open-design-edit
Steer one part of an existing design in one direction — bolder, quieter, denser, roomier, simpler, more polished or sturdier — and change nothing else, with a check that proves only that part changed and a before and after to show — use whenever the user wants one part of an existing Open Design design changed in a direction rather than redesigned ("make the hero pop", "tone down the footer", "the table feels cramped", "simplify this section", "clean up the pricing cards", "what if the names are really long?", "make it bolder"), or clicked a verb in the preview, even if they don't mention Open
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SKILL.md
name: open-design-editdescription: Steer one part of an existing design in one direction — bolder, quieter, denser, roomier, simpler, more polished or sturdier — and change nothing else, with a check that proves only that part changed and a before and after to show — use whenever the user wants one part of an existing Open Design design changed in a direction rather than redesigned ("make the hero pop", "tone down the footer", "the table feels cramped", "simplify this section", "clean up the pricing cards", "what if the names are really long?", "make it bolder"), or clicked a verb in the preview, even if they don't mention Open Design; not for a new design or a whole new directionSteer one part of a design: one verb, one part, nothing else changes.
Request: the rest of the user's message (if there is none, ask the user: "Which part should change, and how?")
How to talk to the user. Many people using Open Design don't write code, so:
- Use the user's own words. If they say "artifact", "design tokens" or give a file path, use those terms back; otherwise use the plain words below.
- Keep the machinery out of replies: no tool names, no ids like
od:prototype:poster-hero, no internal files (.artifact.json,.comments.json,config.json), and not the words "register", "manifest", "sidecar", "entry" or "surface", unless the user used them first. - Explain a print term the first time it comes up, in one short clause, and not again.
- Say where a file is the way the user would find it ("in your Open Design folder, under seed-swap-flyer"). Give a raw path only where the user can click it (Claude Code, Claude Desktop's Code tab, VS Code) or asks for it.
- End each reply that finishes a step with one line on what they can do next, with at most two options ("Want it in Instagram sizes too, or is it ready to print?").
| Instead of | Say |
|---|---|
| artifact, entry, registered | your design, saved |
| design system, active design system | your style (the first time: "a saved style: colours, fonts and spacing") |
| surface, skill, template, recipe | kind of design, starting layout, or nothing |
| workspace, output directory | your folder, your Open Design folder |
| bleed | print edge ("a few millimetres extra that the printer trims off") |
| trim size | final size |
| preflight findings, errors | "I checked it and fixed…", "one thing to look at:" |
| export | save as PDF, save as an image |
| inline preview, MCP App | the preview above |
1. Find the design, the verb and the part
The design is the one the user is looking at or just made; if there are several, use the most recent one they talked about. Map their words to one verb:
| They say | Verb |
|---|---|
| make it pop, more punch, stand out, more confident | bolder |
| tone it down, too loud, calmer, softer, less shouty | quieter |
| tighten it up, fit more in, too much space, compact | denser |
| feels cramped, give it room, breathe, too tight | roomier |
| simplify, too busy, cut the clutter, less is more | distill |
| clean it up, feels unfinished, tidy, sharpen | polish |
| long names, empty or error states, edge cases, make it robust | harden |
The part is what they pointed at: a section by its heading ("the pricing section" → { "heading": "Pricing" }), a region (header, hero, main, footer), or the comment they made in the preview ({ "commentId": "c-…" }). Use the whole page ({ "region": "page" }) only for polish and harden.
Ask one short question only when you can't tell the part. When the request is for a whole new look ("make the whole page bolder", "a completely different style"), don't edit: offer to explore directions with open-design-explore. When the change isn't a direction at all ("change the price to $19", "add a FAQ"), make it as an ordinary edit.
When the request names two verbs ("bolder and roomier"), do them as two edits, one after the other.
2. Prepare
Call prepare_open_design_edit with entryPath, verb, scope, and the user's own words as notes. If it says the scope matches nothing or several parts, pick from the candidates it lists, or ask the user which one.
3. Edit
Follow the instructions it returns: change only the marked part, keep its data-od-id, and put CSS in rules scoped to it. Don't re-register the design unless the instructions say to (a comment to resolve).
4. Check
Call check_open_design_artifact with the editId.
edit-out-of-scope: something outside the part changed. Undo that change, usually by scoping a CSS rule to the part, and check again.edit-regression: the edit made something worse (a tap target too small, contrast too low). Fix it inside the part and check again.edit-no-effect: nothing measurable moved. Look at the before and after; if it really looks the same, go one step further, once.
At most two fix rounds; tell the user about anything left.
5. Show it
Show the before and after image the check attached, and say in one sentence what changed ("The pricing heading is now 44 px and the Team plan has a solid blue button; nothing else moved."). Offer, in one line: steer it again (the same verb again means more), try another verb, or undo it (prepare_open_design_edit with undo and the editId).