Ss Dial

Dial an axis

"Make it more minimal" is something you can just *say* — the model already reads plain

language. A skill only earns its place where **one word must move many tokens at once, in a

coordinated way, without breaking a rule** — and where doing it by hand gives an inconsistent

result (some tokens changed, the grid broken, a second accent introduced). That's what

/ss-dial is: not interpretation, but a deterministic ramp + guardrails + re-gate.

If the request is a *mood word* ("more premium", "more editorial", "more playful"), that's not

one axis — it's a *combination* of positions across several axes. Use **`/ss-restyle

<preset>** for those. /ss-dial` moves exactly one axis.

When NOT to use

• A vague vibe the model can just apply from words ("cleaner", "nicer") → don't wrap it in a

skill; say it.

• A named aesthetic (Swiss / editorial / brutalist) → /ss-restyle (a preset of dial positions).
• Changing the accent *hue itself* (rebrand) → edit the lock's Key color directly, then re-derive.
• No STYLESEED.md lock yet → run /ss-build or /ss-setup first; there's nothing to dial from.

The mechanic (every axis)

• Read STYLESEED.md — find the axis's current position (Mood/Density/Radius/Elevation/

Type scale/Font weight/Motion fields). If the lock doesn't record it, infer it from the code.

• Move ONE position in the requested direction on that axis's ramp (below). "more X" = one

step; an explicit target ("density: dense") jumps straight there. Clamp at the ends — you

cannot dial past dense or below airy. If already at the end, say so and stop (this is why

"each use makes it *more*" is bounded, not runaway).

• Apply the whole coordinated token set for the new position across every file that uses

those tokens — not just the one component in view. This is the point: system-wide, consistent.

• Respect the guardrails (each axis lists its own). Never break a Golden Rule to satisfy a

dial — if "denser" would push a touch control below 44px, stop at the floor and note it.

• Update STYLESEED.md with the new position (so it persists and the next prompt obeys it).
• Re-run the Quality Gate (/ss-score, loop to ≥ 80). A dial that drops the score below 80

is reverted or fixed, not shipped. Report: axis, old → new position, score.

The axes

1. Density — spacing rhythm + internal padding + type/line-height, together

Ramp: airy → comfortable → compact → dense. The page gutter stays px-6/mx-6 always

(fixed rule); density moves the *vertical rhythm, card interior, and reading scale*.

| Position | Section space-y | Card padding | Grid gap | Body line-height | Type scale |

|---|---|---|---|---|---|

| airy | space-y-10 | p-8 | gap-8 | leading-relaxed | one step up (desktop-larger) |

| comfortable | space-y-6 | p-6 | gap-6 | leading-normal | surface default |

| compact | space-y-4 | p-4 | gap-4 | leading-normal | surface default, tighter headings |

| dense | space-y-4 | p-4 | gap-3 (12px half-step) | leading-snug on data | data-table scale |

Guardrails: stay on the 8px grid (only p-2/4/6/8, gap-* on grid or the 4px half-step —

never invent p-5/gap-2.5); touch controls stay ≥ 44px even at dense (shrink padding,

not tap targets); body never drops below the surface floor (desktop 16px). Dense is for

data-heavy surfaces; don't dense-ify a marketing landing.

2. Hierarchy contrast — the size/weight gap between levels

Ramp: subtle → balanced → strong → dramatic. Moves the ratio between the hero and the body,

plus display tracking.

| Position | Hero : body size ratio | Display weight | Display tracking |

|---|---|---|---|

| subtle | ~2:1 | 600 | -0.01em |

| balanced | ~2.5:1 | 700 | -0.02em |

| strong | ~3.2:1 | 700–800 | -0.02em |

| dramatic | ~4:1 | 800 | -0.03em |

Guardrails: pick sizes from the Font Size table only (don't invent); body stays at the

surface floor regardless; keep the number-to-unit 2:1 pairing intact; one focal element still

dominates (dialing contrast up must not create two competing heroes).

3. Radius — the corner personality (categorical swap, not a slider)

Ramp: sharp ↔ soft ↔ pill. Swaps the whole mapping table as one set, never one component.

| Position | Controls (btn/input/chip) | Cards | Inner panels |

|---|---|---|---|

| sharp | 2–4px | 6–8px | 4–6px |

| soft | 8–10px | 12–16px | 10–12px |

| pill | full (9999px) | 20–24px | 14–16px |

Guardrails: one personality *everywhere* (sharp cards + pill buttons is the exact

mixed-personality tell we ban); nested elements still follow inner = outer − padding.

4. Elevation / depth — how surfaces separate

Ramp: flat → subtle → layered → lifted. Light and dark speak different languages — apply

the one that matches the theme.

| Position | Light (shadow, ≤8% opacity) | Dark (tonal + hairline) |

|---|---|---|

| flat | no shadow; 1px hairline border | page = card tone; hairline only |

| subtle | 0 1px 3px /4% | one surface step + hairline |

| layered | 0 1px 3px /4% + 0 4px 12px /8% | two surface steps + hairline |

| lifted | add 0 8px 24px /8% on raised | three steps; brightest = highest |

Guardrails: never exceed ~8% shadow opacity in light; never a drop shadow in dark (use

the tonal surface ramp + hairline borders); one shadow language / one light direction across

the whole UI.

5. Color — saturation and temperature (two sub-dials, accent stays single)

saturation: muted ↔ balanced ↔ vivid · temperature: cooler ↔ neutral ↔ warmer. Shifts the

one accent in HSL and re-derives its tints; may nudge the neutral greys' chroma. Does NOT

add a hue.

| Sub-dial | Move | Applies to |

|---|---|---|

| more-muted | accent saturation −10–15% (HSL S) | --brand + re-derive bg-*-tint at 10–14% alpha |

| more-vivid | accent saturation +10–15% | same |

| warmer | hue toward 20–40° (amber/terracotta) | --brand; optionally greys +2–4% warm chroma |

| cooler | hue toward 200–220° (blue/teal) | --brand; greys toward cool |

Guardrails: still one accent — this shifts the existing hue, never introduces a second;

tints follow the 10–14%-alpha-over-card formula (light + dark); accent keeps ≥4.5:1 where it

carries text; a warm/cool grey shift must stay near-neutral (chroma ≤ ~6%), not become a tint.

6. Font weight — the weight ramp

Ramp: light → regular → bold. Shifts the whole weight scale up/down by one notch, keeping the

*spread* (so hierarchy survives).

| Position | Body | Labels / nav | Headings / metrics |

|---|---|---|---|

| light | 400 | 400–500 | 600 |

| regular | 400 | 500 | 700 |

| bold | 500 | 600 | 700–800 |

Guardrails: keep contrast between levels (don't make everything one weight — that flattens

hierarchy); body ≤ 500 for readability at length; CJK weight does the work tracking can't.

7. Motion energy — seed + durations

Ramp: still → calm → lively → energetic. Swaps the motion seed and scales durations globally.

| Position | Seed | Durations | Character |

|---|---|---|---|

| still | none | instant / color-only | no entrance motion |

| calm | Silk / Snap | 100–200ms, ease-out | smooth, restrained |

| lively | Spring | 200–350ms, slight overshoot | responsive, alive |

| energetic | Spring / Pulse | 250–400ms, visible spring | bouncy, playful |

Guardrails: numbers, balances, and money never animate at any level; always honor

prefers-reduced-motion; scroll-linked/parallax/3D is surface-scoped (§43 — forbidden on app/data

surfaces, allowed as the Cinematic tier on marketing/landing pages; scroll-JACKING banned everywhere);

motion never delays content

or blocks an action.

Rules

• One axis per call. A mood word ("premium") is a *combination* → /ss-restyle, not this.
• System-wide, or don't. Applying a position to one component and not the rest re-creates the

incoherence this skill exists to prevent. Grep the token across the project and move all of it.

• Clamp at the ends. Bounded ramp, not an infinite "more" — if already at dense/sharp/

bold, say so and stop.

• Guardrails beat the dial. Never break a Golden Rule (grid, ≥44px touch, single accent,

nested-radius, ≤8% shadow, no dark drop-shadow, font-size table) to satisfy a direction — stop

at the floor and tell the user.

• Persist + re-gate. Write the new position to STYLESEED.md, then /ss-score to ≥ 80.

Report axis: old → new and the score. A dial that lowered the score is fixed, not shipped.