existing-ui-audit

existing-ui-audit

Interplay: this audit answers what exists (components, tokens, primitives → state.ui_audit); design-intelligence answers what to build (corpus-grounded style/token/typography/pattern selection for the brief). Audit runs first, and its reuse findings outrank corpus suggestions — never let a grounded recommendation introduce a new component the inventory already covers.

When to use

Use this skill when:

• The dispatcher has routed work to directive_set="ui" (intent ui-build or ui-improve)
• A mixed flow is about to enter its UI phase
• The user asks "what UI do we already have for X?"

Do NOT use when:

• directive_set="ui-trivial" — the trivial path bypasses audit by precondition (≤1 file, ≤5 lines, no new component, no new state, no new dep)
• directive_set="backend" — no UI surface to inventory
• The audit findings already exist in state.ui_audit for this state-file — the gate round-trips through SUCCESS once audit_path is set, and does not re-run for the life of that state-file (see Gotchas for what that does and does not cover)

Resource-first context gate (design fidelity)

Any request to recreate, redesign, mock, prototype, or improve a UI runs this gate BEFORE styling — the Inspect stage of the design-artifact lifecycle. Design starts from project truth, not generic aesthetic memory.

• Search first (owned UI). Before proposing anything, search the project for: design tokens, global CSS, the component library / design system (§ 2), supplied screenshots or exported design context, Figma/exported context when connected, assets (logos, icons, fonts), and copy tone. Procedure steps 1–5 produce this inventory — do not skip them for a "quick" redesign.
• Hard stop on a promised-but-inaccessible source. When the user explicitly references a design system, local folder, Figma file, or codebase you cannot read, STOP and ask for access — never invent a design from memory to paper over the missing source. A promised source that can't be reached is a blocking question (ask-when-uncertain), not a licence to improvise. (fixture: daf-inaccessible-design-system.)
• Source priority — code beats screenshots. For exact values (tokens, spacing, component props) the design-system/code context is authoritative; a screenshot conveys gestalt but is not enough for component/token fidelity. Never read pixel values off a screenshot when the source is available.
• Tool composition — inspect before you generate. Owned UI → repository search + local files FIRST. Connected/imported design data (Figma, tokens export) → that connector next, when available. Browser / image search → only for public references or current product/place imagery, never a substitute for inspecting owned code. Generated imagery → only when the user asks for synthetic assets, or no real inspection is required. (fixtures: daf-no-context, daf-missing-asset.)