xaem-theme-ui

name	xaem-theme-ui
description	Two-pass theme generation and code translation pipeline. Pass 1 generates high-entropy visual themes (colour palettes, glow intensities, animation timing, typography weights). Pass 2 translates themes into CSS variables, TypeScript design tokens, Tailwind config, and Framer Motion presets. Complements scientific-luxury by handling creative generation before constraint enforcement.
license	MIT
metadata	{"author":"NodeJS-Starter-V1","version":"1.0.0","locale":"en-AU"}

XAEM Theme UI - Theme Generation & Code Translation

Two-pass pipeline for generating high-entropy visual themes and translating them into implementable code. Works upstream of scientific-luxury constraint enforcement.

Description

XAEM Theme UI adds a creative generation layer to the design system. While scientific-luxury enforces structural constraints (OLED black, 0.5px borders, rounded-sm, physics-based easings), it does not generate themes. This skill fills that gap with a two-pass pipeline:

1. Pass 1 (Generate): Create high-entropy visual themes -- spectral colour palettes, glow intensities, animation timing scales, typography weight distributions, opacity hierarchies
2. Pass 2 (Translate): Convert generated themes into implementable code -- CSS variables, TypeScript design tokens, Tailwind config extensions, Framer Motion preset overrides, component style maps

The structural skeleton remains immutable. Only the visual skin is customisable.

When to Apply

Positive Triggers

• Generating new colour palettes or theme variations
• Creating design tokens for a new feature area
• Building theme presets (dark variants, branded themes)
• User mentions: "theme", "palette", "colour scheme", "design tokens", "generate theme"
• Translating a mood board or colour brief into code
• Customising glow intensities, animation timing, or opacity scales

Negative Triggers

• Enforcing existing design constraints (use scientific-luxury instead)
• Reviewing component layout compliance (use scientific-luxury instead)
• Optimising algorithm performance (use council-of-logic instead)
• Writing backend logic, API routes, or database schemas

The Two Laws

Law 1: Generate Then Translate

Every theme goes through both passes sequentially. Never ship a palette without its code translation. Never write design token code without a generation rationale.

Law 2: Never Violate Structural Constraints

The following are immutable and cannot be overridden by any theme:

Constraint	Locked Value	Reason
Background	#050505 (OLED Black)	Foundation of visual hierarchy
Border width	0.5px	Single-pixel precision
Border radius	rounded-sm (2px)	Sharp, professional appearance
Animation engine	Framer Motion only	Physics-based motion
Easing curves	Physics-based (outExpo, snappy, etc.)	No linear transitions
Layout pattern	Timeline / asymmetrical	No symmetrical card grids
Status icons	Breathing orbs	No Lucide/FontAwesome for status

---

Pass 1: Theme Generation

1.1 Colour Palette Generation

Every theme defines exactly six spectral colours mapped to semantic roles:

Role	Semantic Purpose	Default Hex
Primary	Active, in-progress, CTA	#00F5FF
Success	Completed, approved, positive	#00FF88
Warning	Verification, awaiting, caution	#FFB800
Danger	Error, failed, rejected	#FF4444
Accent	Escalation, human intervention	#FF00FF
Neutral	Pending, inactive, disabled	#6B7280

Palette Strategies

Analogous -- Colours within 30 degrees on the colour wheel. Produces harmonious, low-contrast themes suited for ambient dashboards.

Example: Primary #00F5FF → Success #00FFC8 → Warning #88FF00

Complementary -- Pairs colours from opposite sides of the wheel. High contrast, suited for alert-heavy interfaces.

Example: Primary #00F5FF → Accent #FF0A55

Triadic -- Three colours evenly spaced at 120 degrees. Balanced vibrancy for data-rich views.

Example: Primary #00F5FF → Warning #FF8800 → Accent #AA00FF

Palette Constraints

• All colours must have sufficient contrast against #050505 (minimum 4.5:1 for text)
• No pastel or desaturated colours (saturation must be >= 70%)
• No pure white (#FFFFFF) as a spectral colour
• Each colour must be visually distinct at 50% opacity over OLED black

1.2 Glow Intensity Curves

Glow is the primary visual feedback mechanism. Three intensity tiers:

Tier	Inner Opacity	Outer Opacity	Spread (px)	Use Case
Low	20%	10%	20	Subtle ambient presence
Medium	40%	20%	40	Default interactive
High	60%	30%	60	Alert, active focus

Themes may adjust these values within these bounds:

• Inner opacity: 15%--65%
• Outer opacity: 8%--35%
• Spread: 12px--80px

1.3 Animation Timing Scale

Themes define a timing scale with six duration values:

Token	Default (s)	Range (s)	Purpose
fast	0.2	0.15--0.3	Micro-interactions
normal	0.4	0.3--0.6	Standard transitions
slow	0.6	0.5--0.9	Deliberate, emphasised
breathe	2.0	1.5--3.0	Breathing pulse loops
pulse	1.5	1.0--2.5	Glow pulse cycles
ambient	3.0	2.0--4.0	Background ambient effects

All durations must use physics-based easing. Linear timing is banned.

1.4 Typography Weight Distribution

Themes select from the permitted weight range:

Token	Default	Range	Usage
heroWeight	200	100--300	Hero titles
titleWeight	300	200--400	Section headings
bodyWeight	400	300--500	Body text
dataWeight	500	400--600	Monospace data
labelWeight	400	300--500	Uppercase labels

Font families are locked: JetBrains Mono (data), Inter/SF Pro (editorial).

1.5 Opacity Hierarchy Tuning

Themes define a six-step text opacity scale and a three-step border opacity scale:

Text:   primary(0.85-0.95) → secondary(0.65-0.75) → tertiary(0.45-0.55)
        → muted(0.35-0.45) → subtle(0.25-0.35) → ghost(0.15-0.25)

Border: visible(0.08-0.12) → subtle(0.04-0.08) → ghost(0.02-0.04)

---

Pass 2: Code Translation

2.1 CSS Variable Output

:root {
  /* Spectral Palette */
  --spectral-primary: #00F5FF;
  --spectral-success: #00FF88;
  --spectral-warning: #FFB800;
  --spectral-danger: #FF4444;
  --spectral-accent: #FF00FF;
  --spectral-neutral: #6B7280;

  /* Glow Intensities */
  --glow-low-inner: 20;
  --glow-low-outer: 10;
  --glow-med-inner: 40;
  --glow-med-outer: 20;
  --glow-high-inner: 60;
  --glow-high-outer: 30;

  /* Animation Timing */
  --duration-fast: 0.2s;
  --duration-normal: 0.4s;
  --duration-slow: 0.6s;
  --duration-breathe: 2s;
  --duration-pulse: 1.5s;
  --duration-ambient: 3s;

  /* Text Opacity Hierarchy */
  --text-primary: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.9);
  --text-secondary: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);
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2.2 TypeScript Design Token File

export const THEME = {
  spectral: {
    primary: '#00F5FF',
    success: '#00FF88',
    warning: '#FFB800',
    danger: '#FF4444',
    accent: '#FF00FF',
    neutral: '#6B7280',
  },
  glow: {
    low: { inner: '20', outer: '10', spread: 20 },
    medium: { inner: '40', outer: '20', spread: 40 },
    high: { inner: '60', outer: '30', spread: 60 },
  },
  durations: {
    fast: 0.2,
    normal: 0.4,
    slow: 0.6,
    breathe: 2.0,
    pulse: 1.5,
    ambient: 3.0,
  },
  weights: {
    hero: 200,
    title: 300,
    body: ,
    : ,
    : ,
  },
}  ;

2.3 Tailwind Theme Extension

// tailwind.config.ts (theme.extend block)
{
  colors: {
    spectral: {
      primary: 'var(--spectral-primary)',
      success: 'var(--spectral-success)',
      warning: 'var(--spectral-warning)',
      danger: 'var(--spectral-danger)',
      accent: 'var(--spectral-accent)',
      neutral: 'var(--spectral-neutral)',
    },
  },
  transitionDuration: {
    fast: 'var(--duration-fast)',
    normal: 'var(--duration-normal)',
    slow: 'var(--duration-slow)',
  },
}

2.4 Framer Motion Preset Overrides

import { THEME } from './design-tokens';

export const themeMotion = {
  fadeInLeft: {
    initial: { opacity: 0, x: -20 },
    animate: { opacity: 1, x: 0 },
    transition: {
      duration: THEME.durations.normal,
      ease: [0.19, 1, 0.22, 1],
    },
  },
  breathing: {
    animate: { opacity: [1, 0.6, 1], scale: [1, 1.05, 1] },
    transition: {
      duration: THEME.durations.breathe,
      repeat: Infinity,
      ease: 'easeInOut',
    },
  },
  glowPulse: (colour: string) => ({
    animate: {
      boxShadow: [
        `0 0 0 ${colour}00`,
        ,
        ,
      ],
    },
    : { : .., :  },
  }),
};

2.5 Status Colour Mapping

import { THEME } from './design-tokens';

export const STATUS_MAP = {
  pending: THEME.spectral.neutral,
  in_progress: THEME.spectral.primary,
  awaiting_verification: THEME.spectral.warning,
  verification_in_progress: THEME.spectral.warning,
  verification_passed: THEME.spectral.success,
  verification_failed: THEME.spectral.danger,
  completed: THEME.spectral.success,
  failed: THEME.spectral.danger,
  blocked: THEME.spectral.warning,
  escalated_to_human: THEME.spectral.accent,
} as const;

---

Existing Design Tokens Reference

The current baseline lives at apps/web/lib/design-tokens.ts. Key exports:

• SPECTRAL -- Six-colour palette (cyan, emerald, amber, red, magenta, grey)
• BACKGROUNDS -- OLED black foundation with elevation steps
• TEXT -- Six-step text opacity hierarchy
• BORDERS -- Three-step border opacity hierarchy
• EASINGS -- Four physics-based cubic-bezier curves
• DURATIONS -- Six animation duration tokens
• MOTION_PRESETS -- Framer Motion animation presets
• TW -- Tailwind class helper constants

All generated themes must be compatible with this token structure.

---

Theme Presets

Scientific Luxury (Default)

The baseline theme. All values match apps/web/lib/design-tokens.ts.

Primary: #00F5FF (Cyan)    Success: #00FF88 (Emerald)
Warning: #FFB800 (Amber)   Danger:  #FF4444 (Red)
Accent:  #FF00FF (Magenta) Neutral: #6B7280 (Grey)
Glow: standard | Timing: standard | Weights: standard

Midnight Aurora

Cool-shifted palette with extended glow spread for ambient dashboards.

Primary: #00D4FF (Ice Blue)   Success: #00E87A (Mint)
Warning: #FF9F00 (Deep Amber) Danger:  #FF3355 (Crimson)
Accent:  #CC44FF (Violet)     Neutral: #5A6270 (Slate)
Glow: high-spread (50px med)  Timing: slower (+20%)
Weights: lighter (hero 100, title 200)

Solar Flare

Warm-shifted palette with snappy timing for alert-dense interfaces.

Primary: #FFAA00 (Solar Gold) Success: #44FF66 (Neon Green)
Warning: #FF6600 (Flame)      Danger:  #FF2222 (Hot Red)
Accent:  #FF44AA (Hot Pink)   Neutral: #7A7A80 (Warm Grey)
Glow: tight (spread 16px)     Timing: faster (-15%)
Weights: heavier (data 600, title 400)

Deep Ocean

Desaturated blue-green palette with slow, ambient timing for monitoring views.

Primary: #0099CC (Deep Teal)  Success: #00CC99 (Sea Green)
Warning: #CCAA00 (Muted Gold) Danger:  #CC3344 (Muted Red)
Accent:  #9944CC (Deep Purple) Neutral: #556677 (Ocean Grey)
Glow: diffuse (spread 70px)   Timing: slowest (+30%)
Weights: standard

---

Anti-Patterns

Anti-Pattern	Why It Fails	Correct Approach
Overriding #050505 background in theme config	Breaks OLED black foundation	Background is structural, not thematic. Leave it locked.
Using transition: linear in generated presets	Violates physics-based motion requirement	Use outExpo, snappy, or smooth cubic-bezier curves
Generating pastel or low-saturation colours	Insufficient contrast on OLED black	Maintain >= 70% saturation, >= 4.5:1 contrast ratio
Producing grid-cols-2 or grid-cols-4 layout	Symmetrical grids banned by structural rules	Theme controls colour/timing, not layout. Layout is locked.
Setting rounded-lg or rounded-xl in tokens	Violates sharp corner constraint	rounded-sm is structural. Themes cannot modify border radius.
Using CSS @keyframes instead of Framer Motion	Bypasses physics-based animation engine	All motion via Framer Motion presets
Generating white text at 100% opacity	Harsh, breaks opacity hierarchy	Maximum text opacity is 0.95; use the six-step scale

Checklist

Before merging any generated theme:

• Six spectral colours defined with hex values
• All colours pass 4.5:1 contrast against #050505
• Glow intensities within permitted bounds (inner 15-65%, outer 8-35%)
• Animation durations within permitted ranges (0.15s--4.0s)
• Typography weights within permitted ranges (100--600)
• Text opacity scale has six steps, all within bounds
• Border opacity scale has three steps, all within bounds
• CSS variables generated and valid
• TypeScript design token file compiles without errors
• Tailwind config extension is syntactically correct
• Framer Motion presets use physics-based easing only
• Status colour mapping covers all AgentStatus values
• No structural constraints overridden (background, borders, radius, layout)
• Australian English used throughout (colour, not color)

Response Format

[AGENT_ACTIVATED]: XAEM Theme UI
[PHASE]: {Generation | Translation | Review}
[PASS]: {1 - Generate | 2 - Translate}
[STATUS]: {in_progress | awaiting_verification | complete}

{theme generation output or code translation}

[NEXT_ACTION]: {what happens next}

Integration Points

System	Relationship
scientific-luxury	Downstream consumer. XAEM generates, scientific-luxury enforces.
council-of-logic	Shannon check on token count -- no redundant variables.
design-tokens.ts	Baseline reference. Generated themes must be structurally compatible.
genesis-orchestrator	Theme generation may be triggered during SECTION_D (frontend shell).

Australian Localisation

Element	Format	Example
Date	DD/MM/YYYY	13/02/2026
Time	H:MM am/pm	2:30 pm
Timezone	AEST/AEDT	2:30 pm AEDT
Currency	AUD ($)	$1,234.56
Spelling	Australian English	colour, behaviour

All generated tokens, comments, and documentation must use Australian English spelling conventions: colour (not color), customise (not customize), optimise (not optimize), analyse (not analyze).

---

XAEM THEME UI - GENERATION PIPELINE ACTIVE