home / skills / madappgang / claude-code / style-format

style-format skill

This skill analyzes and formats style files to guide visual direction by applying consistent palette, mood, and rendering notes.

npx playbooks add skill madappgang/claude-code --skill style-format

Review the files below or copy the command above to add this skill to your agents.

Files (1)

SKILL.md

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---
name: style-format
description: Style template format specification. Single markdown files that describe artistic direction.
---
plugin: nanobanana
updated: 2026-01-20

# Style Format Specification

## Overview

Styles are **single markdown files** in the `styles/` directory.
The entire file content is prepended to the user's prompt.

## File Location

```
{project}/
  styles/
    glass.md
    watercolor.md
    cyberpunk.md
```

## Template Structure

```markdown
# Style Name

{Overall description of the visual style. Be vivid and specific.
Include mood, atmosphere, key visual characteristics.}

## Color Palette
- Primary: {color} ({hex})
- Secondary: {color} ({hex})
- Background: {color} ({hex})
- Accents: {colors}

## Technical Notes
{Rendering style, lighting, materials, post-processing}
```

## Example: Blue Glass 3D

```markdown
# Blue Glass 3D Style

A photorealistic 3D render with blue glass material. Objects should have:
- Glossy, translucent blue glass surface
- Subtle reflections and refractions
- Solid black background
- Soft studio lighting from above-left
- Sharp shadows

## Color Palette
- Primary: Deep blue (#1a4b8c)
- Highlights: Light cyan (#7fdbff)
- Background: Pure black (#000000)

## Technical Notes
- Use ray-traced rendering appearance
- Include caustic light effects
- Maintain consistent material across objects
```

## Usage

```bash
# Apply style to generation
uv run python main.py out.png "gear icon" --style styles/glass.md

# Combine with reference
uv run python main.py out.png "cube" --style styles/glass.md --ref prev.png
```

## Style vs Reference

| Concept | Type | Purpose |
|---------|------|---------|
| Style | Text (.md) | Artistic direction via description |
| Reference | Image | Visual example for consistency |

Both can be combined for best results.

## Security Notes

Style files are validated for potential injection patterns:
- No bash/shell code blocks
- No variable expansion (${ })
- No command substitution ($( ))
- No shell operators (& | ; `)

Suspicious patterns generate warnings but don't block creation.

## Writing Effective Styles

1. **Be Specific**: "Soft watercolor washes with visible paper texture"
2. **Include Colors**: Hex codes ensure consistency
3. **Describe Mood**: "Mysterious, slightly unsettling"
4. **Technical Details**: Lighting, camera angle, rendering style
5. **Keep It Focused**: One style per file

Overview

This skill defines a concise markdown-based style template for describing artistic direction. It standardizes single-file style descriptions that are prepended to generation prompts, ensuring consistent mood, color, and technical guidance. The format is optimized for clarity and safe use with image-generation pipelines.

How this skill works

Each style is a single markdown file placed in a styles/ folder and contains a header, descriptive paragraph, a color palette section, and technical notes. The style file content is automatically prepended to the user prompt so the generator receives clear artistic direction. Files are validated for simple injection patterns to reduce accidental command or shell content.

When to use it

When you need repeatable, shareable artistic direction across generations
To codify an aesthetic for a design system or brand
When combining textual style guidance with an image reference
For teams that want a single source of truth for visual mood and palette
When you need explicit rendering or lighting instructions for photorealism

Best practices

Keep one distinct visual concept per file to avoid conflicting instructions
Use vivid, specific language for mood, atmosphere, and materials
Include hex color codes in the Color Palette section for consistency
Add concise Technical Notes covering lighting, camera, and rendering
Avoid shell-like syntax or variable expansions to pass validation

Example use cases

Create a brand style file that guarantees consistent color and mood across product icons
Author a photorealistic render style with exact lighting and material notes for 3D assets
Pair a watercolor style markdown with a reference photo to generate illustrations that match texture and palette
Store photographer-style directions (lens, angle, studio lighting) to reproduce consistent shots
Maintain a library of genre styles (cyberpunk, watercolor, glass) to quickly switch aesthetics

FAQ

How long should a style file be?

Keep it focused: one short descriptive paragraph, a clear Color Palette, and concise Technical Notes—typically under a few hundred words.

Can I combine multiple styles?

You can apply multiple styles, but avoid combining conflicting instructions. Prefer composing a single file for predictable results.

What validations run on style files?

Files are checked for common shell or injection patterns (no code blocks with shell, no ${}, $(), or shell operators) and emit warnings for suspicious patterns.