XAEM Theme UI - Theme Generation & Code Translation

Two-pass pipeline for generating high-entropy visual themes and translating them into implementable code. Works upstream of scientific-luxury constraint enforcement.

Description

XAEM Theme UI adds a creative generation layer to the design system. While scientific-luxury enforces structural constraints (OLED black, 0.5px borders, rounded-sm, physics-based easings), it does not generate themes. This skill fills that gap with a two-pass pipeline:

Pass 1 (Generate): Create high-entropy visual themes -- spectral colour palettes, glow intensities, animation timing scales, typography weight distributions, opacity hierarchies
Pass 2 (Translate): Convert generated themes into implementable code -- CSS variables, TypeScript design tokens, Tailwind config extensions, Framer Motion preset overrides, component style maps

The structural skeleton remains immutable. Only the visual skin is customisable.

When to Apply

Positive Triggers

Generating new colour palettes or theme variations
Creating design tokens for a new feature area
Building theme presets (dark variants, branded themes)
User mentions: "theme", "palette", "colour scheme", "design tokens", "generate theme"
Translating a mood board or colour brief into code
Customising glow intensities, animation timing, or opacity scales

Negative Triggers

Enforcing existing design constraints (use scientific-luxury instead)
Reviewing component layout compliance (use scientific-luxury instead)
Optimising algorithm performance (use council-of-logic instead)
Writing backend logic, API routes, or database schemas

The Two Laws

Law 1: Generate Then Translate

Every theme goes through both passes sequentially. Never ship a palette without its code translation. Never write design token code without a generation rationale.

Law 2: Never Violate Structural Constraints

The following are immutable and cannot be overridden by any theme:

Constraint	Locked Value	Reason
Background	`#050505` (OLED Black)	Foundation of visual hierarchy
Border width	`0.5px`	Single-pixel precision
Border radius	`rounded-sm` (2px)	Sharp, professional appearance
Animation engine	Framer Motion only	Physics-based motion
Easing curves	Physics-based (`outExpo`, `snappy`, etc.)	No linear transitions
Layout pattern	Timeline / asymmetrical	No symmetrical card grids
Status icons	Breathing orbs	No Lucide/FontAwesome for status

Pass 1: Theme Generation

1.1 Colour Palette Generation

Every theme defines exactly six spectral colours mapped to semantic roles:

Role	Semantic Purpose	Default Hex
Primary	Active, in-progress, CTA	`#00F5FF`
Success	Completed, approved, positive	`#00FF88`
Warning	Verification, awaiting, caution	`#FFB800`
Danger	Error, failed, rejected	`#FF4444`
Accent	Escalation, human intervention	`#FF00FF`
Neutral	Pending, inactive, disabled	`#6B7280`

Palette Strategies

Analogous -- Colours within 30 degrees on the colour wheel. Produces harmonious, low-contrast themes suited for ambient dashboards.

Example: Primary #00F5FF → Success #00FFC8 → Warning #88FF00

Complementary -- Pairs colours from opposite sides of the wheel. High contrast, suited for alert-heavy interfaces.

Example: Primary #00F5FF → Accent #FF0A55

Triadic -- Three colours evenly spaced at 120 degrees. Balanced vibrancy for data-rich views.

Example: Primary #00F5FF → Warning #FF8800 → Accent #AA00FF

Palette Constraints

All colours must have sufficient contrast against #050505 (minimum 4.5:1 for text)
No pastel or desaturated colours (saturation must be >= 70%)
No pure white (#FFFFFF) as a spectral colour
Each colour must be visually distinct at 50% opacity over OLED black

1.2 Glow Intensity Curves

Glow is the primary visual feedback mechanism. Three intensity tiers:

Tier	Inner Opacity	Outer Opacity	Spread (px)	Use Case
Low	20%	10%	20	Subtle ambient presence
Medium	40%	20%	40	Default interactive
High	60%	30%	60	Alert, active focus

Themes may adjust these values within these bounds:

Inner opacity: 15%--65%
Outer opacity: 8%--35%
Spread: 12px--80px

1.3 Animation Timing Scale

Themes define a timing scale with six duration values:

Token	Default (s)	Range (s)	Purpose
`fast`	0.2	0.15--0.3	Micro-interactions
`normal`	0.4	0.3--0.6	Standard transitions
`slow`	0.6	0.5--0.9	Deliberate, emphasised
`breathe`	2.0	1.5--3.0	Breathing pulse loops
`pulse`	1.5	1.0--2.5	Glow pulse cycles
`ambient`	3.0	2.0--4.0	Background ambient effects

All durations must use physics-based easing. Linear timing is banned.

1.4 Typography Weight Distribution

Themes select from the permitted weight range:

Token	Default	Range	Usage
`heroWeight`	200	100--300	Hero titles
`titleWeight`	300	200--400	Section headings
`bodyWeight`	400	300--500	Body text
`dataWeight`	500	400--600	Monospace data
`labelWeight`	400	300--500	Uppercase labels

Font families are locked: JetBrains Mono (data), Inter/SF Pro (editorial).

1.5 Opacity Hierarchy Tuning

Themes define a six-step text opacity scale and a three-step border opacity scale:

Text:   primary(0.85-0.95) → secondary(0.65-0.75) → tertiary(0.45-0.55)
        → muted(0.35-0.45) → subtle(0.25-0.35) → ghost(0.15-0.25)

Border: visible(0.08-0.12) → subtle(0.04-0.08) → ghost(0.02-0.04)

Pass 2: Code Translation

2.1 CSS Variable Output

:root {
  /* Spectral Palette */
  --spectral-primary: #00F5FF;
  --spectral-success: #00FF88;
  --spectral-warning: #FFB800;
  --spectral-danger: #FF4444;
  --spectral-accent: #FF00FF;
  --spectral-neutral: #6B7280;

  /* Glow Intensities */
  --glow-low-inner: 20;
  --glow-low-outer: 10;
  --glow-med-inner: 40;
  --glow-med-outer: 20;
  --glow-high-inner: 60;
  --glow-high-outer: 30;

  /* Animation Timing */
  --duration-fast: 0.2s;
  --duration-normal: 0.4s;
  --duration-slow: 0.6s;
  --duration-breathe: 2s;
  --duration-pulse: 1.5s;
  --duration-ambient: 3s;

  /* Text Opacity Hierarchy */
  --text-primary: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.9);
  --text-secondary: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);
  --text-tertiary: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.5);
  --text-muted: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.4);
  --text-subtle: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.3);
  --text-ghost: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.2);

  /* Border Opacity Hierarchy */
  --border-visible: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.1);
  --border-subtle: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.06);
  --border-ghost: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.03);
}

2.2 TypeScript Design Token File

export const THEME = {
  spectral: {
    primary: '#00F5FF',
    success: '#00FF88',
    warning: '#FFB800',
    danger: '#FF4444',
    accent: '#FF00FF',
    neutral: '#6B7280',
  },
  glow: {
    low: { inner: '20', outer: '10', spread: 20 },
    medium: { inner: '40', outer: '20', spread: 40 },
    high: { inner: '60', outer: '30', spread: 60 },
  },
  durations: {
    fast: 0.2,
    normal: 0.4,
    slow: 0.6,
    breathe: 2.0,
    pulse: 1.5,
    ambient: 3.0,
  },
  weights: {
    hero: 200,
    title: 300,
    body: 400,
    data: 500,
    label: 400,
  },
} as const;

2.3 Tailwind Theme Extension

// tailwind.config.ts (theme.extend block)
{
  colors: {
    spectral: {
      primary: 'var(--spectral-primary)',
      success: 'var(--spectral-success)',
      warning: 'var(--spectral-warning)',
      danger: 'var(--spectral-danger)',
      accent: 'var(--spectral-accent)',
      neutral: 'var(--spectral-neutral)',
    },
  },
  transitionDuration: {
    fast: 'var(--duration-fast)',
    normal: 'var(--duration-normal)',
    slow: 'var(--duration-slow)',
  },
}

2.4 Framer Motion Preset Overrides

import { THEME } from './design-tokens';

export const themeMotion = {
  fadeInLeft: {
    initial: { opacity: 0, x: -20 },
    animate: { opacity: 1, x: 0 },
    transition: {
      duration: THEME.durations.normal,
      ease: [0.19, 1, 0.22, 1],
    },
  },
  breathing: {
    animate: { opacity: [1, 0.6, 1], scale: [1, 1.05, 1] },
    transition: {
      duration: THEME.durations.breathe,
      repeat: Infinity,
      ease: 'easeInOut',
    },
  },
  glowPulse: (colour: string) => ({
    animate: {
      boxShadow: [
        `0 0 0 ${colour}00`,
        `0 0 ${THEME.glow.medium.spread}px ${colour}${THEME.glow.medium.inner}`,
        `0 0 0 ${colour}00`,
      ],
    },
    transition: { duration: THEME.durations.pulse, repeat: Infinity },
  }),
};

2.5 Status Colour Mapping

import { THEME } from './design-tokens';

export const STATUS_MAP = {
  pending: THEME.spectral.neutral,
  in_progress: THEME.spectral.primary,
  awaiting_verification: THEME.spectral.warning,
  verification_in_progress: THEME.spectral.warning,
  verification_passed: THEME.spectral.success,
  verification_failed: THEME.spectral.danger,
  completed: THEME.spectral.success,
  failed: THEME.spectral.danger,
  blocked: THEME.spectral.warning,
  escalated_to_human: THEME.spectral.accent,
} as const;

Existing Design Tokens Reference

The current baseline lives at apps/web/lib/design-tokens.ts. Key exports:

SPECTRAL -- Six-colour palette (cyan, emerald, amber, red, magenta, grey)
BACKGROUNDS -- OLED black foundation with elevation steps
TEXT -- Six-step text opacity hierarchy
BORDERS -- Three-step border opacity hierarchy
EASINGS -- Four physics-based cubic-bezier curves
DURATIONS -- Six animation duration tokens
MOTION_PRESETS -- Framer Motion animation presets
TW -- Tailwind class helper constants

All generated themes must be compatible with this token structure.

Theme Presets

Scientific Luxury (Default)

The baseline theme. All values match apps/web/lib/design-tokens.ts.

Primary: #00F5FF (Cyan)    Success: #00FF88 (Emerald)
Warning: #FFB800 (Amber)   Danger:  #FF4444 (Red)
Accent:  #FF00FF (Magenta) Neutral: #6B7280 (Grey)
Glow: standard | Timing: standard | Weights: standard

Midnight Aurora

Cool-shifted palette with extended glow spread for ambient dashboards.

Primary: #00D4FF (Ice Blue)   Success: #00E87A (Mint)
Warning: #FF9F00 (Deep Amber) Danger:  #FF3355 (Crimson)
Accent:  #CC44FF (Violet)     Neutral: #5A6270 (Slate)
Glow: high-spread (50px med)  Timing: slower (+20%)
Weights: lighter (hero 100, title 200)

Solar Flare

Warm-shifted palette with snappy timing for alert-dense interfaces.

Primary: #FFAA00 (Solar Gold) Success: #44FF66 (Neon Green)
Warning: #FF6600 (Flame)      Danger:  #FF2222 (Hot Red)
Accent:  #FF44AA (Hot Pink)   Neutral: #7A7A80 (Warm Grey)
Glow: tight (spread 16px)     Timing: faster (-15%)
Weights: heavier (data 600, title 400)

Deep Ocean

Desaturated blue-green palette with slow, ambient timing for monitoring views.

Primary: #0099CC (Deep Teal)  Success: #00CC99 (Sea Green)
Warning: #CCAA00 (Muted Gold) Danger:  #CC3344 (Muted Red)
Accent:  #9944CC (Deep Purple) Neutral: #556677 (Ocean Grey)
Glow: diffuse (spread 70px)   Timing: slowest (+30%)
Weights: standard

Anti-Patterns

Anti-Pattern	Why It Fails	Correct Approach
Overriding `#050505` background in theme config	Breaks OLED black foundation	Background is structural, not thematic. Leave it locked.
Using `transition: linear` in generated presets	Violates physics-based motion requirement	Use `outExpo`, `snappy`, or `smooth` cubic-bezier curves
Generating pastel or low-saturation colours	Insufficient contrast on OLED black	Maintain >= 70% saturation, >= 4.5:1 contrast ratio
Producing `grid-cols-2` or `grid-cols-4` layout	Symmetrical grids banned by structural rules	Theme controls colour/timing, not layout. Layout is locked.
Setting `rounded-lg` or `rounded-xl` in tokens	Violates sharp corner constraint	`rounded-sm` is structural. Themes cannot modify border radius.
Using CSS `@keyframes` instead of Framer Motion	Bypasses physics-based animation engine	All motion via Framer Motion presets
Generating white text at 100% opacity	Harsh, breaks opacity hierarchy	Maximum text opacity is 0.95; use the six-step scale

Checklist

Before merging any generated theme:

Response Format

[AGENT_ACTIVATED]: XAEM Theme UI
[PHASE]: {Generation | Translation | Review}
[PASS]: {1 - Generate | 2 - Translate}
[STATUS]: {in_progress | awaiting_verification | complete}

{theme generation output or code translation}

[NEXT_ACTION]: {what happens next}

Integration Points

System	Relationship
`scientific-luxury`	Downstream consumer. XAEM generates, scientific-luxury enforces.
`council-of-logic`	Shannon check on token count -- no redundant variables.
`design-tokens.ts`	Baseline reference. Generated themes must be structurally compatible.
`genesis-orchestrator`	Theme generation may be triggered during SECTION_D (frontend shell).

Australian Localisation

Element	Format	Example
Date	DD/MM/YYYY	13/02/2026
Time	H:MM am/pm	2:30 pm
Timezone	AEST/AEDT	2:30 pm AEDT
Currency	AUD ($)	$1,234.56
Spelling	Australian English	colour, behaviour

All generated tokens, comments, and documentation must use Australian English spelling conventions: colour (not color), customise (not customize), optimise (not optimize), analyse (not analyze).

XAEM THEME UI - GENERATION PIPELINE ACTIVE

xaem-theme-ui