# Open Design > **The open-source alternative to [Claude Design][cd].** Local-first, web-deployable, BYOK at every layer — your existing coding agent (Claude Code, Codex, Cursor Agent, Gemini CLI, OpenCode, Qwen, GitHub Copilot CLI) becomes the design engine, driven by **19 composable Skills** and **71 brand-grade Design Systems**.

English · 简体中文

--- ## Why this exists Anthropic's [Claude Design][cd] (released 2026-04-17, Opus 4.7) showed what happens when an LLM stops writing prose and starts shipping design artifacts. It went viral — and stayed closed-source, paid-only, cloud-only, locked to Anthropic's model and Anthropic's skills. There is no checkout, no self-host, no Vercel deploy, no swap-in-your-own-agent. **Open Design (OD) is the open-source alternative.** Same loop, same artifact-first mental model, none of the lock-in. We don't ship an agent — the strongest coding agents already live on your laptop. We wire them into a skill-driven design workflow that runs on `pnpm dev`, deploys to Vercel, and stays BYOK at every layer. Type `make me a magazine-style pitch deck for our seed round`. The interactive question form pops up before the model improvises a single pixel. The agent picks one of five curated visual directions. A live `TodoWrite` plan streams into the UI. The daemon builds a real on-disk project folder with a seed template, layout library, and self-check checklist. The agent reads them — pre-flight enforced — runs a five-dimensional critique against its own output, and emits a single `` that renders in a sandboxed iframe seconds later. That's not "AI tries to design something". That's an AI that has been trained, by the prompt stack, to behave like a senior designer with a working filesystem, a deterministic palette library, and a checklist culture — exactly the bar Claude Design set, but open and yours. OD stands on four open-source shoulders: - [**`alchaincyf/huashu-design`**](https://github.com/alchaincyf/huashu-design) — the design-philosophy compass. Junior-Designer workflow, the 5-step brand-asset protocol, the anti-AI-slop checklist, the 5-dimensional self-critique, and the "5 schools × 20 design philosophies" idea behind our direction picker — all distilled into [`src/prompts/discovery.ts`](src/prompts/discovery.ts). - [**`op7418/guizang-ppt-skill`**](https://github.com/op7418/guizang-ppt-skill) — the deck mode. Bundled verbatim under [`skills/guizang-ppt/`](skills/guizang-ppt/) with original LICENSE preserved; magazine-style layouts, WebGL hero, P0/P1/P2 checklists. - [**`OpenCoworkAI/open-codesign`**](https://github.com/OpenCoworkAI/open-codesign) — the UX north star and our closest peer. The first open-source Claude-Design alternative. We borrow its streaming-artifact loop, its sandboxed-iframe preview pattern (vendored React 18 + Babel), its live agent panel (todos + tool calls + interruptible generation), and its five-format export list (HTML / PDF / PPTX / ZIP / Markdown). We deliberately diverge on form factor — they are a desktop Electron app bundling [`pi-ai`][piai]; we are a web app + local daemon that delegates to your existing CLI. - [**`multica-ai/multica`**](https://github.com/multica-ai/multica) — the daemon-and-runtime architecture. PATH-scan agent detection, the local daemon as the only privileged process, the agent-as-teammate worldview. ## At a glance | | What you get | |---|---| | **Coding agents supported** | Claude Code · Codex CLI · Cursor Agent · Gemini CLI · OpenCode · Qwen Code · GitHub Copilot CLI · Anthropic API (BYOK fallback) | | **Design systems built-in** | **71** — 2 hand-authored starters + 69 product systems (Linear, Stripe, Vercel, Airbnb, Tesla, Notion, Anthropic, Apple, Cursor, Supabase, Figma, …) imported from [`awesome-design-md`][acd2] | | **Skills built-in** | **19** — prototype, deck, mobile, dashboard, pricing, docs, blog, SaaS landing, plus 10 document/work-product templates (PM spec, weekly update, OKRs, runbook, kanban, …) | | **Visual directions** | 5 curated schools (Editorial Monocle · Modern Minimal · Tech Utility · Brutalist · Soft Warm) — each ships a deterministic OKLch palette + font stack | | **Device frames** | iPhone 15 Pro · Pixel · iPad Pro · MacBook · Browser Chrome — pixel-accurate, shared across screens | | **Agent runtime** | Local daemon spawns the CLI in your project folder — agent gets real `Read`, `Write`, `Bash`, `WebFetch` against a real on-disk environment | | **Deployable to** | Local (`pnpm dev`) · Vercel · Single-process prod (`npm start`) | | **License** | Apache-2.0 | [acd2]: https://github.com/VoltAgent/awesome-design-md ## Demo

_{Entry view — pick a skill, pick a design system, type the brief. The same surface for prototypes, decks, mobile apps, dashboards, and editorial pages.}	_{Turn-1 discovery form — before the model writes a pixel, OD locks the brief: surface, audience, tone, brand context, scale. 30 seconds of radios beats 30 minutes of redirects.}
_{Direction picker — when the user has no brand, the agent emits a second form with 5 curated directions (Monocle / Modern Minimal / Tech Utility / Brutalist / Soft Warm). One radio click → a deterministic palette + font stack, no model freestyle.}	_{Live todo progress — the agent's plan streams as a live card. in_progress → completed updates land in real time. The user can redirect cheaply, mid-flight.}
_{Sandboxed preview — every <artifact> renders in a clean srcdoc iframe. Editable in place via the file workspace; downloadable as HTML, PDF, ZIP.}	_{71-system library — every product system shows its 4-color signature. Click for the full DESIGN.md, swatch grid, and live showcase.}
_{Deck mode (guizang-ppt) — the bundled guizang-ppt-skill drops in unchanged. Magazine layouts, WebGL hero backgrounds, single-file HTML output, PDF export.}	_{Mobile prototype — pixel-accurate iPhone 15 Pro chrome (Dynamic Island, status bar SVGs, home indicator). Multi-screen prototypes use the shared /frames/ assets so the agent never re-draws a phone.}

## Skills 19 skills ship in the box. Each is a folder under [`skills/`](skills/) following the Claude Code [`SKILL.md`][skill] convention with an extended `od:` frontmatter (`mode`, `platform`, `scenario`, `preview`, `design_system`). ### Showcase examples The visually distinctive skills you'll most likely run first. Each ships a real `example.html` you can open straight from the repo to see exactly what the agent will produce — no auth, no setup.

_{dating-web · prototype Consumer dating / matchmaking dashboard — left rail nav, ticker bar, KPIs, 30-day mutual-matches chart, editorial typography.}	_{digital-eguide · template Two-spread digital e-guide — cover (title, author, TOC teaser) + lesson spread with pull-quote and step list. Creator / lifestyle tone.}
_{email-marketing · prototype Brand product-launch HTML email — masthead, hero image, headline lockup, CTA, specs grid. Centered single-column, table-fallback safe.}	_{gamified-app · prototype Three-frame gamified mobile-app prototype on a dark showcase stage — cover, today's quests with XP ribbons + level bar, quest detail.}
_{mobile-onboarding · prototype Three-frame mobile onboarding flow — splash, value-prop, sign-in. Status bar, swipe dots, primary CTA.}	_{motion-frames · prototype Single-frame motion-design hero with looping CSS animations — rotating type ring, animated globe, ticking timer. Hand-off ready for HyperFrames.}
_{social-carousel · prototype Three-card 1080×1080 social-media carousel — cinematic panels with display headlines that connect across the series, brand mark, loop affordance.}	_{sprite-animation · prototype Pixel / 8-bit animated explainer slide — full-bleed cream stage, animated pixel mascot, kinetic Japanese display type, looping CSS keyframes.}

### Design surfaces | Skill | Mode | Default for | What it produces | |---|---|---|---| | [`web-prototype`](skills/web-prototype/) | prototype | desktop | Single-page HTML — landings, marketing, hero pages | | [`saas-landing`](skills/saas-landing/) | prototype | desktop | Hero / features / pricing / CTA marketing layout | | [`dashboard`](skills/dashboard/) | prototype | desktop | Admin / analytics with sidebar + data dense layout | | [`pricing-page`](skills/pricing-page/) | prototype | desktop | Standalone pricing + comparison tables | | [`docs-page`](skills/docs-page/) | prototype | desktop | 3-column documentation layout | | [`blog-post`](skills/blog-post/) | prototype | desktop | Editorial long-form | | [`mobile-app`](skills/mobile-app/) | prototype | mobile | iPhone 15 Pro / Pixel framed app screen(s) | | [`simple-deck`](skills/simple-deck/) | deck | desktop | Minimal horizontal-swipe deck | | [`guizang-ppt`](skills/guizang-ppt/) | deck | **default** for deck | Magazine-style web PPT — bundled from [op7418/guizang-ppt-skill][guizang] | ### Document / work-product surfaces | Skill | Mode | What it produces | |---|---|---| | [`pm-spec`](skills/pm-spec/) | template | PM specification doc with TOC + decision log | | [`weekly-update`](skills/weekly-update/) | template | Team weekly with progress / blockers / next | | [`meeting-notes`](skills/meeting-notes/) | template | Meeting decision log | | [`eng-runbook`](skills/eng-runbook/) | template | Incident runbook | | [`finance-report`](skills/finance-report/) | template | Exec finance summary | | [`hr-onboarding`](skills/hr-onboarding/) | template | Role onboarding plan | | [`invoice`](skills/invoice/) | template | Single-page invoice | | [`kanban-board`](skills/kanban-board/) | template | Board snapshot | | [`team-okrs`](skills/team-okrs/) | template | OKR scoresheet | Adding a skill takes one folder. Read [`docs/skills-protocol.md`](docs/skills-protocol.md) for the extended frontmatter, fork an existing skill, restart the daemon, it appears in the picker. ## Six load-bearing ideas ### 1 · We don't ship an agent. Yours is good enough. The daemon scans your `PATH` for [`claude`](https://docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/claude-code), [`codex`](https://github.com/openai/codex), [`cursor-agent`](https://www.cursor.com/cli), [`gemini`](https://github.com/google-gemini/gemini-cli), [`opencode`](https://opencode.ai/), [`qwen`](https://github.com/QwenLM/qwen-code), and [`copilot`](https://github.com/features/copilot/cli) on startup. Whichever it finds becomes the design engine — driven via stdio, with one adapter per CLI. Inspired by [`multica`](https://github.com/multica-ai/multica) and [`cc-switch`](https://github.com/farion1231/cc-switch). No CLI? `Anthropic API · BYOK` is the same pipeline minus the spawn. ### 2 · Skills are files, not plugins. Following Claude Code's [`SKILL.md` convention](https://docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/claude-code/skills), each skill is `SKILL.md` + `assets/` + `references/`. Drop a folder into [`skills/`](skills/), restart the daemon, it appears in the picker. The bundled `magazine-web-ppt` is [`op7418/guizang-ppt-skill`](https://github.com/op7418/guizang-ppt-skill) committed verbatim — original license preserved, attribution preserved. ### 3 · Design Systems are portable Markdown, not theme JSON. The 9-section `DESIGN.md` schema from [`VoltAgent/awesome-design-md`][acd2] — color, typography, spacing, layout, components, motion, voice, brand, anti-patterns. Every artifact reads from the active system. Switch system → next render uses the new tokens. The dropdown ships with **Linear, Stripe, Vercel, Airbnb, Tesla, Notion, Apple, Anthropic, Cursor, Supabase, Figma, Resend, Raycast, Lovable, Cohere, Mistral, ElevenLabs, X.AI, Spotify, Webflow, Sanity, PostHog, Sentry, MongoDB, ClickHouse, Cal, Replicate, Clay, Composio…** — 71 in total. ### 4 · The interactive question form prevents 80% of redirects. OD's prompt stack hard-codes a `RULE 1`: every fresh design brief begins with a `` instead of code. Surface · audience · tone · brand context · scale · constraints. A long brief still leaves design decisions open — visual tone, color stance, scale — exactly the things the form locks down in 30 seconds. The cost of a wrong direction is one chat round, not one finished deck. This is the **Junior-Designer mode** distilled from [`huashu-design`](https://github.com/alchaincyf/huashu-design): batch the questions up front, show something visible early (even a wireframe with grey blocks), let the user redirect cheaply. Combined with the brand-asset protocol (locate · download · `grep` hex · write `brand-spec.md` · vocalise), it's the single biggest reason output stops feeling like AI freestyle and starts feeling like a designer who paid attention before painting. ### 5 · The daemon makes the agent feel like it's on your laptop, because it is. The daemon spawns the CLI with `cwd` set to the project's artifact folder under `.od/projects//`. The agent gets `Read`, `Write`, `Bash`, `WebFetch` — real tools against a real filesystem. It can `Read` the skill's `assets/template.html`, `grep` your CSS for hex values, write a `brand-spec.md`, drop generated images, and produce `.pptx` / `.zip` / `.pdf` files that show up in the file workspace as download chips when the turn ends. Sessions, conversations, messages, tabs persist in a local SQLite DB — pop the project open tomorrow and the agent's todo card is right where you left it. ### 6 · The prompt stack is the product. What you compose at send time isn't "system + user". It's: ``` DISCOVERY directives (turn-1 form, turn-2 brand branch, TodoWrite, 5-dim critique) + identity charter (OFFICIAL_DESIGNER_PROMPT, anti-AI-slop, junior-pass) + active DESIGN.md (71 systems available) + active SKILL.md (19 skills available) + project metadata (kind, fidelity, speakerNotes, animations, inspiration ids) + skill side files (auto-injected pre-flight: read assets/template.html + references/*.md) + (deck kind, no skill seed) DECK_FRAMEWORK_DIRECTIVE (nav / counter / scroll / print) ``` Every layer is composable. Every layer is a file you can edit. Read [`src/prompts/system.ts`](src/prompts/system.ts) and [`src/prompts/discovery.ts`](src/prompts/discovery.ts) to see the actual contract. ## Architecture ``` ┌────────────────────────── browser ─────────────────────────────┐ │ │ │ Next.js 16 App Router (chat · file workspace · iframe preview) │ │ │ └──────────────┬───────────────────────────────────┬─────────────┘ │ /api/* (rewritten in dev) │ direct (BYOK) ▼ ▼ ┌──────────────────────┐ ┌──────────────────────┐ │ Local daemon │ │ Anthropic SDK │ │ (Express + SQLite) │ │ (browser fallback) │ │ │ └──────────────────────┘ │ /api/agents │ │ /api/skills │ │ /api/design-systems│ │ /api/projects/... │ │ /api/chat (SSE) │ │ │ └─────────┬────────────┘ │ spawn(cli, [...], { cwd: .od/projects/ }) ▼ ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ claude · codex · cursor-agent · gemini · opencode · qwen · copilot│ │ reads SKILL.md + DESIGN.md, writes artifacts to disk │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ ``` | Layer | Stack | |---|---| | Frontend | Next.js 16 App Router + React 18 + TypeScript | | Daemon | Node 20–22 · Express · SSE streaming · `better-sqlite3` for projects/conversations/messages/tabs | | Agent transport | `child_process.spawn` with typed-event parsers for Claude Code (`claude-stream-json`) and Copilot CLI (`copilot-stream-json`); line-buffered plain stdout for the rest | | Storage | Plain files in `.od/projects//` + SQLite at `.od/db.sqlite` (gitignored) | | Preview | Sandboxed iframe via `srcdoc` + per-skill `` parser | | Export | HTML (inline assets) · PDF (browser print) · PPTX (skill-defined) · ZIP (archiver) | ## Quickstart ```bash git clone https://github.com/nexu-io/open-design.git cd open-design nvm use # uses Node 22 from .nvmrc corepack enable pnpm install pnpm dev:all # daemon (:7456) + Next dev (:3000) open http://localhost:3000 ``` The first load: 1. Detects which agent CLIs you have on `PATH` and picks one automatically. 2. Loads 19 skills + 71 design systems. 3. Pops the welcome dialog so you can paste an Anthropic key (only needed for the BYOK fallback path). 4. **Auto-creates `./.od/`** — the local runtime folder for the SQLite project DB, per-project artifacts, and saved renders. There is no `od init` step; the daemon `mkdir`s everything it needs on boot. Type a prompt, hit **Send**, watch the question form arrive, fill it, watch the todo card stream, watch the artifact render. Click **Save to disk** or download as a project ZIP. ### First-run state (`./.od/`) The daemon owns one hidden folder at the repo root. Everything in it is gitignored and machine-local — never commit it. ``` .od/ ├── app.sqlite ← projects · conversations · messages · open tabs ├── artifacts/ ← one-off "Save to disk" renders (timestamped) └── projects// ← per-project working dir, also the agent's cwd ``` | Want to… | Do this | |---|---| | Inspect what's in there | `ls -la .od && sqlite3 .od/app.sqlite '.tables'` | | Reset to a clean slate | stop the daemon, `rm -rf .od`, run `pnpm dev:all` again | | Move it elsewhere | not supported yet — the path is hard-coded relative to the repo | Full file map, scripts, and troubleshooting → [`QUICKSTART.md`](QUICKSTART.md). ## Repository structure ``` open-design/ ├── README.md ← this file ├── README.zh-CN.md ← 简体中文 ├── QUICKSTART.md ← run / build / deploy guide ├── package.json ← pnpm workspace, single bin: od │ ├── daemon/ ← Node + Express, the only server │ ├── cli.js ← `od` bin entry point │ ├── server.js ← /api/* routes (projects, chat, files, exports) │ ├── agents.js ← PATH scanner + per-CLI argv builders │ ├── claude-stream.js ← streaming JSON parser for Claude Code stdout │ ├── skills.js ← SKILL.md frontmatter loader │ ├── design-systems.js ← DESIGN.md loader + swatch extractor │ ├── design-system-preview.js ← live one-shot showcase per system │ ├── design-system-showcase.js ← multi-section gallery render │ ├── lint-artifact.js ← P0/P1 self-check on agent output │ ├── projects.js ← per-project filesystem helpers │ ├── db.js ← SQLite schema (projects/messages/templates/tabs) │ └── frontmatter.js ← zero-dep YAML-subset parser │ ├── app/ ← Next.js 16 App Router entrypoints │ ├── layout.tsx ← root layout shell │ ├── page.tsx ← main app entry │ └── [[...slug]]/page.tsx ← catch-all client shell for project routes │ ├── src/ ← shared React + TS client modules for Next.js │ ├── App.tsx ← routing, bootstrap, settings │ ├── components/ ← 27 components (chat, composer, picker, preview, sketch, …) │ ├── prompts/ │ │ ├── system.ts ← composeSystemPrompt(base, skill, DS, metadata) │ │ ├── official-system.ts ← identity charter │ │ ├── discovery.ts ← turn-1 form + turn-2 branch + 5-dim critique │ │ ├── directions.ts ← 5 visual directions × OKLch palette + font stack │ │ └── deck-framework.ts ← deck nav / counter / print stylesheet │ ├── artifacts/ │ │ ├── parser.ts ← streaming tag extractor │ │ └── question-form.ts ← JSON schema + replay │ ├── runtime/ │ │ ├── srcdoc.ts ← iframe sandbox wrapper │ │ ├── markdown.tsx ← assistant message renderer │ │ ├── exports.ts ← HTML / PDF / ZIP export helpers │ │ └── zip.ts ← project archive │ ├── providers/ │ │ ├── daemon.ts ← /api/chat SSE stream consumer │ │ ├── anthropic.ts ← BYOK Anthropic SDK path │ │ └── registry.ts ← /api/agents, /api/skills, /api/design-systems │ └── state/ ← config + projects (localStorage + daemon-backed) │ ├── skills/ ← 19 SKILL.md skill bundles │ ├── web-prototype/ ← default for prototype mode │ ├── saas-landing/ ← marketing page (hero / features / pricing / CTA) │ ├── dashboard/ ← admin / analytics │ ├── pricing-page/ ← standalone pricing + comparison │ ├── docs-page/ ← 3-column documentation │ ├── blog-post/ ← editorial long-form │ ├── mobile-app/ ← phone-frame screen(s) │ ├── simple-deck/ ← horizontal-swipe minimal │ ├── guizang-ppt/ ← bundled magazine-web-ppt (default for deck) │ │ ├── SKILL.md │ │ ├── assets/template.html ← seed │ │ └── references/{themes,layouts,components,checklist}.md │ ├── pm-spec/ ← PM specification doc │ ├── weekly-update/ ← team weekly │ ├── meeting-notes/ ← decision log │ ├── eng-runbook/ ← incident / runbook │ ├── finance-report/ ← exec summary │ ├── hr-onboarding/ ← role onboarding │ ├── invoice/ ← single-page invoice │ ├── kanban-board/ ← board snapshot │ ├── mobile-onboarding/ ← multi-screen mobile flow │ └── team-okrs/ ← OKR scoresheet │ ├── design-systems/ ← 71 DESIGN.md systems │ ├── default/ ← Neutral Modern (starter) │ ├── warm-editorial/ ← Warm Editorial (starter) │ ├── linear-app/ vercel/ stripe/ airbnb/ notion/ cursor/ apple/ … │ └── README.md ← catalog overview │ ├── assets/ │ └── frames/ ← shared device frames (used cross-skill) │ ├── iphone-15-pro.html │ ├── android-pixel.html │ ├── ipad-pro.html │ ├── macbook.html │ └── browser-chrome.html │ ├── templates/ │ └── deck-framework.html ← deck baseline (nav / counter / print) │ ├── next.config.ts ← dev rewrites + prod static export to out/ │ ├── scripts/ │ └── sync-design-systems.mjs ← re-import upstream awesome-design-md tarball │ ├── docs/ │ ├── spec.md ← product spec, scenarios, differentiation │ ├── architecture.md ← topologies, data flow, components │ ├── skills-protocol.md ← extended SKILL.md od: frontmatter │ ├── agent-adapters.md ← per-CLI detection + dispatch │ ├── modes.md ← prototype / deck / template / design-system │ ├── references.md ← long-form provenance │ ├── roadmap.md ← phased delivery │ ├── schemas/ ← JSON schemas │ └── examples/ ← canonical artifact examples │ └── .od/ ← runtime data, gitignored, auto-created ├── app.sqlite ← projects / conversations / messages / tabs ├── projects// ← per-project working folder (agent's cwd) └── artifacts/ ← saved one-off renders ``` ## Design Systems

The 71 design systems library — style guide spread

71 systems out of the box, each as a single [`DESIGN.md`](design-systems/README.md):

Full catalog (click to expand)

**AI & LLM** — `claude` · `cohere` · `mistral-ai` · `minimax` · `together-ai` · `replicate` · `runwayml` · `elevenlabs` · `ollama` · `x-ai` **Developer Tools** — `cursor` · `vercel` · `linear-app` · `framer` · `expo` · `clickhouse` · `mongodb` · `supabase` · `hashicorp` · `posthog` · `sentry` · `warp` · `webflow` · `sanity` · `mintlify` · `lovable` · `composio` · `opencode-ai` · `voltagent` **Productivity** — `notion` · `figma` · `miro` · `airtable` · `superhuman` · `intercom` · `zapier` · `cal` · `clay` · `raycast` **Fintech** — `stripe` · `coinbase` · `binance` · `kraken` · `mastercard` · `revolut` · `wise` **E-Commerce** — `shopify` · `airbnb` · `uber` · `nike` · `starbucks` · `pinterest` **Media** — `spotify` · `playstation` · `wired` · `theverge` · `meta` **Automotive** — `tesla` · `bmw` · `ferrari` · `lamborghini` · `bugatti` · `renault` **Other** — `apple` · `ibm` · `nvidia` · `vodafone` · `sentry` · `resend` · `spacex` **Starters** — `default` (Neutral Modern) · `warm-editorial`

The library is imported via [`scripts/sync-design-systems.mjs`](scripts/sync-design-systems.mjs) from [`VoltAgent/awesome-design-md`][acd2]. Re-run to refresh. ## Visual directions When the user has no brand spec, the agent emits a second form with five curated directions — the OD adaptation of [`huashu-design`'s "5 schools × 20 design philosophies" fallback](https://github.com/alchaincyf/huashu-design#%E8%AE%BE%E8%AE%A1%E6%96%B9%E5%90%91%E9%A1%BE%E9%97%AE-fallback). Each direction is a deterministic spec — palette in OKLch, font stack, layout posture cues, references — that the agent binds verbatim into the seed template's `:root`. One radio click → a fully specified visual system. No improvisation, no AI-slop. | Direction | Mood | Refs | |---|---|---| | Editorial — Monocle / FT | Print magazine, ink + cream + warm rust | Monocle · FT Weekend · NYT Magazine | | Modern minimal — Linear / Vercel | Cool, structured, minimal accent | Linear · Vercel · Stripe | | Tech utility | Information density, monospace, terminal | Bloomberg · Bauhaus tools | | Brutalist | Raw, oversized type, no shadows, harsh accents | Bloomberg Businessweek · Achtung | | Soft warm | Generous, low contrast, peachy neutrals | Notion marketing · Apple Health | Full spec → [`src/prompts/directions.ts`](src/prompts/directions.ts). ## Anti-AI-slop machinery The whole machinery below is the [`huashu-design`](https://github.com/alchaincyf/huashu-design) playbook, ported into OD's prompt-stack and made enforceable per-skill via the side-file pre-flight. Read [`src/prompts/discovery.ts`](src/prompts/discovery.ts) for the live wording: - **Question form first.** Turn 1 is `` only — no thinking, no tools, no narration. The user chooses defaults at radio speed. - **Brand-spec extraction.** When the user attaches a screenshot or URL, the agent runs a five-step protocol (locate · download · grep hex · codify `brand-spec.md` · vocalise) before writing CSS. **Never guesses brand colors from memory.** - **Five-dim critique.** Before emitting ``, the agent silently scores its output 1–5 across philosophy / hierarchy / execution / specificity / restraint. Anything under 3/5 is a regression — fix and rescore. Two passes is normal. - **P0/P1/P2 checklist.** Every skill ships a `references/checklist.md` with hard P0 gates. The agent must pass P0 before emitting. - **Slop blacklist.** Aggressive purple gradients, generic emoji icons, rounded card with left-border accent, hand-drawn SVG humans, Inter as a *display* face, invented metrics — explicitly forbidden in the prompt. - **Honest placeholders > fake stats.** When the agent doesn't have a real number, it writes `—` or a labelled grey block, not "10× faster". ## Comparison | Axis | [Claude Design][cd] (Anthropic) | [Open CoDesign][ocod] | **Open Design** | |---|---|---|---| | License | Closed | MIT | **Apache-2.0** | | Form factor | Web (claude.ai) | Desktop (Electron) | **Web app + local daemon** | | Deployable on Vercel | ❌ | ❌ | **✅** | | Agent runtime | Bundled (Opus 4.7) | Bundled ([`pi-ai`][piai]) | **Delegated to user's existing CLI** | | Skills | Proprietary | 12 custom TS modules + `SKILL.md` | **19 file-based [`SKILL.md`][skill] bundles, droppable** | | Design system | Proprietary | `DESIGN.md` (v0.2 roadmap) | **`DESIGN.md` × 71 systems shipped** | | Provider flexibility | Anthropic only | 7+ via [`pi-ai`][piai] | **Whatever your agent supports** | | Init question form | ❌ | ❌ | **✅ Hard rule, turn 1** | | Direction picker | ❌ | ❌ | **✅ 5 deterministic directions** | | Live todo progress + tool stream | ❌ | ✅ | **✅** (UX pattern from open-codesign) | | Sandboxed iframe preview | ❌ | ✅ | **✅** (pattern from open-codesign) | | Comment-mode surgical edits | ❌ | ✅ | 🚧 roadmap (lift from open-codesign) | | AI-emitted tweaks panel | ❌ | ✅ | 🚧 roadmap (lift from open-codesign) | | Filesystem-grade workspace | ❌ | partial (Electron sandbox) | **✅ Real cwd, real tools, persisted SQLite** | | 5-dim self-critique | ❌ | ❌ | **✅ Pre-emit gate** | | Export formats | Limited | HTML / PDF / PPTX / ZIP / Markdown | **HTML / PDF / PPTX / ZIP / Markdown** | | PPT skill reuse | N/A | Built-in | **[`guizang-ppt-skill`][guizang] drops in** | | Minimum billing | Pro / Max / Team | BYOK | **BYOK** | [cd]: https://x.com/claudeai/status/2045156267690213649 [ocod]: https://github.com/OpenCoworkAI/open-codesign [piai]: https://github.com/mariozechner/pi-ai [acd]: https://github.com/VoltAgent/awesome-claude-design [guizang]: https://github.com/op7418/guizang-ppt-skill [skill]: https://docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/claude-code/skills ## Supported coding agents Auto-detected from `PATH` on daemon boot. No config required. | Agent | Bin | Streaming | Notes | |---|---|---|---| | [Claude Code](https://docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/claude-code) | `claude` | `--output-format stream-json` (typed events) | First-class — best fidelity | | [Codex CLI](https://github.com/openai/codex) | `codex` | line-buffered | `codex exec ` | | [Cursor Agent](https://www.cursor.com/cli) | `cursor-agent` | line-buffered | `cursor-agent -p` | | [Gemini CLI](https://github.com/google-gemini/gemini-cli) | `gemini` | line-buffered | `gemini -p` | | [OpenCode](https://opencode.ai/) | `opencode` | line-buffered | `opencode run` | | [Qwen Code](https://github.com/QwenLM/qwen-code) | `qwen` | line-buffered | `qwen -p` | | [GitHub Copilot CLI](https://github.com/features/copilot/cli) | `copilot` | `--output-format json` (typed events) | `copilot -p --allow-all-tools --output-format json` | | Anthropic API · BYOK | n/a | SSE direct | Browser fallback when no CLI is on PATH | Adding a new CLI is one entry in [`daemon/agents.js`](daemon/agents.js). Streaming format is one of `claude-stream-json` (typed events) or `plain` (raw text). ## References & lineage Every external project this repo borrows from. Each link goes to the source so you can verify the provenance. | Project | Role here | |---|---| | [`Claude Design`][cd] | The closed-source product this repo is the open-source alternative to. | | [**`alchaincyf/huashu-design`**](https://github.com/alchaincyf/huashu-design) | The design-philosophy core. Junior-Designer workflow, the 5-step brand-asset protocol, anti-AI-slop checklist, 5-dimensional self-critique, and the "5 schools × 20 design philosophies" library behind our direction picker — all distilled into [`src/prompts/discovery.ts`](src/prompts/discovery.ts) and [`src/prompts/directions.ts`](src/prompts/directions.ts). | | [**`op7418/guizang-ppt-skill`**][guizang] | Magazine-web-PPT skill bundled verbatim under [`skills/guizang-ppt/`](skills/guizang-ppt/) with original LICENSE preserved. Default for deck mode. P0/P1/P2 checklist culture borrowed for every other skill. | | [**`multica-ai/multica`**](https://github.com/multica-ai/multica) | The daemon + adapter architecture. PATH-scan agent detection, local daemon as the only privileged process, agent-as-teammate worldview. We adopt the model; we do not vendor the code. | | [**`OpenCoworkAI/open-codesign`**][ocod] | The first open-source Claude-Design alternative and our closest peer. UX patterns adopted: streaming-artifact loop, sandboxed-iframe preview (vendored React 18 + Babel), live agent panel (todos + tool calls + interruptible), five-format export list (HTML/PDF/PPTX/ZIP/Markdown), local-first storage hub, `SKILL.md` taste-injection. UX patterns on our roadmap: comment-mode surgical edits, AI-emitted tweaks panel. **We deliberately do not vendor [`pi-ai`][piai]** — open-codesign bundles it as the agent runtime; we delegate to whichever CLI the user already has. | | [`VoltAgent/awesome-claude-design`][acd] / [`awesome-design-md`][acd2] | Source of the 9-section `DESIGN.md` schema and 69 product systems imported via [`scripts/sync-design-systems.mjs`](scripts/sync-design-systems.mjs). | | [`farion1231/cc-switch`](https://github.com/farion1231/cc-switch) | Inspiration for symlink-based skill distribution across multiple agent CLIs. | | [Claude Code skills][skill] | The `SKILL.md` convention adopted verbatim — any Claude Code skill drops into `skills/` and is picked up by the daemon. | Long-form provenance write-up — what we take from each, what we deliberately don't — lives at [`docs/references.md`](docs/references.md). ## Roadmap - [x] Daemon + agent detection + skill registry + design-system catalog - [x] Web app + chat + question form + todo progress + sandboxed preview - [x] 19 skills + 71 design systems + 5 visual directions + 5 device frames - [x] SQLite-backed projects · conversations · messages · tabs · templates - [ ] Comment-mode surgical edits (click element → instruction → patch) — pattern from [`open-codesign`][ocod] - [ ] AI-emitted tweaks panel (model surfaces the parameters worth tweaking) — pattern from [`open-codesign`][ocod] - [ ] Vercel + tunnel deployment recipe (Topology B) - [ ] One-command `npx od init` to scaffold a project with `DESIGN.md` - [ ] Skill marketplace (`od skills install `) Phased delivery → [`docs/roadmap.md`](docs/roadmap.md). ## Status This is an early implementation — the closed loop (detect → pick skill + design system → chat → parse `` → preview → save) runs end-to-end. The prompt stack and skill library are where most of the value lives, and they're stable. The component-level UI is shipping daily. ## Star us

If this saved you thirty minutes — give it a ★. Stars don't pay rent, but they tell the next designer, agent, and contributor that this experiment is worth their attention. One click, three seconds, real signal: [github.com/nexu-io/open-design](https://github.com/nexu-io/open-design). ## Contributing Issues, PRs, new skills, and new design systems are all welcome. The highest-leverage contributions are usually one folder, one Markdown file, or one PR-sized adapter: - **Add a skill** — drop a folder into [`skills/`](skills/) following the [`SKILL.md`][skill] convention. - **Add a design system** — drop a `DESIGN.md` into [`design-systems//`](design-systems/) using the 9-section schema. - **Wire up a new coding-agent CLI** — one entry in [`daemon/agents.js`](daemon/agents.js). Full walkthrough, bar-for-merging, code style, and what we don't accept → [`CONTRIBUTING.md`](CONTRIBUTING.md) ([简体中文](CONTRIBUTING.zh-CN.md)). ## License Apache-2.0. The bundled `skills/guizang-ppt/` retains its original [LICENSE](skills/guizang-ppt/LICENSE) (MIT) and authorship attribution to [op7418](https://github.com/op7418).