tech-sharing / open-design

Open Design
Open, local, agent-driven

From idea to prototype, web page, slides, and HTML video — the entire product-design workflow, on your own device.

Open Designgithub.com/nexu-io/open-design · 45 min + Q&A
#apache-2.0 #local #byok

agenda.toml

Today's roadmap

01Why: design capability should be open~5min
02Agents: plugging into 21+ coding agents~10min
03Workflow: idea to delivery in 5 steps~12min
04Design System as Markdown~8min
05Takeaways + Q&A~5min

// why-open

The problem: frontier AI design power
is locked in the cloud.

Claude Design

In April 2026 it proved for the first time that LLMs can genuinely do design. But it's closed-source, paid, cloud-only — no agent swapping, no self-hosting, no BYOK.

❌ locked in the cloud

Raw coding agents

Claude Code / Codex are strong enough, but lack a design workflow: no visual direction, no design system, no sandbox preview.

😩 no design workflow

Open Design

Open source, local, plugs into the agents you already have. Monthly cost drops from $500 to ~$73 — over 80% less.

✅ Apache-2.0 open source

deep-dive · 1 / 2

Don't build agents. Plug into them.

The Claude Code / Codex / Cursor on your machine are already powerful. Open Design auto-detects the CLIs installed on your PATH and wires them into a complete design workflow — zero configuration.

21 coding agents zero config end-to-end BYOK
agents.sh
# auto-detect CLIs installed on PATH
$ od agents

  ✓ Claude Code     ✓ Codex CLI
  ✓ Cursor Agent    ✓ OpenClaw
  ✓ Hermes Agent    ✓ Gemini CLI
  ✓ Kimi            ✓ Copilot CLI
  …

// 21 agents total, zero config
// OpenAI / Azure / Google endpoints via BYOK

deep-dive · 2 / 2

From idea to delivery in 5 steps.

The agent reads the full context and produces real, runnable files you can preview and edit instantly in the sandbox. Every choice becomes context for the next generation — sharper with every use.

✦ 217+ plugins as starting points
✦ instant sandbox preview & edits
✦ HyperFrames HTML→MP4
✦ self-evolving design memory

workflow · 5 steps

1. Pick a starting point — describe the goal in one line, or start from a template / Plugin
2. Set the visual direction — palette, fonts, spacing flow in automatically
3. Generate the artifact — real runnable files, previewed in the sandbox
4. Deliver or make video — engineering takes over, or render a marketing clip
5. Build memory — it becomes context for the next generation

design-systems/DESIGN.md

A design system is a Markdown file you can git diff.

DESIGN.md
## Palette
- primary:   #3B6CFF
- surface:   #0D1117

## Typography
- display: Inter / 600
- body:    Inter / 400

## Rules
- Radii fixed at 12px; spacing in multiples of 8
- Gradients allowed on marketing pages, banned in product UI

# 129 Design Systems: import from GitHub / Figma / local files
# Markdown prevents token drift — brand consistency stays auditable and versioned

// takeaways

Three things to take home.

1 · Desktop-native

Design happens on the desktop. Local files, Figma exports, and code repos are directly readable — and the agent has full terminal execution power.

2 · Plug into agents, don't build one

The Claude Code / Codex / Cursor on your machine are already strong; Open Design wires them into a complete design workflow.

3 · Gets smarter with use

Every choice settles into your Design System, preferences, and memory, so the next generation lands closer to what you want.

Further reading: github.com/nexu-io/open-design · discord.gg/mHAjSMV6gz

>_

Bring frontier AI design power
back to every creator's desk

Open · Local · Agent-native

download: macOS / Windows star: github.com/nexu-io/open-design · 60K+