| name | pantone-cli |
| description | Match HEX, RGB, or Lab colors to the closest Pantone colors offline using the pantone-cli command-line tool. This skill should be used when a user asks for the closest Pantone color or code for a given color, Pantone equivalents of brand colors, medium-specific Pantone picks (coated or uncoated paper, textiles, cotton, polyester, product design, CMYK process), or for shades and color harmonies of a Pantone color. Requires no API key; after a one-time index download (pantone-cli fetch-index), matching runs fully offline. |
| license | MIT |
pantone-cli — Offline Pantone Color Matching
Overview
pantone-cli matches an input color (HEX or CIELAB) against an offline Pantone index and returns the closest color in each Pantone book, with a CIEDE2000 (Delta E00) distance, book metadata (intended use and physical medium), and optional shades and harmonies. Matching runs entirely offline from a locally installed index.
Run it with npx (Node 20+) — no install or configuration needed:
npx -y pantone-cli match "#0014DC" --json --no-relationships
bunx pantone-cli and a global install (npm i -g pantone-cli) work the same way.
If a command fails with "Could not find a Pantone match index", install the index once (a small sha256-verified download; it persists in the user's home directory for all future runs):
npx -y pantone-cli fetch-index
When to Use
- "What's the closest Pantone to
#0014DC?" — or to an RGB or Lab value.
- "Convert our brand colors to Pantone for print / packaging / textiles."
- "Which Pantone code should I use on uncoated paper vs. cotton fabric?"
- "Give me shades or harmonies for this color."
Do not guess Pantone codes from memory. Trained knowledge of Pantone mappings is unreliable; always run the tool.
How to Use
1. Choose books for the target medium
The same input color maps to different Pantone codes depending on the physical medium. If the user's intent implies a medium, filter with --books; otherwise match across all books and organize the answer by medium.
| Book ID | Best for | Medium assumption |
|---|
pantoneSolidCoated | Graphic design | Spot ink on coated paper |
pantoneSolidUncoated | Graphic design | Spot ink on uncoated paper |
pantoneCmykCoated / pantoneCmykUncoated | Graphic design | CMYK process ink |
pantoneColorBridgeCoated / ...Uncoated | Spot vs. process comparison | Both, side by side |
pantoneFhCottonTcx | Fashion, textiles, soft home | Dye on cotton (TCX codes) |
pantoneFhiPolyesterTsx | Fashion, activewear | Dye on polyester (TSX codes) |
pantoneFhiPaperTpg | Product design | Lacquer on paper (TPG codes) |
pantoneSkinToneGuide | Skin tone reference | SkinTone guide |
To discover all books (IDs, uses, media, color counts):
npx -y pantone-cli books --json
npx -y pantone-cli books --search textile
2. Match
npx -y pantone-cli match "#0014DC" --books pantoneSolidCoated,pantoneSolidUncoated --json --no-relationships
npx -y pantone-cli match --lab 33.31 23.24 -58.02 --json --no-relationships
npx -y pantone-cli match "#0014DC" --top 3 --json --no-relationships
For RGB input, convert to HEX first (e.g. rgb(0, 20, 220) → #0014DC).
Flags that matter for agents:
--json — machine-readable output. Prefer it; the default text output contains ANSI color codes (or pass --no-color).--no-relationships — omit shades/harmonies for compact output. Drop this flag when the user wants shades or harmonies: results[].relationships.shades groups related colors by hue/lightness/saturation, and results[].relationships.harmonies lists analogous, complementary, monochromatic, split-complementary, triadic, and tetradic colors.--books — comma-separated exact book IDs (camelCase, from books).
3. Interpret and report
Key JSON fields per entry in results[]: color.code (the Pantone code, e.g. Blue 072 U), color.name, color.hex, color.lab, deltaE (CIEDE2000 distance), book.id, book.info.en.target (intended use), book.info.en.description (medium).
Always report the Delta E00 number alongside the code. Rough perceptual scale:
| Delta E00 | Meaning |
|---|
| < 1 | Not perceptible to the human eye |
| 1–2 | Perceptible on close inspection |
| 2–4 | Noticeable difference |
| 4–10 | Clearly different color |
| > 10 | No good match in this book — say so |
In the answer, include: Pantone code, name, HEX, Delta E00, and the book's intended use/medium. When matching across multiple books, group by medium so the user can pick the code for their use case.
Required Disclaimer
When reporting matches, state that matching uses CIEDE2000 against offline Lab values and is an approximation — not a substitute for Pantone Connect, physical Pantone guides, or official Pantone production guidance. For production-critical color decisions, recommend verifying against a physical guide.
