stitch-design-system

Stitch → Design System Code Artifacts

You are a design systems engineer. You analyze Stitch designs and generate code artifacts — not just documentation. While the design-md skill produces a human-readable markdown file, this skill produces files you actually import into your codebase: CSS custom properties with dark mode, Tailwind v4 configuration, and typography tokens.

Use this skill first, before stitch-nextjs-components or stitch-svelte-components. The generated tokens become the foundation for all subsequent component generation.

When to use this skill

Use this skill when:

• Starting a new project from a Stitch design
• The user mentions "design tokens", "CSS variables", "dark mode tokens", "Tailwind config"
• Running before framework conversion skills to ensure design consistency
• Updating an existing project's design system after a Stitch design update

What this skill generates

Three output files:

File	Purpose
design-tokens.css	CSS custom properties — import this in your framework's global CSS
tailwind-theme.css	Tailwind v4 @theme block — paste into your globals.css
DESIGN.md	Extended design document (richer than design-md, includes dark mode + animation tokens)

Step 1: Retrieve the Stitch design

1. Namespace discovery — Run list_tools to find the Stitch MCP prefix.
2. Fetch screen — Call [prefix]:get_screen with projectId and screenId.
3. Download HTML — Run:

   bash scripts/fetch-stitch.sh "[htmlCode.downloadUrl]" "temp/source.html"
   

4. Visual reference — Check screenshot.downloadUrl to see the full design intent.

If multiple screens exist, retrieve all of them. Run [prefix]:list_screens and fetch each one to ensure the token set covers every pattern in the design.

Step 1.5: Read project DesignTheme (ground truth)

Before parsing HTML, get the authoritative design data from the Stitch API. This eliminates guesswork — the API knows the exact primary color, fonts, and full semantic color map.

1. Call get_project with projects/[projectId]
2. Check for designMd — if present, it's a full markdown design system document that Stitch auto-generated. Parse it for typography rules, color philosophy, component patterns, spacing guidelines, and do's/don'ts. This is the most valuable single field.
3. Extract namedColors — a 40+ token semantic color map. This gives you the ENTIRE color system pre-computed:
   • Primary: primary, on_primary, primary_container, on_primary_container, primary_fixed, primary_fixed_dim
   • Secondary: secondary, on_secondary, secondary_container, on_secondary_container
   • Tertiary: same pattern
   • Surfaces: surface, surface_dim, surface_bright, surface_container_lowest, surface_container_low, surface_container, surface_container_high, surface_container_highest, surface_tint, surface_variant
   • Utility: background, on_background, on_surface, on_surface_variant, outline, outline_variant
   • States: error, on_error, error_container, on_error_container
   • Inverse: inverse_surface, inverse_on_surface, inverse_primary
4. Extract structural values:

DesignTheme field	→ CSS token	Mapping
customColor	--color-primary	Hex seed — but prefer namedColors.primary if available
overridePrimaryColor	--color-primary	Takes precedence over customColor
overrideSecondaryColor	--color-secondary	Exact hex override
overrideTertiaryColor	--color-tertiary	Exact hex override
overrideNeutralColor	--color-neutral	Base for surface hierarchy
backgroundLight	--color-background (light)	Light mode page background
backgroundDark	--color-background (dark)	Dark mode page background
headlineFont	--font-sans / heading	Map enum → font-family stack (see table below)
bodyFont	--font-body	Map enum → font-family stack
labelFont	--font-label	Map enum → font-family stack
roundness	--radius-md baseline	ROUND_FOUR=4px, ROUND_EIGHT=8px, ROUND_TWELVE=12px, ROUND_FULL=9999px
spacingScale	spacing multiplier	0=tight (base 2px), 1=compact (base 4px), 2=normal (base 4px), 3=spacious (base 8px)
colorVariant	informs palette approach	e.g., FIDELITY means stick to brand colors, VIBRANT means boost saturation

Font enum → CSS font-family mapping:

Stitch enum	CSS font-family
INTER	'Inter', system-ui, sans-serif
DM_SANS	'DM Sans', system-ui, sans-serif
GEIST	'Geist', system-ui, sans-serif
SPACE_GROTESK	'Space Grotesk', system-ui, sans-serif
MANROPE	'Manrope', system-ui, sans-serif
PLUS_JAKARTA_SANS	'Plus Jakarta Sans', system-ui, sans-serif
WORK_SANS	'Work Sans', system-ui, sans-serif
IBM_PLEX_SANS	'IBM Plex Sans', system-ui, sans-serif
RUBIK	'Rubik', system-ui, sans-serif
SORA	'Sora', system-ui, sans-serif
EPILOGUE	'Epilogue', system-ui, sans-serif
NUNITO_SANS	'Nunito Sans', system-ui, sans-serif
LEXEND	'Lexend', system-ui, sans-serif
PUBLIC_SANS	'Public Sans', system-ui, sans-serif
SOURCE_SANS_THREE	'Source Sans 3', system-ui, sans-serif
MONTSERRAT	'Montserrat', system-ui, sans-serif
HANKEN_GROTESK	'Hanken Grotesk', system-ui, sans-serif
ARIMO	'Arimo', system-ui, sans-serif
BE_VIETNAM_PRO	'Be Vietnam Pro', system-ui, sans-serif
SPLINE_SANS	'Spline Sans', system-ui, sans-serif
METROPOLIS	'Metropolis', system-ui, sans-serif
EB_GARAMOND	'EB Garamond', Georgia, serif
LITERATA	'Literata', Georgia, serif
SOURCE_SERIF_FOUR	'Source Serif 4', Georgia, serif
LIBRE_CASLON_TEXT	'Libre Caslon Text', Georgia, serif
NEWSREADER	'Newsreader', Georgia, serif
DOMINE	'Domine', Georgia, serif
NOTO_SERIF	'Noto Serif', Georgia, serif

5. Use these as the baseline. Then use HTML analysis (Step 2) only for values the API doesn't provide: motion/transition durations, exact spacing pixel values, shadow definitions, additional colors beyond the namedColors set.

If namedColors is available, skip the color extraction in Step 2 entirely — the API's color map is authoritative and complete. Only supplement with motion, spacing pixel values, and shadows from HTML.

If designMd is available, use it as the foundation for the DESIGN.md output (Step 5). Don't rewrite it — augment it with CSS variable names, Tailwind mappings, and implementation notes.

Step 2: Extract supplementary values from HTML

If Step 1.5 provided namedColors and designMd, you only need HTML for:

Motion

• Transition durations used (or infer: 150ms for micro, 300ms for panels)
• Easing styles (linear, ease-out, spring-like)

Spacing pixel values

• Exact gap/padding values used in the design
• Shadow definitions

Additional colors (rare)

Only if the design uses colors not in namedColors — check for gradients, overlays, or custom accent colors.

If Step 1.5 did NOT provide namedColors (older projects without designMd), fall back to full HTML extraction:

Colors (fallback)

Identify every distinct color from the Tailwind config in <head> or infer from screenshot. For each, determine semantic role and usage frequency. Aim for 8-12 semantic tokens.

Typography (fallback)

• Font families (heading, body, mono — if present)
• Type scale sizes (the actual px or rem values used in the design)
• Font weights used
• Line heights

Spacing & geometry (fallback)

• Base spacing unit (usually 4px or 8px)
• Border radius values
• Shadow definitions

Step 3: Generate design-tokens.css

Create design-tokens.css with full light + dark mode token sets.

Naming convention:

• --color-* — Color tokens
• --font-* — Typography
• --spacing-* — Spacing scale
• --radius-* — Border radius
• --shadow-* — Elevation
• --motion-* — Animation timing

Template (when namedColors is available from API — preferred):

/* =============================================================
   Design Tokens — extracted from Stitch project: [Project Name]
   Generated by stitch-design-system skill
   Source: DesignTheme API (namedColors) + HTML supplementary
   ============================================================= */

/* ---- Light mode (default) ---- */
:root {
  /* Colors: Direct mapping from Stitch namedColors API response */
  --color-primary:          [namedColors.primary];
  --color-on-primary:       [namedColors.on_primary];
  --color-primary-container: [namedColors.primary_container];
  --color-secondary:        [namedColors.secondary];
  --color-on-secondary:     [namedColors.on_secondary];
  --color-tertiary:         [namedColors.tertiary];
  --color-on-tertiary:      [namedColors.on_tertiary];
  --color-error:            [namedColors.error];
  --color-on-error:         [namedColors.on_error];
  --color-background:       [namedColors.background];
  --color-on-background:    [namedColors.on_background];
  --color-surface:          [namedColors.surface];
  --color-on-surface:       [namedColors.on_surface];
  --color-surface-variant:  [namedColors.surface_variant];
  --color-on-surface-variant: [namedColors.on_surface_variant];
  --color-surface-container: [namedColors.surface_container];
  --color-surface-container-low: [namedColors.surface_container_low];
  --color-surface-container-high: [namedColors.surface_container_high];
  --color-surface-container-highest: [namedColors.surface_container_highest];
  --color-outline:          [namedColors.outline];
  --color-outline-variant:  [namedColors.outline_variant];
  --color-inverse-surface:  [namedColors.inverse_surface];
  --color-inverse-on-surface: [namedColors.inverse_on_surface];
  --color-inverse-primary:  [namedColors.inverse_primary];
  --color-surface-tint:     [namedColors.surface_tint];

  /* Typography */
  --font-sans:    [font-family-stack];   /* Heading and UI font */
  --font-body:    [font-family-stack];   /* Body text font (may equal --font-sans) */
  --font-mono:    [monospace-stack];     /* Code, technical content */

  /* Type scale */
  --text-xs:   0.75rem;   /* 12px */
  --text-sm:   0.875rem;  /* 14px */
  --text-base: 1rem;      /* 16px */
  --text-lg:   1.125rem;  /* 18px */
  --text-xl:   1.25rem;   /* 20px */
  --text-2xl:  1.5rem;    /* 24px */
  --text-3xl:  1.875rem;  /* 30px */
  --text-4xl:  2.25rem;   /* 36px */

  /* Spacing scale (base 4px) */
  --space-1:  0.25rem;   /* 4px */
  --space-2:  0.5rem;    /* 8px */
  --space-3:  0.75rem;   /* 12px */
  --space-4:  1rem;      /* 16px */
  --space-6:  1.5rem;    /* 24px */
  --space-8:  2rem;      /* 32px */
  --space-12: 3rem;      /* 48px */
  --space-16: 4rem;      /* 64px */

  /* Geometry */
  --radius-sm: [value];  /* Small elements: badges, chips */
  --radius-md: [value];  /* Buttons, inputs */
  --radius-lg: [value];  /* Cards, panels */
  --radius-xl: [value];  /* Modals, drawers */
  --radius-full: 9999px; /* Pills, avatars */

  /* Shadows */
  --shadow-sm: [value];  /* Subtle card lift */
  --shadow-md: [value];  /* Dropdown, tooltip */
  --shadow-lg: [value];  /* Modal, sheet */

  /* Motion tokens */
  --motion-duration-fast:   150ms;   /* Hover states, micro interactions */
  --motion-duration-base:   250ms;   /* Typical UI transitions */
  --motion-duration-slow:   400ms;   /* Page-level, large panel */
  --motion-ease-default:    cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1);  /* Material ease */
  --motion-ease-out:        cubic-bezier(0, 0, 0.2, 1);    /* Entries */
  --motion-ease-in:         cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 1, 1);    /* Exits */
  --motion-ease-spring:     cubic-bezier(0.34, 1.56, 0.64, 1); /* Bouncy open */
}

/* ---- Dark mode ---- */
/* Applied via .dark class (Next.js + next-themes) or [data-theme="dark"] (Svelte) */
.dark,
[data-theme="dark"] {
  --color-background:       [dark-hex];
  --color-surface:          [dark-hex];
  --color-surface-elevated: [dark-hex];
  --color-primary:          [dark-hex];  /* Same hue, lighter for dark bg contrast */
  --color-primary-hover:    [dark-hex];
  --color-primary-fg:       [dark-hex];
  --color-secondary:        [dark-hex];
  --color-secondary-fg:     [dark-hex];
  --color-text:             [dark-hex];
  --color-text-muted:       [dark-hex];
  --color-text-disabled:    [dark-hex];
  --color-border:           [dark-hex];
  --color-border-focus:     [dark-hex];
  --color-error:            [dark-hex];
  --color-success:          [dark-hex];
  --color-warning:          [dark-hex];
  /* Typography, spacing, geometry, motion tokens: unchanged in dark mode */
}

Step 4: Generate tailwind-theme.css

For projects using Tailwind v4 (no tailwind.config.js), generate a @theme block.

Important: Tailwind v4 uses @theme in CSS, not a JS config file. Map tokens to Tailwind's namespace:

/* tailwind-theme.css — paste into your globals.css or import it */
@import "tailwindcss";

@theme {
  /* Wire Tailwind color utilities to your CSS variables */
  --color-background: var(--color-background);
  --color-surface: var(--color-surface);
  --color-primary: var(--color-primary);
  --color-primary-hover: var(--color-primary-hover);
  --color-text: var(--color-text);
  --color-text-muted: var(--color-text-muted);
  --color-border: var(--color-border);

  /* Fonts */
  --font-sans: var(--font-sans);
  --font-mono: var(--font-mono);

  /* Radius */
  --radius-sm: var(--radius-sm);
  --radius-md: var(--radius-md);
  --radius-lg: var(--radius-lg);

  /* Animation duration utilities */
  --animate-duration-fast: var(--motion-duration-fast);
  --animate-duration-base: var(--motion-duration-base);
  --animate-duration-slow: var(--motion-duration-slow);
}

For Tailwind v3 projects (with tailwind.config.js), instead generate a tailwind.config.js section using the extracted hex values directly.

Step 5: Generate DESIGN.md

Produce an extended design document. It has all sections from the standard design-md skill plus:

# Design System: [Project Name]

> Generated by stitch-design-system from Stitch project [ID]
> Screens analyzed: [list]

## 1. Visual Theme & Atmosphere
[Mood, density, aesthetic philosophy — 2-3 sentences]

## 2. Color Palette & Roles
| Token | Light | Dark | Role |
|-------|-------|------|------|
| --color-primary | #... | #... | Main CTA, key actions |
| --color-background | #... | #... | Page background |
| ... | | | |

## 3. Typography
- **Heading font**: [Family, weights used, where]
- **Body font**: [Family, weights used, where]
- **Type scale**: xs (12px) → sm (14px) → base (16px) → lg (18px) → ... → 4xl (36px)

## 4. Geometry & Elevation
- **Border radius**: sm [Xpx] | md [Xpx] | lg [Xpx] | xl [Xpx]
- **Shadows**: [describe the elevation system]

## 5. Motion System
- **Micro** (hovers, toggles): [duration]ms [easing]
- **Meso** (panels, drawers): [duration]ms [easing]
- **Macro** (page transitions): [duration]ms [easing]
- **Spring** (playful elements): cubicOut spring

## 6. Stitch Prompt Copy-Paste Block
Use this block in every Stitch prompt for design consistency:

[Primary color: NAME (#HEX)] — used for buttons and key actions [Background: #HEX] — clean and [mood adjective] [Typography: FONT NAME] — [weight] weight for headings, regular for body [Aesthetic: 2-3 adjectives describing the visual style] [Border radius: SIZE — rounded/sharp/pill-shaped elements]

## 7. Dark Mode Notes
[Specific notes on how the dark theme differs — any color roles that change significantly, any elements that need special treatment in dark mode]

Step 6: Output & integration

Write all three files to the project root (or wherever the user specifies):

• design-tokens.css
• tailwind-theme.css
• DESIGN.md

Then tell the user how to use them:

For Next.js:

// app/globals.css
@import '../design-tokens.css';
@import '../tailwind-theme.css';

For SvelteKit:

<!-- src/app.css -->
@import '$lib/design-tokens.css';

For the Stitch loop:

Copy Section 6 from DESIGN.md into every Stitch prompt to maintain design consistency across generated screens.

Troubleshooting

Issue	Fix
Can't determine dark mode hex values	Use the light-mode hue, desaturate slightly, and increase lightness by 30-40%
Font not loading	Add Google Fonts @import to design-tokens.css
Tailwind v3 vs v4 confusion	Check package.json — v4 uses "tailwindcss": "^4" and no config file
Tokens not applying	Ensure design-tokens.css is imported BEFORE component CSS

Integration with other skills

• Run this skill before stitch-nextjs-components or stitch-svelte-components
• The framework skills will import design-tokens.css instead of hardcoding values
• The DESIGN.md Section 6 feeds into stitch-loop for multi-page consistency

References

• resources/tokens-template.css — Full template with all token categories