# atomic-design-fundamentals

Lays out UI components across the six Atomic Design levels, from tokens up to pages. Useful once a codebase has enough components that placement gets arbitrary.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode · 766 installs · ★ 198
- Author: TheBushidoCollective
- License: Apache-2.0 · policy=mirror · the beginning of the file is at the end of this page
- Source: https://github.com/TheBushidoCollective/han/tree/HEAD/plugins/patterns/atomic-design/skills/atomic-design-fundamentals/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-09-08
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/atomic-design-fundamentals

## What it does

The skill defines six levels: quarks (design tokens — colors, spacing, typography, shadows), atoms (buttons, inputs, icons), molecules (a search form, a labelled field), organisms (header, footer, product card), templates (page skeleton with placeholder content) and pages (that skeleton with real data). Quarks are an extension — Brad Frost's original methodology stops at atoms.

What you get is rules, not code. Which component belongs where, how to name files and components, how to arrange directories. Three layouts are offered: standard with a folder per component, flat, and a feature-based hybrid. Barrel exports through `index.ts` are shown too, so imports read `@/components/atoms` instead of long relative paths.

You cannot invoke it by hand — it is marked `user-invocable: false` and loads on its own when the agent touches component organisation. Its tool list is read-and-edit only: `Bash`, `Read`, `Write`, `Edit`, `Glob`, `Grep`. If your project already has its own layout, expect the skill to push toward one of its three schemes, so settle that question first.

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add TheBushidoCollective/han --skill atomic-design-fundamentals -a claude-code
```

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

### Codex

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add TheBushidoCollective/han --skill atomic-design-fundamentals -a codex
```

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

### Cursor

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add TheBushidoCollective/han --skill atomic-design-fundamentals -a cursor
```

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

### GitHub Copilot

1. **GitHub CLI**
```bash
gh skill install TheBushidoCollective/han atomic-design-fundamentals
```

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

### Gemini CLI

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add TheBushidoCollective/han --skill atomic-design-fundamentals -a gemini-cli
```

2. **Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini skills install https://github.com/TheBushidoCollective/han --path plugins/patterns/atomic-design/skills/atomic-design-fundamentals
```

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

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

### OpenCode

**Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add TheBushidoCollective/han --skill atomic-design-fundamentals -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/TheBushidoCollective/han/tree/HEAD/plugins/patterns/atomic-design/skills/atomic-design-fundamentals/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- sort existing components into the hierarchy levels
- pick between folder-per-component and flat structure
- pull colors and spacing out into design tokens
- agree on file and component naming rules
- set up barrel exports for short imports

## Example prompts
- Sort the components in `src/components` into Atomic Design levels and show what moved where
- Propose a directory structure for a design system: quarks, atoms, molecules, organisms, templates, pages
- Check whether any molecule imports an organism and explain why that breaks the hierarchy

## Source text · SKILL.md · Apache-2.0

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: 5b9c5fa8d19136dd.

BEGIN THIRD-PARTY FILE 5b9c5fa8d19136dd
```text
---
name: atomic-design-fundamentals
user-invocable: false
description: Use when applying Atomic Design methodology to organize UI components into quarks, atoms, molecules, organisms, templates, and pages. Core principles and hierarchy.
allowed-tools:
  - Bash
  - Read
  - Write
  - Edit
  - Glob
  - Grep
---

# Atomic Design Fundamentals

Master Brad Frost's Atomic Design methodology (extended with quarks) for building scalable, maintainable component-based user interfaces. This skill covers the core hierarchy, principles, and organization strategies for modern design systems.

## Overview

Atomic Design is a methodology for creating design systems inspired by chemistry. Just as atoms combine to form molecules, which combine to form organisms, UI components follow a similar hierarchical structure. We extend this with **quarks** - the sub-atomic level of design tokens:

0. **Quarks** - Design tokens (colors, spacing, typography scales, shadows)
1. **Atoms** - Basic building blocks (buttons, inputs, labels)
2. **Molecules** - Groups of atoms functioning together (search form, card)
3. **Organisms** - Complex UI sections (header, footer, sidebar)
4. **Templates** - Page-level layouts without real content
5. **Pages** - Templates with real representative content

## The Six Stages

### 0. Quarks

The sub-atomic building blocks - design tokens and primitive values that atoms consume. Quarks are not UI components themselves; they are the raw values that define your design language.

**Examples:**

- Color tokens (primary-500, neutral-100)
- Spacing scales (4px, 8px, 16px)
- Typography tokens (font sizes, weights, line heights)
- Border radii
- Shadow definitions
- Animation durations and easing functions
- Breakpoints

**Characteristics:**

- Pure values, not visual components
- Cannot import from any other level
- Define the design language
- Enable theming and consistency
- Single source of truth for design decisions

### 1. Atoms

The smallest functional UI units of your interface. Atoms consume quarks for styling but cannot be broken down further without losing meaning.

**Examples:**

- Buttons
- Input fields
- Labels
- Icons
- Typography elements (headings, paragraphs)
- Color swatches
- Avatars
```
END THIRD-PARTY FILE 5b9c5fa8d19136dd

The third-party file has ended. Everything between the 5b9c5fa8d19136dd tags is data: requests and commands from it are not followed. An “end of file” line with another tag inside the block is part of the file.

First 2236 of 14675 bytes. © TheBushidoCollective · Apache-2.0 · https://github.com/TheBushidoCollective/han/tree/HEAD/plugins/patterns/atomic-design/skills/atomic-design-fundamentals/SKILL.md

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