Separate behaviour from presentation
A headless design system defines what components do, not how they look. Styling becomes a token layer that can be swapped per brand, per product, per context.
Behaviour Separation
Radix UI primitives handle accessibility, keyboard navigation, and state management. Zero visual opinions baked in.
Token-Driven Theming
Swap a single CSS file to re-skin the entire system. Healthcare, fintech, e-commerce — same components, different tokens.
Machine-Readable
Tokens as CSS custom properties. CLAUDE.md as context. AI agents can consume, extend, and generate from the system.
Six layers, one system
Each layer has a single responsibility. Replace any layer without breaking the others.
Same component, different tokens
The form below uses identical markup and behaviour. Only the token layer changes.
Tokens in, components out
:root {
--color-primary: #2563eb;
--color-primary-dark: #1e40af;
--color-secondary: #8b5cf6;
--color-accent: #06b6d4;
--radius-md: 6px;
--radius-lg: 8px;
--shadow-sm: 0 1px 2px rgba(0,0,0,.05);
--space-4: 1rem;
--space-6: 1.5rem;
}export function Button({ variant, children }) {
return (
<button
className={styles[variant]}
// Radix handles: focus, keyboard,
// aria-*, disabled state
>
{children}
</button>
);
}
// Tokens consumed via CSS Modules
// Zero hardcoded valuesCode to canvas, canvas to code
The MCP bridge keeps Figma and code in sync. Tokens flow from CSS to Figma variables. Components flow through Code Connect.
Read CSS custom properties from styles.css and map to Figma variable collections.
styles.css → VariablesGenerate Figma components from React source with variants and auto-layout.
*.tsx → ComponentsMap Figma nodes to codebase files so developers see real imports in Dev Mode.
Figma ↔ CodebaseCLAUDE.md provides context. MCP tools let agents read, create, and extend the system.
CLAUDE.md → AgentIdeate < Narrate > Create
NorthStar prototyping with AI. Explore when possibilities are widest.
The agentic design system layer. Domain knowledge as machine-readable context.
Production code, content, shipping. The system amplifies execution.
Ready to build your agentic design system?
Let's talk about how headless architecture and AI agents can transform your design-to-code workflow.
This entire page was designed in Paper and coded via Claude Code prompts.
lincolnmitchell.io · linc@lincolnmitchell.io