Before this workflow, follow the once-per-session update preflight.

Resolve effective StyleSeed context

Use the bundled scripts/resolve-context.mjs; do not hand-compose the rule stack.

1. Resolve the project boundary first: if either .styleseed/project.json or .styleseed/artifacts/index.json exists, require a complete, valid registry. Do not fall back to STYLESEED.md on a registry error. Only use that lock when no registry exists.
2. Keep the working directory at the user's project root. Invoke the script by its installed path; do not cd into the skill directory.
3. Legacy single-artifact projects should prefer --from-lock STYLESEED.md. Registry projects use .styleseed/project.json plus .styleseed/artifacts/*.json and must resolve with --artifact or --all; in registry mode, edit project-owned config instead of passing selection overrides.
4. Read the emitted bundle before building: legacy writes .styleseed/effective-rules.md; registry writes .styleseed/bundles/<artifact-id>.md.
5. Preserve the manifest output: legacy uses .styleseed/manifest.json; registry uses .styleseed/manifests/<artifact-id>.json.
6. Use --check to detect context drift without rewriting files.

For spacing recommendations and scoped control, see the spatial roles guide. Optional project/artifact spacing compiles into a role table and artifact-scoped CSS in the bundle. recommend-spacing.mjs --project-root . --artifact <id> emits a read-only starting proposal; it does not inspect or rewrite implementation tokens and does not establish design acceptance. Optional --measurement <project-relative-report.json> adds source-bound rendered diagnostics; stale or inconsistent reports are rejected, and starting values remain explicitly heuristic.

For installation or project-health questions, run the read-only diagnostic first:

For a requested legacy-to-registry migration, inspect migrate-project.mjs --dry-run first. Follow the reviewed migration guide for the plan format and apply sequence. The bare --write path deliberately refuses unreviewed defaults. Applying a migration requires a complete human-reviewed plan, the current lock hash, a one-to-one section-to-artifact mapping, and --confirm-plan matching that plan's exact hash. A valid schema or dry-run is not proof that the design decisions were preserved; never infer approval or run a write from a diagnosis request.

node <installed-ss-resolve>/scripts/styleseed-doctor.mjs --project-root . --json

It checks the local distribution inventory, project configuration, compiled rules, and stored evidence against current inputs. Use --artifact <id> to narrow a registry check. It never sets up, migrates, recompiles, renders, or updates the project. Follow its next actions only within the user's authorization. Exit 0 means current evidence for all selected artifacts, not an independent visual judgment; exit 1 means attention needed; exit 2 means invalid invocation. Legacy projects can have current rules while evidence remains unsupported. Installation integrity does not prove host discovery, publisher authenticity, or the latest upstream revision.

node <installed-ss-resolve>/scripts/resolve-context.mjs \
  --from-lock STYLESEED.md \
  --agent codex

Registry project:

node <installed-ss-resolve>/scripts/resolve-context.mjs \
  --project-root . \
  --artifact app-dashboard \
  --agent codex

Without a lock:

node <installed-ss-resolve>/scripts/resolve-context.mjs \
  --agent claude \
  --grammar operations-console \
  --adapter product-ui \
  --domain saas \
  --page dashboard \
  --recipe enterprise-workbench \
  --palette cobalt-instrument \
  --key-color "#175CD3" \
  --palette-character balanced \
  --palette-mode light \
  --palette-harmony auto \
  --surface-temperature cool \
  --profile swiss

Use --list to print supported IDs. --recipe auto maps the selected grammar to a maintained default; --palette auto maps that recipe to a contrast-verified semantic palette. Pass explicit values when the product needs a different morphology or color posture. The default output directory is .styleseed/ in the project root. For a project-local reference grammar, pass reference:<slug> and ensure .styleseed/rulesets/<slug>/RULESET.md exists. Registry projects require the full six-file reference contract: RULESET.md, tokens.json, evidence.json, checks.md, reference-board.html, and adapter.json.

When a key color is present in flags or the lock, the resolver uses the shared OKLCH generator and writes .styleseed/palette.json plus .styleseed/palette.css. The manifest records the generation inputs. The maintained recipe still supplies product posture and semantic restrictions; its fixed hex values become fallbacks rather than overriding the generated system.

Do not load llms-full.txt after a bundle resolves successfully. Load a larger source document only when the bundle names an unresolved ambiguity that requires it.