---
name: housekeep-design
description: >-
  Consolidate a design system that has drifted across many vibe-coding sessions and
  developer handoffs into one single source of truth. Detects competing tokens,
  duplicate/near-duplicate components, naming drift, mixed icon libraries, and ad-hoc
  arbitrary values; reconciles each conflict by picking the best-of-both canonical form;
  migrates all usages via mechanical codemod; and installs lint guardrails so drift can't
  recur. Establishes a 3-layer W3C token taxonomy (primitive → semantic → component). Use
  when "clean up the design system", "resolve design conflicts", "our UI is inconsistent
  across pages", "consolidate tokens/components", "streamline the design system", "keep the
  design SSOT", or "housekeep-design". This is the execution arm of plan-uiux-unification
  (which only plans) and the design counterpart of workflow-housekeep (which cleans files).
license: MIT
---

# housekeep-design — Consolidate a Drifted Design System to One SSOT

Multiple sessions and multiple devs leave a design system full of competing truths: three
button variants that look the same, `--brand`, `--primary`, and `#3B82F6` all meaning the
same blue, `text-[13px]` next to `text-sm`, Lucide and Heroicons side by side. This skill
picks one canonical form for each conflict, migrates everything to it, and locks the door
behind you.

> **One source of truth per decision.** When two patterns compete, take the **best of
> both** (more accessible, tokenized, more reused, better named) as canonical and migrate
> the rest to it — never leave both. Consolidation is mechanical and verifiable, not
> vibes: a fresh search for the deprecated form must return zero.

**This skill changes code.** It edits tokens, components, and usages. It is destructive to
*duplication*, never to *behavior*: the rendered result must stay visually equivalent
(verified) unless a conflict resolution intentionally upgrades it.

**Before any browser interaction, read `protocol-browser-anti-stall` and apply it.**

---

## Phase 0 — Detect and scope

### 0a. Consume an existing plan

If a `plan-uiux-unification` plan exists (in `.cursor/plans/` or provided), read it fully —
this skill is its executor. Otherwise run the detect loop below.

### 0b. Detect the design system

Reuse the `audit-uiux-design-system` Step 0 detection: CSS framework (Tailwind v3/v4, CSS
Modules, CSS-in-JS), component library (shadcn/Radix/MUI/Chakra/custom), icon library, and
the token source file(s). Record it.

---

## Phase 1 — Establish the SSOT structure (3-layer tokens)

Define (or normalize onto) a three-layer token taxonomy — the 2026 standard for
drift-proof systems:

| Layer | Role | Example |
|---|---|---|
| **Primitive / global** | Raw values, no meaning | `--blue-500: oklch(...)`, `--space-2: 0.5rem` |
| **Semantic** | Intent, references primitives | `--color-primary: var(--blue-500)`, `--radius-card` |
| **Component** | Component-scoped, references semantic | `--button-bg: var(--color-primary)` |

Components reference **semantic** tokens, never primitives or raw values. Record the
canonical token file as the SSOT and note where duplicate/parallel token sets live.

---

## Phase 2 — Detect every conflict (the drift inventory)

Search the whole repo (use Shell/`rg`, not the plan's file list) and build a durable
checklist at `.cursor/housekeep-design-state.md`. Hunt each conflict class:

```bash
# Raw values that should be tokens
rg -n "#[0-9a-fA-F]{3,8}|rgb\(|hsl\([^v]" -g "*.{tsx,jsx,css,vue}"
rg -n "(text|p|m|gap|rounded|w|h)-\[" -g "*.{tsx,jsx}"      # arbitrary values
# Duplicate / near-duplicate tokens (same value, different name)
rg -n "^\s*--" -g "*.css"                                    # then group by value
# Competing component implementations
rg -n "function (Button|Card|Modal|Dialog|Input|Badge|Tabs)\b" -g "*.{tsx,jsx}" -l
rg -n "<button |<input |<select |<a " -g "*.{tsx,jsx}"       # raw elements outside ui/
# Mixed icon libraries
rg -n "from '(lucide-react|@heroicons|react-icons|@phosphor)" -g "*.{tsx,jsx}" -c
```

Conflict classes to record:
- **Token duplication** — same value under multiple names; near-duplicate values (e.g.
  `#3B82F6` and `#3C82F7`) that should collapse to one.
- **Naming drift** — visual names (`--blue`) vs semantic (`--primary`); inconsistent scales.
- **Component duplication** — multiple implementations of the same UI (2 Buttons, 3 Cards).
- **Raw / arbitrary usage** — hardcoded colors, `text-[13px]`, off-scale spacing/radius.
- **Mixed icon libraries** — pick one, migrate the rest.
- **Dark-mode gaps** — tokens without dark variants; hardcoded `bg-white`/`text-black`.

State totals out loud: "Found N conflicts across M files."

---

## Phase 3 — Reconcile: pick the canonical (best-of-both)

For each conflict, choose the canonical form using explicit criteria, and log the decision
in a **SSOT decision log** so future contributors know *why*:

Canonical wins if it is (in priority order): **more accessible** → **properly tokenized /
semantic** → **more widely used already** (least migration churn) → **better named** →
**more complete** (has all states/variants). When two are equal, keep the one closer to the
component library's idiom (e.g. shadcn `cva` variants).

```md
## SSOT decisions (in .cursor/housekeep-design-state.md)
- Blue: `--color-primary` ← merge `--brand`, `#3B82F6`, `--blue-accent`  (reason: semantic, most used)
- Button: keep `components/ui/button.tsx` (cva variants) ← remove `components/Button2.tsx`, inline buttons
- Icons: standardize on `lucide-react` ← migrate 12 `@heroicons` usages
- Radius: `--radius-card` (8px) ← collapse `rounded-[6px]`, `rounded-lg` in card contexts
```

STOP and ask the human only when a resolution changes visible behavior/brand in a way the
plan didn't authorize. Pure de-duplication proceeds.

---

## Phase 4 — Migrate all usages (mechanical, per-batch)

Work the checklist in batches of 5–10 files. Prefer codemods for coverage you can verify:

- **Token usages:** replace deprecated names/raw values with the canonical token
  (`rg` → scripted replace, or `eslint --fix` with a custom rule).
- **Component usages:** replace duplicate/raw components with the canonical import;
  migrate props to the canonical API.
- **Icons:** swap import + component name to the chosen library.

Flip each item `[ ]`→`[x]` in the state file **immediately** per batch (survives context
truncation). For large mechanical sweeps, hand the coverage loop to **`burndown-full`**
with MATCH=deprecated form, DONE=canonical form — its from-scratch-search gate proves
completeness. Append any newly discovered occurrences and burn them down too.

---

## Phase 5 — Install guardrails so drift can't recur

Consolidation without guardrails regresses in a week. Add:

- **Lint-as-policy:** rules that block off-system styles — no raw hex/`rgb`/`hsl` in
  components, no arbitrary Tailwind values (`no-restricted-syntax` / a Tailwind lint
  plugin), single icon library. Wire into the repo's lint step.
- **Documented escape hatches:** one sanctioned way to add a new token (edit the SSOT
  file) and to opt out (a commented, reviewed exception) — so the rules don't just get
  disabled wholesale.
- Note (do not force) that a visual-regression check (Chromatic/Storybook) in CI is the
  durable long-term guard; recommend it if Storybook exists.

For a deeper guardrail install (hooks + CI gates), hand off to `enhance-agent-guardrails`.

---

## Phase 6 — Verify and report

- **Fresh search:** `rg` for every deprecated form → **zero** hits (except logged
  exceptions). Any hit → back to Phase 4.
- **Visual equivalence:** browser MCP before/after screenshots of key pages in light + dark;
  confirm no unintended visual change. Save to `.playwright-mcp/`.
- **Build/typecheck/lint:** run the repo's commands; the new lint rules must pass.

```markdown
## Design Housekeep — report
**SSOT:** [token file] · 3-layer taxonomy established
**Conflicts resolved:** tokens [N→M] · components [N→M] · icons [→1 lib] · arbitrary values [N→0]
**Decision log:** [N] canonical choices recorded (.cursor/housekeep-design-state.md)
**Migration:** [M] files updated · deprecated-form search → 0 hits
**Guardrails:** lint-as-policy added (raw color/arbitrary/icon rules) · escape hatch documented
**Verification:** build ✓ · lint ✓ · visual before/after equivalent (screenshots [paths])
```

Leave `.cursor/housekeep-design-state.md` as an audit trail unless asked to delete it.

---

## Related

- `plan-uiux-unification` — produces the plan this skill executes (audit → approve → here)
- `audit-uiux-design-system` — the read-only audit that surfaces the drift
- `enhance-agent-guardrails` — deeper guardrail install (hooks, CI gates)
- `burndown-full` — mechanical repo-wide coverage for the usage migration
- `enhance-motion` — consolidate motion incoherence as part of the same pass
- `workflow-housekeep` — the file/dependency counterpart (dead files, README, deps)
- `design-system` — authoring conventions for the canonical components