Design Data

What it does

When your agent uses it

• The user asks about token values
• Component options
• Naming conventions
• Wants to validate/explore design-token data

Example prompts

• “/design-data”

Requirements

• Pre-approved tools (allowed-tools): mcp__design-data__design-data-primer, mcp__design-data__design-data-query, mcp__design-data__design-data-suggest, mcp__design-data__design-data-component, mcp__design-data__design-data-resolve

Workflow steps

5 steps, taken from the first numbered list in SKILL.md.

1. 1Start with design-data-primer to understand what data is available.
2. 2Use design-data-query when you know the component/property/state.
3. 3Use design-data-suggest when the user describes an intent in natural language.
4. 4Use design-data-component to check all available options for a specific component.
5. 5Use design-data-resolve to get the concrete value for a token in a given context.

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit dc75d47. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

• Tool permissions

  Pre-approves these tools, so the agent can use them without asking each time:

  • mcp__design-data__design-data-primer
  • mcp__design-data__design-data-query
  • mcp__design-data__design-data-suggest
  • mcp__design-data__design-data-component
  • mcp__design-data__design-data-resolve

  From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.

• Runs code

  No scripts in the folder and no shell commands in SKILL.md (its code samples are json and toml).

  From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.

• Network

  No URLs in SKILL.md.

  From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.

• Credentials

  Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.

  From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

Design Data loads about 1.2k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 92 tokens; SKILL.md has 415 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it

~92

When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches

~1.2k

Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.

Safety

Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from adobe/spectrum-design-data at commit dc75d47, republished under its Apache-2.0 licence (© adobe). 415 words, ~1,199 tokens.

name

design-data

description

Look up Spectrum design tokens, component schemas, and design-system decisions when building with or extending Adobe Spectrum. Use when the user asks about token values, component options, naming conventions, or wants to validate/explore design-token data. Also triggers when a .design-data.toml config is involved or the user mentions the design-data CLI.

allowed-tools

mcp__design-data__design-data-primer, mcp__design-data__design-data-query, mcp__design-data__design-data-suggest, mcp__design-data__design-data-component, mcp__design-data__design-data-resolve

metadata.author

adobe

metadata.version

1.3.1

metadata.designDataVersion

3.4.0

when_to_use

Trigger on: token names (color, spacing, typography, dimension), "which token", "Spectrum component options", validate tokens, design-data primer, query…

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "design-data": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@adobe/design-data-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

https://github.com/adobe/spectrum-design-data/tree/main/tools/design-data-skill/skills/design-data

[source]
type = "github"
repo = "adobe/spectrum-design-data"
tag = "@adobe/spectrum-tokens@14.11.0"

© adobe, Apache-2.0. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file

Files

Just SKILL.md in tools/design-data-skill/skills/design-data of adobe/spectrum-design-data.

Open the folder on GitHubat commit dc75d47