---
name: colony-visuals
description: Use when producing any user-facing output including banners, progress indicators, section headers, or command results
type: colony
domains: [visuals, ux, formatting]
agent_roles: [builder, watcher, chronicler, scout]
priority: normal
version: "1.0"
---

# Colony Visuals

## Purpose

All colony output must look consistent. Users should never see mismatched banner styles, missing progress bars, or unformatted raw output. This skill standardizes every visual element.

When the user asks Codex to run a literal `aether ...` command, do not add extra framing. Let the CLI's own visual output stand on its own. Do not wrap the command with extra decorative commentary before and after execution.

## Banner Format

Use spaced-letter format for all section banners. The standard pattern is:

```
━━ S E C T I O N   T I T L E ━━
```

Rules:
- Every letter is separated by a single space.
- Words are separated by three spaces.
- Bordered by `━━` on both sides with a single space between the border and text.
- Use `print-standard-banner` utility when available. If unavailable, format manually following this pattern exactly.
- Never use alternative banner styles (e.g., `===`, `###`, `***`, `---` banners).

## Progress Bars

Always use the `generate-progress-bar` utility for progress indicators. Never construct progress bars manually with characters like `[=====>    ]`.

Format: `[Phase 3/7] ████████░░░░ 57%`

Show progress bars:
- At the start of each phase build.
- After each worker completes during a build wave.
- In status dashboard output.

## Output Block Structure

Every command output follows this three-part structure:

1. **Header banner** -- Spaced-letter banner identifying the command or section.
2. **Content** -- The actual information, tables, results, or status.
3. **Next Up footer** -- What the user should do next (see colony-lifecycle skill).

Wrap content sections in `━━━` dividers (3+ characters) for visual separation.

## Emoji Usage

- **One emoji per section header** -- Place it before the section title text.
- **Never use emoji in body text** -- Keep body text clean and professional.
- **Consistent emoji mapping** -- Use the same emoji for the same concept across all commands. Examples: build, test, verify, complete, warning, error.

## Tables

When presenting structured data, use aligned markdown tables:

```
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Status |
|----------|----------|--------|
| value    | value    | done   |
```

Ensure columns are padded for alignment. Never use unaligned or ragged tables.

## Color and Emphasis

- **Bold** for labels and headings.
- *Italic* for supplementary notes.
- Use color sparingly and consistently -- green for success, red for errors, yellow for warnings.

## Dashboard and Statistics Output

When rendering dashboard-style output, prioritize orientation over decoration:

- Show current phase, state, active blockers, recent worker activity, and the exact next action.
- Prefer compact tables for phase status and dependency visibility.
- Highlight stale or missing evidence before celebratory summaries.
- For statistics, include only metrics that can be traced to state, git, or runtime artifacts.
- Do not invent velocity or completion percentages when the underlying evidence is absent.

## Emoji Reference Map

This is the canonical reference for emoji usage across all Aether commands. All commands must use these emojis consistently for the concepts listed below.

| Emoji | Concept | Used In |
|-------|---------|---------|
| 🔨 | Builder ant | build.md, workers.md |
| 👁️ | Watcher ant | build.md, continue.md |
| 🎲 | Chaos ant | build.md |
| 🔍 | Scout ant | build.md |
| 🏺 | Archaeologist / Seal | archaeology.md, seal.md |
| 🔮 | Oracle ant | oracle.md, build.md |
| 🏛️ | Architect ant | build.md |
| 🔌 | Ambassador ant | build.md |
| 📊 | Measurer ant / Status | measurer, status.md |
| 🧪 | Probe / Tests | continue.md |
| 🔄 | Weaver / Refresh | continue.md |
| 📦 | Gatekeeper / Package | continue.md |
| 👥 | Auditor | continue.md |
| 🚩 | Flag / Blocker | flags.md |
| 💭 | Dream | dream.md |
| 🥚 | Queen / Init | lay-eggs.md |
| 📋 | Plan / List | plan.md |
| ✅ | Pass / Success | verification |
| ❌ | Fail / Error | verification |
| ⚠️ | Warning | gates |
| ⛔ | Hard block | gates |
| 💾 | Save / Persist | pause.md |
| 🎯 | Focus signal | pheromones |
| 🚫 | Redirect signal | pheromones |
| 💬 | Feedback signal | pheromones |
| 📜 | Sage ant | seal.md |
| 📝 | Chronicler ant | seal.md |
| 🖼️ | Visual checkpoint | build-complete.md |

> **Canonical reference:** When adding emoji to any user-facing command output, use this table as the definitive guide. Do not introduce new emoji for concepts already covered here. If a new concept requires an emoji, add it to this table first.