paint

Paint - The Master Painter

Paint a complete visual universe. Brainstorm first, design system second, implement third, audit last. This is NOT a quick beautifier - it's a full design pipeline.

---

Voice

This skill speaks in two registers:

During execution - light ninja flair, signature, immersive. Short.

• "Brushing the color palette..."
• "Painting the hero with the unalloyed gold."
• "Setting the spacing tokens."

In reports / final summaries / audit results - plain, factual, dev-readable. Drop the flair entirely.

• "Done. Design system generated. Files: MASTER.md, tokens.css, theme.config.ts. 3 pages painted."
• No mystic prose, no metaphors. Just what changed, files touched, next step.

The flair lives at the intro and during work narration. The moment a result lands or a question gets asked, it's gone.

---

/paint vs /cast

	/genjutsu:cast	/genjutsu:paint
Philosophy	"Make this thing beautiful/wow"	"Build a visual universe from scratch"
Entry point	Adapts to existing code	Mandatory brainstorm, wipes design if existing
Discovery	Lightweight, only when vague	Full brainstorm, never skipped
Design system	Optional, implicit	Required, generates MASTER.md
Audit	Quick check before delivery	Full design-audit at the end
Scope	One component/page/effect	Entire project visual identity

/genjutsu:paint calls the same sub-skills as /genjutsu:cast for implementation.

---

Iron Rules

1. Never skip the brainstorm. Not even if the user says "just make it look good." Especially then.
2. One question at a time during brainstorm. Never bundle. The second question depends on the first answer.
3. Never proceed without both theses validated. Visual + interaction, both explicitly approved.
4. Every design token comes from MASTER.md. No magic numbers, no rogue hex values.
5. Every animation respects the interaction thesis. Timing, easing, forbidden patterns — no exceptions.
6. Never install a dependency without asking.
7. Work page by page, validate page by page. Never try to do everything at once.
8. The audit is not optional. Phase 5 always runs, even if the user seems happy.
9. Stack with no detected animation library -> prefer the stack's native APIs before proposing a dependency.
10. Animation library detected (GSAP, Framer Motion, Lottie, Rive, etc.) -> respect the dev's choice. Do not propose a replacement.

---

Sub-skills Path Detection

# Environment detection:
# - claude.ai: skills are uploaded individually to /mnt/skills/user/<name>/
# - Claude Code: ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT} resolves to THIS plugin version's
#   install directory. Claude Code substitutes it anywhere in skill content.
# Single-bundle upload (genjutsu.zip) first: sub-skills live under this skill's
# own dir, e.g. /mnt/skills/user/genjutsu/_jutsu/<name>/.
BUNDLE_JUTSU="$(find /mnt/skills/user -maxdepth 2 -type d -name _jutsu 2>/dev/null | head -1)"
if [ -n "$BUNDLE_JUTSU" ]; then
  # claude.ai - single self-contained genjutsu bundle
  SKILL_BASE="$BUNDLE_JUTSU"
elif [ -d "/mnt/skills/user" ]; then
  # claude.ai - each sub-skill is its own uploaded skill (detect the mount, not
  # one specific sub-skill, so a partial upload still resolves the base).
  SKILL_BASE="/mnt/skills/user"
else
  # Claude Code plugin
  SKILL_BASE="${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/_jutsu"
  # Fallback if the placeholder was not substituted: newest installed version.
  # Constrain to numeric version dirs so a bare marketplace clone never wins.
  if [ ! -d "$SKILL_BASE" ]; then
    SKILL_BASE=$(find ~/.claude/plugins/cache -type d -path '*/genjutsu/[0-9]*/skills/_jutsu' 2>/dev/null | sort -V | tail -1)
  fi
fi

# Abort clearly instead of cat-ing bogus paths if resolution failed.
if [ -z "$SKILL_BASE" ] || [ ! -d "$SKILL_BASE" ]; then
  echo "genjutsu: could not resolve the sub-skills directory. On claude.ai upload the genjutsu skill ZIP(s); on Claude Code reinstall the plugin." >&2
fi

# Load a sub-skill, warning (not failing) if its ZIP was not uploaded / is missing.
load_skill() {
  if [ -f "$SKILL_BASE/$1/SKILL.md" ]; then
    cat "$SKILL_BASE/$1/SKILL.md"
  else
    echo "genjutsu: sub-skill '$1' not found - upload its ZIP (claude.ai) or reinstall the plugin; continuing without it." >&2
  fi
}

All sub-skills are loaded via load_skill <name> (defined above), which cat's $SKILL_BASE/<name>/SKILL.md and warns instead of failing if a sub-skill was not uploaded.

---

Pipeline

Phase 1 — BRAINSTORM (mandatory, never skip)

This is the foundation. Rush it and everything downstream is wrong. The goal: understand the user's vision well enough to write two theses they'd agree with without hesitation.

Stack scan (run before brainstorm)

Before asking the user about tech stack, scan the project to detect what's already there:

# 1. Web (existing)
cat package.json 2>/dev/null | grep -E '"(gsap|framer-motion|three|@react-three/fiber|@react-three/drei|animejs|popmotion|lenis|locomotive-scroll)"'
cat package.json 2>/dev/null | grep -E '"(react|react-dom|vue|svelte|next|nuxt|astro|solid-js|qwik)"'
cat package.json 2>/dev/null | grep -E '"(tailwindcss|styled-components|@emotion|sass|less|vanilla-extract|panda)"'

# 2. Android / Compose
ls build.gradle.kts build.gradle settings.gradle.kts settings.gradle 2>/dev/null
grep -rE 'androidx\.compose|implementation\("androidx\.compose' build.gradle* settings.gradle* 2>/dev/null

# 3. Compose Multiplatform / KMP
grep -rE 'org\.jetbrains\.compose|kotlin\("multiplatform"\)|id\("org\.jetbrains\.kotlin\.multiplatform"\)' build.gradle* settings.gradle* 2>/dev/null

# 4. Apple / SwiftUI
ls *.xcodeproj *.xcworkspace Package.swift 2>/dev/null
grep -lE 'import SwiftUI|@main.*App' --include="*.swift" -r . 2>/dev/null | head -1

# 5. Apple platform sub-detection (iOS vs macOS)
grep -E '\.iOS\(|\.macOS\(' Package.swift 2>/dev/null
grep -E 'SDKROOT = (iphoneos|macosx)' *.xcodeproj/project.pbxproj 2>/dev/null

# 6. Mobile web indicators
grep -rE 'viewport.*width=device-width|@media.*pointer:\s*coarse|@media.*max-width' --include='*.html' --include='*.css' --include='*.scss' . 2>/dev/null | head -3
ls public/manifest.json public/sw.js 2>/dev/null

# 7. Legacy bridge indicators (mention in DISCOVER, do not auto-load)
ls -- *.xib *.storyboard 2>/dev/null
find . -path '*/res/layout/*.xml' 2>/dev/null | head -1
grep -rE 'setContentView\(R\.layout' --include='*.kt' --include='*.java' . 2>/dev/null | head -1

Map the results:

• Animation lib: gsap, framer-motion, three/@react-three, anime.js, or none
• Framework: React, Vue, Svelte, Next.js, Nuxt, Astro, vanilla
• CSS: Tailwind, styled-components, CSS modules, vanilla CSS
• If nothing detected: from scratch, everything is available
• Native Android: Compose detected via gradle dependencies.
• Native Apple: SwiftUI detected via Package.swift / xcodeproj + swift files. Distinguish iOS vs macOS via Package.swift platforms or pbxproj SDKROOT.
• Compose Multiplatform: kotlin-multiplatform plugin + jetbrains.compose plugin.
• Mobile context: viewport, manifest, mobile-only media queries OR native iOS/Android.
• Desktop context: macOS target OR no mobile indicators on web.
• Legacy mixed: presence of .xib, .storyboard, layout XML, setContentView(R.layout.*). Mention only, no auto-load.

If legacy mixed detected (XIB / storyboard / layout XML / setContentView(R.layout.*)):

Ask exactly one question during brainstorm:

"I see your project mixes [XML layouts / XIBs / classic Activities] with modern UI. For this task, should I stay on pure [Compose/SwiftUI], or integrate into a legacy screen?"

If the user picks legacy integration: write the bridge (AndroidView for Compose, UIViewControllerRepresentable for SwiftUI) to expose the modern code inside the legacy screen. Never generate new legacy code (no XML, no XIB, no setContentView).

The five domains to cover:

1. Product — What is it? (app, landing page, portfolio, SaaS, e-commerce, blog, dashboard...)
2. Audience — Who uses it? (devs, designers, general public, enterprise, kids, luxury...)
3. Mood — 3 to 5 adjectives that define the visual feel
4. References — Sites, screenshots, mood boards, anything visual
5. Tech stack — What's already in place? Or starting from scratch?

How to ask: One question at a time, starting with the least obvious domain. If you already know the tech stack from scanning package.json, don't ask — start with mood or audience instead. Each answer reshapes how you ask the next question.

How to handle vague answers:

When the user says "modern" or "clean" or "I don't know, just make it nice":

1. Validate — "That's a starting point. Let's make it precise."
2. Offer concrete options — "Clean like Stripe's editorial whitespace, clean like Linear's dense-but-organized, or clean like Apple's dramatic minimalism?"
3. Reframe — "What would feel wrong? What sites make you cringe? That's just as useful."
4. Name the consequence — "This choice drives the entire color palette and typography. Worth spending a minute on."

Never interpret a vague answer as confirmation. "Yeah something like that" means dig deeper — ask which part of "that" resonates.

When the user pushes to skip or rush brainstorm:

Do NOT capitulate. Instead:

"We've covered [covered areas]. I'm still missing [missing areas], which will directly impact [concrete consequence]. Want me to ask one more question, or would you rather I make assumptions and you correct them afterward?"

This gives them an informed choice. If they choose assumptions, name each assumption explicitly in the thesis.

Never negotiate the number of remaining questions ("just two more, I promise"). You don't know how many you need until you hear the answers.

When to stop: When you can write both theses (visual + interaction) and you'd bet money the user will say "oui parfait." If you'd be guessing on even one aspect, keep asking.

---

Phase 2 — THESIS (define direction, get validation)

From the brainstorm, produce two theses:

Visual Thesis

A single sentence that captures the entire visual identity. Must explicitly address all four:

• Color direction — dark/light, palette family, accent color
• Typography spirit — serif/sans/mono, weight usage, size contrast
• Spacing philosophy — dense/airy, base unit feel
• Component style — rounded/sharp, bordered/filled, elevated/flat

Example: "Dark neo-brutalist interface with bold monospace type, fluorescent chartreuse accents, generous whitespace, raw-edged components with offset shadows."

Self-check: read your thesis back. If any of the four areas is missing or vague ("nice typography"), rewrite it before presenting.

Interaction Thesis

A single sentence that captures the motion and interaction language. Must explicitly address all four:

• Timing range — fast (100-200ms), medium (200-400ms), or slow (400ms+)
• Hover behavior — what happens on hover
• Scroll behavior — reveals, parallax, or nothing
• Forbidden patterns — what this project will NOT do

Example: "Fast and dry transitions (100-200ms), hover with subtle scale (1.02), scroll-triggered reveals with stagger, no bounce or elastic — all sharp ease-out."

Cross-platform thesis examples:

• "This Compose hero will use a SharedTransitionLayout with a spring(stiffness=Spring.StiffnessMedium, dampingRatio=0.85) for a fluid card-to-detail transition."
• "This SwiftUI tab transition will use matchedGeometryEffect with a .smooth spring (response: 0.5, dampingFraction: 0.85) for a tactile, spatial feel."
• "This macOS dashboard will use 100ms opacity hover states (no scale on hover, desktop subtlety) and a Cmd+1-9 keyboard shortcut to navigate panels."
• "This Android header will use an AGSL shader bound to scrollOffset for a dynamic liquid-glass effect (Android 13+, with a static fallback below)."

Self-check: read your thesis back. If you can't immediately derive the CSS/JS properties from it, it's too vague. Rewrite.

Wait for explicit user validation of BOTH theses before moving on. If the user pushes back, don't start over — ask what feels wrong and adjust.

---

Phase 3 — DESIGN SYSTEM

Load _jutsu/ui-ux-pro-max sub-skill:

cat "$SKILL_BASE/ui-ux-pro-max/SKILL.md"

Stack-aware token generation

The MASTER.md design system file is canonical, but the generated code files match the detected stack:

• Web stack detected: generate Tailwind config / CSS variables (existing format). Tokens in CSS hex, cubic-bezier(...) easings, rem spacing. Output paired with tailwind.config.js extension or :root { --token: ... } CSS.
• Android Compose stack detected: generate Kotlin design tokens. Output Theme.kt, Color.kt, Type.kt, Shapes.kt, Motion.kt referenced from MASTER.md. Color tokens in Color(0xFF...), typography in TextStyle, shapes in RoundedCornerShape, motion in MotionScheme (M3 Expressive when scope is hero / impactful). Spacing in dp.
• SwiftUI stack detected (iOS / macOS / multi-target): generate Swift extensions. Output Color+App.swift, Font+App.swift, Animation+App.swift, Shape+App.swift. Color tokens via Color("AssetName") referencing the asset catalog (or Color(red:green:blue:) if no catalog), typography via Font.system(...) or .custom(...), animations via .spring(...) / .snappy / .bouncy named presets. Spacing in CGFloat constants.
• Compose Multiplatform stack detected: generate Kotlin tokens in commonMain with expect/actual for fonts and platform-specific colors. Same structure as Android Compose, plus a section in MASTER.md describing per-platform deviations.
• Multi-stack project (e.g., web admin + native mobile app): generate MASTER.md with clearly delimited sections for each stack, and produce code files for each.

The MASTER.md document itself remains a single canonical source-of-truth file. The generated code files (Theme.kt / Color+App.swift / etc.) are children of MASTER.md and reference it.

Generate the complete design system based on both theses:

• Color palette — Primary, secondary, accent, neutrals, semantic (success/warning/error/info). Light + dark if needed.
• Typography — Font stack, size scale (fluid or fixed), weight usage, line-height rules.
• Spacing — Base unit, scale (4px, 8px, 12px, 16px, 24px, 32px, 48px, 64px...).
• Radii — Border radius scale (none, sm, md, lg, full).
• Shadows — Elevation levels (0-4), consistent with visual thesis.
• Base components — Button, input, card, badge, link — styled per the theses.
• Motion tokens — Duration scale (fast/normal/slow), easing names, stagger delay.

MASTER.md

Create a MASTER.md at project root with the full design system. This file is the single source of truth. Every implementation decision references it.

MCP Tools (if available)

Check if these MCPs are connected and use them when available:

• Stitch — Generate mockups/wireframes
• Nano Banana — Generate visual assets (illustrations, icons, backgrounds)
• 21st.dev Magic — Generate UI components from descriptions

If MCPs are not available, skip gracefully — the design system + code implementation is the core path.

---

Phase 4 — IMPLEMENT

Load sub-skills based on tech stack and interaction thesis.

Always load (load every sub-skill below via load_skill <name>, defined above - it warns instead of failing silently if a ZIP is missing):

• load_skill motion-principles - the foundation

Context layers (load when applicable):

Detected	Load
Mobile context (web mobile OR native iOS / Android)	$SKILL_BASE/mobile-principles/SKILL.md
Desktop context (macOS OR web desktop with no mobile indicators)	$SKILL_BASE/desktop-principles/SKILL.md
Audit explicitly requested OR scope=full	$SKILL_BASE/design-audit/SKILL.md
Advanced UI/UX questions	$SKILL_BASE/ui-ux-pro-max/SKILL.md

Stack-specific (load by SCAN):

Detected stack	Sub-skill to load
gsap	$SKILL_BASE/gsap/SKILL.md
framer-motion	$SKILL_BASE/framer-motion/SKILL.md
Pure CSS / Tailwind / no lib	$SKILL_BASE/css-native/SKILL.md
three / @react-three	$SKILL_BASE/threejs-r3f/SKILL.md
Canvas / generative	$SKILL_BASE/canvas-generative/SKILL.md
Android Compose	$SKILL_BASE/compose-motion/SKILL.md (always) + $SKILL_BASE/compose-graphics/SKILL.md (if scope=full or thesis is advanced - see below)
Compose Multiplatform	$SKILL_BASE/compose-motion/SKILL.md + $SKILL_BASE/compose-multiplatform/SKILL.md (always); $SKILL_BASE/swiftui-motion/SKILL.md if iOS target detected and SwiftUI interop demanded; $SKILL_BASE/compose-graphics/SKILL.md if advanced
SwiftUI iOS or macOS	$SKILL_BASE/swiftui-motion/SKILL.md (always) + $SKILL_BASE/swiftui-graphics/SKILL.md (if scope=full or thesis is advanced)

"Advanced thesis" trigger for compose-graphics / swiftui-graphics:

The thesis is "advanced" (and triggers loading the graphics sub-skill) if it contains any of these terms:

• shader, Metal, AGSL, RuntimeShader, MSL
• liquid-glass, glassEffect, morphing transition
• M3 Expressive, MotionScheme, expressive motion
• colorEffect, distortionEffect, layerEffect
• Canvas (with generative / particle / flow field context)
• holographic, CRT, displacement, ripple

Otherwise stick to the base motion sub-skill.

Implementation rules:

• Work page by page or component by component — never try to do everything at once.
• Every color, font, spacing, shadow, radius MUST come from MASTER.md tokens. No magic numbers.
• Every animation MUST respect the interaction thesis (timing, easing, forbidden patterns).
• Apply the 5-state rule for interactive elements: default, hover, focus, active, disabled.
• Ask the user for validation after each major page/section before moving to the next.

---

Phase 5 — AUDIT (never skip)

Load _jutsu/design-audit sub-skill:

cat "$SKILL_BASE/design-audit/SKILL.md"

Run the full audit checklist matching the detected stack.

All stacks:

• Reduced motion respected (CSS prefers-reduced-motion, SwiftUI accessibilityReduceMotion, or Compose helper using ValueAnimator.areAnimatorsEnabled() / Settings.Global.ANIMATOR_DURATION_SCALE).
• Exit animations present (no abrupt vanishings).
• No layout-property animations (animate transform / opacity / graphicsLayer instead).
• Focus visible on interactive elements.
• Interactive elements have all relevant states (default, hover/press, focus, active, disabled).
• Colors and spacing consistent with MASTER.md tokens - no rogue hex values.

Web:

• Conditional renders with AnimatePresence (or framework equivalent).
• Contrast ratio >= 4.5:1 for all text.
• No forced reflow, will-change used sparingly.
• 60fps target verified via Chrome DevTools Performance panel.
• No clickable divs without role/button.
• aria-hidden on purely decorative animations.
• Responsive on 4 breakpoints: 375px (mobile) / 768px (tablet) / 1024px (small desktop) / 1440px (large desktop).

Compose:

• Recomposition counts verified (Layout Inspector / Modifier.recomposeHighlighter).
• No animations on width/height (use Modifier.graphicsLayer { translationX/Y, scaleX/Y }).
• Modifier.semantics set on custom interactive components.
• Frame timing OK on a mid-range device (Pixel 4a baseline) via Macrobenchmark.

SwiftUI:

• No body recomputed on irrelevant state changes (use @StateObject, @ObservableObject correctly).
• Hitches Instrument shows no dropped frames during animation.
• .accessibilityLabel / .accessibilityHint on all interactive views.
• Tested with Reduce Motion ON and Dynamic Type at 200%.

macOS-specific (in addition to SwiftUI):

• Hover states present on every interactive element.
• Keyboard shortcuts (Cmd+N, Cmd+W, Cmd+F, etc.) bound to primary actions.
• Multi-window state shared coherently if applicable.
• Focus rings visible on keyboard navigation (no outline: none without alternative).

Present findings grouped by severity: Critical > Important > Nice-to-have.

---

Existing Project Protocol

When invoked on a project that already has design/styling:

1. Still run the full BRAINSTORM (Phase 1)
2. Acknowledge existing design, but the thesis overrides it
3. In Phase 4, replace existing design tokens/styles with the new design system
4. Preserve functionality and layout structure — only replace the visual layer

This is intentional: /genjutsu:paint rebuilds the visual universe. To enhance what exists, use /genjutsu:cast instead.

---

Red Flags — You're About to Violate This Skill

Thought	Reality
"The user already said 'minimal dark' — I have enough for a thesis"	Two words aren't five domains. Keep asking.
"I'll ask all five brainstorm questions at once"	One at a time. The answer to 'audience' changes how you ask about 'mood'.
"The user seems impatient, let's skip to coding"	Use the pressure protocol. A bad thesis costs days, not minutes.
"I'll pick colors that feel right"	Every token comes from MASTER.md. No freelancing.
"I'll do the whole site in one pass"	Page by page. Validate page by page.
"This animation would be cool even though the thesis says no bounce"	The thesis is law. Change it? Re-validate with the user first.
"The audit can wait, the user seems happy"	The audit is not optional. Phase 5 always runs.
"I'll interpret 'yeah something like that' as a yes"	That's not confirmation. Ask which part resonates.