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tailwind-design-systemby Seth Hobson

Tailwind Design System Skill.

A Claude Code and Codex skill for brand and design-system work: design systems with Tailwind CSS v4: tokens, component libraries, responsive patterns.

  • Brand & Design Systems
  • Design system
wshobson/agents · plugins/frontend-mobile-development/skills/tailwind-design-system/SKILL.mdSKILL.md
--- name: tailwind-design-system description: Build scalable design systems with Tailwind CSS v4, design tokens, component libraries, and responsive patterns. Use when creating component libraries, implementing design systems, or standardizing UI patterns. --- ## When to Use This Skill ## Key v4 Changes ## Quick Start ## Core Concepts ## Detailed patterns and worked examples
Front matter and section headings read from the upstream file on 2026-09-14 · 5,266 characters in full

01 What it does

What the tailwind-design-system Skill Does in Claude Code and Codex

Summary, workflow and outputs, all read from the skill's SKILL.md.

From the SKILL.mdRead 2026-09-14 · not a recorded run

In the Skill's Own Terms

Builds production-ready design systems on Tailwind CSS v4 (2024+). It walks through CSS-first configuration, where @theme in app.css replaces tailwind.config.ts, semantic color tokens written in OKLCH, radius and animation tokens whose keyframes sit inside @theme, class-based dark mode declared with @custom-variant, and base styles applied in @layer base.

It also sets out the token hierarchy from brand to semantic to component tokens, a component architecture running base styles, variants, sizes, states and overrides, plus responsive and accessible component patterns. Written for teams creating a component library, standardizing UI patterns across a codebase, or migrating from Tailwind v3.

Tailwind CSSDesign system
See the example prompt ↗

How It Works

  1. 01
    Import Tailwind in the CSS Entry Point

    app.css starts with a single @import rather than the v3 @tailwind base/components/utilities directives.

  2. 02
    Declare the Semantic Token Set Under @theme

    Background, foreground, primary, secondary, muted, accent, destructive, border, ring and card are all declared as color tokens in OKLCH.

  3. 03
    Add Animation Tokens with Their Keyframes

    --animate-fade-in and --animate-fade-out run at 0.2s, --animate-slide-in and --animate-slide-out at 0.3s, each with a matching @keyframes block declared inside @theme.

  4. 04
    Override the Same Token Names Under .dark

    The dark block reassigns every token rather than introducing new names, mirroring background, foreground, primary, secondary, muted, accent, destructive, border, ring, card and ring-offset.

  5. 05
    Set Base Layer Defaults

    @layer base applies border-border to every element and gives body the themed background, foreground color and antialiasing.

  6. 06
    Build Components in Layer Order

    Components move through base styles, variants, sizes, states and overrides in that sequence.

02 Find your fit

When to Use the tailwind-design-system Skill

Use the tailwind-design-system skill in Claude Code or Codex when the job is brand and design-system work of this kind. Fit and limits below are taken from the skill's own file.

Good Fit

  • Creating a component library with Tailwind v4
  • Implementing design tokens and theming with CSS-first configuration
  • Building responsive and accessible components
  • Standardizing UI patterns across a codebase
  • Migrating from Tailwind v3 to v4

Know the Boundaries

  • Needs Tailwind CSSThe SKILL.md names this dependency; the skill does not work without it in your project.

What to Provide

  • NeedsTailwind CSS — named in the SKILL.md as required.

03 Inside the skill

Rules the tailwind-design-system Skill Gives Claude Code and Codex

3 concrete instructions, defaults and limits the SKILL.md sets for the agent — the part of the file that changes the result.

  1. V4 Only

    The skill targets Tailwind CSS v4 (2024+); anyone on a v3 project is sent to Tailwind's upgrade guide instead of using these patterns.

  2. Dark Mode Is a CSS Variant

    Class-based dark mode is written as a custom variant in CSS; the .dark class remains the toggle that activates the overrides.

  3. Color Tokens Come in Foreground Pairs

    Primary, secondary, muted, accent, destructive and card each ship with a matching -foreground token, so text color on a surface is never guessed.

04 Put it to work

Install tailwind-design-system in Claude Code or Codex

One npx skills add command, then a first task in your agent and a checklist for the result.

Add tailwind-design-system to Claude Code, Codex or Your Agent

Run in your project; the installer asks which agent to add it to.

Terminal
npx skills add https://github.com/wshobson/agents --skill tailwind-design-system

Generic skills CLI form for plugins/frontend-mobile-development/skills/tailwind-design-system/SKILL.md; the repository may document its own path.

Give the Skill a First Brand and design-system Work Task

The SKILL.md does not include an example prompt; this starter is written from the catalog one-liner. Replace the task line with your real brief.

Starter prompt
Use the tailwind-design-system skill on the material I attach. What the skill should do here: Design systems with Tailwind CSS v4: tokens, component libraries, responsive patterns. Rules: do not invent copy, data or brand assets. State your plan first, then produce the result and tell me what to check.

Source: starter prompt written from the catalog one-line use (not from the SKILL.md).

Check the First Result

Before accepting the output, look for these in the transcript and the files:

  • The result is delivered as Design system, as the catalog lists for this skill.
  • The agent names the tailwind-design-system skill in its plan or transcript before producing the result.
  • Tailwind CSS is present in the project; the skill does not substitute for it.
  • Your own content, names and numbers appear unchanged in the output.

In OpenDesign import tailwind-design-system from its SKILL.md link: Plugins → Add → Skill → Import from link, then pick it in the top bar.

05 Open source, traceable

Source, License and Verification

Where this page's facts come from, and when they were last checked.

Repository
github.com/wshobson/agents Branch main
Skill file
plugins/frontend-mobile-development/skills/tailwind-design-system/SKILL.md Content checksum recorded at verification; commit 4236bb9
License
MIT From LICENSE.
Repository stars
39,635 GitHub snapshot taken 2026-09-14 for the whole wshobson/agents repository, which contains 18 skills in this catalog. Not a rating or usage count for tailwind-design-system.
Verified by OpenDesign
2026-09-14 Source file, path, license text and star count were checked. Not bundled in OpenDesign main (checked 2026-08-28); a live run has not been recorded on this page.
The Skill's Own Description
“Build scalable design systems with Tailwind CSS v4, design tokens, component libraries, and responsive patterns. Use when creating component libraries, implementing design systems, or standardizing UI patterns.”

Front-matter description from SKILL.md. The full file is about 5,266 characters. Read the full file on GitHub.

Tailwind Design System

Run tailwind-design-system on a Real Brand and design-system Work Task.

Download OpenDesign, import tailwind-design-system from its SKILL.md link, paste the prompt above, and read the plan before the result.

Terminal
npx skills add https://github.com/wshobson/agents --skill tailwind-design-system

OpenDesign Desktop

One design system. Every output unmistakably your brand

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