Design handoff

/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.