pencil-mcp-set-variables

Tools

This skill is designed to call the Pencil MCP tool:

• set_variables

If your client namespaces MCP tools, it may appear as mcp__pencil__set_variables.

When to use this skill

Intent Recognition (CRITICAL)

Even if a trigger phrase matches, you must verify the user's intent:

1. Is the user explicitly asking to use "Pencil"?
2. Is the current conversation context clearly about "Pencil" design tasks?

If the answer is NO, do NOT use this skill. (e.g., "Set variables" might refer to .env files).

CRITICAL PREREQUISITE: You must ONLY use this skill when the user EXPLICITLY mentions "Pencil".

ALWAYS use this skill when:

• You are initializing a Design System (e.g., "Init uView Pro colors") in Pencil.
• You need to update the theme (e.g., "Apply Dark Mode") in Pencil.
• You want to define new Design Tokens.

Trigger phrases include:

• "Set Pencil variables"
• "Update Pencil tokens"
• "Change Pencil theme"
• "Define Pencil colors"

Input Parameters

• filePath (string, optional): Path to .pen file.
• variables (object, required): The variable definitions matching the .pen schema.
• replace (boolean, optional):
  • true: Completely replace all existing variables.
  • false (default): Merge/Update existing variables.

How to use this skill

1. Define Schema: Construct the variable objects (Name, Type, Value, Theme Modes).
2. Call Tool: set_variables(variables={...}).
3. Verify: Optionally call get_variables to confirm changes.

Examples

1. Simple: Add a Color

Register a single new color variable.

{
  "variables": [
    {
      "name": "brand/primary",
      "value": "#0066FF",
      "type": "color"
    }
  ]
}

2. Medium: Update Theme Tokens

Update multiple variables for a specific theme (e.g., Dark Mode) by merging.

{
  "replace": false,
  "variables": [
    { "name": "bg/default", "value": "#121212", "type": "color" },
    { "name": "text/primary", "value": "#FFFFFF", "type": "color" }
  ]
}

3. Complex: Full System Replacement

Completely replace the existing variable system with a new set of tokens.

{
  "replace": true,
  "variables": [
    { "name": "spacing/small", "value": 8, "type": "float" },
    { "name": "spacing/medium", "value": 16, "type": "float" },
    { "name": "font/base", "value": "Inter", "type": "string" }
  ]
}

Keywords

English keywords: set variables, update tokens, define theme, design system init, color definition, style dictionary

Chinese keywords: Set variables, update tokens, define theme, design system initialization, color definition, style dictionary