Two documents govern console UI, and they cover different ground:
DESIGN.md(repo root): the existing, authoritative reference forweb/srcas it stands today — full-width pages, compact empty states, shared tables/pagination, shadcn controls.web/packages/ds/docs/RULES.md: the same conventions, codified into a real package (@temps-sdk/ds) with templates, a token pipeline, and lint enforcement. ReadRULES.md,brand-guidelines.md, anddesign-system-handoff.mdinweb/packages/ds/docs/before building or reviewing anything that touches it.
Both describe the same visual system (Vercel-inspired Geist theme,
near-black primary, state colors plus small provider brand marks). Neither is the old "operator
ink" prototype (@temps-sdk/op, briefly @temps-sdk/ds, PR #915) — that had
a different visual language (a glyph vocabulary, an "ink" skin class), zero
consumers, and was deleted. Never reference it, its mockups, or its styling.
Scope boundary — read this before touching web/src
@temps-sdk/ds is real and lint-enforced, but production migration of
web/src is partial. Do not assume an existing screen should move
onto the new templates just because it fits one. The numbered follow-ups in
design-system-handoff.md (≈39 hand-rolled page headers, ≥14 stat-tile/chart
call sites, empty-placeholder/empty-state consolidation, useGlobalView)
track remaining work; completed references are noted in the handoff. Migrating one of them is a deliberate task with
its own review, not a drive-by change bundled into unrelated work.
What IS in scope without asking:
- Any new screen or panel in
web/src— build it on the templates. - Any change to
web/packages/dsitself (new primitive, new template variant). - The
design-system/sandbox app.
Classification procedure: data shape → template
For any screen (new, or one you're deliberately migrating), ask what it actually shows:
- A collection of same-shaped things (projects, deployments, logs,
alerts) →
Ledger. Columns + rows + optional toolbar/pagination. - One thing, in detail (a single deployment, project, backup) →
Detail, following the record recipe below. - Input the user submits (settings, onboarding/setup wizard) →
Settings, built fromField/FormErrors. - None of the above cleanly fits (a dashboard, a custom visualization) —
don't force a template. Compose primitives (
PageHeader,Status,TimeChart,Callout) directly and say so in the PR description.
If the screen has no data yet (new feature, no operator config) — that's not
"skip the template," that's PageState variant not-set-up. See CLAUDE.md's
feature-discoverability rule: show the surface, state what's missing, give a
concrete example, link to the settings page. Never render nothing.
The record recipe
Every Detail page, no exceptions: title → verdict → 4-6 facts → main
column → aside.
- Title:
PageHeader'stitle. - Verdict: one
Statusbadge answering "is this OK?" —PageHeader'sverdictslot, directly under the title. - Facts: 4-6 scannable key/value pairs. More than 6 means some of them
belong in
main, not the fact grid. - Main: the record's actual content (logs, config, timeline).
- Aside: optional secondary content (related resources, metadata).
The wired-control rule
A control that can't act yet must look inert, not merely be disabled.
Two concrete patterns in this package:
Button'sbusy/busyLabel: never sets the nativedisabledattribute mid-action (it breaks focus and some screen readers stop announcing the button right when the user needs to know their click registered). Usesaria-disabledplus a click guard instead.EchoDialog's confirm button: same pattern, gated on the typed phrase matching exactly, for irreversible actions (delete, revoke, drop).
Apply this rule to any new control that has a "not ready yet" state — don't
reach for plain disabled by default.
Commands
cd web/packages/ds
bun run lint # typecheck + tokens:check + audit:records
bun run tokens:build # regenerate src/tokens.css after editing tokens.json
bun run tokens:check # fails on tokens.json / tokens.css / globals.css drift
bun run audit:records --dir src # (via lint) raw hex/oklch/px/ms scan
cd design-system
bun run build # sandbox app; see handoff workspace-install caveat before installing
Adding a primitive
- Check
design-system-handoff.md's primitive catalogue first — most needs are an existing primitive's missing prop, not a new component. - If it's genuinely new: add it under
web/packages/ds/src/, export it fromsrc/index.ts, and reuse existing app code where one already exists (relative-path re-export fromweb/src, same pattern@temps-sdk/uialready uses — seeKbd,CopyAction,TimeChartfor examples) rather than duplicating it. - Add it to the gallery in
design-system/(/components) with a working demo. - Update the primitive catalogue table in
design-system-handoff.mdand, if it changes a rule (not just adds a component),RULES.md. - Run
bun run lintfromweb/packages/dsbefore committing.
Machine-checked vs honour-system
| Rule | How it's checked |
|---|---|
Tokens match globals.css/tokens.css |
tokens:check, machine |
No raw hex/oklch/px/ms literal in web/packages/ds/src |
audit-records.mjs, machine |
TypeScript types (incl. PageState not-set-up's required props) |
typecheck, machine |
| Record recipe order, "not set up" copy actually being concrete | Honour-system — review by eye |
| State colors and small provider brand marks, never decoration | Honour-system |
| Correct template chosen for a screen's data shape | Honour-system — this skill's classification procedure |
Production web/src migration follow-ups |
Partially migrated; remaining sites tracked, not enforced |
UI polish references
Use better-ui and emil-design-eng as supplemental review guidance when polishing this system. Read the upstream skill and relevant references before applying it. The binding Temps decisions, existing tokens, and user instructions take precedence where recipes disagree. Do not copy arbitrary motion values into components or introduce a new skin.
Review concrete user journeys: provider selection, wizard validation and Back, time presets and custom ranges, loading, empty, failed, and recovery states. Check small icons at their actual size, neutral selection cues, light/dark surfaces, keyboard focus, reduced motion, and narrow layouts. Frequent filtering should respond immediately. Add motion only when it helps explain a change. Record findings in a Before/After/Why table and state what was actually verified. The sandbox examples must demonstrate working interactions, not inert mockups.
Extraction and architecture review
Use design-system-patterns as supplemental guidance for semantic tokens,
composition, accessible interaction states, and theme coverage. Reuse the console
theme provider; keep sandbox preferences separate from the app.
Use extract-design-system to inventory observed styles before proposing token
changes. For the authenticated local console, the user-approved adapter is
agent-browser: measure computed styles and existing CSS custom properties on
representative routes. Record route, theme, viewport, and sampling limitations.
Never capture credentials, input values, or customer records in the audit.
Keep measurements separate from canonical tokens; a rendered sample does not
prove the entire system. The existing decisions and RULES remain authoritative.