premium-font-scan

name	premium-font-scan
description	Use when a font category is known and local premium files must be checked before choosing the OFL baseline. Unlike font-selection-and-pairing, this resolves availability and licence evidence; embedding routes to font-embedding-and-licensing.
metadata	{"portable":true,"category":"01-typography-and-fonts","compatible_with":["claude-code","codex"]}

Premium Font Scan

Acknowledgement: Shared by Peter Bamuhigire, techguypeter.com.

Use When

• About to commit to a typeface and you want to check whether a purchased premium family is available and would look better than the OFL baseline.
• Called as step 2 of font-selection-and-pairing.

Do Not Use When

• No font category has been chosen yet - classify the artifact first.

Required Inputs

Input	Supplied by	Required?	Why
Design-intent category	Typeface selector	yes	Limits the scan to the correct role
Format and distribution model	Delivery brief	yes	Determines licence permission
Local font tree and manifests	Repository/device	yes	Establishes actual availability

• The chosen font category and the artifact's output format and intended use, so the licence check is meaningful: embedding, reference, or raw file shipment.

Workflow

1. Verify the shared folder taxonomy: before scanning on a new device or after a pull, ensure these exact top-level folders exist under fonts/: 01-formal-institutional, 02-editorial-literary, 03-modern-product-grotesque, 04-technical-data-code, 05-friendly-humanist, 06-expressive-display-artistic, 07-script-cursive-handwritten, and 08-body-ui-workhorses. Create any missing category folder using the idempotent setup command in fonts/README.md. Do not rename categories or move local font files while doing this check.
2. Locate the folder: fonts/<matching-category>/ in this engine.
3. List present families. Premium binaries are gitignored, so they may or may not be on this device. List whatever .ttf/.otf/.woff2 families are actually present.
4. Read MANIFEST.md in that folder. For each present family confirm: role, voice, best use, avoid-for notes, pairing guidance, licence, embedding permitted?, and file redistribution permitted?
5. Decide: if a present family fits the artifact's voice and role better than the baseline and its MANIFEST grants the permission the format needs, use it. Otherwise use the named OFL baseline from font-groups-and-usage.md.
6. Never ship a file you may not redistribute. Embedding a Fontshare face into a built artifact is fine; committing or shipping the raw file is not.
7. Report which family was chosen and why: premium vs baseline, category, role, pairing, and licence basis.

Anti-Patterns

• Using a premium family whose MANIFEST does not grant the needed permission.
• Assuming a premium file is present because it is on another device - always list first.
• Skipping the eight-folder taxonomy preflight on a new device, then creating ad hoc categories.
• Committing premium binaries into any repo.
• Scanning a body workhorse category when the artifact needs an expressive display face.
• Using a script/cursive face for body text or dense UI.

Outputs

Output	Consumer	Evidence / acceptance
Availability inventory	Typeface selector	Files grouped by family and category
Licence disposition	Embedding workflow	Permission and restriction recorded
Resolved font choice	Design owner	Role, pairing, availability, and reason stated

• The resolved typeface, premium or baseline, with role, voice, pairing, and licence basis recorded for the embedding step.

Examples

• See examples/premium-scan-worked.md for a file, manifest, licence, and fallback decision.

Quality Standards

• Treat filesystem evidence and the manifest as authoritative for local availability.
• Record embedding and redistribution permissions separately.
• Stop selection when licence evidence is absent; recover with the named OFL baseline.

Decision Rules

Condition	Decision	Wrong-choice failure
Premium face is present, suitable, and licensed	Prefer it when it improves the artefact	Purchased differentiation is missed
File is absent on this device	Use the OFL baseline	Build depends on an unavailable binary
Embedding allowed but redistribution forbidden	Embed only in the permitted artefact	Raw font is unlawfully shipped
Licence evidence is missing	Stop and use the baseline	Permission is guessed

Capability Contract

Read and filesystem search are required. Create a missing taxonomy directory only through the documented idempotent preflight; do not move, delete, commit, or redistribute binaries. Network access is optional for licence verification.

Degraded Mode

Without local file access, return the category baseline and a pending scan checklist. Without reliable rights evidence, mark the premium option blocked and recover with the OFL baseline.

• examples/premium-scan-worked.md - a full worked scan for a startup-product artifact: scan fonts/03-modern-product-grotesque/, read its MANIFEST, find Satoshi present, apply its Fontshare embed-yes/redistribute-no rule, decide premium-vs-baseline with the licence basis stated, and record the resolved face.

References

• fonts/README.md - required eight-category folder taxonomy and new-device setup command.
• doctrine/references/font-groups-and-usage.md, licensing-and-embedding.md; the per-category fonts/<category>/MANIFEST.md.