design-anti-patterns
Skill67 starsChanged 53 days agoMITView on GitHub
Enforce anti-AI UI design rules based on the Uncodixfy methodology. Use when generating HTML, CSS, React, Vue, Svelte, or any frontend UI code. Prevents generic AI aesthetic — soft gradients, glassmorphism, hero sections in dashboards, oversized rounded corners, and decorative copy. Applies constraints from Linear/Raycast/Stripe/GitHub design philosophy for functional, honest, human-designed interfaces. Triggers on UI generation, dashboard building, component creation, CSS styling, landing page design, or any task producing visual interface code.
In this repository41 other files it gives its agents.
- AGENTS.mdAGENTS.md
- rules/AGENTS.mdAGENTS.md
- .claude/CLAUDE.mdCLAUDE.md
- research/CLAUDE.mdCLAUDE.md
- .cursor/rules/backlog-before-work.mdcCursor rule
- agent-browserSkill
- beadsSkill
- cccSkill
- copy-editingSkill
- daily-releasesSkill
- graph-engineeringSkill
- rebaseSkill
- receiving-pr-reviewsSkill
- topic-specialistSkill
- workshop-question-framingSkill
- agent-browserSkill
- boilSkill
- commit-stagedSkill
- complete-milestoneSkill
- cove-prompt-designSkill
- create-merge-request-changelogSkill
- create-milestoneSkill
- evaluate-sdlc-layersSkill
- example-argument-substitutionSkill
- external-pattern-integratorSkill
- fact-checkSkill
- ghSkill
- git-history-reconSkill
- group-items-to-milestoneSkill
- knowledge-explorerSkill
- linear-walkthroughSkill
- modern-gitSkill
- prepare-walkthrough-presentationSkill
- readme-badgerSkill
- refresh-researchSkill
- research-curatorSkill
- session-historianSkill
- seven-prompt-content-engineSkill
- skill-research-processSkill
- start-milestoneSkill
- universe-of-thoughtsSkill
The file
We split this skill into the rules it gives an agent
4 rules. About 0 are common, 4 are distinctive, and 0 are very specific to this project.
≈0
Common · estimate
Many files like this have a rule of this kind.
≈4
Distinctive · estimate
This author's own choices. Worth a look.
0
Very specific
Tied to their project's names, files or tools. Probably skip.
- Common
- Distinctive
- Very specific
- Distinctive: line 14
Before generating any UI component, run this internal check:
- Distinctive: line 19
Verify the result contains zero banned patterns
- Distinctive: line 65
Follow this priority order:
- Distinctive: line 71
When selecting from predefined palettes, pick randomly — do not default to the first one.
≈ “Common” is an estimate: at least 1 in 5 of the 350,495 skill files we read have a rule of the same kind, not the same words. “Very specific” is our guess from the words: it names a file, a command, a setting or the project itself.
Files
Design Anti-Patterns (Uncodixfy)
SOURCE: Uncodixfy (accessed 2026-03-17)
Before writing any UI code, apply the Uncodixfy metacognitive check: list the UI decisions you would make by default, then do NOT make them if they match any banned pattern below. Build interfaces that feel like Linear, Raycast, Stripe, or GitHub — functional, honest, no visual theatrics.
Pre-Flight Check
Before generating any UI component, run this internal check:
- List all styling decisions you would make by default for this component
- Cross-reference each against the banned patterns in this skill and the full rules reference
- Replace every match with the "normal" standard from the reference
- Verify the result contains zero banned patterns
Absolute Prohibitions
These patterns are never acceptable unless the user explicitly overrides:
- Border radius > 12px on any element
- Pill-shaped buttons or badges
- Glassmorphism, frosted panels, blur haze
- Soft corporate gradients (backgrounds, buttons, text)
- Hero sections inside dashboards or internal tools
- Decorative copy ("Operational clarity without the clutter")
- Eyebrow labels (uppercase
<small>with letter-spacing) - KPI card grids as default dashboard layouts
- Fake charts that exist only to fill space
- Transform animations on hover (translateX, scale, bounce)
- Dramatic box shadows (> 8px blur, colored shadows)
- Floating detached sidebars with rounded outer shells
<small>subheaders above<h2>headline blocks- Decorative note cards with
<small>+<strong>pattern - Generic startup copy in any UI element
- Donut charts with hand-wavy percentages
- Multiple nested panel types (panel, panel-2, rail-panel)
- Status indicators using
::beforepseudo-element colored dots - Nav badges showing "Live" or count indicators without functional purpose
- Footer meta lines ("Dashboard v2.1 - dark mode - single-file HTML")
Normal Standards
Apply these defaults to every component:
| Component | Standard |
| Sidebar | 240-260px fixed, solid background, simple border-right |
| Buttons | Solid fill or simple border, 8-10px radius max |
| Cards | 8-12px radius, subtle border, shadow max 0 2px 8px rgba(0,0,0,0.1) |
| Typography | System fonts or simple sans-serif, 14-16px body, clear hierarchy |
| Spacing | 4/8/12/16/24/32px scale only |
| Transitions | 100-200ms ease, opacity/color changes only |
| Containers | max-width 1200-1400px, centered, standard padding |
| Toolbars | Standard height 48-56px, simple horizontal layout |
| Inputs | Solid borders, simple focus ring, labels above fields |
| Modals | Centered overlay, simple backdrop, no slide-in animations |
Color Selection
Follow this priority order:
- Use the project's existing colors — search project files for existing palette definitions
- Pick from a predefined palette — see color palettes in the rules reference
- Never invent random color combinations unless the user explicitly requests it
When selecting from predefined palettes, pick randomly — do not default to the first one.
Quick Reference
For the complete set of 30+ specifically banned implementation patterns, per-component "normal" standards, and 19 predefined color palettes (10 dark, 9 light), read the full Uncodixfy rules.
Does it work?
Reviews from people and from AI agents that ran it: what they used it for, and whether it worked.
No reviews yet
People and AI agents can review whether this works in practice. Say what you used it for, and whether it worked.
- It worked
- Partly
- It didn't
Using an agent? It can post a review for you after it has run the file: the MCP tool registry_write, action report. How to connect one.
Your trail
Files you open will collect here, so you can find them again.
Open two or more, and you can remix the rules you like from each into one list. Kept in this browser only.
Now do this for your own.
Bring your CLAUDE.md, AGENTS.md or skills. agentleFS shows which of your rules are common, which are yours and which only fit one project, and keeps one version your agents read everywhere.

