Can I use the Claude Code workflow reference DESIGN.md with Cursor, Claude Code, or Codex?

Yes. Copy the DESIGN.md file into your project root and reference it in your agent rules. For Cursor, add it to .cursor/rules. For Claude Code, include it as CLAUDE.md. For Codex, add it to your system prompt. The agent will read it and apply the Claude Code workflow reference visual system to any UI it generates.

What is a DESIGN.md file?

A DESIGN.md file is a Markdown document that describes a product's visual design system — color palettes, typography, spacing, and component patterns — in a format that AI coding agents like Cursor, Claude Code, and Codex can read and follow when generating UI.

How do I add the Claude Code workflow reference DESIGN.md to my project?

Download or copy the DESIGN.md file from this page and place it in your project root. Then instruct your AI agent: "Read the DESIGN.md file in this project and follow its design system when generating UI." The agent will pick it up automatically in Cursor, Claude Code, Codex, and most modern AI coding tools.

Claude Code workflow reference

Official referencePractical workflow notes for AI coding agents

Dima Braven·Jan 5, 2026

A reference entry for using persistent repo instructions and design memory together in Claude Code.

officialclaude-codeworkflowtoolsdesign-md

Claude Code workflow reference screenshot

CursorClaude CodeCodexGoogle Stitch

# Claude Code workflow reference

## What this is
Claude Code is an agentic coding tool that works from the terminal, reads project context, edits files, runs commands, and can use repo memory files such as CLAUDE.md.

DESIGN.md complements Claude Code memory by isolating visual decisions from engineering workflow instructions.

## Why this page exists in DesignMD
This reference is not a scraped brand style page. It is a workflow page for teams that want to pair Anthropic Claude Code documentation with a durable DESIGN.md file.
Use it when an AI builder needs visual taste before it edits Tailwind classes, creates React components, or turns a prompt into a working interface.
The goal is practical: make the agent read a small design contract before it starts guessing color, density, hierarchy, radius, and component behavior.

## How DESIGN.md fits the workflow
- Put engineering workflow in CLAUDE.md and visual taste in DESIGN.md.
- Add a short CLAUDE.md rule that tells Claude to read DESIGN.md before UI work.
- Use slash-command or memory workflows to update the design rule after recurring review feedback.
- Keep prompts specific: name the page, the component system, and the acceptance screenshots.
- Ask Claude Code to run local checks after visual edits when the repo supports them.
- Keep DESIGN.md close to the source code, usually in the project root or beside the frontend app that owns the product surface.
- Treat the file as a living design contract. Update it after visual decisions change, not only after a full redesign.
- Reference the file explicitly in your coding-agent instructions so it is read before UI work begins.
- Prefer concrete values over adjectives. Agents follow `--radius-card: 8px` more reliably than "make it polished".
- Pair visual rules with acceptance checks: responsive behavior, hover states, empty states, error states, and accessibility.

## Recommended DESIGN.md structure
A useful DESIGN.md for this workflow should be readable by a human reviewer and precise enough for an agent.

### Product feel
- Define the product category and emotional target in one paragraph.
- Name what the interface should avoid, not only what it should become.
- Include the density target: sparse marketing, focused SaaS, data-heavy console, or code-first tool.

### Color
- Put canonical color values in CSS variables or token names.

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Design System Overview

The Claude Code workflow reference design system captures the visual language of a well-known developer tools and IDEs product. This DESIGN.md file distills its color palette, typography, spacing scale, and component patterns into a format that AI coding agents can read and follow when generating UI.

A reference entry for using persistent repo instructions and design memory together in Claude Code.

AI agents like Cursor, Claude Code, Codex, and Google Stitch can reference this file to produce UI that visually matches the Claude Code workflow reference aesthetic — consistent colors, proportional spacing, and recognizable component patterns — without requiring explicit pixel-by-pixel instructions for every element.

Browse more developer tools and IDEs design systems or explore the full DESIGN.md directory.

Color System

Brand palette extracted from the design system. Click any swatch to copy the hex value.

Text / Primary

#111827

Accent

#3b82f6

Surface / Background

#f8fafc

Border / Subtle

#cbd5e1

Typography Specimen

Display

2.8rem / 700 / 1.04

The quick brown fox

Heading H1

2rem / 700 / 1.1

The quick brown fox jumps

Heading H2

1.5rem / 600 / 1.15

The quick brown fox jumps over

Heading H3

1.125rem / 600 / 1.2

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy

Body

1rem / 400 / 1.5

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog

Small / Caption

0.75rem / 400 / 1.5

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog and sat down.

Monospace

const primary = "System";

Layout & Spacing Tokens

Spacing Scale

space-14px

space-28px

space-312px

space-416px

space-624px

space-832px

space-1248px

space-1664px

Border Radius

radius-none0px

radius-sm4px

radius-md8px

radius-lg16px

radius-xl24px

radius-full9999px

Elevation & Shadow

Flatshadow-none

XSshadow-xs

SMshadow-sm

MDshadow-md

LGshadow-lg

XLshadow-xl

Use with AI Coding Agents

Copy one of these prompts into your AI coding agent to apply the Claude Code workflow reference design system to your project. The DESIGN.md file in your repo root is the source of truth.

# .cursor/rules (or DESIGN.md)
You are working in a project that uses the Claude Code workflow reference design system.

Read the DESIGN.md file in this project root and follow it strictly when generating UI.
Match the brand's exact colors, typography, spacing scale, and border radius.
Do not create generic Tailwind UI — apply the visual language from DESIGN.md.

Key rules:
- Use the defined color palette, not arbitrary hex values
- Apply the correct font family and weight scale
- Follow spacing tokens (4/8/12/16/24/32px scale)
- Match component patterns: buttons, cards, inputs, badges as specified