StyleSeed Update Assistant

When NOT to use

• For first-time setup → use /ss-setup
• For just one new component or skin — copy that file manually
• For projects that have heavily diverged from upstream — manual diff review first
• Updating the engine is separate from re-designing your UI. Steps 1–5 update engine files only; if you want an old generic build re-done to the new standard, that's Step 6 (Retrofit).

Automatically detect and update StyleSeed files in the current project.

Reassure the user first

Updating is safe and reversible. Updates are additive — new rules, components, skins, and skills get added; your theme.css, your components, and your app code are never overwritten, and design rules only ever get added (never changed in a breaking way). A big version jump looks like a lot changed, but it's almost all additions. Do NOT warn the user that the build will break unless you actually find a changed component/import API. Tell them: commit first, copy the new rules + skills, run a build, and git reset --hard if anything is off — they can't permanently break their project.

Instructions

Step 1: Detect Current Setup

Scan the project to find where StyleSeed files are:

# Find DESIGN-LANGUAGE.md
find . -name "DESIGN-LANGUAGE.md" -not -path "*/node_modules/*"

# Find CLAUDE.md
find . -name "CLAUDE.md" -not -path "*/node_modules/*"

# Find skills (ss-* is current; ui-*/ux-* are legacy names to migrate from)
find . -path "*/.claude/skills/ss-*" -o -path "*/.claude/skills/ui-*" -o -path "*/.claude/skills/ux-*" | head -20

# Find theme.css
find . -name "theme.css" -not -path "*/node_modules/*"

# Find .cursorrules
find . -name ".cursorrules"

Report what was found and where.

Step 2: Check StyleSeed Version

Fast check first — compare the local version to the published one without cloning:

# local marker (may be absent on older installs)
cat engine/VERSION 2>/dev/null || cat VERSION 2>/dev/null || echo "unknown"
# latest published version + what's new
curl -s https://styleseed-demo.vercel.app/version.json

If the local version already matches version.json's version, tell the user they're up to date and stop. Otherwise report whatsNew and continue.

Then clone/pull to actually diff the files:

if [ -d "/tmp/styleseed" ]; then
  cd /tmp/styleseed && git pull
else
  git clone https://github.com/bitjaru/styleseed.git /tmp/styleseed
fi

Compare:

• engine/VERSION (or version.json) vs the local copy — the source of truth
• DESIGN-LANGUAGE.md rule count + Table of Contents
• Skills present in .claude/skills/ vs upstream (don't hardcode a count — list the diff)
• Whether CLAUDE.md, AGENTS.md, and .cursorrules exist (ship all three)
• New engine docs (VISUAL-CRAFT.md, APP-PLAYBOOKS.md, PAGE-TYPES.md)

Step 3: Report & Ask

Show the user what needs updating:

StyleSeed Update Report:

Current state:
- DESIGN-LANGUAGE.md: [location] — [old/current version indicator]
- Skills: [count] found (latest: 12)
- Golden Rules: [yes/no]
- .cursorrules: [yes/no]

Recommended updates:
1. ✅ [safe] Update skills (X → 12)
2. ✅ [safe] Add .cursorrules
3. ⚠️ [review] Update DESIGN-LANGUAGE.md ([old line count] → [new line count])
4. ⚠️ [merge] Add Golden Rules to CLAUDE.md (won't overwrite existing content)

Shall I proceed? (I'll ask before each ⚠️ item)

Step 4: Execute Updates

For each update, in order:

Always safe (do without asking):

• Copy skills: cp -r /tmp/styleseed/engine/.claude/skills/ .claude/skills/
• Copy .cursorrules (if not exists): cp /tmp/styleseed/engine/.cursorrules .cursorrules

Ask before doing:

For DESIGN-LANGUAGE.md:

• Show diff summary: how many new rules, what sections added
• Ask: "Update DESIGN-LANGUAGE.md? (Y/N)"
• If yes: copy to the detected location

For CLAUDE.md (Golden Rules):

• Check if Golden Rules section already exists
• If not: ask "Add Golden Rules section to your CLAUDE.md? This adds 10 lines at the top. Your existing content stays untouched."
• If yes: insert Golden Rules after the first heading

Never touch:

• theme.css — say "Your theme.css (skin) is untouched."
• components/ — say "Your components are untouched. Run /ss-lint to check compliance."

Recompile the project context:

• If STYLESEED.md exists, run the installed ss-resolve/scripts/resolve-context.mjs with --project-root . --from-lock STYLESEED.md --agent <agent>.
• Run the same command with --check and require a zero exit status.
• Report the new bundle hash from .styleseed/manifest.json; do not point the user at llms-full.txt.

Step 5: Summary

Update complete!

✅ Skills: 21 (added X new)
✅ .cursorrules: added
✅ DESIGN-LANGUAGE.md: updated to latest
✅ Golden Rules: added to CLAUDE.md
✅ Effective context: recompiled and hash-checked

Not touched:
- theme.css (your skin)
- components/ (your code)

Next: run /ss-lint on your pages to check for rule violations.

Step 6: Retrofit existing UI (optional but recommended) — "re-do a generic old build"

Updating the rules doesn't re-design screens you already built with an older StyleSeed. If the user says their existing UI still looks generic/"AI-made" (default indigo, icon-chip cliché, tight desktop type, no focal point, no design lock), offer to retrofit it to the new standard. This is the migration path for anyone who built before the distinctiveness rules existed:

1. Write a design lock if missing. Check for STYLESEED.md at the project root. If absent, run Quick Setup (CLAUDE.md) now with the user — pin mood (edges/feel/density/tone), a domain-fit key color (NOT the default indigo), a chosen font, and the surface (mobile vs desktop type scale). Write the lock. Existing generic builds almost always never had a lock — this is the biggest fix.
2. Re-score the key screens. Run /ss-score on the main pages. The new rubric flags exactly the old-build tells: default-indigo accent, the icon-chip cliché (§CC-9b), body <16px on desktop, no focal point, demo layout copied verbatim, missing states.
3. Apply the fixes. Run /ss-review (or /ss-review --fix) screen by screen to retint to the locked key color, replace the uniform icon chips, bump the desktop type scale, and create a focal point. Re-score to ≥ 80. Do the highest-traffic screen first.
4. Report the before/after score so the upgrade is visible (e.g. "landing 63 → 88").

Frame it honestly: the rules got stronger, so a screen that passed the old bar may score lower now — that's the point; fixing it is what makes it stop looking AI-made.

Important

• NEVER overwrite theme.css
• NEVER overwrite a project-specific CLAUDE.md — only MERGE the Golden Rules section
• NEVER overwrite components without explicit user approval
• Always show what will change before changing it
• If unsure, ask the user