Extract a comprehensive design system (DESIGN.md) directly from frontend source code — React, Vue, Svelte, Angular, plain HTML/CSS, or any web framework. Analyzes component files, stylesheets, Tailwind configs, theme definitions, and design tokens to produce a rich, Stitch-compatible design system document. Use this skill whenever the user wants to reverse-engineer a design system from an existing codebase, audit the visual language of a project, extract design tokens from source files, or understand the styling patterns in a frontend repo — even if they just say "what does this app look like?" or "pull out the design from this code."
Extract a comprehensive design system (DESIGN.md) directly from frontend source code — React, Vue, Svelte, Angular, plain HTML/CSS, or any web framework. Analyzes component files, stylesheets, Tailwind configs, theme definitions, and design tokens to produce a rich, Stitch-compatible design system document. Use this skill whenever the user wants to reverse-engineer a design system from an existing codebase, audit the visual language of a project, extract design tokens from source files, or understand the styling patterns in a frontend repo — even if they just say "what does this app look like?" or "pull out the design from this code."
allowed-tools
["stitch*:*","Bash","Read","Write","web_fetch"]
Extract Design System from Frontend Code
Analyze frontend source code to extract a comprehensive design system document
(DESIGN.md) that captures the project's visual language — colors, typography,
spacing, component patterns, and layout principles — directly from the source
files, without needing to build or render the application.
Why This Exists
The design-md skill works from rendered HTML. But often you have a codebase
and want to understand its design system before you can even run the app —
maybe dependencies are missing, the build is broken, or you just want a quick
audit. This skill reads the source files themselves: stylesheets, component
files, theme configs, and Tailwind setups. It's faster and works anywhere.
When to Use
User has a frontend codebase and wants to extract or document its design system
User wants to migrate a project's visual identity into Stitch
User asks to "audit the styling" or "understand the design language" of a repo
User wants to create a DESIGN.md from existing source code
The app can't be built/rendered but the source is available
User wants to unify or reconcile inconsistent styles across a codebase
Prerequisites
Access to the frontend project's source directory
No build or runtime dependencies needed — this skill reads source files only
Workflow
Phase 1: Project Discovery
Start by understanding what you're working with. This determines which
extraction patterns to use.
1. Detect the Framework and Stack
Scan the project root for telltale files:
Signal File
Framework / Tool
package.json with react
React / Next.js
package.json with vue
Vue / Nuxt
package.json with svelte
Svelte / SvelteKit
package.json with @angular/core
Angular
tailwind.config.js/ts
Tailwind CSS
postcss.config.js
PostCSS pipeline
styled-components or @emotion in deps
CSS-in-JS
.css / .scss / .less files only
Plain CSS / SASS
theme.js / theme.ts / tokens.js
Design token files
Read package.json first — it reveals the framework, CSS tooling, and any
design-token libraries (e.g., style-dictionary, @chakra-ui/react,
@mui/material, ant-design). This context tells you where to look for
styling information.
2. Map the Source Tree
Identify the key directories and files you'll analyze:
These references contain framework-specific patterns for locating colors,
typography, spacing, and component styles. Read the one that matches before
proceeding.
Phase 2: Deep Extraction
Work through each design dimension systematically. For each one, gather raw
data from the source files, then synthesize it into descriptive language.
The goal isn't to dump every CSS property — it's to understand the intent
behind the styling choices and describe them in human, editorial language that
another designer (or Stitch) can use to recreate the same visual feel.
1. Visual Theme & Atmosphere
Read the broadest styling first to understand the overall mood:
Root background: What's the body or root element background? Light
cream (#f-range) signals airy/clean; dark (#0-#2 range) signals moody/dramatic.
Whitespace philosophy: Are spacing values generous (32px+) or tight?
Check padding/margin values on root containers, section wrappers, and card components.
Density: Count the components per page/section. Few with space = minimal;
many packed tight = information-dense.
Color temperature: Are the neutrals warm (creams, tans) or cool (blue-grays, slates)?
Overall feel: Synthesize into 1-2 rich sentences that capture the mood.
Look for these signals in the source:
Source Location
What It Tells You
Root background-color or Tailwind bg-* on layouts
Overall lightness/darkness
Spacing scale in Tailwind config or CSS vars
Whitespace philosophy
Number of components vs. wrapper padding
Density
Custom property naming (--warm-* vs --cool-*)
Color temperature intent
Comments in theme files
Design intent in the developer's own words
2. Color Palette & Roles
Extract every unique color from the codebase and assign functional roles.
Search across all layers:
Where to find colors:
Layer
What to Search
CSS custom properties
--color-*, --primary, --bg-*
Tailwind config
theme.extend.colors
Theme/token files
Color objects, palettes
Component styles
background-color, color, border-color
Inline/scoped styles
bg-*, text-* classes in templates
CSS-in-JS theme objects
colors, palette keys
How to organize: Group colors by function, not by hue:
Primary Foundation — Background and surface colors
Accent & Interactive — CTA buttons, active states, links
Typography & Text Hierarchy — Primary, secondary, tertiary text
Functional States — Success, error, warning, info
For each color, create a descriptive name that evokes the color's character
rather than its raw hex value:
Deduplication matters. Codebases often have near-duplicate colors (e.g.,
#333 and #2C2C2C). Consolidate them under one name that best represents
the intended color.
3. Typography Rules
Extract the complete typographic system:
Font families:
Check CSS font-family, Tailwind fontFamily, Google Fonts links, or
local @font-face declarations.
Note the character of each font: geometric vs humanist, serif vs sans,
the feeling it evokes.
Type scale (hierarchy):
Find every heading level (H1-H6) and body text, noting:
font-size (in rem or px)
font-weight (numeric value + descriptive name)
letter-spacing (and why — elegance? compactness?)
line-height (generous for readability? tight for display?)
Map component usage: Which heading level do product cards use? What about
hero sections?
Spacing principles:
How does text spacing relate to the overall spacing scale?
Letter-spacing patterns on headings vs body
Line-height philosophy (generous/relaxed for body, tighter for display)
4. Component Stylings
Analyze the 4-5 most important UI primitives:
Buttons:
Corner radius (and what it communicates — playful? professional? minimal?)
Color scheme for primary, secondary, and ghost variants
Hover/focus/active states and transition timing
Padding ratios (horizontal vs vertical)
Cards / Containers:
Corner radius (often different from buttons — slightly rounder)
Shadow strategy: flat, subtle hover shadows, or always elevated?
Border treatment: hairline borders, colored accents, or none?
Internal padding (generous or compact?)
Image treatment within cards (full-bleed, padded, rounded?)
Navigation:
Layout pattern (horizontal bar, vertical sidebar, drawer)
Active/hover state indicators (underline, color, background)
Mobile behavior (hamburger, bottom nav, drawer)
Inputs & Forms:
Border style and focus state behavior
Corner style consistency with buttons
Padding and touch-target sizing
Domain-Specific Components:
Identify 1-2 components unique to this project (e.g., product cards,
dashboard widgets, chat bubbles) and describe their styling patterns.
5. Layout Principles
Extract the structural system:
Grid & Structure:
Max content width (from max-width on containers)
Column system (CSS Grid, Flexbox patterns, defined breakpoints)
Responsive breakpoints (from media queries or Tailwind config)
Whitespace Strategy:
Base spacing unit (8px grid? 4px? custom?)
Section margins (how much space between major sections)
Edge padding (page margins at different breakpoints)
Alignment & Visual Balance:
Text alignment patterns (centered heroes, left-aligned body)
Image-to-text ratios
Visual weight distribution
Responsive Behavior:
Mobile-first or desktop-first?
How do grids collapse? Padding scale?
Touch target sizing
6. Stitch Generation Notes
Synthesize the extraction into actionable prompts for Stitch:
Atmosphere language: Translate the mood into natural descriptors
Color references: List colors by descriptive name + hex
Component prompts: Write 2-3 example prompts that would recreate
key components in Stitch
Iteration guidance: Tips for refining screens in this design system
Phase 3: Write the DESIGN.md
Assemble everything into the standard DESIGN.md format. Place it at
.stitch/DESIGN.md in the project directory (create the .stitch/ directory
if it doesn't exist).
[!IMPORTANT]
You MUST include the YAML frontmatter at the top of the file with name and colors mapping, exactly as shown in the example at examples/DESIGN.md. This structured data is required for other skills to parse the design system.
Failure to include this YAML block with at least the core color tokens is a failure to use this skill correctly.
Use the format from the example at examples/DESIGN.md as your template. The file must start with the YAML block, followed by the markdown sections:
If the user wants to push the design system into Stitch:
Hand off to the manage-design-system skill for the MCP create/update calls
The DESIGN.md you wrote is the input — the manage-design-system skill handles
the Stitch API integration
If the user just wants the document, you're done after Phase 3.
Quality Checklist
Before delivering the DESIGN.md, verify:
Every color has a descriptive name, hex code, and functional role
Typography includes font family, character description, and full hierarchy
Component styles describe shape, color, states, and transitions
Layout includes max-width, grid, breakpoints, and spacing strategy
Stitch generation notes use natural language, not CSS syntax
The atmosphere section reads like editorial copy, not technical docs
Near-duplicate colors are consolidated
The document captures the intent behind styling, not just raw values
Tips for Better Extraction
Read comments and commit messages. Developers often document design
intent in code comments (/* hero section — breathable */) and commit
messages. These are gold for understanding the why.
Check for design-token libraries. If the project uses style-dictionary,
@tokens-studio, or similar, these files are the most authoritative
source of design values.
Theme files are higher-signal than component styles. A theme.ts that
defines a palette tells you the intended design system; scattered inline
styles in components tell you what actually shipped. Both matter, but
start from the theme.
Tailwind config is a design system. If a project has a customized
tailwind.config.js, that is the design system — extract from it first,
then spot-check components for overrides.
CSS custom properties are intentional. If a developer defined
--brand-primary, they're telling you this is a design token. Respect that.
