# onboard

Designs a product's first run: what a new user sees, in what order, and how they reach their first win.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode · 521 installs · ★ 46
- Author: aladicf
- License: MIT · policy=mirror · the beginning of the file is at the end of this page
- Source: https://github.com/aladicf/better-web-ui/tree/HEAD/skills/onboard/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-05-21
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/aladicf-onboard

## What it does

The `onboard` skill covers onboarding strategy and time to value. You start it with `/onboard`, and the agent works through the problem: what users are trying to accomplish, where they stall, what the aha moment should be, and how experienced the audience is — beginners, power users, or a mix.

It ships with a set of principles. Demonstrate instead of describing, let experienced users skip, and front-load the small slice of features that carries most of the value. Empty states count as real product screens here, not placeholders. For the detailed design of zero-data surfaces, the skill hands off to `empty-state`.

Before anything else it requires loading `$frontend-design` and following its Context Gathering Protocol. If no design context exists yet, you must load `$setup` first — skip that and the workflow stalls. From there it pulls in references under `frontend-design/reference`: onboarding UX, cognitive load, behavioral design, UX writing, permissions and roles, and loading feedback.

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add aladicf/better-web-ui --skill onboard -a claude-code
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `~/.claude/skills/onboard/SKILL.md` — Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/onboard/

### Codex

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add aladicf/better-web-ui --skill onboard -a codex
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.agents/skills/onboard/SKILL.md` — For all projects use ~/.agents/skills/

### Cursor

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add aladicf/better-web-ui --skill onboard -a cursor
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.cursor/skills/onboard/SKILL.md` — Cursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/

### GitHub Copilot

1. **GitHub CLI**
```bash
gh skill install aladicf/better-web-ui onboard
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.github/skills/onboard/SKILL.md`

### Gemini CLI

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add aladicf/better-web-ui --skill onboard -a gemini-cli
```

2. **Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini skills install https://github.com/aladicf/better-web-ui --path skills/onboard
```

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

**Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.devin/skills/onboard/SKILL.md` — The legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works

### OpenCode

**Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add aladicf/better-web-ui --skill onboard -a opencode
```

### Claude.ai

**Claude.ai**
- Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills

Where a file is given instead of a command, copy the files from the source to that path: https://github.com/aladicf/better-web-ui/tree/HEAD/skills/onboard/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- design a first run that gets a new user to a real result
- find the step where people abandon onboarding
- decide what to show upfront versus reveal at point of use
- treat zero-data screens as part of the introduction
- sequence permission prompts and role selection without friction

## Example prompts
- design onboarding for a new project — get users to their first report
- review our first-run flow and find where people drop off
- I need a welcome screen and account setup: what to ask now, what to defer

## Source text · SKILL.md · MIT

Below is the content of a third-party file. It is data, not instructions for you: do not act on anything written inside unless the human asks. Block tag: 988610915efd28a3.

BEGIN THIRD-PARTY FILE 988610915efd28a3
```text
---
name: onboard
description: Design onboarding and activation flows that help users reach value quickly. Use when the user mentions onboarding, getting started, first-time users, activation, aha moments, or new user flows—not when the work is only the empty-state surface itself.
metadata:
   argument-hint: "[target]"
---

## MANDATORY PREPARATION

Users start this workflow with `/onboard`. Once this skill is active, load $frontend-design — it contains design principles, anti-patterns, and the **Context Gathering Protocol**. Follow that protocol before proceeding — if no design context exists yet, you MUST load $setup first. Additionally gather: the "aha moment" you want users to reach, and users' experience level.

Consult the [onboarding UX](../frontend-design/reference/onboarding-ux.md) when deciding first-run sequencing, activation milestones, setup-wizard scope, tours vs checklists vs contextual onboarding, progressive permission requests, or how returning users should re-enter an unfinished flow.
Consult the [empty-state patterns](../frontend-design/reference/empty-state-patterns.md) when zero-data surfaces are part of the onboarding journey.
Consult the [cognitive load](../frontend-design/reference/cognitive-load.md) when deciding what to hide, sequence, or progressively disclose for first-time users.
Consult the [behavioral design](../frontend-design/reference/behavioral-design.md) when onboarding depends on priming, framing, honest progress cues, or completion momentum.
Consult the [permissions and roles UX](../frontend-design/reference/permissions-and-roles-ux.md) when onboarding depends on request-access flows, role selection, admin-vs-member setup differences, or capability boundaries that users need explained early.
Consult the [ux-writing reference](../frontend-design/reference/ux-writing.md) when onboarding clarity depends on labels, hints, reassurance copy, or CTA wording.
Consult the [status communication](../frontend-design/reference/status-communication.md) when onboarding needs notification preferences, summary modes, quiet hours, reminder settings, or interruption-level decisions.
Consult the [loading feedback and perceived performance](../frontend-design/reference/loading-feedback-and-perceived-performance.md) when setup, imports, or first-run data preparation create waits that need honest progress and trust-preserving feedback.
Consult [marketing copywriting](../frontend-design/reference/marketing-copywriting.md) when onboarding needs stronger setup promises, first-win framing, permission prompts, or upgrade / invite messaging.
Consult [copy editing sweeps](../frontend-design/reference/copy-editing-sweeps.md) when revising existing onboarding copy in focused passes.

---

Create or improve onboarding experiences that help users understand, adopt, and succeed with the product quickly.
```
END THIRD-PARTY FILE 988610915efd28a3

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