Coda UI Skills
Opinionated constraints for building Coda-style interfaces with AI agents.
When to Apply
Reference these guidelines when:
- Building light-mode interfaces
- Creating Coda-inspired design systems
- Implementing UIs with Inter font and 4px grid
Colors
- SHOULD use light backgrounds for primary surfaces
- MUST use
#FEFEFE as page background (surface-base)
- MUST use
#DCEBF4 for primary actions and focus states (accent)
- SHOULD reduce color palette (currently 21 colors detected)
- MUST maintain text contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for accessibility
Semantic Tokens
| Token |
HEX |
RGB |
Usage |
surface-base |
#FEFEFE |
rgb(254,254,254) |
Page background |
surface-raised |
#000000 |
rgb(0,0,0) |
Cards, modals, raised surfaces |
surface-overlay |
#FEE0BC |
rgb(254,224,188) |
Overlays, tooltips, dropdowns |
text-primary |
#6D6D6D |
rgb(109,109,109) |
Headings, body text |
text-secondary |
#8E8E8E |
rgb(142,142,142) |
Secondary, muted text |
text-tertiary |
#41505D |
rgb(65,80,93) |
Additional text |
border-default |
#325395 |
rgb(50,83,149) |
Subtle borders, dividers |
accent |
#DCEBF4 |
rgb(220,235,244) |
Primary actions, links, focus |
destructive |
#F1E7E2 |
rgb(241,231,226) |
Error states, delete actions |
warning |
#FEE0BC |
rgb(254,224,188) |
Warning states, cautions |
Typography
- MUST use
Inter as primary font family
- SHOULD use single font family for consistency
- MUST use
71px / 700 for primary headings
- MUST use
16px / 500 for body text
- SHOULD reduce font weights (currently 5 detected)
- MUST use
text-balance for headings and text-pretty for body text
- SHOULD use
tabular-nums for numeric data
- NEVER modify letter-spacing unless explicitly requested
Text Styles
| Style |
Font |
Size |
Weight |
Color |
Count |
heading-1 |
Inter |
71px |
700 |
#26231F |
1 |
text-58px |
Inter |
58px |
700 |
#27231F |
1 |
text-21px |
Inter |
21px |
400 |
#8A7762 |
1 |
text-20px |
Inter |
20px |
400 |
#919191 |
1 |
text-20px |
Inter |
20px |
semi_bold |
#4F4F4F |
1 |
text-20px |
Inter |
20px |
semi_bold |
#30271D |
1 |
text-19px |
Inter |
19px |
400 |
#8E8E8E |
1 |
text-18px |
Inter |
18px |
semi_bold |
#878989 |
1 |
text-18px |
Inter |
18px |
500 |
#595959 |
1 |
body |
Inter |
16px |
500 |
#6D6D6D |
1 |
Typography Reference
Font Families:
Font Sizes: 7px, 9px, 10px, 11px, 12px, 13px, 14px, 15px, 16px, 18px, 19px, 20px, 21px, 58px, 71px
Spacing
- MUST use 4px grid for spacing
- SHOULD use spacing from scale: 1px, 3px, 4px, 5px, 6px, 9px, 10px, 12px
- SHOULD use 5px as default gap between elements
- NEVER use arbitrary spacing values (use design scale)
- SHOULD maintain consistent padding within containers
Borders
- MUST use border-radius from scale: 3px, 4px, 5px, 6px, 7px, 15px
- SHOULD limit border widths to: 1px, 2px, 3px
- SHOULD use 5px as default border-radius
- NEVER use arbitrary border-radius values (use design scale)
- SHOULD use subtle borders (1px) for element separation
Border Radius Reference
Scale: 3px, 4px, 5px, 6px, 7px, 15px
Layout
- MUST design for 1920px base viewport width
- SHOULD use consistent element widths: 14px, 10px, 13px, 40px, 16px
- SHOULD maintain text-heavy layout with clear hierarchy
- NEVER use
h-screen, use h-dvh for full viewport height
- MUST respect
safe-area-inset for fixed elements
- SHOULD use
size-* for square elements instead of w-* + h-*
Detected Layout Patterns
- Main Content: width: 1848px, height: 1080px
- Main Content: width: 1135px, height: 583px
- Main Content: width: 1135px, height: 584px
Components
- MUST use
0px height for input fields
Buttons
| Variant |
Background |
Text |
Border |
Height |
Radius |
| Ghost |
transparent |
#41505D |
none |
- |
- |
Inputs
Interactive States
Focus
- MUST use
2px outline with accent color (#DCEBF4)
- MUST use
2px outline-offset
- NEVER remove focus indicators
Hover
- Buttons (primary): lighten background by 10%
- Buttons (secondary): use
#000000 background
- List items: use
#000000 background
Disabled
- MUST use
opacity: 0.5
- MUST use
cursor: not-allowed
Interaction
- MUST use an
AlertDialog for destructive or irreversible actions
- SHOULD use structural skeletons for loading states
- MUST show errors next to where the action happens
- NEVER block paste in
input or textarea elements
- MUST add an
aria-label to icon-only buttons
Animation
- NEVER add animation unless it is explicitly requested
- MUST animate only compositor props (
transform, opacity)
- NEVER animate layout properties (
width, height, top, left, margin, padding)
- SHOULD use
ease-out on entrance animations
- NEVER exceed
200ms for interaction feedback
- SHOULD respect
prefers-reduced-motion
Performance
- NEVER animate large
blur() or backdrop-filter surfaces
- NEVER apply
will-change outside an active animation
- NEVER use
useEffect for anything that can be expressed as render logic
1---
2name: coda-ui-skills
3description: Coda's UI design system. Use when building interfaces inspired by Coda's aesthetic - light mode, Inter font, 4px grid.
4license: MIT
5metadata:
6 author: design-skills
7 version: "1.0.0"
8 source: https://coda.io
9---
10
11# Coda UI Skills
12
13Opinionated constraints for building Coda-style interfaces with AI agents.
14
15## When to Apply
16
17Reference these guidelines when:
18- Building light-mode interfaces
19- Creating Coda-inspired design systems
20- Implementing UIs with Inter font and 4px grid
21
22## Colors
23
24- SHOULD use light backgrounds for primary surfaces
25- MUST use `#FEFEFE` as page background (`surface-base`)
26- MUST use `#DCEBF4` for primary actions and focus states (`accent`)
27- SHOULD reduce color palette (currently 21 colors detected)
28- MUST maintain text contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for accessibility
29
30### Semantic Tokens
31
32| Token | HEX | RGB | Usage |
33|-------|-----|-----|-------|
34| `surface-base` | #FEFEFE | rgb(254,254,254) | Page background |
35| `surface-raised` | #000000 | rgb(0,0,0) | Cards, modals, raised surfaces |
36| `surface-overlay` | #FEE0BC | rgb(254,224,188) | Overlays, tooltips, dropdowns |
37| `text-primary` | #6D6D6D | rgb(109,109,109) | Headings, body text |
38| `text-secondary` | #8E8E8E | rgb(142,142,142) | Secondary, muted text |
39| `text-tertiary` | #41505D | rgb(65,80,93) | Additional text |
40| `border-default` | #325395 | rgb(50,83,149) | Subtle borders, dividers |
41| `accent` | #DCEBF4 | rgb(220,235,244) | Primary actions, links, focus |
42| `destructive` | #F1E7E2 | rgb(241,231,226) | Error states, delete actions |
43| `warning` | #FEE0BC | rgb(254,224,188) | Warning states, cautions |
44
45## Typography
46
47- MUST use `Inter` as primary font family
48- SHOULD use single font family for consistency
49- MUST use `71px` / `700` for primary headings
50- MUST use `16px` / `500` for body text
51- SHOULD reduce font weights (currently 5 detected)
52- MUST use `text-balance` for headings and `text-pretty` for body text
53- SHOULD use `tabular-nums` for numeric data
54- NEVER modify letter-spacing unless explicitly requested
55
56### Text Styles
57
58| Style | Font | Size | Weight | Color | Count |
59|-------|------|------|--------|-------|-------|
60| `heading-1` | Inter | 71px | 700 | #26231F | 1 |
61| `text-58px` | Inter | 58px | 700 | #27231F | 1 |
62| `text-21px` | Inter | 21px | 400 | #8A7762 | 1 |
63| `text-20px` | Inter | 20px | 400 | #919191 | 1 |
64| `text-20px` | Inter | 20px | semi_bold | #4F4F4F | 1 |
65| `text-20px` | Inter | 20px | semi_bold | #30271D | 1 |
66| `text-19px` | Inter | 19px | 400 | #8E8E8E | 1 |
67| `text-18px` | Inter | 18px | semi_bold | #878989 | 1 |
68| `text-18px` | Inter | 18px | 500 | #595959 | 1 |
69| `body` | Inter | 16px | 500 | #6D6D6D | 1 |
70
71### Typography Reference
72
73**Font Families:**
74- `Inter` (used 45x)
75
76**Font Sizes:** 7px, 9px, 10px, 11px, 12px, 13px, 14px, 15px, 16px, 18px, 19px, 20px, 21px, 58px, 71px
77
78## Spacing
79
80- MUST use 4px grid for spacing
81- SHOULD use spacing from scale: 1px, 3px, 4px, 5px, 6px, 9px, 10px, 12px
82- SHOULD use 5px as default gap between elements
83- NEVER use arbitrary spacing values (use design scale)
84- SHOULD maintain consistent padding within containers
85
86## Borders
87
88- MUST use border-radius from scale: 3px, 4px, 5px, 6px, 7px, 15px
89- SHOULD limit border widths to: 1px, 2px, 3px
90- SHOULD use 5px as default border-radius
91- NEVER use arbitrary border-radius values (use design scale)
92- SHOULD use subtle borders (1px) for element separation
93
94### Border Radius Reference
95
96**Scale:** 3px, 4px, 5px, 6px, 7px, 15px
97
98## Layout
99
100- MUST design for 1920px base viewport width
101- SHOULD use consistent element widths: 14px, 10px, 13px, 40px, 16px
102- SHOULD maintain text-heavy layout with clear hierarchy
103- NEVER use `h-screen`, use `h-dvh` for full viewport height
104- MUST respect `safe-area-inset` for fixed elements
105- SHOULD use `size-*` for square elements instead of `w-*` + `h-*`
106
107### Detected Layout Patterns
108
109- **Main Content**: width: 1848px, height: 1080px
110- **Main Content**: width: 1135px, height: 583px
111- **Main Content**: width: 1135px, height: 584px
112
113## Components
114
115- MUST use `0px` height for input fields
116
117### Buttons
118
119| Variant | Background | Text | Border | Height | Radius |
120|---------|------------|------|--------|--------|--------|
121| Ghost | transparent | #41505D | none | - | - |
122
123### Inputs
124
125- Height: `0px`
126
127## Interactive States
128
129### Focus
130
131- MUST use `2px` outline with accent color (`#DCEBF4`)
132- MUST use `2px` outline-offset
133- NEVER remove focus indicators
134
135### Hover
136
137- Buttons (primary): lighten background by 10%
138- Buttons (secondary): use `#000000` background
139- List items: use `#000000` background
140
141### Disabled
142
143- MUST use `opacity: 0.5`
144- MUST use `cursor: not-allowed`
145
146## Interaction
147
148- MUST use an `AlertDialog` for destructive or irreversible actions
149- SHOULD use structural skeletons for loading states
150- MUST show errors next to where the action happens
151- NEVER block paste in `input` or `textarea` elements
152- MUST add an `aria-label` to icon-only buttons
153
154## Animation
155
156- NEVER add animation unless it is explicitly requested
157- MUST animate only compositor props (`transform`, `opacity`)
158- NEVER animate layout properties (`width`, `height`, `top`, `left`, `margin`, `padding`)
159- SHOULD use `ease-out` on entrance animations
160- NEVER exceed `200ms` for interaction feedback
161- SHOULD respect `prefers-reduced-motion`
162
163## Performance
164
165- NEVER animate large `blur()` or `backdrop-filter` surfaces
166- NEVER apply `will-change` outside an active animation
167- NEVER use `useEffect` for anything that can be expressed as render logic