terracotta — Claude Code skill: warm editorial design system
A skill that hands your coding agent the Terracotta design system: cream surfaces, ink-brown serif headlines and one terracotta accent.
npx skills add bergside/awesome-design-skills --skill terracotta -a claude-codeWhat terracotta does
This skill turns the agent into an author of Terracotta design-system guidance. It ships the palette as tokens (primary=#C56A3C, secondary=#F3E9D8, surface=#FFFFFF, text=#111827), a type scale of 14/16/18/24/32/40, DM Serif Display with JetBrains Mono, and a spacing scale of 4/8/12/16/24/32. The look targets long-form reading, blogs and editorial layouts where rhythm and readability carry the page.
The workflow has six steps: restate the intent in one sentence, define tokens and constraints, write component rules, add testable accessibility criteria, list anti-patterns with migration notes, and finish with a QA checklist for code review. Output follows a fixed structure, and every rule has to be anchored to a token, a threshold or an example rather than an adjective.
Accessibility is pinned to WCAG 2.2 AA: visible focus states, keyboard-first interaction, touch targets of 44px and up. Here is the catch — if your project already has a design system, this skill will argue with it, because it pushes system-wide consistency over local fixes. Decide whose tokens win before you install it.
What it helps with
- write a design system an engineer can implement straight away
- replace scattered hex values with named color tokens
- cover hover, focus-visible and error states for each component
- turn accessibility goals into criteria you can test in review
- collect anti-patterns and migration notes for legacy UI
Example prompts for the agent
- Write the Terracotta design system for our blog: tokens, typography, component states
- Audit this article card against the Terracotta rules and list the accessibility problems
- Build a QA checklist for code review from the Terracotta guideline
How to install terracotta
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add bergside/awesome-design-skills --skill terracotta -a claude-code2Manually: put the files in place
~/.claude/skills/terracotta/SKILL.mdCopy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/terracotta/
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add bergside/awesome-design-skills --skill terracotta -a codex2Manually: put the files in place
.agents/skills/terracotta/SKILL.mdFor all projects use ~/.agents/skills/
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add bergside/awesome-design-skills --skill terracotta -a cursor2Manually: put the files in place
.cursor/skills/terracotta/SKILL.mdCursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/
1GitHub CLI
gh skill install bergside/awesome-design-skills terracotta2Manually: put the files in place
.github/skills/terracotta/SKILL.md1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add bergside/awesome-design-skills --skill terracotta -a gemini-cli2Platform CLI
gemini skills install https://github.com/bergside/awesome-design-skills --path skills/terracottaManually: put the files in place
.devin/skills/terracotta/SKILL.mdThe legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works
Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add bergside/awesome-design-skills --skill terracotta -a opencodeClaude.ai
Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills
Step by step, with commands for each platform: How to install skills in Claude Code: five ways
Questions about terracotta
How do I install terracotta in Claude?
Run npx skills add bergside/awesome-design-skills --skill terracotta -a claude-code. The skill lands in ~/.claude/skills/terracotta/SKILL.md.
What does terracotta do?
It gives the agent design-system rules: color tokens, type and spacing scales, component states, WCAG 2.2 AA requirements and a fixed structure for the guideline it writes.
What kind of interface is this style meant for?
Long-form reading, blogs and editorial layouts. The palette runs on cream surfaces, ink-brown headlines and a single terracotta accent.
Source text
SKILL.md · MIT
--- name: "terracotta" description: "A sun-baked, clay-toned editorial interface built on warm cream surfaces, ink-brown headlines set in a display serif, and a single terracotta accent." metadata: author: typeui.sh --- <!-- TYPEUI_SH_MANAGED_START --> # Terracotta Design System Skill (Universal) ## Mission You are an expert design-system guideline author for Terracotta. Create practical, implementation-ready guidance that can be directly used by engineers and designers. ## Brand A sun-baked, clay-toned editorial interface built on warm cream surfaces, ink-brown headlines set in a display serif, and a single terracotta accent. Earthy, human, and content-first — tuned for long-form reading, blogs, storytelling, and editorial layouts where readability and visual rhythm matter. ## Style Foundations - Visual style: modern, clean, high-contrast, playful - Typography scale: 14/16/18/24/32/40 | Fonts: primary=DM Serif Display, display=DM Serif Display, mono=JetBrains Mono | weights=100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900 - Color palette: primary, neutral, success, warning, danger | Tokens: primary=#C56A3C, secondary=#F3E9D8, success=#16A34A, warning=#D97706, danger=#DC2626, surface=#FFFFFF, text=#111827 - Spacing scale: 4/8/12/16/24/32 ## Accessibility WCAG 2.2 AA, keyboard-first interactions, visible focus states, 44px+ touch targets, high-contrast support ## Writing Tone concise, confident, helpful ## Rules: Do - prefer semantic tokens over raw values - preserve visual hierarchy - keep interaction states explicit ## Rules: Don't - avoid low contrast text - avoid inconsistent spacing rhythm - avoid ambiguous labels ## Expected Behavior - Follow the foundations first, then component consistency. - When uncertain, prioritize accessibility and clarity over novelty. - Provide concrete defaults and explain trade-offs when alternatives are possible. - Keep guidance opinionated, concise, and implementation-focused. ## Guideline Authoring Workflow 1. Restate the design intent in one sentence before proposing rules. 2. Define tokens and foundational constraints before component-level guidance. 3. Specify component anatomy, states, variants, and interaction behavior. 4. Include accessibility acceptance criteria and content-writing expectations. 5. Add anti-patterns and migration notes for existing inconsistent UI. 6. End with a QA checklist that can be executed in code review. ## Required Output Structure When generating design-system guidance, use this structure: - Context and goals - Design tokens and foundations - Component-level rules (anatomy, variants, states, responsive behavior) - Accessibility requirements and testable acceptance criteria - Content and tone standards with examples - Anti-patterns and prohibited implementations - QA checklist ## Component Rule Expectations - Define required states: default, hover, focus-visible, active, disabled, loading, error (as relevant). - Describe interaction behavior for keyboard, pointer, and touch. - State spacing, typography, and color-token usage explicitly. - Include responsive behavior and edge cases (long labels, empty states, overflow). ## Quality Gates - No rule should depend on ambiguous adjectives alone; anchor each rule to a token, threshold, or example. - Every accessibility statement must be testable in implementation. - Prefer system consistency over one-off local optimizations. - Flag conflicts between aesthetics and accessibility, then prioritize accessibility. ## Example Constraint Language - Use "must" for non-negotiable rules and "should" for recommendations. - Pair every do-rule with at least one concrete don't-example. - If introducing a new pattern, include migration guidance for existing components. <!-- TYPEUI_SH_MANAGED_END -->
© typeui.sh · MIT · bergside/awesome-design-skills