Zazz Design Framework
Getting Started

LLMs

Use AI coding assistants with Zazz through purpose-built skills and context files.

Zazz ships with structured context files that AI coding assistants can consume directly. These skills teach LLMs how the token system works, what modern CSS APIs are in use, and how to write components that follow Zazz conventions.

Available skills

The zazz-pass skill lives in the repository at .claude/skills/zazz-pass/ and contains:

FileWhat it provides
SKILL.mdEntry point — when to trigger, how the system works
DESIGN.mdDesign system principles and token architecture
PATTERNS.mdComponent authoring patterns and conventions
references/tokens.mdFull token reference (scales, roles, metrics)
references/components.mdComponent markup and variant API
references/apis.mdModern CSS APIs used across the system

How to use with AI assistants

Claude (via .claude/skills/)

The skill is already installed. Any Claude-based tool that reads .claude/skills/ will automatically pick up Zazz conventions when you ask it to build or modify UI.

Other AI assistants

Point your assistant at the skill files in the repository. The key files to feed as context:

  1. SKILL.md gives the assistant the full picture of when and how to apply Zazz
  2. references/tokens.md lists token names and values it can use directly in generated code
  3. references/components.md shows correct markup patterns for every component

LLM-friendly docs

This documentation site also exposes full-text endpoints for LLM consumption:

What the skill teaches

The zazz-pass skill instructs AI assistants to:

  • Use the four-layer cascade (variables, reset, components, utilities)
  • Reach for semantic tokens (--primary, --gap-md) over hardcoded values
  • Apply variants via data-* attributes, not modifier classes
  • Use light-dark() for theme-aware colors
  • Follow component token naming (--{component}-{property}--{state})
  • Write new components that match existing file anatomy

GitHub

Full source and skill files:

github.com/dereknelsen/zazz-docs

On this page