Vois Tokens Skill

You are building UI for a design system that uses shadcn/ui, Tailwind v4, and Motion. This skill defines the rules, constraints, and patterns you must follow. Deviation from these rules produces inconsistent, unmaintainable UI.

This SKILL.md is the entry point. Detailed rules for each topic live in references/ — read only the file(s) relevant to what you’re building, not all of them every time.

Automated checks: a deterministic detector (scripts/detect.mjs) covers the mechanically-verifiable subset of the Pre-Submit Checklist below and can run as a per-edit hook in Claude Code, Cursor, or Codex. See references/hooks.md for setup and which rules are covered.

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Before You Write Anything

1. Check the component manifest. If a component exists for what you need, use it. Do not build a new one.
2. Check the token reference. If a token exists for the value you need, use it. Do not hardcode anything.
3. If neither exists, flag it — don’t invent values or components.
4. After completing any UI work, call vois_record_rule_usage with the rule IDs you applied. This feeds the self-improving design system. If you violated a rule or found a rule unclear, include it with violated: true or ambiguous: true.

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Reference Files

Read the file(s) that match what you’re building. Each file is self-contained — you don’t need to read the others to use one.

File	Read this when you’re working on…	Rule prefix
references/spacing.md	Any padding, margin, or gap value	[DS-SPACING]
references/typography.md	Headings, body text, type scale, fonts, copy punctuation	[DS-TYPOGRAPHY]
references/color.md	Color tokens, OKLCH, dark mode, light-dark()	[DS-COLOR]
references/components.md	Component variants, cva, modals/dialogs, accordions	[DS-COMPONENT] [DS-MODAL]
references/surfaces.md	Border radius, optical alignment, shadows vs. borders, image outlines, enter/exit choreography, icon transitions	[DS-SURFACE]
references/layout-and-responsive.md	Viewport height units, content-visibility, breakpoints	[DS-LAYOUT] [DS-RESPONSIVE]
references/tailwind-v4.md	Tailwind v3→v4 migration, container queries, arbitrary values	[DS-TAILWIND]
references/animation.md	Timing, easing, reduced motion, Motion library usage	[DS-ANIMATION]
references/accessibility.md	Touch targets, focus states, contrast, semantic HTML	[DS-A11Y]
references/css-architecture.md	@theme setup, selector specificity, media queries	[DS-CSS]
references/hooks.md	Setting up the automated per-edit checker, managing ignores	[DS-HOOKS]

Scoped loading: if you only need one or two rules (e.g. vois-router sent you here for a single component decision), read only the matching reference file plus this SKILL.md. You don’t need the full set for a scoped task.

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Pre-Submit Checklist

Run this regardless of which reference files you read — it’s the universal gate before calling anything done.

Spacing

• All spacing values divisible by 4 or 8 [DS-SPACING-001]
• No arbitrary spacing values [DS-SPACING-003]
• Consistent at all tested breakpoints [DS-SPACING-004]

Typography

• No more than 3 text styles in any component [DS-TYPOGRAPHY-001]
• Heading levels sequential, none skipped [DS-TYPOGRAPHY-002]
• Numeric data uses monospace with tabular-nums [DS-TYPOGRAPHY-003]
• Headings have text-wrap: balance [DS-TYPOGRAPHY-006]
• Body copy has text-wrap: pretty [DS-TYPOGRAPHY-007]
• Text containers have max-width: 65ch [DS-TYPOGRAPHY-008]
• Ellipsis is … not ... [DS-TYPOGRAPHY-009]
• Quotes are curly, not straight [DS-TYPOGRAPHY-010]

Color

• No hardcoded hex values [DS-COLOR-001]
• No raw Tailwind palette classes where tokens exist [DS-COLOR-002]
• Both light and dark mode verified manually [DS-COLOR-007]
• Color is not the only signal for error/success/warning [DS-COLOR-003]
• Decorative icons have aria-hidden="true" [DS-COLOR-005]

Components

• Checked component manifest before building anything new [DS-COMPONENT-001]
• Variants used semantically, not just defaulted [DS-COMPONENT-006]
• cva used for variant logic [DS-COMPONENT-002]
• Modals use inert on background content [DS-MODAL-001]
• Modals have overscroll-behavior: contain [DS-MODAL-002]
• scrollbar-gutter: stable on html [DS-MODAL-003]

Surfaces

• Nested rounded elements use concentric radius (outer = inner + padding) [DS-SURFACE-001]
• Icons/buttons optically aligned, not just geometrically centered [DS-SURFACE-003]
• Shadows used instead of borders for depth (not for dividers) [DS-SURFACE-007]
• Image outlines are pure black/white at 0.1 opacity, never tinted [DS-SURFACE-010]
• Enter animations split into chunks and staggered, not one big container [DS-SURFACE-011]
• Exit animations are subtler/shorter than enters [DS-SURFACE-013]
• Icon state transitions use scale 0.25→1, opacity, blur — not visibility toggling [DS-SURFACE-014]

Animation

• UI animations under 300ms (large elements under 500ms) [DS-ANIMATION-001] [DS-ANIMATION-002]
• No keyboard-triggered animations [DS-ANIMATION-003]
• transform-origin set to trigger point, not center [DS-ANIMATION-006]
• No animations from scale(0) [DS-ANIMATION-005]
• prefers-reduced-motion handled [DS-ANIMATION-004]
• No transition: all [DS-TAILWIND-005]
• Hover effects guarded on touch devices [DS-ANIMATION-007]
• will-change only set when stutter is actually observed, only on transform/opacity/filter [DS-ANIMATION-009]

Accessibility

• All interactive elements have :focus-visible styles [DS-A11Y-002]
• No outline: none without a replacement [DS-A11Y-003]
• Touch targets minimum 44x44px [DS-A11Y-001]
• Contrast passes WCAG AA [DS-A11Y-004]
• No div or span as interactive elements without ARIA [DS-A11Y-005]
• All images have alt [DS-A11Y-010]
• <fieldset> and <legend> used for radio/checkbox groups [DS-A11Y-016]
• <br> not used for spacing [DS-A11Y-012]
• <ul>/<ol> used for lists, not stacked divs [DS-A11Y-011]
• loading="lazy" on below-the-fold images [DS-A11Y-013]

Layout

• Using svh/lvh/dvh not vh for viewport-height layouts [DS-LAYOUT-001]
• Long pages use content-visibility: auto on off-screen sections [DS-LAYOUT-002]
• Tested at sm, md, lg breakpoints [DS-RESPONSIVE-002]
• No padding-bottom/margin-top used to space siblings — use gap on parent [DS-LAYOUT-COMP-001]
• No wrapper divs that serve no layout purpose [DS-LAYOUT-COMP-002]
• min-width: 0 on flex children containing text or overflow-prone content [DS-LAYOUT-COMP-003]
• Images with set dimensions have object-fit [DS-LAYOUT-COMP-006]
• aspect-ratio used instead of padding-top percentage hack [DS-LAYOUT-COMP-005]

CSS

• No #id selectors used for styling [DS-CSS-002]
• Selectors no deeper than 2 levels without a class [DS-CSS-003]
• Hand-authored @media queries use em not px [DS-CSS-007]

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Quick Reference

Situation	What to do	Full detail
Need a component	Check manifest first	references/components.md
Nesting rounded elements	outerRadius = innerRadius + padding	references/surfaces.md
Icon or button looks off-center	Align optically, not geometrically	references/surfaces.md
Card/container needs depth	Layered box-shadow, not a border	references/surfaces.md
Image needs a subtle edge	1px outline, pure black/white at 0.1 opacity	references/surfaces.md
Page or section entering	Split into chunks, stagger ~100ms	references/surfaces.md
Icon swapping state (play/pause, like)	scale 0.25→1 + opacity + blur, exact values	references/surfaces.md
Need a color value	Check token list first	references/color.md
Need a spacing value	Round to nearest 4 or 8	references/spacing.md
Need a font size	Use the type scale	references/typography.md
Need full-screen height	svh not vh	references/layout-and-responsive.md
Text container width	max-width: 65ch	references/typography.md
Two colors switching with theme	light-dark()	references/color.md
Animating accordion height	interpolate-size: allow-keywords	references/components.md
Building a modal	inert + overscroll-behavior + scrollbar-gutter	references/components.md
Value doesn’t exist in tokens	Flag it, don’t invent it	—
Animation feels off	Check transform-origin and slow it down	references/animation.md
Hover on mobile	Guard with @media (hover: hover) and (pointer: fine)	references/animation.md
Unsure about contrast	Measure it. 4.5:1 minimum for normal text	references/accessibility.md
Space between two adjacent elements	gap on the parent, not padding-bottom on the first child	references/layout-and-responsive.md
Flex child text overflowing or not truncating	Add min-width: 0 to the flex child	references/layout-and-responsive.md
Fixed-size image looks stretched	Add object-fit: cover or object-fit: contain	references/layout-and-responsive.md
16:9 or other ratio container	aspect-ratio: 16 / 9, not padding-top hack	references/layout-and-responsive.md
Group of radio or checkbox inputs	Wrap in <fieldset> with <legend>	references/accessibility.md
Date or time in content	<time datetime="...">	references/accessibility.md
Hand-authoring a media query	Use em not px for the breakpoint value	references/css-architecture.md
Selector getting hard to override	You’ve gone too deep — add a class instead	references/css-architecture.md
Done with UI work	Call vois_record_rule_usage with rule IDs applied	—

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Reviewing Existing UI

This section applies only when the task is reviewing, auditing, or polishing existing code against this design system — not when building something new from scratch. If you’re asked to “review this component,” “make this feel better,” or “audit this screen for design system alignment,” follow this output format.

Output Format

Present every change as a markdown table with Before and After columns, grouped under a heading per rule or category. Don’t list findings as loose “Before:” / “After:” prose lines outside a table — they’re harder to scan and easy to skim past.

• Include every change made, not a representative subset.
• One diff per row. Don’t bundle two unrelated changes into a single row.
• Cite the specific file and property when it isn’t obvious from the snippet.
• If a category was checked but nothing needed to change, omit that table entirely. Empty tables are noise, not reassurance.

Example

#### Concentric border radius `[DS-SURFACE-001]`
| Before | After |
| --- | --- |
| `rounded-xl` on card + `rounded-xl` on inner button (`p-2`) | `rounded-2xl` on card (`12 + 8`), `rounded-lg` on inner button |

#### Tabular numbers `[DS-TYPOGRAPHY-003]`
| Before | After |
| --- | --- |
| `<span>{count}</span>` on animated counter | `<span className="tabular-nums">{count}</span>` |

#### Scale on press `[DS-ANIMATION-008]`
| Before | After |
| --- | --- |
| `scale(0.9)` on button press | Raised to `scale(0.96)` — below `0.95` reads as exaggerated |

Review Checklist

Run this for any review/audit task, regardless of which reference files the underlying build touched:

• Spacing divisible by 4 or 8, no arbitrary values
• Color uses tokens, not hardcoded hex or raw Tailwind palette
• Nested rounded elements use concentric radius
• Icons/buttons optically aligned, not just geometrically centered
• Shadows used instead of borders for depth (not dividers)
• Component manifest checked before any custom-built equivalent
• Modals have inert, overscroll-behavior: contain, scrollbar-gutter: stable
• Enter animations split/staggered; exits are subtler and shorter
• No transition: all; will-change only where stutter was actually observed
• Touch targets at least 44×44px; focus-visible styles present
• Headings use text-wrap: balance; body copy uses text-wrap: pretty
• Dynamic numbers use tabular-nums

This checklist is deliberately a cross-section of the full pre-submit checklist above — it’s what’s most likely to be wrong in code that predates this design system, not an exhaustive re-walk of every rule. For a from-scratch build, use the full pre-submit checklist instead.