skill · from the design plugin

/design-system

Audit, document, or extend your design system. Use when checking for naming inconsistencies or hardcoded values across components, writing documentation for a component's variants, states, and accessibility notes, or designing a new pattern that fits the existing system.

design plugin
Slash command

try it

you ›install the design plugin

metaphor ›Installed design. /design-system is ready.

you ›/design-system

metaphor ›Loaded the design-system skill. What should I work on?

What the agent is told

This is the skill's SKILL.md, exactly what Metaphor reads before the task.

If you see unfamiliar placeholders or need to check which tools are connected, see CONNECTORS.md.

Manage your design system — audit for consistency, document components, or design new patterns.

Usage

/design-system audit                    # Full system audit
/design-system document [component]     # Document a component
/design-system extend [pattern]         # Design a new component or pattern

Components of a Design System

Design Tokens

Atomic values that define the visual language:

Colors (brand, semantic, neutral)
Typography (scale, weights, line heights)
Spacing (scale, component padding)
Borders (radius, width)
Shadows (elevation levels)
Motion (durations, easings)

Components

Reusable UI elements with defined:

Variants (primary, secondary, ghost)
States (default, hover, active, disabled, loading, error)
Sizes (sm, md, lg)
Behavior (interactions, animations)
Accessibility (ARIA, keyboard)

Patterns

Common UI solutions combining components:

Forms (input groups, validation, submission)
Navigation (sidebar, tabs, breadcrumbs)
Data display (tables, cards, lists)
Feedback (toasts, modals, inline messages)

Principles

Consistency over creativity — The system exists so teams don't reinvent the wheel
Flexibility within constraints — Components should be composable, not rigid
Document everything — If it's not documented, it doesn't exist
Version and migrate — Breaking changes need migration paths

Output — Audit

## Design System Audit

### Summary
**Components reviewed:** [X] | **Issues found:** [X] | **Score:** [X/100]

### Naming Consistency
| Issue | Components | Recommendation |
|-------|------------|----------------|
| [Inconsistent naming] | [List] | [Standard to adopt] |

### Token Coverage
| Category | Defined | Hardcoded Values Found |
|----------|---------|----------------------|
| Colors | [X] | [X] instances of hardcoded hex |
| Spacing | [X] | [X] instances of arbitrary values |
| Typography | [X] | [X] instances of custom fonts/sizes |

### Component Completeness
| Component | States | Variants | Docs | Score |
|-----------|--------|----------|------|-------|
| Button | ✅ | ✅ | ⚠️ | 8/10 |
| Input | ✅ | ⚠️ | ❌ | 5/10 |

### Priority Actions
1. [Most impactful improvement]
2. [Second priority]
3. [Third priority]

Output — Document

## Component: [Name]

### Description
[What this component is and when to use it]

### Variants
| Variant | Use When |
|---------|----------|
| [Primary] | [Main actions] |
| [Secondary] | [Supporting actions] |

### Props / Properties
| Property | Type | Default | Description |
|----------|------|---------|-------------|
| [prop] | [type] | [default] | [description] |

### States
| State | Visual | Behavior |
|-------|--------|----------|
| Default | [description] | — |
| Hover | [description] | [interaction] |
| Active | [description] | [interaction] |
| Disabled | [description] | Non-interactive |
| Loading | [description] | [animation] |

### Accessibility
- **Role**: [ARIA role]
- **Keyboard**: [Tab, Enter, Escape behavior]
- **Screen reader**: [Announced as...]

### Do's and Don'ts
| ✅ Do | ❌ Don't |
|------|---------|
| [Best practice] | [Anti-pattern] |

### Code Example
[Framework-appropriate code snippet]

Output — Extend

## New Component: [Name]

### Problem
[What user need or gap this component addresses]

### Existing Patterns
| Related Component | Similarity | Why It's Not Enough |
|-------------------|-----------|---------------------|
| [Component] | [What's shared] | [What's missing] |

### Proposed Design

#### API / Props
| Property | Type | Default | Description |
|----------|------|---------|-------------|
| [prop] | [type] | [default] | [description] |

#### Variants
| Variant | Use When | Visual |
|---------|----------|--------|
| [Variant] | [Scenario] | [Description] |

#### States
| State | Behavior | Notes |
|-------|----------|-------|
| Default | [Description] | — |
| Hover | [Description] | [Interaction] |
| Disabled | [Description] | Non-interactive |
| Loading | [Description] | [Animation] |

#### Tokens Used
- Colors: [Which tokens]
- Spacing: [Which tokens]
- Typography: [Which tokens]

### Accessibility
- **Role**: [ARIA role]
- **Keyboard**: [Expected interactions]
- **Screen reader**: [Announced as...]

### Open Questions
- [Decision that needs design review]
- [Edge case to resolve]

If Connectors Available

If ~~design tool is connected:

Audit components directly in Figma — check naming, variants, and token usage
Pull component properties and layer structure for documentation

If ~~knowledge base is connected:

Search for existing component documentation and usage guidelines
Publish updated documentation to your wiki

Tips

Start with an audit — Know where you are before deciding where to go.
Document as you build — It's easier to document a component while designing it.
Prioritize coverage over perfection — 80% of components documented beats 100% of 10 components.

Questions

What is the design-system skill?

How do I use design-system in Metaphor?

Install the design plugin by asking the agent "install the design plugin", then type /design-system in the composer.

What is a skill?

A skill is a set of written instructions the agent reads before it starts a kind of task. It changes how the agent works, not what it is allowed to do.