distill
Reduction pass — cuts content, structure, visuals, and dead code that doesn't answer a user question or drive an action, respecting CRAFTLEVEL. Use when the UI feels cluttered, has too many CTAs, walls of text, or decorative noise, or when the user says "simplify this" / "it feels too busy". Invoke when the user asks for distill on their UI, or mentions 'distill' alongside design / UI / frontend work.
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Install
Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.
npx skills add https://github.com/educlopez/ui-craft --skill distill- 01
Install
Run the command in your project. The CLI asks which agents to install for.
- 02
Describe the task
Ask your agent for something this skill covers. It loads distill automatically when relevant.
- 03
Review the result
The agent follows the SKILL.md steps, scripts and references bundled with the skill.
SKILL.md
The instructions your agent reads when the skill is triggered.
Context: this sub-skill is one lens of the broader ui-craft skill. If the ui-craft skill is also installed, read its SKILL.md first for Discovery + Anti-Slop + Craft Test, then apply the specific lens below.
Distill the UI at $ARGUMENTS to its essence. Load the ui-craft skill.
The test for every section, component, prop, and word:
Does this answer a question the user is asking or drive an action they need to take? If not — cut it.
Knob gating (CRAFT_LEVEL):
≤ 4→ be more aggressive with cuts; strip anything that doesn't directly drive action.5-7→ standard cuts per the test below.8+→ preserve signature details even if they don't directly drive action — the one memorable element that makes this feel designed stays.
Apply ruthlessly:
- Content — walls of text → 2-3 sentences max per landing section. Vague testimonials → specific metrics or cut. "Features" lists with 12 items → pick the 4 that matter. Placeholder copy → real or removed.
- Structure — identical card grids → asymmetric rows with real visuals. Three competing CTAs → one primary + one secondary. Breadcrumbs + title + subtitle + description + icon → pick the two that are load-bearing.
- Visuals — decorative gradient blobs → gone. Background patterns that don't carry meaning → gone. Duplicate iconography → gone.
- Visual weight reduction — if headings are shouting at weight 800 / 72px / tracking -0.04em, compress: 800 → 600, 72 → 56, -0.04 → -0.02. Don't remove hierarchy; tighten the range. Replace hard drop shadows with ambient + direct (
references/modern-css.md) or 1px borders — never both. If every section is full-bleed and high-contrast, let some breathe. - Code — unused props, dead branches, commented-out blocks,
console.log, TODO notes without tickets — gone. - Anti-slop overlap — if you see anything on the Anti-Slop Test (SKILL.md), cut it first.
Overlapping commands: for color overload (too many accents, decorative color), use /colorize. For motion noise, use /animate with MOTION_INTENSITY ≤ 3.
Output:
- Edit code directly.
- Report what was cut and why in a table:
| Cut | Why |
|---|
- End with a one-line delta: "Before: N sections / M components / X lines. After: …".
Guardrail: do not cut accessibility affordances (labels, focus styles, error text, reduced-motion fallbacks) — those always earn their space.
Next step: /polish — what survived the cut deserves the details (rung 1).
FAQ
What does the distill skill do?
Reduction pass — cuts content, structure, visuals, and dead code that doesn't answer a user question or drive an action, respecting CRAFTLEVEL. Use when the UI feels cluttered, has too many CTAs, walls of text, or decorative noise, or when the user says "simplify this" / "it feels too busy". Invoke when the user asks for distill on their UI, or mentions 'distill' alongside design / UI / frontend work.
How do I install distill?
Run npx skills add https://github.com/educlopez/ui-craft --skill distill in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/distill/ (personal) or .claude/skills/distill/ (project).
Which AI agents can use distill?
Any agent that supports the open Agent Skills format (a folder with a SKILL.md file), including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Cline, OpenCode and more.
Is distill safe to install?
No partner security audit is available yet. Skills can run commands and scripts, so read the SKILL.md and any bundled files before installing.
Who maintains distill?
It is published by educlopez in educlopez/ui-craft. It has 541 recorded installs.
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