Tokens

/tokens — Design Token System

Audits every hardcoded design value in the codebase, builds or enforces a three-layer token system (primitives → semantic → component), and replaces hardcoded values with tokens throughout.

Token architecture and naming conventions: [SYSTEMS.md](SYSTEMS.md)

If a DESIGN-BRIEF.md exists in the project root: read it before starting. The brief's Color System and Typography fields give you the exact starting point for primitive tokens — use those hex values and font names directly rather than deriving them from scratch.

---

Phase 0 — Environment Setup

0a. Find source root

find . -type d -name "src" \
  -not -path "*/node_modules/*" \
  -not -path "*/.next/*" \
  -not -path "*/dist/*" \
  -not -path "*/.turbo/*" \
  | head -1

If no src/: find . -type d -name "app" -not -path "*/node_modules/*" -not -path "*/.next/*" | head -1

Use the result as `` throughout.

0b. Detect CSS-in-JS

grep -r "styled-components\|@emotion\|@stitches\|vanilla-extract\|linaria" package.json packages/*/package.json apps/*/package.json 2>/dev/null | head -5

If found, the color/spacing greps in Phase 1 must also scan .ts files and template literals — the Phase 1 commands include these where needed. Note which library is in use.

0c. Detect the existing token system

Run all of these — note which ones return results:

# CSS custom properties (most common)
find . -name "globals.css" -o -name "variables.css" -o -name "tokens.css" | grep -v node_modules

# Tailwind config
find . -name "tailwind.config.*" -not -path "*/node_modules/*"

# Style Dictionary / tokens.json
find . -name "tokens.json" -o -name "design-tokens.json" | grep -v node_modules
find . -type d -name "tokens" -not -path "*/node_modules/*"

# shadcn/ui pattern (CSS vars in globals.css under :root)
grep -rn ":root" . --include="*.css" -l | grep -v node_modules | head -5

# Existing token usage (CSS vars already in use)
grep -rn "var(--" "$SRC" --include="*.tsx" --include="*.css" | head -10

Map the result to one of these token homes — all fixes go here:

• CSS custom properties → globals.css :root block
• Tailwind theme.extend → tailwind.config.ts
• Style Dictionary → tokens/ directory JSON files
• None → create globals.css with :root block (see SYSTEMS.md)

0d. Snapshot the current token set

Read the token home file(s) found in 0b. List every existing token name and value. This is the baseline — new tokens must not conflict with or duplicate these.

0e. Check / start dev server (for visual verification)

curl -s --max-time 2 -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" http://localhost:3000

If not 200, start the dev command and wait:

until curl -s --max-time 2 http://localhost:3000 > /dev/null 2>&1; do sleep 1; done && echo "ready"

0f. Write the screenshot script

Write to the project root (needs node_modules). Deleted in Phase 4.

_tokens_screenshot.mjs:

import { chromium } from '@playwright/test';
import { mkdirSync } from 'fs';

const get = (f) => { const i = process.argv.indexOf(f); return i !== -1 ? process.argv[i+1] : null; };
const url    = get('--url');
const output = get('--output') ?? '/tmp/tokens-screenshot.png';
const width  = parseInt(get('--width')  ?? '1280');
const height = parseInt(get('--height') ?? '900');
const auth   = get('--auth');

if (!url) { console.error('--url required'); process.exit(1); }
mkdirSync('/tmp/tokens', { recursive: true });

const browser = await chromium.launch();
const context = await browser.newContext({
  viewport: { width, height },
  ...(auth ? { storageState: auth } : {}),
});
const page = await context.newPage();
try {
  await page.goto(url, { waitUntil: 'networkidle', timeout: 30000 });
} catch {
  await page.goto(url, { waitUntil: 'domcontentloaded', timeout: 30000 });
}
await page.screenshot({ path: output, fullPage: true });
await browser.close();
console.log('saved:', output);

After every screenshot: use the Read tool on the image.

0g. Handle auth-protected screens

ls /tmp/uiux-auth-state.json /tmp/animate-auth-state.json /tmp/copy-auth-state.json /tmp/a11y-auth-state.json 2>/dev/null | head -1

If found, pass --auth to all screenshot calls for protected routes.

---

Phase 1 — Token Audit

1a. Find all hardcoded colors

SRC=

# Hex colors in TSX/JSX (inline styles, arbitrary Tailwind values)
echo "=== Hex colors in TSX ===" && \
grep -rn "#[0-9a-fA-F]\{3,8\}" "$SRC" --include="*.tsx" --include="*.jsx" \
  | grep -v "//.*#[0-9a-fA-F]" | grep -v "\.md"

# Hex colors in CSS
echo "=== Hex colors in CSS ===" && \
grep -rn "#[0-9a-fA-F]\{3,8\}" "$SRC" --include="*.css" --include="*.scss" \
  | grep -v "^.*:.*var(--"

# rgb/hsl inline values
echo "=== RGB/HSL values ===" && \
grep -rn "rgba\?\|hsla\?" "$SRC" --include="*.tsx" --include="*.css" | grep -v "var(--"

# Arbitrary Tailwind color values (hex)
echo "=== Arbitrary Tailwind colors (hex) ===" && \
grep -rn "\(bg\|text\|border\|ring\|shadow\|fill\|stroke\)-\[#" "$SRC" --include="*.tsx"

# Named Tailwind palette colors that should be semantic tokens
# e.g. bg-blue-500 should become bg-primary if blue-500 is the primary color
echo "=== Named Tailwind palette colors ===" && \
grep -rn "\(bg\|text\|border\|ring\|fill\|stroke\)-\(slate\|gray\|zinc\|neutral\|stone\|red\|orange\|amber\|yellow\|lime\|green\|emerald\|teal\|cyan\|sky\|blue\|indigo\|violet\|purple\|fuchsia\|pink\|rose\)-[0-9]\{2,3\}" "$SRC" --include="*.tsx" \
  | grep -v "hover:\|focus:\|dark:\|disabled:" | head -40
# Note: filter hover/focus/dark variants — those are less likely to be primary brand usage
# High-frequency named colors (>5 occurrences) are strong tokenization candidates

If CSS-in-JS detected (styled-components / emotion): also run:

# Hex colors in template literals
grep -rn "#[0-9a-fA-F]\{3,8\}" "$SRC" --include="*.ts" --include="*.tsx" \
  | grep "styled\.\|css\`\|createGlobalStyle\|keyframes" | grep -v "//.*#"

# CSS property values inside template literals
grep -rn "color:\s*#\|background:\s*#\|border.*:\s*#" "$SRC" --include="*.ts" --include="*.tsx"

1b. Find all hardcoded spacing

# Off-grid pixel values in CSS (not on 4px scale)
echo "=== Off-grid spacing in CSS ===" && \
grep -rn "\b[0-9]*[13579]\b\s*px\|[0-9]\+\.\s*[0-9]\+\s*px" "$SRC" --include="*.css" \
  | grep -v "border\|outline\|shadow\|translate"

# Arbitrary Tailwind spacing values
echo "=== Arbitrary Tailwind spacing ===" && \
grep -rn "\(p\|m\|gap\|space\|w\|h\|inset\|top\|left\|right\|bottom\)-\[[0-9]" "$SRC" --include="*.tsx"

# Inline style pixel values
echo "=== Inline style px values ===" && \
grep -rn "style={{" "$SRC" --include="*.tsx" | grep "[0-9]px\|[0-9]rem" | head -20

1c. Find all hardcoded typography values

# Font sizes in CSS not from scale
echo "=== Hardcoded font sizes ===" && \
grep -rn "font-size:" "$SRC" --include="*.css" | grep -v "var(--"

# Arbitrary Tailwind font sizes
echo "=== Arbitrary Tailwind font sizes ===" && \
grep -rn "text-\[[0-9]" "$SRC" --include="*.tsx"

# Font weights not from scale
echo "=== Hardcoded font weights ===" && \
grep -rn "font-weight:\s*[0-9]" "$SRC" --include="*.css" | grep -v "var(--"

# Line heights
echo "=== Hardcoded line heights ===" && \
grep -rn "line-height:\s*[0-9]" "$SRC" --include="*.css" | grep -v "var(--"

1d. Find all hardcoded shadows, radii, and z-indices

# Box shadows not from token
echo "=== Hardcoded shadows ===" && \
grep -rn "box-shadow:" "$SRC" --include="*.css" | grep -v "var(--" && \
grep -rn "shadow-\[" "$SRC" --include="*.tsx"

# Border radii not from token
echo "=== Hardcoded border radii ===" && \
grep -rn "border-radius:" "$SRC" --include="*.css" | grep -v "var(--" && \
grep -rn "rounded-\[[0-9]" "$SRC" --include="*.tsx"

# Magic z-index numbers
echo "=== Magic z-index ===" && \
grep -rn "z-index:\s*[0-9]\|z-\[[0-9]" "$SRC" --include="*.css" --include="*.tsx"

1e. Find duplicate and inconsistent values

# Same color used with different names (group by hex value to find duplicates)
grep -rh "#[0-9a-fA-F]\{3,8\}" "$SRC" --include="*.tsx" --include="*.css" \
  | grep -oE "#[0-9a-fA-F]{3,8}" | sort | uniq -c | sort -rn | head -20

High-count values = the most-used hardcoded colors. These are highest priority for tokenization.

1f. Screenshot every major screen (before state)

Take desktop and mobile for each screen — token changes to spacing and typography can break mobile layouts that look fine at 1280px.

node _tokens_screenshot.mjs --url http://localhost:3000 --output /tmp/tokens/home-before-desktop.png
node _tokens_screenshot.mjs --url http://localhost:3000 --output /tmp/tokens/home-before-mobile.png --width 375 --height 812

Take 3–5 of the most visually distinct screens. Read every image. These are your before-state baseline.

Present the full audit findings grouped by category before continuing.

---

Phase 2 — Token Map

Before writing any code, build a token map — a translation table from every hardcoded value to its proposed token name.

Format:

Hardcoded value | Occurrences | Proposed token name | Layer
#3b82f6         | 23          | --color-primary      | semantic
#1d4ed8         | 8           | --color-primary-dark  | semantic
#f9fafb         | 31          | --color-surface       | semantic
13px            | 4           | --spacing-3-5         | primitive

Rules for naming (from SYSTEMS.md):

• Primitive tokens: --color-{hue}-{shade}, --space-{n}, --radius-{size}
• Semantic tokens: --color-primary, --color-surface, --color-text, --color-border
• Component tokens: --button-bg, --card-shadow (only when component-specific)
• Never name by visual appearance: --blue or --dark-gray → use semantic name
• Semantic names survive color changes: --color-primary stays right when brand changes from blue to green

Group by token layer:

1. New primitive tokens — raw values not already in the system
2. New semantic tokens — meaning-based aliases to primitives
3. Existing tokens to use — values that map to already-defined tokens

Ask user to confirm the token map before starting Phase 3.

---

Phase 3 — Recursive Token Loop

Work category by category: colors → spacing → typography → shadows → radii → z-index. Maximum 3 iterations per category.

3a. Define new tokens

Add all new primitive and semantic tokens to the token home file before replacing any usage.

CSS custom properties pattern:

/* In globals.css */
:root {
  /* Primitives */
  --color-blue-500: #3b82f6;
  --color-blue-700: #1d4ed8;
  --space-1: 4px;
  --space-2: 8px;

  /* Semantic */
  --color-primary:      var(--color-blue-500);
  --color-primary-dark: var(--color-blue-700);
  --color-surface:      #f9fafb;
  --color-text:         #111827;
  --color-border:       #e5e7eb;
}

/* Dark mode — same semantic names, different values */
.dark {
  --color-primary:  var(--color-blue-400);
  --color-surface:  #111827;
  --color-text:     #f9fafb;
  --color-border:   #374151;
}

Tailwind pattern:

// tailwind.config.ts
export default {
  theme: {
    extend: {
      colors: {
        primary:  'var(--color-primary)',
        surface:  'var(--color-surface)',
        border:   'var(--color-border)',
      },
      spacing: {
        '3.5': 'var(--space-3-5)',
      },
    },
  },
}

3b. Replace hardcoded values in components

Work file by file through the highest-occurrence values first. For each:

1. Read the file
2. Replace the hardcoded value with the token
3. Never change logic, layout, or component structure — only the value

CSS replacement:

/* Before */
color: #3b82f6;

/* After */
color: var(--color-primary);

Tailwind class replacement:

/* Before */

/* After */

Inline style replacement (last resort — prefer moving to CSS/Tailwind):

/* Before */
style={{ backgroundColor: '#3b82f6' }}

/* After — move to CSS class if possible */
className="bg-primary"

/* Or if dynamic: */
style={{ backgroundColor: 'var(--color-primary)' }}

3c. Screenshot after each category

sleep 3  # hot reload
node _tokens_screenshot.mjs --url http://localhost:3000 --output /tmp/tokens/home-after--desktop.png
node _tokens_screenshot.mjs --url http://localhost:3000 --output /tmp/tokens/home-after--mobile.png --width 375 --height 812

Read both images. Compare against the before screenshots at both viewports.

The UI should look identical at both sizes. If anything changed:

• Wrong color → token value is wrong, fix the token definition
• Layout shift on mobile → a spacing/size token resolves to a different value than the hardcoded one, fix the token value

3d. Token checklist

Before advancing to the next category:

• [ ] All values in this category replaced with tokens
• [ ] No new hardcoded values introduced during replacement
• [ ] Before/after desktop screenshots are visually identical
• [ ] Before/after mobile screenshots (375px) are visually identical — spacing/typography tokens don't shift layout
• [ ] Token names follow the primitive → semantic hierarchy
• [ ] Dark mode block defines overrides for all semantic tokens (if dark mode exists)
• [ ] No two tokens have the same value and different semantic meaning (consolidate duplicates)
• [ ] No token name describes its appearance (--blue) — only its role (--color-primary)

Any fail → go back to 3b. After iteration 3: flag and advance.

---

Phase 4 — Cleanup & Report

Delete temp scripts:

rm -f _tokens_screenshot.mjs

After each category:

✓ Colors (iteration 1) — 47 hardcoded values → 8 tokens
✓ Spacing (iteration 2) — 12 hardcoded values → 4 tokens

Final summary table:

| Category | Hardcoded Before | Tokens Created | Values Replaced | Iterations | State | |----------|-----------------|---------------|----------------|------------|-------| | Colors | ... | ... | ... | ... | ✓ / ⚠ | | Spacing | ... | ... | ... | ... | ✓ / ⚠ | | Typography | ... | ... | ... | ... | ✓ / ⚠ | | Shadows | ... | ... | ... | ... | ✓ / ⚠ | | Radii | ... | ... | ... | ... | ✓ / ⚠ | | Z-index | ... | ... | ... | ... | ✓ / ⚠ |

Token inventory — all tokens defined, their values, and number of usages.

List all flagged hardcoded values that couldn't be resolved, with the reason.

---

Rules

1. Define before you replace. Token must exist in the token home before any component references it.
2. Primitive before semantic. Raw value first, semantic alias second, component token only when necessary.
3. Name by role, never by appearance. --color-primary survives a rebrand. --color-blue doesn't.
4. Screenshots are the regression test. Before/after must be visually identical. If they differ, the token value is wrong.
5. Dark mode is the test for a good semantic layer. If swapping .dark changes colors correctly with no component edits, the tokens are right.
6. One token per meaning. Two tokens with the same value and same meaning → merge them.
7. Don't tokenize everything. border: 1px solid — the 1px doesn't need a token. Focus on values that change across themes or appear in multiple places.
8. Max 3 iterations per category. Flag and move on.
9. Never change logic. Only the design value — not the condition, component structure, or functionality.

---

See [SYSTEMS.md](SYSTEMS.md) for token architecture, naming conventions, and complete code patterns.

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: dawitlabs
• Source: dawitlabs/ui-skills
• License: MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.