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Design Handoff

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Generate detailed developer handoff specs from designs.

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Free · Opens the source repo

What Design Handoff does

The Design Handoff skill streamlines the process of transferring design specifications to developers by generating comprehensive documentation based on provided design assets. This skill is particularly useful when a design is finalized and ready for engineering implementation. By inputting a Figma URL or a description/screenshot of the design, users can automatically create a detailed spec sheet that includes essential components such as layout measurements, design tokens, interaction states, and responsive behaviors.

The output of the Design Handoff skill includes visual specifications that detail exact measurements like padding and margins, as well as design token references for colors and typography. It also covers interaction specifications, including click behavior and animations, ensuring that developers have all the necessary information to replicate the intended user experience. Furthermore, the skill addresses edge cases and accessibility considerations, which are crucial for creating inclusive and robust applications.

This skill is tailored for designers and product teams who want to ensure that their designs are accurately translated into code. By providing a structured and detailed handoff document, it minimizes the risk of miscommunication and assumptions during the development process. The principles embedded in the skill emphasize clarity and specificity, guiding users to include all relevant details that developers need to execute the design effectively.

Overall, the Design Handoff skill serves as a bridge between design and development, facilitating smoother collaboration and reducing the likelihood of errors or omissions in the implementation phase.

When to use it

Use this skill when your design is ready for development and you need to create a detailed spec sheet for engineers.

When not to use it

This skill may not be suitable for early design stages or when designs are still being iterated upon.

What you can build with it

Finalizing a Design for Development

When a design is complete, use this skill to generate a detailed handoff spec that developers can follow.

Ensuring Accessibility Compliance

Utilize the skill to include accessibility notes in the handoff documentation, ensuring the design meets inclusive standards.

Documenting Interaction States

Generate interaction specifications to clarify how components should behave under different user actions.

How to install Design Handoff

View source

1. Install with the skills CLI

npx skills add anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins/design-handoff --agent claude-code

2. Or install it manually

Download the skill folder and drop it into ~/.claude/skills/ for all projects, or .claude/skills/ to scope it to one repo. Restart Claude Code so it picks up the new skill.

Anthropic's agentic coding CLI, and the reference implementation of Agent Skills. Drop a skill folder into ~/.claude/skills and Claude Code loads it automatically whenever a task matches the skill's description. Claude Code docs

Inside SKILL.md

Written by anthropics

/design-handoff

If you see unfamiliar placeholders or need to check which tools are connected, see CONNECTORS.md.

Generate comprehensive developer handoff documentation from a design.

Usage

/design-handoff $ARGUMENTS

Generate handoff specs for: @$1

If a Figma URL is provided, pull the design from Figma. Otherwise, work from the provided description or screenshot.

What to Include

Visual Specifications

  • Exact measurements (padding, margins, widths)
  • Design token references (colors, typography, spacing)
  • Responsive breakpoints and behavior
  • Component variants and states

Interaction Specifications

  • Click/tap behavior
  • Hover states
  • Transitions and animations (duration, easing)
  • Gesture support (swipe, pinch, long-press)

Content Specifications

  • Character limits
  • Truncation behavior
  • Empty states
  • Loading states
  • Error states

Edge Cases

  • Minimum/maximum content
  • International text (longer strings)
  • Slow connections
  • Missing data

Accessibility

  • Focus order
  • ARIA labels and roles
  • Keyboard interactions
  • Screen reader announcements

Principles

  1. Don't assume — If it's not specified, the developer will guess. Specify everything.
  2. Use tokens, not values — Reference spacing-md not 16px.
  3. Show all states — Default, hover, active, disabled, loading, error, empty.
  4. Describe the why — "This collapses on mobile because users primarily use one-handed" helps developers make good judgment calls.

Output

## Handoff Spec: [Feature/Screen Name]

### Overview
[What this screen/feature does, user context]

### Layout
[Grid system, breakpoints, responsive behavior]

### Design Tokens Used
| Token | Value | Usage |
|-------|-------|-------|
| `color-primary` | #[hex] | CTA buttons, links |
| `spacing-md` | [X]px | Between sections |
| `font-heading-lg` | [size/weight/family] | Page title |

### Components
| Component | Variant | Props | Notes |
|-----------|---------|-------|-------|
| [Component] | [Variant] | [Props] | [Special behavior] |

### States and Interactions
| Element | State | Behavior |
|---------|-------|----------|
| [CTA Button] | Hover | [Background darken 10%] |
| [CTA Button] | Loading | [Spinner, disabled] |
| [Form] | Error | [Red border, error message below] |

### Responsive Behavior
| Breakpoint | Changes |
|------------|---------|
| Desktop (>1024px) | [Default layout] |
| Tablet (768-1024px) | [What changes] |
| Mobile (<768px) | [What changes] |

### Edge Cases
- **Empty state**: [What to show when no data]
- **Long text**: [Truncation rules]
- **Loading**: [Skeleton or spinner]
- **Error**: [Error state appearance]

### Animation / Motion
| Element | Trigger | Animation | Duration | Easing |
|---------|---------|-----------|----------|--------|
| [Element] | [Trigger] | [Description] | [ms] | [easing] |

### Accessibility Notes
- [Focus order]
- [ARIA labels needed]
- [Keyboard interactions]

If Connectors Available

If ~~design tool is connected:

  • Pull exact measurements, tokens, and component specs from Figma
  • Export assets and generate a complete spec sheet

If ~~project tracker is connected:

  • Link the handoff to the implementation ticket
  • Create sub-tasks for each section of the spec

Tips

  1. Share the Figma link — I can pull exact measurements, tokens, and component info.
  2. Mention edge cases — "What happens with 100 items?" helps me spec boundary conditions.
  3. Specify the tech stack — "We use React + Tailwind" helps me give relevant implementation notes.

Frequently asked questions about Design Handoff

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