registry-import

name	registry-import
description	Discover, import, and customize design systems from remote sources — awesome-design-md (74 brands), vendor bases (13 systems), and git repositories.
when	Starting a new project that needs a foundation design system, or exploring what's available before creating one from scratch.
workflow	system-setup
commands	["ds search","ds info","ds import awesome","ds import git","ds import vendor","ds customize --brand"]

Registry & Import Skill

Purpose

The emdesign CLI has a design system registry — like npm for design systems. You can search across 74 awesome-design-md brands, 13 vendored bases, and any git repository, then import and customize with your brand's colors and fonts.

Registry Sources

Source	Count	Content	Fetch Method
Vendor (_vendor/open-design/)	13	Full DS (DESIGN.md + tokens.css + code/)	Local filesystem
Awesome-design-md (GitHub)	74	DESIGN.md only (YAML frontmatter)	GitHub raw fetch
Git repositories	∞	DESIGN.md + tokens.css + manifest	Shallow clone
Local (design-systems/)	varies	Full DS	Already installed

Workflow

1. Search   → ds search <query> to find matching systems
2. Inspect  → ds info <id> to see details
3. Import   → ds import <source> <id> to bring it in
4. Validate → ds validate <id> to check contract completeness
5. Customize → ds customize <id> --primary --font --spacing to match brand

Step-by-Step

1. Search — "What's available?"

# List all available systems
emdesign ds search

# Search by keyword
emdesign ds search "fintech"
emdesign ds search "editorial"
emdesign ds search "modern dashboard"

# From a specific source
emdesign ds list --installed   # local only

Results show: id, category, source path, and token count.

2. Inspect — "What's in it?"

emdesign ds info <id>

Shows detailed information: version, category, description, token count, missing roles, primitives list, lint preset, and available blueprints.

3. Import — "Bring it in"

# From awesome-design-md (74 brands)
emdesign ds import awesome linear --name "MyLinear"
emdesign ds import awesome stripe --name "MyFintech"

# From a vendored base
emdesign ds import vendor brutalist --name "MyBrutalist"
emdesign ds import vendor after-hours --name "MyEditorial"

# From a git repository
emdesign ds import git https://github.com/org/ds-repo --name "CustomDS"
emdesign ds import git https://github.com/org/ds-repo --path my-ds --ref develop

Each import produces a complete design system from the source material. For awesome imports, the CLI:

1. Fetches the brand's DESIGN.md from GitHub
2. Parses YAML frontmatter to extract colors, fonts, spacing
3. Generates tokens.css from frontmatter values
4. Writes manifest.json with source attribution
5. Scaffolds default primitives from atelier

4. Validate

emdesign test validate <id> --json

After import, always validate. For awesome-design-md imports, some tokens may be missing if the frontmatter was sparse — fill them in manually.

5. Customize — "Make it yours"

# Quick customization
emdesign ds customize <id> --name "My Brand" --color "#6366f1" --font "Inter"

# Brand-aware customization (V3)
emdesign ds customize <id> --brand "MyApp" --primary "#7c3aed" --secondary "#0f172a"
emdesign ds customize <id> --body-font "Inter" --spacing 4

Customization clones the base system and applies token-level changes. The --brand flag exposes a richer set of customization parameters.

Command Reference

Command	Purpose
ds search <query>	Search across all registry sources
ds info <id>	Show detailed system info
ds import awesome <brand>	Import from awesome-design-md
ds import git <url> [--path]	Import from git repository
ds import vendor <id>	Import from vendored bases
ds customize <id> --color --font	Quick re-skin
ds customize <id> --brand <name>	Brand-aware customization
ds validate <id> --strict	Post-import validation

Common Pitfalls

• awesome-design-md imports are DESIGN.md-only — they have no tokens.css or code/ directory. The CLI generates a tokens.css from YAML frontmatter, which may be incomplete. Always validate and fill gaps.
• Git imports need public repos — private repos are accessed via standard git auth (SSH keys, etc.), but the CLI doesn't handle auth prompts. Configure git credentials beforehand.
• Customize clones — ds customize creates a NEW design system (it clones the base). The original is untouched.
• Search requires GitHub API access — awesome-design-md results depend on GitHub raw content being reachable. If behind a firewall, use ds list --installed instead.