Refero Skill

An agent skill that makes design research mandatory before implementation: styles-first visual research, real-screen pattern research, flow reasoning, reference locks, optional visual exploration, post-build QA, and craft guidance. When Refero MCP is available, it can use curated visual styles, 150,000+ real app screens, and 6,000+ user flows from Stripe, Linear, Notion, Figma, and the best-designed products ever built.

Install

Works with Claude Code, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Lovable, and any MCP-compatible agent.

npx skills add https://github.com/referodesign/refero_skill --skill refero-design

Craft knowledge loads immediately. No account required.

Manual installation

git clone https://github.com/referodesign/refero_skill.git ~/.claude/skills/refero-design

On Claude.ai, add the contents of SKILL.md to your project knowledge.

---

What it does

1. Researches styles, screens, and flows — starts with visual styles for taste and direction, then uses real screens and user flows for product patterns and journey logic when live Refero MCP tools are available.
2. Extracts patterns — identifies specific design decisions and builds a reference list before touching code.
3. Routes the workflow — goes directly to code for clear edits, or creates three reference-locked directions when exploration is valuable.
4. Applies craft knowledge — uses built-in guides on typography, color, spacing, motion, icons, and copywriting. Flags anti-slop patterns before they appear.
5. Designs and validates with evidence — every decision traces back to a real product or a craft rule, and substantial visual work gets checked against the locked target before handoff.

Files

SKILL.md — Research-first methodology: styles-first visual research, screen/flow routing, optional visual exploration, synthesis, craft guidance, quality gates.

Reference guides: typography.md, color.md, motion.md, icons.md, craft-details.md, anti-ai-slop.md, copywriting.md, visual-workflow.md, mcp-tools.md, example-workflow.md

---

Connect live design research

Set up Refero MCP from refero.design/mcp, then connect your tool:

Claude Code

claude mcp add --transport http refero https://api.refero.design/mcp --header "Authorization: Bearer <token>"

Cursor

Add to .cursor/mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "refero": {
      "url": "https://api.refero.design/mcp",
      "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer <token>" }
    }
  }
}

Gemini CLI

gemini mcp add --transport http refero https://api.refero.design/mcp --header "Authorization: Bearer <token>"

Lovable

Settings → Connectors → New MCP server → https://api.refero.design/mcp → Bearer token

Other tools

URL: https://api.refero.design/mcp
Auth: Bearer <token>

The first time you call Refero, a browser window opens to sign in. After that it's automatic.

Contributing

To improve this skill, keep SKILL.md focused on the core workflow and put detailed, conditional guidance in references/.

License

MIT