AI Mind Map Generator

Create visual mind maps from text with AI-powered topic expansion using GPT-4o-mini

AI Mind Map Generator

Transform ideas into visual mind map diagrams with optional AI-powered expansion.

Overview

The Mind Map Generator creates interactive visual diagrams from your text input. It combines client-side parsing for instant results with optional AI expansion (GPT-4o-mini) for deeper topic exploration.

Key features:

Multiple input formats - Lists, nested structures, natural language
AI Expand - GPT-4o-mini adds subtopics to any node
Interactive canvas - Drag, zoom, pan, collapse
Color-coded hierarchy - Visual depth indication
Multiple export formats - PNG, SVG, JSON
Keyboard shortcuts - Fast navigation and editing

How to Use

Basic Flow

Enter topic - Type main subject in input field
Add structure - Use indentation or bullet points
Click Generate - Mind map appears on canvas
Interact - Drag nodes, zoom, expand/collapse
AI Expand - Click node + "Expand with AI" for subtopics
Export - Download as PNG, SVG, or JSON

Input Formats

Simple List

Project Planning
- Requirements
- Design
- Development
- Testing
- Deployment

Nested Structure (Indentation)

Software Architecture
  Frontend
    React components
    State management
    Routing
  Backend
    API endpoints
    Database
    Authentication
  Infrastructure
    CI/CD
    Monitoring
    Scaling

Bullet Points

Marketing Strategy
• Social Media
  • Instagram campaigns
  • LinkedIn content
  • Twitter engagement
• Content Marketing
  • Blog posts
  • Video tutorials
  • Podcasts
• Email Marketing
  • Newsletter
  • Drip campaigns

Natural Language

I need to plan a mobile app launch. Consider marketing,
development timeline, beta testing, app store submission,
and post-launch support strategies.

AI Expand Feature

How It Works

Click any node in the mind map
Click "Expand with AI" button
GPT-4o-mini generates 3-5 relevant subtopics
New nodes appear connected to selected node

Example

Selected node: "Marketing Strategy"

AI generates:

Content Marketing
Social Media Campaigns
Email Outreach
Influencer Partnerships
SEO Optimization

AI Prompt

The AI acts as a brainstorming assistant and generates relevant subtopics based on:

Parent node context
Surrounding node relationships
Common knowledge about the topic

Visual Elements

Node Types

Type	Visual	Description
Root	Larger, centered	Main topic (darker color)
Level 1	Medium size	Primary branches
Level 2	Smaller	Secondary topics
Level 3+	Smallest	Details and specifics

Color Coding

Depth-based coloring:

Level 0 (Root): Deep blue/purple
Level 1: Blue/teal
Level 2: Green/cyan
Level 3+: Lighter shades

Connection Lines

Curved bezier connections
Color matches parent node
Animated on hover

Keyboard Shortcuts

Key	Action
`Enter`	Generate mind map
`Escape`	Deselect node
`Delete`	Remove selected node
`+` / `=`	Zoom in
`-`	Zoom out
`0`	Reset zoom
`F`	Fit to view
`Arrow keys`	Pan canvas
`Space` + drag	Pan canvas

Interactive Features

Drag Nodes

Click and drag any node to reposition
Child nodes move with parent
Connections re-route automatically

Zoom & Pan

Mouse wheel: Zoom in/out
Click + drag background: Pan canvas
Pinch gesture: Zoom on trackpad
Fit button: Auto-fit all nodes in view

Collapse/Expand

Click collapse icon on nodes with children
Hidden children shown as "+N" badge
Expand to reveal hidden subtopics

Node Selection

Click to select
Shows action buttons (expand, delete, edit)
Highlights connected branches

Export Options

PNG Export

Rasterized image at 2x resolution
White or transparent background
All visible nodes included

Use for:

Presentations
Documentation
Social sharing

SVG Export

Vector format (scalable)
Editable in design tools
Infinite resolution

Use for:

Print materials
Further editing in Figma/Illustrator
High-resolution displays

JSON Export

Complete mind map data structure
Node positions preserved
Re-importable format

Structure:

{
  "nodes": [
    {
      "id": "root",
      "data": { "label": "Main Topic" },
      "position": { "x": 400, "y": 300 },
      "type": "mindmapNode"
    },
    {
      "id": "child-1",
      "data": { "label": "Subtopic" },
      "position": { "x": 600, "y": 200 },
      "parentNode": "root"
    }
  ],
  "edges": [
    {
      "id": "edge-1",
      "source": "root",
      "target": "child-1"
    }
  ]
}

Technical Details

Specification	Value
Parsing	Client-side JavaScript
AI Expansion	OpenAI GPT-4o-mini (optional)
Visualization	ReactFlow
Layout	Radial tree algorithm
Export Formats	PNG, SVG, JSON
Max Nodes	~200 recommended

Layout Algorithm

Mind maps use a radial tree layout:

Root node centered
Children arranged in circular arcs
Spacing based on subtree depth
Auto-avoids node overlap

Example: Complete Mind Map

Input

Startup Launch
  Product
    MVP features
    User research
    Competitive analysis
  Marketing
    Brand identity
    Social media
    Content strategy
    PR outreach
  Operations
    Team hiring
    Legal setup
    Finance
  Technology
    Tech stack
    Infrastructure
    Security

Generated Structure

                    ┌─ MVP features
         ┌─ Product ├─ User research
         │          └─ Competitive analysis
         │
         │          ┌─ Brand identity
         ├─ Marketing├─ Social media
         │          ├─ Content strategy
Startup ─┤          └─ PR outreach
Launch   │
         │          ┌─ Team hiring
         ├─Operations├─ Legal setup
         │          └─ Finance
         │
         │          ┌─ Tech stack
         └─Technology├─ Infrastructure
                    └─ Security

Use Cases

Project Planning

Break down projects into manageable pieces with clear hierarchy.

Learning & Study

Visualize topic relationships and concept hierarchies.

Brainstorming

Organize ideas during ideation sessions with AI expansion.

Meeting Notes

Structure discussion points and action items visually.

Documentation

Create visual overviews of systems and processes.

Presentations

Generate diagrams for slides and stakeholder communication.

Tips for Better Results

Start focused - Clear, specific main topic
Use structure - Indentation helps parsing
Keep it balanced - Similar depth across branches
AI expand selectively - Don't over-expand every node
Edit after generation - Manual adjustments improve layout
Export often - Save work as JSON for later editing

Limitations

No real-time collaboration - Single-user editing only
No cloud storage - Export to save (localStorage backup available)
AI context - Expansion based on node text only, not full map
Large maps - Performance may degrade with 200+ nodes

Privacy & Security

Parsing is client-side - No data sent for basic generation
AI Expand uses API - Node text sent to OpenAI when using AI feature
No map storage - Nothing persisted on servers
No tracking - Map content not logged