DESIGN.md, Open Format Spec for AI Coding Agent Design Systems
About DESIGN.md
DESIGN.md is a format specification from Google Labs for describing a visual identity to coding agents. It pairs machine-readable design tokens (YAML front matter) with human-readable design rationale (Markdown prose), giving agents a persistent, structured understanding of your design system. Ships with an official CLI (@google/design.md) for linting (WCAG contrast, broken refs), diffing, and exporting to Tailwind v3/v4 or DTCG. Still in alpha.
Key Capabilities
Open format spec from Google Labs (origin of Google Stitch)
Combines machine-readable YAML tokens with human-readable Markdown rationale
Official CLI: lint, diff, export, spec commands
Built-in WCAG contrast checking and broken token reference detection
Exports to Tailwind v3/v4 config and DTCG (W3C Design Tokens)
Works with Claude Code, Cursor, Stitch, and any agent that reads repo files
Standout Features
Tokens + Rationale
YAML front matter for exact token values, Markdown prose for the why behind each design decision.
Official CLI
Run npx @google/design.md to lint, diff versions, export to Tailwind or DTCG, and inspect the spec.
WCAG Contrast Linting
Built-in accessibility checks catch contrast failures and broken token references before commit.
Component Variants
Define variants like button-primary-hover with token references like {colors.primary} for clean composition.
Repo-Native
Lives as a single portable DESIGN.md file in your repo, agents read it the same way they read README or AGENTS.md.
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