Getting Started
Introduction
Aster DS is a token-first, zero-dependency design system engineered to deliver a single authoritative source of truth with dual interfaces for developers and AI coding agents.
Dual Human & Agent Interfaces
Unlike traditional design systems built exclusively for human engineers, Aster provides paired human and agent documentation:
- Human-Facing Interface: Interactive documentation, component playgrounds, and zero-framework HTML/CSS patterns in
docs/,components/, andapps/docs/. - Agent-Facing Interface: Machine-readable design tokens, component contracts, and structured coding skills in
AGENTS.mdandskills/.
Canonical Source of Truth
Aster enforces strict unidirectional compilation from source files to distribution outputs:
• Design Tokens Source:
tokens/**/*.json (W3C DTCG format)• Component Source:
components/<component>/*.{js,css} and components/base/base.css• Distribution Outputs:
dist/css/tokens.css, dist/css/components.css, dist/css/aster.css, and dist/js/aster.js