Authoring Stitch Prompts
Quick Start
- Collect context – accept natural language, specs, or referenced files describing the screen/app. 1.5. Discover design context (optional) – check for
design-intent/:
- If exists: Extract Project Type, Design System from design-intent/memory/constitution.md - If not found: Scan codebase for framework hints (package.json) - Falls back gracefully to standalone mode - See WORKFLOW.md for details.
- Parse essentials – identify app type, screen focus, layout elements, and visual cues.
- Detect split points – analyze if input contains multiple screens or distinct intents (>2). Apply smart defaults: split if >2 screens/intents, else combine. Users can request regeneration with different approach.
- Filter aggressively – strip ALL non-UI concerns (backend, auth, APIs, caching, error handling, performance metrics, code-level specs). Focus EXCLUSIVELY on visual layout, components, colors, typography, spacing, and interaction patterns.
- Condense – rewrite into one atomic Stitch directive using "Design/Create/Add…" phrasing.
- Structure output – follow the Stitch prompt template (directive sentence → bullet list → 3–6 style cues → constraints). If design context was discovered, inject project-appropriate style cues. Do NOT use multi-section headings.
- Validate – ensure UI nouns are present, word count <250, NO technical implementation terms, and format matches EXAMPLES.md structure before returning the prompt.
Use this Skill whenever users need Stitch-ready wording, prompt refinements, or style-consistent rewrites.
File Output
Prompts are saved to feature-based directories under design-intent/google-stitch/{feature}/:
- Feature name derived from screen/page purpose (kebab-case, semantic, concise)
- Prompt files:
prompt-v{version}.md(auto-incremented from existing versions) - Pre-created subdirectories:
exports/(Stitch outputs) andwireframes/(reference mockups) - File composition:
<!-- Layout: {Name} -->header, then---separators between component sections (<!-- Component: {Name} -->) - 6-prompt Stitch limit: If >6 prompts, split into
prompt-v{version}-part{N}.mdfiles (max 6 per part) - Copy-paste ready: Entire file works directly in Stitch interface
See WORKFLOW.md for detailed file composition rules, REFERENCE.md for Stitch best practices, and EXAMPLES.md for worked examples (Examples 14–16 cover multi-component and split scenarios).
Input Types
Accepted
- Natural-language descriptions (single screen or short flows)
- Markdown/YAML/JSON specs (
/specs/dashboard.md) - Revision directives ("move KPI cards above chart", "convert to French", "change button to green")
- References to uploaded wireframes or images
- Language conversion requests ("switch to Spanish", "German version")
- Structured input from
/promptcommand (see below)
Structured Input (from /prompt command)
When invoked via /prompt, the skill may receive pre-parsed preferences (Brief, Components, Style, Structure). Parse structured fields and apply style mappings before proceeding. See WORKFLOW.md for field handling and style mapping tables.
All input detail levels are valid — Stitch infers patterns from minimal descriptions. Use adjectives to convey vibe when details are sparse ("vibrant fitness app", "minimal meditation app").
Workflow Overview
High-level loop: parse → condense → format → validate. Detailed branching logic, including cue extraction and revision handling, lives in WORKFLOW.md.
Output Structure
Prompts must follow the Stitch-friendly template:
- One-sentence description of the app/screen + primary intent.
- Bullet list (3–6 items) covering layout, components, or flows.
- Visual style cues (palette, typography, density, tone).
- Optional behavior/constraint reminders (responsiveness, export format).
Reference templates/authoring-stitch-prompts-template.md for wording patterns and templates/layout-prompt-template.md for layout/foundation prompts.
Examples
Representative before/after samples (SaaS dashboard, banking app, iterative edits, spec conversions) are in EXAMPLES.md. Use them to mirror tone and formatting; keep this file lean by not re-embedding the full transcripts here.
Design Context Integration
When design-intent/ exists in the project, the skill enhances style cues with project context:
- Project Type influences tone (e.g., "enterprise-grade" for Enterprise, "friendly, approachable" for Consumer)
- Design System names appear in style cues (e.g., "Fluent UI styling", "Material Design patterns")
The skill does NOT inject specific tokens (hex colors, spacing values)—only high-level descriptors that help Stitch generate contextually appropriate designs.
Fallback behavior: If design-intent/ is not found, the skill works standalone using default style cues.
See WORKFLOW.md for discovery logic and WORKFLOW.md for injection rules.
MCP Integration (Optional)
When @_davideast/stitch-mcp is configured, prompts can be sent directly to Stitch for generation after authoring.
With MCP: Author prompt -> Generate screens -> Fetch images/code Without MCP: Author prompt -> Copy to Stitch manually
After authoring, offer: "Stitch MCP is available. Generate screens now? [Yes / No / Just save prompts]"
If accepted, invoke the generating-stitch-screens skill with the authored prompt file.
Common Issues
- Prompts too verbose – Re-run formatting with the template and trim narration. See TROUBLESHOOTING.md.
- Missing style cues – Derive palette/typography keywords from user input or prior session context before finalizing. See TROUBLESHOOTING.md.
- Multi-goal briefs – Split into multiple prompts; re-emphasize Stitch's atomic focus. See TROUBLESHOOTING.md.
Reference Files
For advanced usage:
- REFERENCE.md — Overview of Stitch best practices
- EXAMPLES.md — Sample transformations
- WORKFLOW.md — Detailed processing loop
- TROUBLESHOOTING.md — Error-handling guidance
- templates/authoring-stitch-prompts-template.md — Output format template