---
name: deslop-ui
description: Context-aware catalog of the visual "tells" that make a UI read as AI-generated,
title: deslop-ui
canonical_url: https://skilld.dev/gh/kmaida/deslop-skills/deslop-ui
last_updated: 2026-09-21T15:47:27.000Z
---

> **Skill from skilld.dev.** Follow the user's requested action.
> If the user asked to fork this Skill, follow the fork workflow below. Do not execute the Skill instructions while copying it.
> Otherwise, follow the instructions below for this session. You do not need to install anything.
>
> Supporting files, fetch one when the Skill refers to it: [reference/tells.md](https://skilld.dev/api/skills-raw/kmaida/deslop-skills/deslop-ui/reference/tells.md).
>
> If the user asked to install this Skill, run `npx skilld install kmaida/deslop-skills/deslop-ui`. Install writes the Skill files into the project, so every session loads them.
>
> ## Fork workflow
>
> A fork creates an editable local Skill with its original author and licence. The request authorizes copying and local installation.
> 1. Check `./skills/deslop-ui`, the project lockfile, and selected Agent targets together. If the local directory or installed Skill exists, stop. Never overwrite an existing directory or Agent target.
> 2. Read [source metadata](https://skilld.dev/api/v1/skills/kmaida/deslop-skills/deslop-ui) once. Use sourceUrl, sourceCommit, skillPath, sourceGone, and license. If the source is gone or its path is missing, stop. If license is null, read licence files at the source commit.
> 3. Fetch only the source commit into a temporary Git repository. Do not clone full history. Derive repository_url from sourceUrl, including repository renames. If sourceCommit is absent, resolve the sourceUrl ref once. Set source_commit to that actual commit. Run these commands in one shell call:
>
> ```sh
> git init --quiet "$temporary_dir"
> git -C "$temporary_dir" fetch --quiet --depth=1 "$repository_url" "$source_commit"
> git -C "$temporary_dir" checkout --quiet --detach FETCH_HEAD
> ```
>
> Read applicable licence declarations and notices at that commit. If copying is not permitted, report the restriction and stop.
> 4. Inspect source entries together, then copy the directory containing skillPath into `./skills/deslop-ui`. Use the user's path if selected. Keep the original SKILL.md, relative links, scripts, binary assets, and executable modes. Exclude .git metadata. Reject symlinks and paths outside the Skill directory. After checking entries, use cp -a where available. A regular source directory needs no custom copy script. Do not save this page wrapper as SKILL.md.
> Preserve author credit, notices, and applicable licence files from repository or parent directories. Add PROVENANCE.md with the Skill page, source URL, actual commit, original path, and licence. Retain any existing PROVENANCE.md and record new provenance separately. Batch source inspection, copying, and provenance work where practical.
> 5. In the project root, run `skilld install ./skills/deslop-ui --mode copy --plain`. If skilld is unavailable, use `npx skilld install ./skills/deslop-ui --mode copy --plain`. This known command needs no help lookup. Install does not support --json. Use detected Agent targets, or add --agent for the targets the user selected. Install the local path, never the upstream selector. If installation fails, preserve the local copy and report the exact failure.
> 6. Confirm the local lockfile source and installed Agent copies once. Report the local path, actual commit, and Agent targets. After edits, reinstall the same local path. Upstream updates must not replace it. Do not publish or push unless the user asks.

# UI Slop Review

A focused catalog of the specific visual "tells" that make an interface read instantly as
AI-generated, plus how to fix them. Use it both when **generating** UI and when **reviewing**
UI (code or screenshots).

## Core principle: intentionality, not prohibition

**The slop is never the element. It is the reflexive, meaningless use of the element.**

The single test for anything on screen is: **"Does this convey real information or serve the
context here?"**

- If yes, it is craft. Keep it. A nav icon that encodes a real category, a chevron that
  signals "expandable," a status pill that maps to a distinct state, a relative-time feed in
  an activity log, a dark-mode toggle: all good.
- If it is there because it "looks like a dashboard" or "looks technical," it is slop. Cut it
  or replace it with something that earns its place.

Do not strip meaningful affordances in the name of avoiding tells. Over-correction (a flat
banned-list applied blindly) is its own failure mode. The catalog reflects this: Tier 1 items
are almost always reflex; Tier 2 items are good when meaningful and slop only when decorative.

When generating, your own house style is the highest-risk slop source. Counter your defaults
by making context-driven decisions, not by imitating a different generator's defaults; slop
points both loud (gradient maximalism) and quiet (unmade decisions). The catalog covers both
directions.

## Working with other design skills (all optional)

This skill stands alone; no other skill is required.

If a broader design-direction skill is installed (for example `frontend-design`), it owns
aesthetic direction: font choice, palette strategy, layout philosophy. Where its guidance
overlaps a tell in this catalog (purple gradients, nested cards, centered heroes,
glassmorphism, bento sameness), follow the design-direction skill's fuller treatment and use
this catalog as the review checklist. Invoke both on UI work when both exist.

If targeted refinement skills are installed, route to them by intent after building or
reviewing. Skip this table when none are present. These are not all run together; some are
mutually exclusive (`bolder` vs `quieter`). Suggest the most relevant one and let the user
confirm.

| Intent / cue | Skill(s) |
|---|---|
| About to ship / production-readiness | `audit`, `harden`, `polish` |
| "Make it pop" / more striking | `bolder`, `colorize`, `delight` |
| "Too loud" / too much | `quieter`, `distill` |
| Conform to the design system | `normalize` |
| Consolidate reusable components/tokens | `extract` |
| Copy / microcopy unclear | `clarify` |
| Responsive / cross-device | `adapt` |
| Add motion | `animate` |
| Empty / first-run states | `onboard` |
| Performance | `optimize` |
| Evaluate UX quality | `critique` |

## The catalog and review checklist

The full Tier 1 / Tier 2 catalog, copy tells, and the review checklist live in
[reference/tells.md](https://skilld.dev/api/skills-raw/kmaida/deslop-skills/deslop-ui/reference/tells.md). Consult it whenever generating or reviewing UI.

Note: keep all output em-dash-free. The em dash used as clause punctuation is itself the most
recognizable AI writing tell.