---
name: mindmap-user-guide
description: How to create, view, and manage brainstorming mindmaps using the mindmap terminal module
tags: [mindmap, brainstorming, organization, planning]
category: productivity
---
## Steps

1. **Create a new mindmap:**
   - `mindmap new "<topic>" -t tag1,tag2` — creates a root node
   - Tags are optional (e.g. planning, research, dev)
   - Root gets auto-assigned a color

2. **Add child nodes:**
   - `mindmap add <parent-id> "<idea>" -t tag` — add a child
   - Get the parent-id from `mindmap show`
   - IDs are 4-char random strings (e.g. a3f8, x7k2)

3. **View the mindmap:**
   - `mindmap show` — full tree with Unicode box-drawing
   - `mindmap show <id>` — subtree starting at that node

4. **Edit nodes:**
   - `mindmap rename <id> "<new text>"` — change text
   - `mindmap color <id> <color>` — set color (red/green/yellow/blue/cyan/magenta/white)
   - `mindmap tag <id> <tag>` — add a tag

5. **Persistence:**
   - `mindmap save <name>` — save to localStorage
   - `mindmap load <name>` — restore
   - `mindmap list` — show saved mindmaps
   - `mindmap delete <name>` — remove saved

6. **Export:**
   - `mindmap export [id]` — Markdown bullet list output

## When to use
- User wants to brainstorm, organize ideas, plan features
- User says "map out", "diagram", "brainstorm", "organize thoughts"
- Visualizing project structure or task decomposition