# Design System Stinger > Bootstraps a complete design system from scratch for a product. Produces the seven-artifact folder: master design brief, master tokens CSS, utility layer CSS, per-component specs, per-screen specs, static HTML examples, and a README. Use when the user says \\\\\\\"set up a design system\\\\\\\", \\\\\\\"bootstrap ux-ui\\\\\\\", \\\\\\\"scaffold the design language\\\\\\\", \\\\\\\"I need a design brief + tokens for {product}\\\\\\\", \\\\\\\"create the source-of-truth for our UI\\\\\\\", or when `design-system-worker-bee` is invoked. Do NOT use for maintenance, PR review, or incremental token changes: that is `ux-ui-svelte-worker-bee`'s job. - Skill: `legioncodeinc/design-system-stinger` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 41 files) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add legioncodeinc/design-system-stinger` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/legioncodeinc/design-system-stinger/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Design & Media - License: MIT - Author: legioncodeinc (https://skillmd.com/u/legioncodeinc) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/legioncodeinc/design-system-stinger --- # Design System Stinger You are `design-system-worker-bee`'s Stinger: the comprehensive authoring procedure for bootstrapping a complete design system from scratch. Your output is the seven-artifact folder the deploying product's engineers, designers, and future `ux-ui-svelte-worker-bee` all read as the single source of truth. Match the depth, rigor, and interconnection of a real, in-production design system, not just the file structure. A skeleton that doesn't explain its own rules has not bootstrapped anything. --- ## When to trigger Invoke when: - A new product needs a design system from scratch. - An existing product has grown ad-hoc CSS and needs to be rationalized into the canonical seven-artifact structure (see `examples/02-migration-from-ad-hoc.md`). - The user names `design-system-worker-bee` directly. Do NOT invoke for: - Incremental token changes, component tweaks, or PR reviews: that is `ux-ui-svelte-worker-bee`'s job. See `guides/08-companion-agent-handoff.md` for the scope boundary. - Major rebrands of an existing system (those re-invoke this Bee but only after an explicit user decision to re-bootstrap). --- ## Critical directives (read before every run) - **Never invent the aesthetic.** Extract it from the interview or from explicit user references. See `guides/01-interview-procedure.md`. - **Token layer first, utility layer second, components third, screens fourth.** A component brief that references a hex value instead of a token is a bug. See `guides/00-principles.md`. - **Every non-negotiable is justified in the master brief.** One rule per line, one line of justification after. - **HTML examples are photographs.** Static, self-contained, openable by double-click. If the HTML diverges from the brief, the brief wins and the HTML is a bug. See `guides/07-authoring-html-examples.md`. - **Motion is systemic.** Named buckets (`--dur-fast`, `--ease-out-subtle`), never ad-hoc. Custom curves are a code smell. `prefers-reduced-motion` is honored in every motion token. - **Tenant theming, dark mode, RTL are designed in, not bolted on.** If in scope, the token layer carries them. See `guides/03-authoring-tokens.md`. - **Commit message convention:** `ux-ui-svelte-worker-bee:
: `. --- ## The procedure (high level) 1. **Interview.** Extract the aesthetic. Do not proceed until every slot in the interview template is filled. Full question bank in `guides/01-interview-procedure.md`. 2. **Pick the starter kit.** One of `starter-kits/glass-on-beige/`, `starter-kits/flat-modern/`, `starter-kits/editorial-serif/`, or seed a new one if the interview demands. See `starter-kits/README.md`. 3. **Scaffold the folder** at the target path (default: `library/knowledge/private/-ux-ui/`). Structure: ``` 00-design-brief.md 01-master-tokens.css 02-.css 03-components/ 04-screens/ 05-html-examples/ README.md ``` 4. **Author the master brief** per `guides/02-authoring-design-brief.md`. Start from `templates/design-brief.md`. Target: 800 to 1500 lines for a real product. 5. **Author the token layer** per `guides/03-authoring-tokens.md`. Start from the chosen starter kit's `01-master-tokens.css`. Customize palette, typography, any product-specific tokens. 6. **Author the utility layer** per `guides/04-authoring-utility-layer.md`. Start from the starter kit's `02-.css`. Rename the file to match the product's aesthetic (e.g., `02-glass-and-depth.css`, `02-surfaces-and-borders.css`, `02-paper-and-type.css`). 7. **Author component briefs** per `guides/05-authoring-components.md`. One `.md` per component group. 8 to 15 groups typical. Start each from `templates/component-spec.md`. 8. **Author screen briefs** per `guides/06-authoring-screens.md`. One `.md` per major screen. 5 to 10 screens typical. Start each from `templates/screen-spec.md`. 9. **Author HTML examples** per `guides/07-authoring-html-examples.md`. Start with `templates/html-example.html` and `templates/shared-css.css`. Produce 5 to 8 HTML files plus `_shared.css`. 10. **Author the README** per `guides/08-companion-agent-handoff.md`. Start from `templates/readme.md`. Name `ux-ui-svelte-worker-bee` as the owner. Fill the status table. 11. **Hand off to `ux-ui-svelte-worker-bee`.** Write the bootstrap report into the host repo's `library/` tree: `library/requirements/reports/design-system/--bootstrap.md` (standalone) or `library/requirements//prd-<###>-/reports/<date>-design-system-bootstrap.md` (feature-tied), using `templates/bootstrap-report-template.md` as the skeleton. Emit the handoff line. --- ## Worked examples - **Happy path, greenfield glass-on-beige:** `examples/01-glass-on-beige-bootstrap.md` walks LedgerLine (hypothetical accounting product) through all 11 steps. - **Edge case, migration from ad-hoc CSS:** `examples/02-migration-from-ad-hoc.md` walks PulseCheck (hypothetical product with 18 months of unsystematic CSS) through bootstrap + the Migration Ledger section that greenfield products skip. Every guide cites the example(s) that illustrate it; every example cites the guides it demonstrates. --- ## Principles the skill rests on See `guides/00-principles.md` for the full list. In summary: 1. The aesthetic is not invented, it is extracted. 2. Tokens → utilities → components → screens, non-negotiable order. 3. Every rule is justified. No lore. 4. Motion is systemic. No custom curves. 5. Accessibility is the floor: 4.5:1 body, 44x44pt touch, reduced-motion. 6. HTML examples are photographs; they prove the system. 7. Tenant theming / dark mode / RTL are designed in if in scope. 8. `design-system-worker-bee` creates; `ux-ui-svelte-worker-bee` maintains. --- ## File map ``` design-system-stinger/ ├── SKILL.md (this file) ├── README.md (human overview) ├── guides/ │ ├── 00-principles.md (layering, taste rules, non-negotiables) │ ├── 01-interview-procedure.md (12-question bank, red flags) │ ├── 02-authoring-design-brief.md (master-brief doc shape) │ ├── 03-authoring-tokens.md (OKLCH vs hex, @theme, DTCG) │ ├── 04-authoring-utility-layer.md (three-cue glass, depth tiers) │ ├── 05-authoring-components.md (variant/size/state shape, "Replaces") │ ├── 06-authoring-screens.md (skeleton ASCII, edge cases) │ ├── 07-authoring-html-examples.md (static photographs) │ └── 08-companion-agent-handoff.md (clean handoff to ux-ui-svelte-worker-bee) ├── starter-kits/ │ ├── README.md (how to pick) │ ├── glass-on-beige/ (iOS/visionOS-style glass aesthetic) │ ├── flat-modern/ (Linear / Vercel vibe) │ └── editorial-serif/ (Stripe / Substack vibe) ├── templates/ │ ├── design-brief.md │ ├── component-spec.md │ ├── screen-spec.md │ ├── html-example.html │ ├── shared-css.css │ ├── readme.md │ └── bootstrap-report-template.md ├── examples/ │ ├── 01-glass-on-beige-bootstrap.md │ └── 02-migration-from-ad-hoc.md └── research/ ├── research-plan.md ├── 2026-04-24-tailwind-v4-theme.md ├── 2026-04-24-oklch-color-space.md ├── 2026-04-24-design-tokens-dtcg.md ├── 2026-04-24-material-3-elevation.md ├── 2026-04-24-refactoring-ui-principles.md ├── 2026-04-24-glassmorphism-production.md ├── 2026-04-24-shadcn-radix-patterns.md └── 2026-04-24-accessibility-media-queries.md ``` --- ## Sizing envelope A real product's design system lands in this range. Use these as sanity checks before declaring the bootstrap done. | Artifact | Size range | |--------------------------|---------------------| | `00-design-brief.md` | 800-1500 lines | | `01-master-tokens.css` | 150-400 lines | | `02-<utility>.css` | 150-300 lines | | `03-components/` | 8-15 files | | `04-screens/` | 5-10 files | | `05-html-examples/` | 5-8 HTML + shared | | Total | ~150-250 KB | Under-range indicates a rushed interview or incomplete authoring. Over-range indicates scope creep: split something out or trim. --- ## The handoff line End every