Design System Analysis

VerifiedSafe

Design token analysis and mapping between mocks and themes. Covers token extraction, value mapping, and gap analysis.

Sby Skills Guide Bot
DevelopmentIntermediate
306/2/2026
Claude Code
#design-system#theme-tokens#css-variables#color-conversion#token-mapping

Recommended for

Our review

Analyzes theme tokens (CSS variables) and maps mock colors to NextSpark themes using OKLCH color conversion and similarity calculations.

Strengths

  • Provides detailed CSS variable structure for light and dark modes
  • Includes a practical HEX-to-OKLCH conversion table with examples
  • Offers a similarity formula to compare colors based on lightness, chroma, and hue
  • Lists token categories (background, foreground) with corresponding Tailwind classes

Limitations

  • Conversion values are approximate and may not match mocks exactly
  • Does not handle gradients or complex patterns
  • Depends on a specific globals.css file structure
When to use it

When you need to verify color consistency between a mockup and an existing theme, or identify the correct tokens to implement a design.

When not to use it

If the project does not use a theme system with OKLCH CSS variables, or when dealing with complex animations or interactive states.

Security analysis

Safe
Quality score90/100

The skill only uses read-only tools (Read, Glob, Grep) to inspect local CSS files and environment variables. There is no execution of external commands, no network access, no data exfiltration, and no destructive operations. All operations are confined to reading theme configuration files in the local filesystem.

No concerns found

Examples

List theme tokens
Read the active theme's globals.css and output all CSS custom properties with their current values.
Map mock color to theme token
Map the mock color #137fec to the closest theme token using the similarity formula from the design system skill.
Compare light and dark mode
Show the differences in --background, --foreground, and --primary between the :root and .dark sections of globals.css.

name: design-system description: | Theme-aware design system analysis and token mapping. Covers extracting theme tokens, mapping mock values, and gap analysis. CRITICAL: All values are EXAMPLES - always read actual theme globals.css. allowed-tools: Read, Glob, Grep version: 1.0.0

Design System Skill

Patterns for analyzing design tokens and mapping between mocks and NextSpark themes.

Fundamental Principle

THE DESIGN SYSTEM IS THEME-DEPENDENT.

All values in this skill are EXAMPLES from the default theme. You MUST read the actual theme's globals.css to get real values.

# Determine active theme
grep "NEXT_PUBLIC_ACTIVE_THEME" .env .env.local

# Read theme tokens
cat contents/themes/{THEME}/styles/globals.css

Theme Token Locations

contents/themes/{THEME}/
├── styles/
│   ├── globals.css      # CSS variables (:root and .dark)
│   └── components.css   # Component-specific styles
├── config/
│   └── theme.config.ts  # Theme metadata

CSS Variable Structure

Light Mode (:root)

:root {
  /* Surface Colors */
  --background: oklch(1 0 0);           /* Page background */
  --foreground: oklch(0.145 0 0);       /* Primary text */
  --card: oklch(1 0 0);                 /* Card surfaces */
  --card-foreground: oklch(0.145 0 0);  /* Card text */
  --popover: oklch(1 0 0);              /* Dropdowns */
  --popover-foreground: oklch(0.145 0 0);

  /* Interactive Colors */
  --primary: oklch(0.205 0 0);          /* Primary actions */
  --primary-foreground: oklch(0.985 0 0);
  --secondary: oklch(0.97 0 0);         /* Secondary actions */
  --secondary-foreground: oklch(0.205 0 0);
  --accent: oklch(0.97 0 0);            /* Highlights */
  --accent-foreground: oklch(0.205 0 0);

  /* State Colors */
  --muted: oklch(0.97 0 0);             /* Muted backgrounds */
  --muted-foreground: oklch(0.556 0 0); /* Placeholder text */
  --destructive: oklch(0.577 0.245 27); /* Error/danger */
  --destructive-foreground: oklch(1 0 0);

  /* Border & Input */
  --border: oklch(0.922 0 0);
  --input: oklch(0.922 0 0);
  --ring: oklch(0.708 0 0);             /* Focus rings */

  /* Radius */
  --radius: 0.5rem;
}

Dark Mode (.dark)

.dark {
  --background: oklch(0.145 0 0);       /* Inverted */
  --foreground: oklch(0.985 0 0);
  --card: oklch(0.145 0 0);
  --card-foreground: oklch(0.985 0 0);

  --primary: oklch(0.922 0 0);          /* Adjusted for dark */
  --primary-foreground: oklch(0.205 0 0);

  --muted: oklch(0.269 0 0);
  --muted-foreground: oklch(0.708 0 0);

  --border: oklch(0.269 0 0);
  --input: oklch(0.269 0 0);
}

Color Format Conversion

Mocks often use HEX/RGB, themes use OKLCH.

HEX to OKLCH Mapping

| Mock (HEX) | Approximate OKLCH | Notes | |------------|-------------------|-------| | #ffffff | oklch(1 0 0) | Pure white | | #000000 | oklch(0 0 0) | Pure black | | #137fec | oklch(0.55 0.2 250) | Blue primary | | #101922 | oklch(0.15 0.02 260) | Dark background | | #00d4ff | oklch(0.75 0.15 200) | Cyan accent |

Similarity Calculation

Compare colors by:

  1. Lightness (L) - Most important, weight 0.5
  2. Chroma (C) - Saturation, weight 0.3
  3. Hue (H) - Color angle, weight 0.2
similarity = 1 - (
  0.5 * |L1 - L2| +
  0.3 * |C1 - C2| / maxChroma +
  0.2 * |H1 - H2| / 360
)

Token Categories

Background Tokens

| Token | Tailwind Class | Usage | |-------|----------------|-------| | --background | bg-background | Page background | | --card | bg-card | Card surfaces | | --popover | bg-popover | Dropdowns, menus | | --muted | bg-muted | Subtle backgrounds | | --accent | bg-accent | Hover states | | --primary | bg-primary | Primary buttons | | --secondary | bg-secondary | Secondary buttons | | --destructive | bg-destructive | Error states |

Foreground Tokens

| Token | Tailwind Class | Usage | |-------|----------------|-------| | --foreground | text-foreground | Primary text | | --card-foreground | text-card-foreground | Card text | | --muted-foreground | text-muted-foreground | Secondary text | | --primary-foreground | text-primary-foreground | On primary bg | | --destructive-foreground | text-destructive-foreground | On error bg |

Border Tokens

| Token | Tailwind Class | Usage | |-------|----------------|-------| | --border | border-border | Default borders | | --input | border-input | Input borders | | --ring | ring-ring | Focus rings |

Mapping Process

Step 1: Extract Mock Tokens

From Tailwind config or inline styles:

// From mock's tailwind.config
const mockTokens = {
  colors: {
    primary: '#137fec',
    'bg-dark': '#101922',
    accent: '#00d4ff'
  }
}

Step 2: Read Theme Tokens

# Extract all CSS variables
grep -E "^\s*--" contents/themes/{theme}/styles/globals.css

Step 3: Create Mapping

For each mock token:

  1. Check exact match (hex → hex)
  2. Check semantic match (primary → --primary)
  3. Calculate color similarity
  4. Flag gaps if no good match

Step 4: Document Gaps

{
  "gaps": [
    {
      "mockValue": "#ff5722",
      "mockUsage": "accent icons",
      "closestToken": "--destructive",
      "similarity": 0.72,
      "recommendation": "USE_CLOSEST or ADD_TOKEN"
    }
  ]
}

Output Format: ds-mapping.json

{
  "theme": "default",
  "themeGlobalsPath": "contents/themes/default/styles/globals.css",
  "analyzedAt": "2025-01-09T12:00:00Z",

  "themeTokens": {
    "colors": {
      "--background": "oklch(1 0 0)",
      "--foreground": "oklch(0.145 0 0)",
      "--primary": "oklch(0.205 0 0)",
      "--secondary": "oklch(0.97 0 0)",
      "--accent": "oklch(0.97 0 0)",
      "--muted": "oklch(0.97 0 0)",
      "--destructive": "oklch(0.577 0.245 27.325)"
    },
    "radius": "0.5rem",
    "fonts": {
      "sans": "var(--font-sans)",
      "mono": "var(--font-mono)"
    }
  },

  "mockTokens": {
    "colors": {
      "primary": "#137fec",
      "background-dark": "#101922",
      "accent": "#00d4ff",
      "text-light": "#ffffff",
      "text-muted": "#94a3b8"
    }
  },

  "colorMapping": [
    {
      "id": "color-1",
      "mockValue": "#137fec",
      "mockName": "primary",
      "mockUsage": ["buttons", "links", "focus rings"],
      "themeToken": "--primary",
      "themeValue": "oklch(0.205 0 0)",
      "tailwindClass": "bg-primary text-primary-foreground",
      "matchType": "semantic",
      "similarity": 0.65,
      "notes": "Theme primary is darker, mock is more vibrant blue"
    },
    {
      "id": "color-2",
      "mockValue": "#101922",
      "mockName": "background-dark",
      "mockUsage": ["hero background", "footer"],
      "themeToken": "--background",
      "themeValue": "oklch(0.145 0 0)",
      "tailwindClass": "bg-background",
      "matchType": "closest",
      "similarity": 0.88,
      "notes": "Use dark mode or bg-gray-900"
    }
  ],

  "typographyMapping": [
    {
      "mockFont": "Inter",
      "themeToken": "--font-sans",
      "tailwindClass": "font-sans",
      "matchType": "exact"
    }
  ],

  "spacingMapping": [
    {
      "mockValue": "24px",
      "tailwindClass": "p-6",
      "matchType": "exact"
    }
  ],

  "radiusMapping": [
    {
      "mockValue": "8px",
      "themeToken": "--radius",
      "themeValue": "0.5rem",
      "tailwindClass": "rounded-lg",
      "matchType": "exact"
    }
  ],

  "gaps": [
    {
      "type": "color",
      "mockValue": "#00d4ff",
      "mockName": "accent",
      "mockUsage": ["terminal prompt", "code highlights"],
      "closestToken": "--primary",
      "similarity": 0.45,
      "recommendations": [
        {
          "option": "A",
          "action": "Use --primary",
          "impact": "Loses cyan accent, uses theme primary"
        },
        {
          "option": "B",
          "action": "Add --accent-cyan to theme",
          "impact": "Requires theme modification"
        },
        {
          "option": "C",
          "action": "Use inline text-[#00d4ff]",
          "impact": "Not recommended, breaks theming"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],

  "summary": {
    "totalMockTokens": 12,
    "mapped": 10,
    "gaps": 2,
    "overallCompatibility": 0.83,
    "recommendation": "PROCEED_WITH_GAPS"
  }
}

Output Format: block-plan.json (BLOCKS workflow only)

For the BLOCKS workflow, an additional output is generated to guide block development:

{
  "mockPath": "mocks/",
  "analyzedAt": "2026-01-12T12:00:00Z",
  "workflow": "BLOCKS",

  "existingBlocks": [
    {
      "name": "hero-simple",
      "similarity": 0.85,
      "matchReason": "Similar layout and components"
    },
    {
      "name": "hero-centered",
      "similarity": 0.72,
      "matchReason": "Centered text, different background"
    }
  ],

  "decision": {
    "type": "new" | "variant" | "existing",
    "blockName": "hero-terminal",
    "baseBlock": "hero-simple",
    "reasoning": "Requires custom terminal animation component not in existing blocks"
  },

  "blockSpec": {
    "name": "hero-terminal",
    "category": "hero",
    "fields": [
      {"name": "title", "type": "text", "required": true},
      {"name": "subtitle", "type": "text", "required": false},
      {"name": "primaryCta", "type": "link", "required": true},
      {"name": "secondaryCta", "type": "link", "required": false},
      {"name": "terminalContent", "type": "textarea", "required": true}
    ],
    "customComponents": ["TerminalAnimation"],
    "estimatedComplexity": "medium"
  },

  "developmentNotes": [
    "Terminal animation requires custom React component",
    "Use existing Button component for CTAs",
    "Background gradient matches theme --background token"
  ]
}

Decision Types

| Type | When to Use | Action | |------|-------------|--------| | existing | Mock matches existing block 90%+ | Use existing block, no changes | | variant | Mock matches but needs minor additions | Extend existing block with new variant | | new | Mock requires significant new functionality | Create new block from scratch |

Workflow Integration

| Workflow | ds-mapping.json | block-plan.json | When Generated | |----------|-----------------|-----------------|----------------| | BLOCKS | Yes | Yes | Phase 1 (Mock Analysis) | | TASK | Yes (if mock) | No | Phase 0.6 (if mock selected) | | STORY | Yes (if mock) | No | Phase 0.6 (if mock selected) | | TWEAK | No | No | N/A |

Reusability

This skill applies to ANY design-to-code conversion:

  • Landing pages (mocks → blocks)
  • Email templates (design → HTML)
  • PDF templates (design → React-PDF)
  • Marketing materials

Generating globals.css from Mock (One-Time Setup)

Use this section when initializing a theme from a design mock. This is typically a one-time setup task during theme creation.

When to Use

  • New theme creation from design mock
  • Theme initialization via how-to:customize-theme command
  • Converting a purchased template to NextSpark theme

Step 1: Convert HEX to OKLCH

For each color in mock's Tailwind config, convert from HEX to OKLCH:

function hexToOklch(hex) {
  // Remove # if present
  hex = hex.replace('#', '')

  // Parse RGB
  const r = parseInt(hex.substr(0, 2), 16) / 255
  const g = parseInt(hex.substr(2, 2), 16) / 255
  const b = parseInt(hex.substr(4, 2), 16) / 255

  // Convert to linear RGB
  const rL = r <= 0.04045 ? r / 12.92 : Math.pow((r + 0.055) / 1.055, 2.4)
  const gL = g <= 0.04045 ? g / 12.92 : Math.pow((g + 0.055) / 1.055, 2.4)
  const bL = b <= 0.04045 ? b / 12.92 : Math.pow((b + 0.055) / 1.055, 2.4)

  // Approximate OKLCH
  const L = 0.4122 * rL + 0.5363 * gL + 0.0514 * bL
  const lightness = Math.cbrt(L)

  // Chroma and hue calculation
  const max = Math.max(r, g, b)
  const min = Math.min(r, g, b)
  const chroma = (max - min) * 0.3

  let hue = 0
  if (max !== min) {
    if (max === r) hue = 60 * (((g - b) / (max - min)) % 6)
    else if (max === g) hue = 60 * ((b - r) / (max - min) + 2)
    else hue = 60 * ((r - g) / (max - min) + 4)
    if (hue < 0) hue += 360
  }

  return `oklch(${lightness.toFixed(4)} ${chroma.toFixed(4)} ${hue.toFixed(0)})`
}

Step 2: Generate Dark Mode (Invert Lightness)

For dark mode, invert the lightness (L) value:

function invertLightnessOklch(oklchValue) {
  // Parse oklch(L C H)
  const match = oklchValue.match(/oklch\(([0-9.]+)\s+([0-9.]+)\s+([0-9.]+)\)/)
  if (!match) return oklchValue

  const L = parseFloat(match[1])
  const C = parseFloat(match[2])
  const H = parseFloat(match[3])

  // Invert lightness: L' = 1 - L
  const invertedL = 1 - L

  return `oklch(${invertedL.toFixed(4)} ${C.toFixed(4)} ${H.toFixed(0)})`
}

Which tokens to invert:

  • --background--foreground (swap)
  • --card--card-foreground (swap)
  • --popover--popover-foreground (swap)
  • --muted → invert
  • --muted-foreground → invert
  • --border, --input → invert
  • --primary, --secondary, --accent → typically keep similar or slightly adjust

Step 3: globals.css Template

/**
 * Theme: {theme}
 * Generated from mock: {mockPath}
 * Date: {timestamp}
 *
 * NOTE: Dark mode was auto-generated by inverting lightness values.
 * Review and adjust .dark {} section as needed for your brand.
 */

:root {
  /* Surface Colors */
  --background: {oklch from mock};
  --foreground: {oklch from mock};
  --card: {oklch from mock or default};
  --card-foreground: {oklch from mock or default};
  --popover: {oklch from mock or default};
  --popover-foreground: {oklch from mock or default};

  /* Interactive Colors */
  --primary: {oklch from mock};
  --primary-foreground: {calculated contrast};
  --secondary: {oklch from mock or default};
  --secondary-foreground: {calculated contrast};
  --accent: {oklch from mock or default};
  --accent-foreground: {calculated contrast};

  /* State Colors */
  --muted: {oklch from mock or default};
  --muted-foreground: {oklch from mock or default};
  --destructive: oklch(0.577 0.245 27.325);
  --destructive-foreground: oklch(1 0 0);

  /* Border & Input */
  --border: {oklch from mock or default};
  --input: {oklch from mock or default};
  --ring: {oklch from mock or default};

  /* Chart Colors */
  --chart-1: oklch(0.81 0.1 252);
  --chart-2: oklch(0.62 0.19 260);
  --chart-3: oklch(0.55 0.22 263);
  --chart-4: oklch(0.49 0.22 264);
  --chart-5: oklch(0.42 0.18 266);

  /* Sidebar */
  --sidebar: {based on background};
  --sidebar-foreground: {based on foreground};
  --sidebar-primary: {based on primary};
  --sidebar-primary-foreground: {based on primary-foreground};
  --sidebar-accent: {based on accent};
  --sidebar-accent-foreground: {based on accent-foreground};
  --sidebar-border: {based on border};
  --sidebar-ring: {based on ring};

  /* Typography */
  --font-sans: ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif;
  --font-serif: ui-serif, Georgia, Cambria, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;
  --font-mono: ui-monospace, SFMono-Regular, Menlo, Monaco, Consolas, monospace;

  /* Design Tokens */
  --radius: 0.625rem;
  --spacing: 0.25rem;

  /* Shadows */
  --shadow-2xs: 0 1px 3px 0px hsl(0 0% 0% / 0.05);
  --shadow-xs: 0 1px 3px 0px hsl(0 0% 0% / 0.05);
  --shadow-sm: 0 1px 3px 0px hsl(0 0% 0% / 0.10), 0 1px 2px -1px hsl(0 0% 0% / 0.10);
  --shadow: 0 1px 3px 0px hsl(0 0% 0% / 0.10), 0 1px 2px -1px hsl(0 0% 0% / 0.10);
  --shadow-md: 0 1px 3px 0px hsl(0 0% 0% / 0.10), 0 2px 4px -1px hsl(0 0% 0% / 0.10);
  --shadow-lg: 0 1px 3px 0px hsl(0 0% 0% / 0.10), 0 4px 6px -1px hsl(0 0% 0% / 0.10);
  --shadow-xl: 0 1px 3px 0px hsl(0 0% 0% / 0.10), 0 8px 10px -1px hsl(0 0% 0% / 0.10);
  --shadow-2xl: 0 1px 3px 0px hsl(0 0% 0% / 0.25);
}

/* =============================================
   DARK MODE (Auto-generated by inverting lightness)
   Review and adjust as needed for your brand
   ============================================= */

.dark {
  --background: {inverted};
  --foreground: {inverted};
  --card: {inverted};
  --card-foreground: {inverted};
  --popover: {inverted};
  --popover-foreground: {inverted};
  --primary: {adjusted for dark};
  --primary-foreground: {adjusted for dark};
  --secondary: {inverted};
  --secondary-foreground: {inverted};
  --muted: {inverted};
  --muted-foreground: {inverted};
  --accent: {inverted};
  --accent-foreground: {inverted};
  --destructive: oklch(0.704 0.191 22.216);
  --destructive-foreground: oklch(0.985 0 0);
  --border: {inverted};
  --input: {inverted};
  --ring: {inverted};
  --sidebar: {inverted};
  --sidebar-foreground: {inverted};
  --sidebar-primary: {adjusted};
  --sidebar-primary-foreground: {adjusted};
  --sidebar-accent: {inverted};
  --sidebar-accent-foreground: {inverted};
  --sidebar-border: {inverted};
  --sidebar-ring: {inverted};
}

/* =============================================
   TAILWIND v4 THEME MAPPING
   ============================================= */

@theme inline {
  --color-background: var(--background);
  --color-foreground: var(--foreground);
  --color-card: var(--card);
  --color-card-foreground: var(--card-foreground);
  --color-popover: var(--popover);
  --color-popover-foreground: var(--popover-foreground);
  --color-primary: var(--primary);
  --color-primary-foreground: var(--primary-foreground);
  --color-secondary: var(--secondary);
  --color-secondary-foreground: var(--secondary-foreground);
  --color-muted: var(--muted);
  --color-muted-foreground: var(--muted-foreground);
  --color-accent: var(--accent);
  --color-accent-foreground: var(--accent-foreground);
  --color-destructive: var(--destructive);
  --color-destructive-foreground: var(--destructive-foreground);
  --color-border: var(--border);
  --color-input: var(--input);
  --color-ring: var(--ring);
  --color-chart-1: var(--chart-1);
  --color-chart-2: var(--chart-2);
  --color-chart-3: var(--chart-3);
  --color-chart-4: var(--chart-4);
  --color-chart-5: var(--chart-5);
  --color-sidebar: var(--sidebar);
  --color-sidebar-foreground: var(--sidebar-foreground);
  --color-sidebar-primary: var(--sidebar-primary);
  --color-sidebar-primary-foreground: var(--sidebar-primary-foreground);
  --color-sidebar-accent: var(--sidebar-accent);
  --color-sidebar-accent-foreground: var(--sidebar-accent-foreground);
  --color-sidebar-border: var(--sidebar-border);
  --color-sidebar-ring: var(--sidebar-ring);

  --font-sans: var(--font-sans);
  --font-mono: var(--font-mono);
  --font-serif: var(--font-serif);

  --radius-sm: calc(var(--radius) - 4px);
  --radius-md: calc(var(--radius) - 2px);
  --radius-lg: var(--radius);
  --radius-xl: calc(var(--radius) + 4px);

  --shadow-2xs: var(--shadow-2xs);
  --shadow-xs: var(--shadow-xs);
  --shadow-sm: var(--shadow-sm);
  --shadow: var(--shadow);
  --shadow-md: var(--shadow-md);
  --shadow-lg: var(--shadow-lg);
  --shadow-xl: var(--shadow-xl);
  --shadow-2xl: var(--shadow-2xl);
}

Generation Checklist

  • [ ] All mock colors converted to OKLCH
  • [ ] Dark mode generated with inverted lightness
  • [ ] Complete @theme inline section included
  • [ ] Font stacks included
  • [ ] Shadow definitions included
  • [ ] Clear comment indicating dark mode was auto-generated
  • [ ] Complete, valid CSS output

Related Skills

  • tailwind-theming - Detailed Tailwind CSS patterns
  • shadcn-theming - shadcn/ui theme customization
  • mock-analysis - For extracting mock tokens
  • page-builder-blocks - For applying tokens to blocks
  • block-decision-matrix - For block new/variant/existing decisions
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