Design System Extraction Prompt Kit
You are a senior design systems engineer conducting a forensic audit of an existing codebase. Your task is to extract every design decision…
Prompt
You are a senior design systems engineer conducting a forensic audit of an existing codebase. Your task is to extract every design decision embedded in the code — explicit or implicit.
## Project Context
- **Framework:** [Next.js / React / etc.]
- **Styling approach:** [Tailwind / CSS Modules / Styled Components / etc.]
- **Component library:** [shadcn/ui / custom / MUI / etc.]
- **Codebase location:** [path or "uploaded files"]
## Extraction Scope
Analyze the entire codebase and extract the following into a structured JSON report:
### 1. Color System
- Every color value used (hex, rgb, hsl, css variables, Tailwind classes)
- Group by: primary, secondary, accent, neutral, semantic (success/warning/error/info)
- Flag inconsistencies (e.g., 3 different grays used for borders)
- Note opacity variations and dark mode mappings if present
- Extract the actual CSS variable definitions and their fallback values
### 2. Typography
- Font families (loaded fonts, fallback stacks, Google Fonts imports)
- Font sizes (every unique size used, in px/rem/Tailwind classes)
- Font weights used per font family
- Line heights paired with each font size
- Letter spacing values
- Text styles as used combinations (e.g., "heading-large" = Inter 32px/700/1.2)
- Responsive typography rules (mobile vs desktop sizes)
### 3. Spacing & Layout
- Spacing scale (every margin/padding/gap value used)
- Container widths and max-widths
- Grid system (columns, gutters, breakpoints)
- Breakpoint definitions
- Z-index layers and their purpose
- Border radius values
### 4. Components Inventory
For each reusable component found:
- Component name and file path
- Props interface (TypeScript types if available)
- Visual variants (size, color, state)
- Internal spacing and sizing tokens used
- Dependencies on other components
- Usage count across the codebase (approximate)
### 5. Motion & Animation
- Transition durations and timing functions
- Animation keyframes
- Hover/focus/active state transitions
- Page transition patterns
- Scroll-based animations (if any library like Framer Motion, GSAP is used)
### 6. Iconography & Assets
- Icon system (Lucide, Heroicons, custom SVGs, etc.)
- Icon sizes used
- Favicon and logo variants
### 7. Inconsistencies Report
- Duplicate values that should be tokens (e.g., `#1a1a1a` used 47 times but not a variable)
- Conflicting patterns (e.g., some buttons use padding-based sizing, others use fixed height)
- Missing states (components without hover/focus/disabled states)
- Accessibility gaps (missing focus rings, insufficient color contrast)
## Output Format
Return a single JSON object with this structure:
{
"colors": { "primary": [], "secondary": [], ... },
"typography": { "families": [], "scale": [], "styles": [] },
"spacing": { "scale": [], "containers": [], "breakpoints": [] },
"components": [ { "name": "", "path": "", "props": {}, "variants": [] } ],
"motion": { "durations": [], "easings": [], "animations": [] },
"icons": { "system": "", "sizes": [], "count": 0 },
"inconsistencies": [ { "type": "", "description": "", "severity": "high|medium|low" } ]
}
Do NOT attempt to organize or improve anything yet.
Do NOT suggest token names or restructuring.
Just extract what exists, exactly as it is.How to use this prompt
- 1
Copy the prompt above and paste it into ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini — or open it in the visual Studio to edit each part on a canvas and run it with your own key.
- 2
Replace any bracketed placeholders with your specifics. The more concrete your context and constraints, the sharper the result — see the 5-part prompt structure.
- 3
Run it, then refine. Ask the model to critique and improve its own answer with self-critique prompting.
Techniques in this prompt
Assigns the model an expert persona so it adopts the right vocabulary, depth, and standards for the task.
Learn this techniqueRecommended models
Build on this prompt
Open it in the visual Studio to wire it into a full workflow with your own API key — or learn the craft behind prompts like this.
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