excalidraw/excalidraw
Dimensions
Interface surface 3 solid The public API is statically typed (py.typed, type declarations, a typed language).
Can another program use it through a documented, machine-readable surface?
- next: L4 An API reference is generated from the code (autodoc, mkdocstrings, typedoc, …). (no generated API reference)
library ladder · level 3
- ✓ L1 An importable, packaged API exists. packages/common/package.json npm packagepackages/element/package.json npm package
- ✓ L2 The public API is delimited (__all__, an exports map, exported identifiers). packages/common/package.json package entry pointpackages/element/package.json package entry point
- ✓ L3 The public API is statically typed (py.typed, type declarations, a typed language). packages/common/package.json TypeScript typespackages/element/package.json TypeScript types
- ✗ L4 An API reference is generated from the code (autodoc, mkdocstrings, typedoc, …). no generated API reference
Contract stability 2 partial A changelog exists and marks breaking changes.
Can integrators rely on it not changing under them?
- next: L3 A deprecation mechanism is used in code (warnings, @deprecated, Deprecation/Sunset headers) or the API is versioned. (no deprecation mechanism or API versioning)
all ladder · level 2
- ✓ L1 Releases are versioned (semver tags or versioned changelog sections). 21 semver tags, latest v0.18.1
- ✓ L2 A changelog exists and marks breaking changes. packages/excalidraw/CHANGELOG.md marks breaking changes
- ✗ L3 A deprecation mechanism is used in code (warnings, @deprecated, Deprecation/Sunset headers) or the API is versioned. no deprecation mechanism or API versioning
- ✓ L4 Across tagged releases, no OpenAPI operation, CLI option or __all__ symbol was removed without first being deprecated. 20 tagged releases compared
Events n/a Not applicable: no service and no long-running CLI mode (batch CLIs, libraries and desktop apps have no events).
Can others react to state changes without polling?
Identity n/a Not applicable: uses no credentials and has no service surface.
Can a machine act with its own revocable, least-privilege identity?
Data portability n/a Not applicable: owns no persistent data.
Can its data get in and out, in bulk, in open formats, with an explicit schema?
Agent ergonomics 0 absent Not yet: Errors are specific exception types, and library code never calls sys.exit.
Can an automated caller use it without guessing, and recover from failure?
- next: L1 Errors are specific exception types, and library code never calls sys.exit. (library code exits the process: scripts/buildDocs.js)
library ladder · level 0
- ✗ L1 Errors are specific exception types, and library code never calls sys.exit. library code exits the process: scripts/buildDocs.js
- ✓ L2 Inputs are validated with messages naming the bad argument. packages/fractional-indexing/src/index.ts 10 matchespackages/excalidraw/data/blob.ts 8 matches
- ✗ L3 Timeouts and retries are configurable. no retry parameter
- ✗ L4 Agent docs, and examples that run as tests (doctests). examples don't run as tests
Embeddability 2 partial Installable as a package (a package manifest).
Can another system run and compose it without a human?
- next: L3 Published to a public registry, with at most 10 runtime dependencies. (not published to a registry)
library ladder · level 2
- ✓ L1 Importable from source. packages/common/package.json npm packagepackages/element/package.json npm package
- ✓ L2 Installable as a package (a package manifest). packages/common/package.json package manifestpackages/element/package.json package manifest
- ✗ L3 Published to a public registry, with at most 10 runtime dependencies. not published to a registry
- ✗ L4 Optional features behind extras/features. no optional extras
Extensibility 0 absent Not yet: Internal seams: a registry, registration function or plugin manager.
Can behaviour be added without modifying the code?
- next: L1 Internal seams: a registry, registration function or plugin manager. (no registry or registration function)
all ladder · level 0
- ✗ L1 Internal seams: a registry, registration function or plugin manager. no registry or registration function
- ✗ L2 The docs show how to add behaviour through those seams (even in-tree). no registration functions to document
- ✗ L3 Out-of-tree extensions are discovered (entry points, a plugin directory, configuration) without editing the package. extensions must be added inside the package
- ✗ L4 The extension API is versioned, has lifecycle hooks, and has example extensions. the extension API isn't versioned
Observability 0 absent Not yet: Logs through a standard logger namespace and never prints from library code.
Can an operator, or an orchestrating agent, tell whether it works and why not?
- next: L1 Logs through a standard logger namespace and never prints from library code. (no standard logger)
library ladder · level 0
- ✗ L1 Logs through a standard logger namespace and never prints from library code. no standard logger
- ✗ L2 Log levels are used meaningfully (at least two levels). fewer than two log levels used
- ✗ L3 Optional metrics or tracing hooks. no metrics or tracing hooks
- ✗ L4 OpenTelemetry instrumentation available. no OpenTelemetry instrumentation
Change legibility 2 partial CI runs the tests; applications pin dependencies (libraries and zero-dependency projects are exempt).
Can an agent change it safely with limited context?
- next: L3 At least 90% of modules fit 32k tokens and no file exceeds 12k; test/source token ratio at least 0.3; at least 70% of the code is typed. (94% of modules fit 32k tokens; 13 files over 12k)
all ladder · level 2
- ✓ L1 A README and some tests. README.mdexcalidraw-app/tests/LanguageList.test.tsx 155 test files
- ✓ L2 CI runs the tests; applications pin dependencies (libraries and zero-dependency projects are exempt). .github/workflows/autorelease-excalidraw.yml.github/workflows/build-docker.yml
- ✗ L3 At least 90% of modules fit 32k tokens and no file exceeds 12k; test/source token ratio at least 0.3; at least 70% of the code is typed. 94% of modules fit 32k tokens; 13 files over 12k
- ✗ L4 No import cycles, and agent docs (AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md, llms.txt). 5 import cycles (largest: packages/excalidraw/actions/actionAlign.tsx, packages/excalidraw/actions/actionBoundText.tsx, packages/excalidraw/actions/actionCanvas.tsx)
Make or buy
Make with agents
5,007,288 output + 125,182,200 input tokens
on anthropic:claude-opus-5-5 ≈ $197.
55.6 agent-hours · 272.0 human days (48.7 steering + 223.2 rediscovering history).
$211,677 over 3 years
Buy (adopt as is)
15 min to running (via library) + 10 min to first use (via library).
120 min/year of upgrades; price $0/year.
$430 over 3 years
Buying wins below $70,416 per year. How this is estimated.
Classic COCOMO vs neosloc value
Classic COCOMO (sloccount)
120.34 KSLOC → 367.0 person-months over 23.6 months.
$4.1M
The effort to write it by hand, as COCOMO priced it in 1981.
neosloc value (neoCOCOMO)
Reproduce with agents: 74.7 PM (×0.2 of classic; 77% of behaviour captured by tests, contract and docs).
Rediscover uncaptured history: 10.6 PM (1289 fixes in 4088 commits by 399 authors).
× leverage 0.91 (integrability) × obsolescence 0.95.
$831k (73.8 PM)
What survives
20% of the classic figure
12% of the replacement cost lives only in code and history.
History
| Evaluated | Commit | neosloc | Index | Make or buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-12 | 4f310b799613 | 0.8.0 | 1.29 | buy |
| 2026-10-07 | 53973c3a423f | 0.8.0 | 1.29 | buy |
| 2026-10-07 | 53973c3a423f | 0.7.4 | 1.29 | buy |
| 2026-10-07 | 53973c3a423f | 0.7.3 | 1.29 | buy |
| 2026-10-07 | 53973c3a423f | 0.7.2 | 1.29 | buy |