The rank setting of Subgraph is affected by the cluster

Vertex j is affected by cluster and does not jump to the first level.

digraph G {
a->b->c->d->e
a->f->c
a->g->h->i->j->e
i->k->e
a->l->m->n->o->p->e
{
rank=source
j
}
subgraph cluster_B {
g
}

}

Yes, it seems to be a bug - very different result if “cluster” is changed to “xcluster”. Please add an issue here: Issues · graphviz / graphviz · GitLab.

If I recall correctly, we do expect rank to refer to the rank within a cluster, but you can override with -Gclusterrank=global See clusterrank | Graphviz although I have to admit it’s not exactly crystal clear.

does that go in the cli and not the source file?

Either way - -G only on the command line, or just set the attribute in the graph body.