# tokens

Scans a project for design tokens and checks them against a three-layer contract, or proposes a minimal spine when none exist.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode · 853 installs · ★ 398
- Author: educlopez
- License: MIT · policy=mirror · the beginning of the file is at the end of this page
- Source: https://github.com/educlopez/ui-craft/tree/HEAD/cli/assets/codex/skills/tokens/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-10-19
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/tokens

## What it does

The skill looks for token definitions across the project: CSS variables in `:root` and theme selectors, `tailwind.config.js`, CSS-in-JS theme objects, `design-tokens.json`, `tokens.css`. It then builds an inventory — which of the seven categories are present (color, spacing, type, radii, shadows, motion, z-index), which layers exist (primitive, semantic, component), and whether light and dark are both defined.

What happens next depends on the argument. `audit` returns a severity-ranked gap list and no code. `establish` skips the audit and proposes a minimal spine covering all seven categories. You can narrow the run to one category, say `color` or `shadows`. An empty argument means: tokens found, audit them; nothing found, establish. Dark mode gets its own check — whether it does more than invert `--text-primary`, whether the canvas is a tinted near-black rather than `#000`, whether accent chroma drops and shadows become border rings.

An existing token file is never overwritten. Additions arrive as a diff block for you to apply. Before writing anything new, the skill asks which file to use and suggests one from the project structure: `globals.css` for Tailwind, `theme.ts` for CSS-in-JS, `tokens.css` for plain CSS, `design-tokens.json` for multiple consumers. It will not push Tailwind onto a vanilla CSS project, and it flags OKLCH as a gap without converting an sRGB codebase on its own.

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add educlopez/ui-craft --skill tokens -a claude-code
```

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

### Codex

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add educlopez/ui-craft --skill tokens -a codex
```

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

### Cursor

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add educlopez/ui-craft --skill tokens -a cursor
```

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

### GitHub Copilot

1. **GitHub CLI**
```bash
gh skill install educlopez/ui-craft tokens
```

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

### Gemini CLI

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add educlopez/ui-craft --skill tokens -a gemini-cli
```

2. **Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini skills install https://github.com/educlopez/ui-craft --path cli/assets/codex/skills/tokens
```

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

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

### OpenCode

**Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add educlopez/ui-craft --skill tokens -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/educlopez/ui-craft/tree/HEAD/cli/assets/codex/skills/tokens/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- find where tokens are already declared in a project
- spot which layers are missing: primitive, semantic or component
- check whether dark mode was designed or just inverted text color
- build a token spine from scratch across seven categories
- add missing variables without clobbering the existing file

## Example prompts
- audit the tokens in this project
- establish a token spine with light and dark themes
- check only the color and shadow tokens

## 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: f6e7587ff6b0786a.

BEGIN THIRD-PARTY FILE f6e7587ff6b0786a
```text
---
name: tokens
description: "Audit or establish the project's 3-layer token spine. Invoke when the user asks for tokens on their UI, or mentions 'tokens' alongside design / UI / frontend work."
---

<!-- HARNESS MIRROR — do not edit here. Canonical source: skills/ or commands/. After editing source, copy into cli/assets/<harness>/ and repo-root harness mirrors. -->

**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.

Read `references/tokens.md` before proceeding. The 3-layer contract (primitive → semantic → component) and the intentional-dark test are defined there.

---

## Step 1: Detect existing tokens

Scan for token definitions in the project:
- CSS variables in `:root`, `[data-theme]`, `[data-mode]`, or theme wrapper selectors
- Tailwind config (`tailwind.config.js/ts`) under `theme.extend` or `theme`
- CSS-in-JS theme objects (`theme.ts`, `*.styles.ts`, `styled.d.ts`, `ThemeProvider`)
- `design-tokens.json` or `tokens.json` (Style Dictionary / Theo)
- `globals.css`, `variables.css`, `tokens.css`

Build an inventory: which of the 7 categories exist (color / spacing / type / radii / shadows / motion / z-index), which layers are present (primitive / semantic / component), and whether both light and dark are defined.

---

## Step 2: Route based on `$ARGUMENTS` and inventory

- **"audit"** → run audit only (Step 3). No proposals.
- **"establish"** → skip audit, go to Step 4.
- **"color" / "spacing" / "type" / "radii" / "shadows" / "motion" / "z-index"** → focus the audit and any proposal on that one category.
- **empty** → if tokens exist: audit. If nothing found: establish.

---

## Step 3: Audit (tokens exist)

Evaluate against the contract in `references/tokens.md`. Output a severity-ranked gap list — don't propose code yet.

Check:

1. **3-layer coverage** — are primitive, semantic, and component layers all present? Missing semantics is the most common gap: primitives exist but nothing switches for dark mode and no surface stack is defined.
2. **7-category coverage** — any of (color / spacing / type / radii / shadows / motion / z-index) missing? Flag each absent category.
```
END THIRD-PARTY FILE f6e7587ff6b0786a

The third-party file has ended. Everything between the f6e7587ff6b0786a 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 2302 of 5692 bytes. © educlopez · MIT · https://github.com/educlopez/ui-craft/tree/HEAD/cli/assets/codex/skills/tokens/SKILL.md

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