A live image is a plain image URL for a diagram that re-renders every time it is requested, so wherever you place it always shows the current diagram. It is the companion to a read-only embed: the embed is interactive (pan, zoom, live updates), while a live image is a single static picture, which is exactly what you need somewhere an <iframe> is not allowed, like a GitHub README or a Markdown file.
How it differs from an embed
Both come from a share link and both stay current, but they suit different homes:
- An embed is an interactive frame: readers can pan and zoom, and it updates in real time. Best for wikis, Notion, and your own pages.
- A live image is a static SVG served at a URL. It does not pan or zoom, but it drops into anywhere that accepts an image, including places that strip iframes. It refreshes to the latest diagram whenever the page loads it.
Getting a live image
 snippet, or Copy HTML for an <img> tag.Because the image re-renders on request, editing the diagram updates the image the next time it loads (a browser or service may cache it briefly).
When it is not offered
The Live image menu is hidden for a link that has a share password. An <img> request cannot supply a password, so the server refuses an image for a gated share rather than leak it, and offering the option would only mislead. Remove the password to use a live image, or use the embed, which can prompt for the password inside its frame.
Privacy and self-hosting
A live image only exposes what its share link exposes, as a flat picture with no editing actions. It works on self-hosted instances with no external services: the URL is built from your own origin, so a self-hosted diagram produces a self-hosted image.
A live image in your project's README keeps the architecture diagram beside the code and always current, without anyone re-exporting and re-committing a PNG.
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