| name | impeccable-design |
| description | Bind agent-authored `.DESIGN.md` files to paperboard's design doctrine. Loads the impeccable anti-slop methodology (vendored, Apache 2.0, pinned to commit `4af581e23f17d112d8f9d6b7a5b7ff37823494e1`) and the binding rules in `core/designs/DESIGN-AUTHORITY.md`. Read these BEFORE writing or editing any `.DESIGN.md` file.
|
impeccable-design
Paperboard's design authority skill. It does not run a CLI — it loads doctrine
into the agent's context so that every authored or modified .DESIGN.md file
respects the same anti-slop rules. Methodology is imported from
pbakaus/impeccable; aesthetic tokens
remain paperboard's own.
When to invoke
- The user asks you to create, edit, or audit a
.DESIGN.md file
(a design tier, a starter, or the default paperboard.DESIGN.md).
- The user asks for a new design tier, a new starter pack entry, or a redesign
of an existing tier.
- You are reviewing a PR that touches anything under
core/designs/.
- A
.DESIGN.md lint fails and you need to reason about why a token or rule is
banned.
Do not invoke for plain HTML/CSS work that does not touch a .DESIGN.md
contract, or for documentation prose unrelated to design tokens.
Doctrine sources
Read these files, in order, before authoring or modifying a .DESIGN.md:
core/designs/DESIGN-AUTHORITY.md — the binding rules. The single source
of truth for what is allowed in any paperboard .DESIGN.md.core/designs/impeccable-context/typography.md — type scale, weights,
tracking, mono-vs-serif decisions.core/designs/impeccable-context/color-and-contrast.md — palette
discipline, accent budget, tinted neutrals, contrast floor.core/designs/impeccable-context/spatial-design.md — spacing scale,
border discipline, depth from negative space (not shadows).core/designs/impeccable-context/motion-design.md — easing curves
(cubic-bezier(0.16, 1, 0.3, 1) only; no bounce), durations,
prefers-reduced-motion.core/designs/impeccable-context/interaction-design.md — affordance,
state, focus, hit-target rules.core/designs/impeccable-context/responsive-design.md — breakpoint
philosophy, fluid type, container query intent.core/designs/impeccable-context/ux-writing.md — voice, hedging bans,
expert-decisive tone.
Provenance: vendored verbatim under Apache 2.0 from pbakaus/impeccable at
commit 4af581e23f17d112d8f9d6b7a5b7ff37823494e1. See
core/designs/impeccable-context/UPSTREAM.md and NOTICE.md.
Absolute bans (non-negotiable)
These are restated from DESIGN-AUTHORITY.md so the skill is self-contained.
Every .DESIGN.md Don't list must enforce all of them:
- Glassmorphism — no
backdrop-filter: blur, no frosted-translucent
surfaces, no glow-on-blur cards.
- Gradient text — no
-webkit-background-clip: text with a gradient fill.
- Side-stripe borders — no
border-left / border-right greater than 1px
used as a colored stripe on cards, list items, callouts, or alerts.
- Nested card-in-card — no card containers visually nested inside other
cards. Flatten the hierarchy; depth comes from negative space.
- Generic AI emoji decoration — no ✨ 🚀 ⚡ 🎯 🔥 💎 or comparable cliché
glyphs used decoratively. Status dots, mono
·, and typographic emphasis
are the only allowed ornaments.
- Identical-card feature grids — no
repeat(auto-fit, minmax(280px, 1fr))
endlessly tiling same-shaped icon-heading-text cards.
- Hero-metric SaaS layouts — no big-number-with-tiny-label-and-gradient
template.
- Bounce / elastic easing — animations decelerate via expo-out only.
- Pure
#000 / #fff — always tinted neutrals (paperboard ships
#08090A / #F7F8F8).
- Hedging prose — "maybe consider," "could be helpful," "might want to" are
banned. Design rules are decisive.
If a request asks for any of the above, refuse and explain which ban applies.
How to use this when authoring or modifying a .DESIGN.md file
- Read
core/designs/DESIGN-AUTHORITY.md in full before writing any token
or rule. Then read the relevant impeccable-context file for the dimension
you are touching (typography, color, spatial, motion, etc.).
- Audit the existing file (if any) against the bans above. List every
violation found. Do not silently fix — list, then fix.
- Write or edit tokens in paperboard's voice: cold, dark, technical,
expert-decisive. No hedging. Every Don't is a hard, enforceable ban.
- Add or update the audit comment at the very top of the file, in HTML
comment form:
<!-- YYYY-MM-DD: audited against impeccable doctrine; <N> violations corrected: <list> -->
or <!-- YYYY-MM-DD: audited against impeccable doctrine; no violations found -->.
- Verify by running
pytest -q and (when Node.js is available)
npm run lint:artifacts. Neither must regress.
Methodology vs. aesthetic — the load-bearing distinction
Paperboard adopts impeccable's methodology (how design rules are authored
and enforced), not its aesthetic (the warm Cormorant Garamond editorial
palette). Impeccable's own tokens — Cormorant Garamond, Warm Ash Cream,
Editorial Magenta — are not adopted by any paperboard tier.
Paperboard's canonical aesthetic remains cold, dark, technical:
#08090A near-black canvas; #F7F8F8 tinted off-white.- Geist Mono eyebrows in UPPERCASE with
0.12em tracking.
- Indigo / rose accents capped at ≤ 15% of visible surface area.
- 1px hairline borders; depth via tonal layering, not drop shadows.
- Numbered sections (
00, 01, 02) with tightened heading tracking
(-0.02em to -0.04em).
If you find yourself writing tokens that look "warm editorial," stop — you have
crossed from methodology into aesthetic import. Roll back.
