colorize · educlopez — Claude Code skill: UI color strategy pass

---
name: colorize
description: "Color strategy pass — introduces a single accent at 3-5 intentional placements, or reduces an over-colored UI back to 90% neutral. Use when the UI has no color identity, uses blue by default, or is shouting with too many competing accents. Invoke when the user asks for colorize on their UI, or mentions 'colorize' alongside design / UI / frontend work."
---

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**Context:** this sub-skill is one lens of the broader `ui-craft` skill. If the `ui-craft` skill is also installed, read its SKILL.md first for Discovery + Anti-Slop + Craft Test, then apply the specific lens below.

Add color to the UI at `$ARGUMENTS`. Load the `ui-craft` skill.

**The rule (from SKILL.md):** 90%+ neutral, one accent, 3-5 placements per viewport. Reinforce this before adding anything. More color is not more design.

**Before you touch anything — ask about brand.** If a brand color exists, use it. If not, offer 2-3 options in OKLCH — include one warm (e.g., `oklch(0.67 0.19 45)`) and one cool (e.g., `oklch(0.60 0.18 250)`). Never default to blue.

**Where color EARNS its place:**

- Primary CTA background.
- One key metric tint — accent at ~8% opacity as a subtle background, accent at full strength on the number itself.
- Active state of the current nav item (underline, dot, or subtle tint — pick one).
- Status dots (success / warning / danger), 6-8px, no pills.
- Focus ring (`:focus-visible`).

**Where color does NOT go** (anti-slop territory):

- Heading gradient text.
- Colored left or top borders on every card.
- Uniform chips on every tag/label.
- Emoji-as-icons to inject "color."
- Trend arrows in green/red when a plain `↑`/`↓` + `tabular-nums` would read cleaner.

**Knob gating (VISUAL_DENSITY):**
- `≤ 4` → single accent only, max 3 placements.
- `5-7` → single accent, 3-5 placements, status dots allowed.
- `8+` → semantic palette (success/warning/danger) allowed beyond the single accent — dashboards and data UIs earn this.

## Over-colored? Reduce.

If the UI is already shouting with color, this command also removes color.

1. **Count accents per viewport.** Cut to 1-3. The primary CTA keeps its accent; everything else goes neutral unless it's a true semantic state (success/warning/danger on a real status).
2. **Mute decorative color.** Background patterns, tinted cards without meaning, colored left borders on every list item, heading gradients, colored pills on every tag → gone.
3. **Keep semantic, cut decorative.** Status dots, focus rings, active-nav underlines stay. Color as ornament goes.

**References to read**: `references/color.md` (OKLCH, tokens, dark mode, contrast), `references/accessibility.md` (contrast ratios for AA/AAA).

**Output**: edit code directly. Lift any literal hex into CSS variables (`--color-accent`, `--color-accent-tint`) — respect existing token naming if present. Print the Review Format table. One row per placement, with the ratio check (AA/AAA) on text uses.

**Next step:** `/tokens` — promote the color decisions into the durable token spine so they survive the session (rung 2).