# UML Use Case Diagrams in Confluence (Mermaid, Copy-Paste) September 24, 2026 · 4 min read [NGPilot](https://ngpilot.com) The use case diagram is the scope picture: actors on the outside, what the system does for them on the inside, and — the reason product and engineering fight — the line between them. In Confluence that picture usually comes from a diagramming tool export that goes stale the moment scope moves. Mermaid 12 added the syntax to render UML use case diagrams from text — `usecase-beta` — and Enhanced Markdown for Confluence renders it in the same macro as everything else on the page. This guide gives you the syntax and two copy-paste diagrams. **Quick answer:** To draw a UML use case diagram in Confluence, install [Enhanced Markdown for Confluence](https://marketplace.atlassian.com/apps/1237026/enhanced-markdown-for-confluence) and use a ` ```usecase-beta ` fence in its Markdown macro. Actors, system boundaries, use cases, `include` and generalization arrows — all plain text, rendered live, editable forever. Free for up to 10 users. ## A Payments Platform, in Twelve Lines[​](#a-payments-platform-in-twelve-lines "Direct link to A Payments Platform, in Twelve Lines") Paste this into a ` ```usecase-beta ` fence: ```` ```usecase-beta direction LR actor Customer actor Merchant systemBoundary Platform("Payments Platform") UC1("Pay Invoice") UC2("Issue Refund") UC3("View Statement") end Customer --> UC1 Customer --> UC3 Merchant --> UC2 Merchant --> UC3 UC2 ..> : include UC1 ``` ```` ![UML use case diagram of a payments platform rendered in Confluence](/assets/images/usecase-checkout-218c65a3b666154e39065b3657eb7c5b.svg) What the syntax buys you: two actors, a labeled boundary, three use cases, and one `include` that says refunds always exercise the payment rail — the kind of scope statement that takes a paragraph of prose to say and survives scope changes as a one-line edit. ## The Syntax in One Table[​](#the-syntax-in-one-table "Direct link to The Syntax in One Table") | Token | Meaning | Example | | ------------------------------ | ------------------------------------ | ---------------------------------------------- | | `actor X` | An actor — person or external system | `actor Customer` | | `systemBoundary Name("Label")` | The system's edge, with a label | `systemBoundary Platform("Payments Platform")` | | `UC1("Label")` | A use case inside the boundary | `UC1("Pay Invoice")` | | `A --> UC` | Actor interacts with use case | `Customer --> UC1` | | `UC2 ..> : include UC1` | One use case always invokes another | refund includes payment | | \`Admin -- | > Guest\` | Generalization — role inheritance | | `note for UC1 "text"` | Attach a note to an element | `note for UC1 "Available 24/7"` | | `direction LR` | Layout direction | `LR` for wide diagrams | ## A Second Diagram — Roles and Compliance[​](#a-second-diagram--roles-and-compliance "Direct link to A Second Diagram — Roles and Compliance") The pattern that shows why generalization and notes matter — an admin console: ```` ```usecase-beta direction LR actor Admin actor Auditor actor Guest systemBoundary Console("Admin Console") UC1("Manage Users") UC2("Export Audit Log") UC3("View Dashboard") end Admin --|> Guest Admin --> UC1 Admin --> UC3 Auditor --> UC2 UC2 ..> : include UC3 note for UC2 "Exports require MFA" ``` ```` ![UML use case diagram of an admin console with generalization and a note](/assets/images/usecase-admin-19d53514cead9868d2f83772d5a55697.svg) `Admin --|> Guest` says admins inherit everything a guest can do — one line instead of drawing the guest's edges twice. The note pins the compliance constraint to the exact use case it constrains, where a reviewer will actually see it. ## Where Use Case Diagrams Fit Next to the Others[​](#where-use-case-diagrams-fit-next-to-the-others "Direct link to Where Use Case Diagrams Fit Next to the Others") | Question the reader asks | Diagram | In the same macro | | -------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------- | ----------------- | | What is in scope, and for whom? | Use case (`usecase-beta`) | yes | | How does a flow execute, step by step? | Sequence (`zenuml` / `sequenceDiagram`) | yes | | How do entities relate? | ER diagram | yes | | What is the decision logic? | Flowchart | yes | One macro renders all of them, so a design doc keeps its scope picture, its flow, and its data model as text on one page. Install [Enhanced Markdown for Confluence](https://marketplace.atlassian.com/apps/1237026/enhanced-markdown-for-confluence), paste the payments example, and adjust the boundary to your own scope. Free for up to 10 users. ## Related Guides[​](#related-guides "Direct link to Related Guides") * [ZenUML Sequence Diagrams in Confluence](/blog/zenuml-sequence-diagram-confluence.md) — the flow view that pairs with the scope view * [Mermaid 12 in Confluence and Jira](/blog/mermaid-12-confluence-jira.md) — what the newest Mermaid release adds * [Create Mermaid Diagrams in Confluence](/blog/create-mermaid-diagrams-confluence.md) — the full diagram family from the same macro ## Related guides * [How to Create Mermaid Diagrams in Jira](/blog/how-to-create-mermaid-diagrams-jira.md) * [Export Jira Issues to Excel or CSV](/blog/export-jira-issues-to-excel.md) * [Bulk Download Jira Attachments](/blog/bulk-download-jira-attachments.md) * [How to Migrate Confluence Content](/blog/how-to-migrate-confluence-content.md) * [How to Add a Block Quote in Confluence](/blog/block-quote-confluence.md) Explore NGPILOT[Browse Solutions](/solutions.md)[All Apps](/apps.md)[Atlassian Marketplace →](https://marketplace.atlassian.com/vendors/1226848/?utm_source=ngpilot.com\&utm_medium=blog\&utm_campaign=hub-links) **Tags:** * [confluence](/blog/tags/confluence.md) * [uml](/blog/tags/uml.md) * [use-case-diagram](/blog/tags/use-case-diagram.md) * [mermaid](/blog/tags/mermaid.md) * [markdown](/blog/tags/markdown.md) * [how-to](/blog/tags/how-to.md) * [engineering](/blog/tags/engineering.md)