Tone
Engineers design token systems — three-tier token architecture, multi-brand theming, and style-dictionary build pipelines. Use when you need to build or audit a token system, add dark mode, or wire a token-to-code pipeline. Trigger with \"design my token architecture\", \"audit my design tokens\".
- Type
- Subagent
- Repository
- jeremylongshore/tons-of-skills-marketplace
- GitHub stars
- 2.8k
- License
- MIT
- Repo last updated
- Sep 27, 2026
- Source file
- plugins/ai-agency/tonone/agents/tone.md
- Model
- sonnet
- Version
- 1.0.0
- Author
- Jeremy Longshore <[email protected]>
What Tone is
Tone is a subagent published in the jeremylongshore/tons-of-skills-marketplace repository on GitHub, which has about 2.8k stars. The repository describes itself as: “Model-agnostic agent-skills platform with a harness-free canonical layer, verified adapters, and the ccpi package manager. Explore at tonsofskills.com.”
A subagent is a specialist assistant that Claude can hand part of a task to. It is a markdown file whose frontmatter sets a name, a description that tells Claude when to delegate, and optionally the tools and model it may use; the body becomes the subagent's own system prompt.
Because a subagent works in its own context, it keeps the main conversation focused: Claude can send a narrow job, such as a review or a specialised analysis, to Tone and get back a compact result.
How to install Tone
Claude Code
- Download tone.md from the repository.
- Save it to ~/.claude/agents/ to use it in every project, or to .claude/agents/ inside one project to share it through version control.
- Claude Code watches these folders, so the subagent is usually available right away. Ask Claude to use it by name, or @-mention it to make sure it runs.
Claude Cowork
- Cowork loads subagents through plugins. If the repository is packaged as a plugin marketplace, add it under Customize → Plugins → Add marketplace and install the plugin that contains this subagent.
- Otherwise, bundle the file into your own plugin's agents/ folder and upload it from Customize → Plugins.
New to extending Cowork? Our plugins guide and Customize guide explain how skills, plugins, and connectors fit together.
Inside the source file
An excerpt from plugins/ai-agency/tonone/agents/tone.md, shared under the repository's MIT license. Read the full file on GitHub.
You are Tone — Design Token Engineer on the Design Team. Builds and maintains the token infrastructure that connects design decisions to code — from naming conventions to build pipelines.
Think in design systems, not one-off decisions. Every design choice should be derivable from a principle or a token — not made fresh each time. Always frame output as: what the system is, why it works, and how to implement it.
Communication
Respond terse. All design substance stays — only filler dies. Follow output-kit protocol: compressed prose, no filler, fragments OK. Documents: normal prose. See docs/output-kit.md for CLI skeleton, severity indicators, 40-line rule.
Operating Principle
Tokens are the API between design and engineering. A good token system is three-tier: global (raw values), semantic (purpose-named), and component (scoped overrides). The naming convention is the hardest decision — get it wrong and you pay forever. style-dictionary is the standard build tool; learn it, use it.
What you skip: Visual design decisions (which colors to use) — that's Hue, Form. Tone builds the system to store and deliver those decisions.
What you never skip: Never use literal values in semantic tokens (color.blue.500 in semantic is wrong — use color.brand.primary). Never skip the build pipeline — manual token updates cause drift.
Scope
Owns: Token architecture, multi-brand theming, style-dictionary, token-to-code pipeline
Skills
- Tone Token: Design or refactor a design token architecture — naming, tiers, and coverage.
- Tone Theme: Build or fix a theming system — dark mode, multi-brand, or white-label token swap.
- Tone Recon: Audit existing token usage in a codebase — find literal values, missing tokens, and pipeline gaps.
Key Rules
- Three-tier: global (primitives) → semantic (intent) → component (overrides)
- style-dictionary: input in JSON/YAML, output CSS variables, JS, Swift, Kotlin, etc.
- Token names: {category}.{type}.{variant}.{state} — kebab-case for CSS, camelCase for JS
- Theming: light/dark is a semantic layer swap, not a component-level override
- Version tokens like code: breaking changes increment major, new tokens increment minor
Process Disciplines
When performing Tone work, follow these superpowers process skills:
Iron rule: No completion claims without fresh verification.
Before you install
- Read the whole file first. Skills, commands, and subagents are instructions Claude will follow, so make sure they match what you want.
- Check which tools, scripts, or MCP servers it uses. Local servers and scripts run with your permissions.
- Try it in a test project or a copy of your files before pointing it at real work.
- Pin the version you tested, and review changes before updating.
- Watch for instructions that fetch web content or run shell commands; those are where prompt injection risks start. See our prompt injection guide.
FAQ
What is Tone?
Tone is a subagent for Claude Code and Claude Cowork from the jeremylongshore/tons-of-skills-marketplace repository on GitHub. Engineers design token systems — three-tier token architecture, multi-brand theming, and style-dictionary build pipelines. Use when you need to build or audit a token system, add dark mode, or wire a token-to-code pipeline. Trigger with \"design my token architecture\", \"audit my design tokens\".
How do I install Tone in Claude Code?
Download tone.md from the repository. Save it to ~/.claude/agents/ to use it in every project, or to .claude/agents/ inside one project to share it through version control. Claude Code watches these folders, so the subagent is usually available right away. Ask Claude to use it by name, or @-mention it to make sure it runs.
Can I use Tone in Claude Cowork?
Cowork loads subagents through plugins. If the repository is packaged as a plugin marketplace, add it under Customize → Plugins → Add marketplace and install the plugin that contains this subagent. Otherwise, bundle the file into your own plugin's agents/ folder and upload it from Customize → Plugins.
Is Tone safe to install?
It is a third-party community resource, not reviewed by Anthropic or this site. Read the source file first, check which tools and connectors it uses, and install only from sources you trust.
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