Design

One skill, three routes:

1. Design route — manages project design specification (pages, user flows, design principles, components) in .project/project.json → design, or generates a Claude Design brief. Modes: Capture, Brief, Build. Build is game-only: it emits Godot .tscn via render-godot.md; web spec→code build now runs via /design-ship (build → content → check), so the Build action redirects web targets there.
2. Convert route — converts visual input (sketch, wireframe, Figma/Canva, Figma Make, screenshot, URL, pasted image) into working code using project tokens (web, interactive — including hover/scroll interactions via $INTERACTION_SPEC capture). Modes: Sketch → high-fi, 1:1 copy, Inspiration. Each mode loads its own procedure file (references/convert-mode-{mode}.md) after mode selection. Also reachable mid-convert via its own 0.4c aspect branch, for section-scoped partial builds (build layout now, fill content later).
3. Content route — fills already-built pages/components with real, on-brand copy (/design-convert --content [name], or the "contenting" backlog auto-trigger). Content-filling has no visual source, so it cannot pass through the Convert route's PHASE 0.1 — it gets its own route instead. Archetype → brief → scan → generate → review → apply.

The router below classifies the argument and dispatches to the appropriate route reference file. Each route file is only loaded in sessions where it is needed.

Related skills: /design-tokens · /design-ship · /core-setup

References

• ../shared/DASHBOARD.md — project.json schema and merge strategies
• ../shared/DESIGN.md — Anti-patterns, color, typography, motion, UX writing
• ../shared/DEVINFO.md — Session tracking, cross-skill handoff
• ../shared/BACKLOG.md — Backlog HTML+JSON format, read/write protocol
• ../shared/DOMAIN.md — Domain resolution (web / game / native) — selects the codegen target
• references/render-godot.md — Game-domain codegen: spec → Godot .tscn scenes (loaded when $DOMAIN === "game")
• ../shared/CODEGEN.md — Web code-gen patterns (Build and Convert routes — web domain)
• ../shared/FRONTEND-RULES.md — React/TypeScript coding rules (Convert route — web domain)
• ../shared/PATTERNS.md — Component patterns (Convert route)
• ../shared/PLAYWRIGHT.md — Playwright CLI, screenshot capture (Convert route)
• references/convert-source-fallbacks.md — Figma MCP not connected (REST ladder) or a Figma Make URL (Convert route PHASE 0.1)
• references/convert-audit-scope.md — Whether the audit option is recommended, and what it reconciles (Convert route PHASE 0.4)
• references/convert-scope-followup.md — Section-subset + build-vs-content-fill aspect choice (Convert route PHASE 0.4c)
• references/convert-refine-round.md — Show the result and iterate with the user (Convert route PHASE 3.5)
• references/route-content.md — Content route: fills built pages/components with real copy (standalone --content entry, or Convert route PHASE 2c)
• references/convert-content-scope.md, convert-content-generate.md, convert-content-review.md, convert-content-apply.md — Content route phases (archetype/brief → generate → review → apply)
• scripts/extract-computed-styles.mjs — Ground-truth computed styles, section boxes and seams; copy into .project/tmp/ and run the copy, never in place (Convert route PHASE 1 §1.0 and PHASE 3 §3.2c)
• ./examples/ — Conversion examples (1:1, inspiration, Apple-style)
• External: vercel-labs/web-interface-guidelines — setup-context for Convert route (see references/route-convert.md § Step 0)

State Machine

[*] → PREFLIGHT

PREFLIGHT → CONVERT_PATCH   (handoff build-incomplete + user picks Patch)
PREFLIGHT → DESIGN_ROUTE    ($ROUTE = design — no visual input)
PREFLIGHT → CONVERT_ROUTE   ($ROUTE = convert — visual input detected)
PREFLIGHT → CONTENT_ROUTE   ($ROUTE = content — --content arg or "contenting" transition)
PREFLIGHT → ERROR           (pre-flight fail)

DESIGN_ROUTE  → [route-design.md state machine]
CONVERT_ROUTE → [route-convert.md state machine]
CONVERT_ROUTE → CONVERT_ROUTE#PHASE_2c (0.4c aspect branch = "Fill content" — reads the content
                 route's phase files directly, never re-enters CONTENT_ROUTE/route-content.md)
CONTENT_ROUTE → [route-content.md state machine]
CONVERT_PATCH → CONVERT_ROUTE (with $PATCH_MODE = true)

PHASE 0: Pre-flight & Route Classification

0.0 Directory Check

Check .project/ exists. If not, create it.

Janitor — prune stale working screenshots: find .project/tmp -name '*.png' -mtime +7 -delete 2>/dev/null

Directory: [✓|✗] .project/ — [exists | created | error]

0.1 Session Check

Read .project/session/devinfo.json. Store as $DEVINFO.

Session: [✓] [New session | Continuing from {devinfo.handoff.source}]

0.1b Domain Resolution

Resolve $DOMAIN per shared/DOMAIN.md (explicit theme.domain → infer from stack.framework/language → codebase fallback → ask). This selects the codegen target (web TSX vs Godot .tscn) and gates the Convert route below.

Domain: [✓ web | ✓ game | ⚠ native (spec-only)]

0.2 Handoff Detection

Check $DEVINFO.handoff.source === "build-incomplete".

Staleness auto-cleanup (before any branch below): if a handoff is present, check handoff.timestamp. Older than 24h → show "Handoff is {N}h old — no longer relevant; cleaned up (devinfo.handoff = null)", set devinfo.handoff = null (write devinfo.json), and proceed to PHASE 0.3 as if no handoff exists. Do NOT offer the patch flow for a stale handoff.

If handoff present AND $SKILL_ARG is empty AND no pasted image:

header: "Handoff from Build detected"
question: "Build of '{handoff.target}' is incomplete ({handoff.failedChecks}). Continue with patch on those files?"
options:
  - label: "Yes, patch (Recommended)", description: "Scope = patch, files from handoff"
  - label: "New screenshot", description: "Ignore handoff, continue normally"
  - label: "Cancel", description: "Stop, handoff remains for a later run"
multiSelect: false

On "Yes, patch":

1. Ask: "Paste the desired final state as a screenshot"
2. Store as $SOURCE_IMAGE. Set $PATCH_MODE = true, $PATCH_FILE = handoff.files[0], $BEFORE_SCREENSHOT = handoff.buildScreenshot (if null: skip before-screenshot in patch-detection Step 2).
3. Set $ROUTE = convert. Handoff is cleaned up in the Convert route PHASE 4 after success.
4. Proceed to PHASE 0.3 (classification will be skipped — $ROUTE already set).

On "New screenshot": clear handoff signal, proceed to PHASE 0.3 normally. On "Cancel": exit.

If handoff present AND ($SKILL_ARG is not empty OR image is pasted):

header: "Handoff conflict"
question: "Build of '{handoff.target}' is incomplete. Patch it, or proceed with your new input?"
options:
  - label: "Patch the incomplete build (Recommended if {handoff.target} === {arg})", description: "Use patch flow for the previous build"
  - label: "Use my new input", description: "Ignore handoff, continue with the provided argument/image"
  - label: "Cancel", description: "Stop"
multiSelect: false

If handoff.target === $SKILL_ARG: mark "Patch" as Recommended. On "Patch": follow "Yes, patch" steps above. On "New input": proceed to PHASE 0.3 with the argument.

If no handoff (or handoff empty/absent): proceed directly to PHASE 0.3.

0.3 Route Classification

Classify the argument to set $ROUTE:

Step 0 — Content flag (checked before every other step):

$SKILL_ARG starts with --content → $ROUTE = "content". The remainder of the argument (after --content, trimmed) is $CONTENT_TARGET — empty when none was given (batch/queue mode, resolved by route-content.md PHASE 0). → Stop (proceed to dispatch).

Step 1 — Visual input (highest priority among the remaining steps — checked before Steps 2-4):

$SKILL_ARG matches any of:

• Protocol prefix: http:// or https://
• Design-tool domain: contains figma.com or canva.com
• Image extension: ends with .png, .jpg, .jpeg, .webp, .gif, .svg
• Local file path: starts with ./, /, ~/, or matches drive-letter [A-Z]:\

OR an image is pasted in the chat.

→ $ROUTE = convert. Stop (proceed to dispatch).

Domain guard (game/native): the Convert route relies on Playwright DOM capture and is web-only. If $DOMAIN !== "web" and visual input was detected, print: "Visual conversion (Figma/URL/screenshot → code) is web-only. On a {domain} project I'll capture the intent into the design spec and generate from there." then set $ROUTE = design and continue (the Design route's Build mode emits Godot .tscn via references/render-godot.md).

Step 2 — Name (design route):

$SKILL_ARG is a non-empty string that does not match step 1 → $ROUTE = design (tentative — see Step 3).

Pass $SKILL_ARG to route-design.md; argument-to-entity resolution ($ARG_MODE / $ARG_TYPE / $ARG_ENTITY / $ARG_NAME) happens in route-design.md PHASE 0.3.

Step 3 — Backlog transition lookup (named entities only):

Triggers when Step 2 set $ROUTE = design AND $SKILL_ARG is non-empty.

1. Check .project/backlog.json exists. If not → keep $ROUTE = design. Skip.
2. Read backlog per shared/BACKLOG.md → Lifecycle Protocol → Read. Find feature where f.name === $SKILL_ARG (case-sensitive).
3. No match → keep $ROUTE = design. Skip.
4. Match found and f.transition === "converting" →
   • Set $ROUTE = convert
   • Set $CONVERT_TARGET = $SKILL_ARG
   • Set $BACKLOG_ROUTE_HINT = "transition=converting"
5. Match found and f.transition === "designing" → keep $ROUTE = design. The design route's Mode A will offer "Convert from sketch/mockup" as a sub-option for entities without a spec — that is the canonical path from "designing" to convert. Do not auto-route here.
6. Match found and f.transition === "contenting" →
   • Set $ROUTE = content
   • Set $CONTENT_TARGET = $SKILL_ARG
7. Any other transition value (or absent) → keep $ROUTE = design.

Step 4 — No argument:

$SKILL_ARG is empty AND no image pasted AND $ROUTE not already set → $ROUTE = design.

Pre-flight summary (the Mode: line is shown only when non-default):

PRE-FLIGHT CHECK
════════════════════════════════════════════════
Directory:  [✓|✗] .project/
Session:    [✓] [New session | Continuing from {skill}]
Route:      [Design | Convert | Content]
Mode:       [— | patch (handoff) | backlog transition]
════════════════════════════════════════════════

Dispatch

Codegen target by $DOMAIN: the routes below describe the web codegen (React/TSX via shared/CODEGEN.md). When $DOMAIN === "game", the code-generation step instead emits Godot .tscn scenes — at the Build/codegen step, follow references/render-godot.md in place of the TSX codegen (spec management itself is identical). When $DOMAIN === "native": spec-only, no codegen.

If $ROUTE = design:

Todo: Read .claude/skills/design-convert/references/route-design.md (game: at the Build codegen step, use references/render-godot.md.)

If $ROUTE = convert: (web domain only — game/native are redirected to Design in 0.3)

Todo: Read .claude/skills/design-convert/references/route-convert.md

If $ROUTE = content:

Todo: Read .claude/skills/design-convert/references/route-content.md

Restrictions

• Always run PHASE 0 before dispatching
• Never skip handoff detection
• Never guess $ROUTE — follow the classification steps exactly
• Never load more than one route file in the same session, except: (a) the Design route's convert dispatches — Mode A → "Convert from sketch/mockup", or Mode C → "Convert visual input" / "Other" convert (each loads route-convert.md and abandons the Design state machine); (b) the Convert route's own PHASE 0.4c aspect branch — "Fill content" (PHASE 2c) reads the content route's phase files directly (convert-content-scope.md → convert-content-generate.md → convert-content-review.md → convert-content-apply.md) on top of an already-loaded route-convert.md, without ever loading route-content.md itself, and returns to convert-completion.md for completion. Any other simultaneous load is forbidden.