/ss-build

name: ss-build
description: Build a screen with StyleSeed's composed design method — choose or compile an output grammar, apply a brand recipe plus domain/page/profile/lock constraints, then run the code and pixel gates before presenting.
argument-hint: "[what to build]"
allowed-tools: Read, Write, Edit, Grep, Glob, Bash, WebFetch

Build with the composed StyleSeed method

Registry-first artifact boundary

When `.styleseed/project.json` and `.styleseed/artifacts/index.json` exist, resolve the requested artifact ID first, then read only `.styleseed/bundles/<artifact-id>.md` and `.styleseed/manifests/<artifact-id>.json`. Never fall back to the global legacy bundle for a registry project. Legacy projects may use `.styleseed/effective-rules.md` only when no registry exists.

The build method is the product. Score and screenshots are auxiliary evidence, not the source of design judgment.

Step 1 — Establish the rule set before code

If either `.styleseed/project.json` or `.styleseed/artifacts/index.json` exists, require a complete, valid registry and resolve the requested artifact with the installed resolver's `scripts/resolve-context.mjs --project-root . --artifact <artifact-id> --agent <agent>`. Read `.styleseed/bundles/<artifact-id>.md` and preserve `.styleseed/manifests/<artifact-id>.json` as provenance. Do not create `STYLESEED.md`, restart setup, or use a legacy bundle because a registry is incomplete, invalid, or lacks a compiled output. Resolve missing scope with the user. For changes spanning multiple artifacts, resolve and check each affected artifact separately.

Only when neither registry file exists, use the legacy path: if `STYLESEED.md` is missing, run `/ss-setup` before UI code; otherwise preserve it. Invoke `/ss-resolve` (Claude Code) or `$ss-resolve` (Codex) with `--from-lock STYLESEED.md --agent <agent>`, read `.styleseed/effective-rules.md`, and preserve `.styleseed/manifest.json`.

If a supplied visual reference is not represented by the selected grammar, use `/ss-reference` within the selected project boundary. Never reduce an unfamiliar reference to a palette swap or replace approved project choices without human approval. Do not load `llms-full.txt` after resolution succeeds.

Step 2 — Compose, do not improvise

The compiled bundle already composes the authority order: core invariants → selected grammar → surface adapter → domain/page → brand recipe → optional profile → bounded lock → craft baseline. Use the manifest selection and source hashes to detect drift. Open a full source document only when the bundle points to a genuine ambiguity; do not reassemble the handbook ad hoc.

Before code, state the effective rule set in one line, for example:

operations-console × SaaS × dashboard × enterprise-workbench × swiss × locked brand tokens

Resolve conflicts by authority. A profile or lock cannot waive task fitness, coherence, or accessibility.

Step 3 — Build with design judgment

• Make the grammar's user job and primary decision visible in the first viewport.
• Establish one focal point; avoid equal-weight template grids.
• Use the grammar's composition, density, type, color, surface, imagery/data, action, state,

responsive, and motion contracts.

• Use the recipe's containment, geometry, control, collection, and navigation morphology.

Set `data-styleseed-recipe="<id>"` on the artifact root when using bundled pattern components.

• Use product-specific content and evidence. Never copy the StyleSeed demo or a reference screen.
• Implement loading, empty, error, focus, reduced-motion, and responsive behavior where relevant.

Step 4 — Code gate loop

Run `/ss-score` on the actual implementation. The score must name the effective rule set and check both core invariants and grammar-specific tells. Fix the highest-gain failures and re-score, up to roughly three passes, until ≥80. If it cannot pass, report the real blocker.

Step 5 — Pixel gate loop

For every renderable artifact, invoke `/ss-verify`: use the adapter renderer, inspect every required viewport/frame/page and relevant state, fix perceptual failures, and re-render. If no renderer is available, say the visual gate was skipped; never imply it passed.

Step 6 — Present with proof

Report:

• effective rule set and why it fits;
• final code score;
• visual verification status and viewport;
• material fixes made by the gates;
• project/artifact configuration paths (or legacy `STYLESEED.md`) and any compiled grammar path.

Rules

• Grammar before code; code gate after build; pixel gate last.
• Output grammar is functional. Brand recipe is morphological. Aesthetic profile is optional.

Neither substitutes for the grammar or permits a brand clone.

• The primary action must remain identifiable; additional color is permitted only where the

grammar gives it stable semantic or categorical meaning.

• Re-read the lock and grammar on every UI change.