DESIGN.md: the format, the spec, and what goes in one
The file a coding agent reads before it writes a line of UI: what belongs in it, how the spec is structured, and how it differs from CLAUDE.md, AGENTS.md, and SKILL.md.
3 guides in this topic.
What is DESIGN.md? The format, what goes in it, and what most files get wrong
A DESIGN.md describes a visual identity in a form a coding agent can read. We measured 299 public ones: here is the format, section by section, and the four things almost all of them omit.
Updated 2026-07-27
CLAUDE.md vs AGENTS.md vs SKILL.md vs DESIGN.md
Four files, four jobs, one precedence order. What belongs in each, which tools read which, and why the design one is the file nobody writes.
Updated 2026-07-27
How to document a design system so an AI actually follows it
Design system documentation written for humans fails when a model reads it, and it fails in a specific, measurable way. What we found in 299 real files, and the seven changes that make guidance executable instead of descriptive.
Updated 2026-07-27