graphs?

Set whitelistedRelationProps to only the properties you need, lower initialConnectionLimit to reduce connections fetched per expansion, reduce maxNodes to bound the in-memory buffer, and only declare coreReverseQueries for relations your app must surface.

Can I reuse the app's existing React version instead of upgrading?

Yes. Always defer to the React version already pinned by the target app rather than upgrading. The same applies to other dependencies the app already pins.

What happens if the container has no explicit height?

GraphCanvas requires an explicit height to render properly. If the container lacks height, the graph will not display. Ensure the parent element has a defined height (e.g., h-[600px]).

Do I import from @skills/graph-viewer or from a local folder?

Always import from the app-local folder (e.g., @/features/graph-viewer) after copying the code bundle. Never import from @skills/...

Full instructions (SKILL.md)

Source of truth, from cognitedata/builder-skills.


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 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:

    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:

    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

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.

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

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

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.