# Hallmark's Four Main Verbs Explained: build, audit, redesign, and study

> Understand Hallmark's four core verbs build audit redesign and study Discover how each verb streamlines your design to code workflow from creation to analysis

- Repository: [Hassan El Mghari/hallmark](https://github.com/Nutlope/hallmark)
- Tags: deep-dive
- Published: 2026-08-06

---

**Hallmark uses four core verbs—`build`, `audit`, `redesign`, and `study`—each designed to handle a specific stage of the design-to-code workflow, from generating new pages to analyzing existing ones.**

The open-source **Hallmark** project by Nutlope defines these verbs in its skill manifest and exposes them through both CLI and web interfaces. Understanding these four main verbs is essential for anyone working with Hallmark's AI-assisted design system.

## The Four Hallmark Verbs and Their Functionalities

Hallmark's architecture centers on four distinct operations. Three require explicit invocation, while one (`build`) serves as the default behavior when no verb is specified.

### build: Generate New Pages from Briefs

The **`build`** verb is Hallmark's default action. When you run Hallmark without specifying a verb, it triggers `build`.

According to [[`skills/hallmark/SKILL.md`](https://github.com/Nutlope/hallmark/blob/main/skills/hallmark/SKILL.md)](https://github.com/Nutlope/hallmark/blob/main/skills/hallmark/SKILL.md#L21), `build` accepts a design brief and:

- Selects a **macrostructure** (page layout pattern)
- Applies a cohesive **theme**
- Returns a **fully-working page**

The system implements **macrostructure deduplication**—it refuses to repeat any of the last three macrostructures used, ensuring variety across generated outputs. This logic is reflected in [[`site/index.html`](https://github.com/Nutlope/hallmark/blob/main/site/index.html)](https://github.com/Nutlope/hallmark/blob/main/site/index.html#L63-L70).

```bash

# Default build (no verb prefix)

hallmark "Build me a landing page for an indie podcast platform."

```

### audit: Score Pages Against Anti-Patterns

The **`audit`** verb performs **static analysis** on existing codebases.

As documented in [[`SKILL.md`](https://github.com/Nutlope/hallmark/blob/main/SKILL.md)](https://github.com/Nutlope/hallmark/blob/main/skills/hallmark/SKILL.md#L26) and implemented in [[`site/index.html`](https://github.com/Nutlope/hallmark/blob/main/site/index.html)](https://github.com/Nutlope/hallmark/blob/main/site/index.html#L450-L456), `audit`:

1. Reads target files
2. Scores them against a defined **anti-pattern list**
3. Returns a **ranked punch-list** of findings categorized as:
   - **Critical**
   - **Major**
   - **Minor**

Additionally, `audit` **verifies Hallmark stamp integrity**—it checks whether any Hallmark stamp present on the page matches the actual page structure, preventing stale or fraudulent markings.

```bash

# Audit an existing page

hallmark audit ./app/page.tsx

```

Detailed specifications live in [[`skills/hallmark/references/verbs/audit.md`](https://github.com/Nutlope/hallmark/blob/main/skills/hallmark/references/verbs/audit.md)](https://github.com/Nutlope/hallmark/blob/main/skills/hallmark/references/verbs/audit.md).

### redesign: Re-Imagine Existing Visual Structure

The **`redesign`** verb transforms existing implementations while respecting boundary conditions.

Per [[`SKILL.md`](https://github.com/Nutlope/hallmark/blob/main/SKILL.md)](https://github.com/Nutlope/hallmark/blob/main/skills/hallmark/SKILL.md#L27), `redesign`:

- Accepts an existing page or page set
- Re-imagines **visual structure**, **rhythm**, and **component voice**
- **Preserves current implementation boundaries** unless the user explicitly approves a full rebuild

The public interface explains this in [[`site/index.html`](https://github.com/Nutlope/hallmark/blob/main/site/index.html)](https://github.com/Nutlope/hallmark/blob/main/site/index.html#L505-L512), and full specs reside in [[`redesign.md`](https://github.com/Nutlope/hallmark/blob/main/redesign.md)](https://github.com/Nutlope/hallmark/blob/main/skills/hallmark/references/verbs/redesign.md).

```bash

# Single-page redesign

hallmark redesign ./app/page.tsx

# Multi-page redesign with mood specification

hallmark redesign ./app/ --mood modern-minimal

```

### study: Extract Design DNA from References

The **`study`** verb enables **design intelligence extraction** from external sources.

Documented in [[`SKILL.md`](https://github.com/Nutlope/hallmark/blob/main/SKILL.md)](https://github.com/Nutlope/hallmark/blob/main/skills/hallmark/SKILL.md#L28) and surfaced in [[`site/index.html`](https://github.com/Nutlope/hallmark/blob/main/site/index.html)](https://github.com/Nutlope/hallmark/blob/main/site/index.html#L401-L410), `study`:

- Accepts **screenshots** or **live URLs**
- Extracts **design DNA**: macrostructure, archetypes, type-pairing, color anchors
- Produces a **diagnosis report**

The user then chooses from three paths:
- **(a)** Build using that extracted DNA
- **(b)** Lock it into a portable [`design.md`](https://github.com/Nutlope/hallmark/blob/main/design.md) file
- **(c)** Stop after diagnosis only

```bash

# Study a live URL

hallmark study https://example.com

# Study a local screenshot

hallmark study ./screenshots/hero.png

```

Complete specifications are in [[`study.md`](https://github.com/Nutlope/hallmark/blob/main/study.md)](https://github.com/Nutlope/hallmark/blob/main/skills/hallmark/references/verbs/study.md).

## How the Verbs Relate: The Hallmark Workflow

These four verbs map to a complete design-to-code lifecycle:

| Stage | Verb | Input | Output |
|-------|------|-------|--------|
| Creation | `build` | Text brief | Working page |
| Analysis | `audit` | Code files | Ranked findings |
| Transformation | `redesign` | Existing page(s) | Re-structured page(s) |
| Intelligence | `study` | URL or image | Design DNA report |

The separation of concerns allows users to invoke exactly the capability needed without unnecessary overhead.

## Summary

- **Hallmark's four main verbs**—`build`, `audit`, `redesign`, and `study`—are defined in [[`skills/hallmark/SKILL.md`](https://github.com/Nutlope/hallmark/blob/main/skills/hallmark/SKILL.md)](https://github.com/Nutlope/hallmark/blob/main/skills/hallmark/SKILL.md) and exposed through the public site at [[`site/index.html`](https://github.com/Nutlope/hallmark/blob/main/site/index.html)](https://github.com/Nutlope/hallmark/blob/main/site/index.html).
- **`build`** generates fresh pages with macrostructure deduplication (default behavior).
- **`audit`** scores code against anti-patterns and verifies stamp integrity.
- **`redesign`** transforms existing pages while respecting boundaries unless overridden.
- **`study`** extracts design DNA from references for reuse or documentation.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### What happens if I run Hallmark without specifying a verb?

Hallmark defaults to the **`build`** verb. Any command without an explicit verb prefix is interpreted as a build request with your input treated as a design brief.

### Can I use multiple verbs in a single Hallmark command?

No. Each Hallmark invocation targets **one verb only**. For multi-stage workflows—like studying a reference then building from it—you run separate commands, potentially piping the extracted [`design.md`](https://github.com/Nutlope/hallmark/blob/main/design.md) between them.

### Where are the detailed specifications for each verb located?

Each verb has a dedicated markdown file in [`skills/hallmark/references/verbs/`](https://github.com/Nutlope/hallmark/tree/main/skills/hallmark/references/verbs): [`audit.md`](https://github.com/Nutlope/hallmark/blob/main/audit.md), [`redesign.md`](https://github.com/Nutlope/hallmark/blob/main/redesign.md), and [`study.md`](https://github.com/Nutlope/hallmark/blob/main/study.md). The `build` verb's behavior is documented directly in the main [[`SKILL.md`](https://github.com/Nutlope/hallmark/blob/main/SKILL.md)](https://github.com/Nutlope/hallmark/blob/main/skills/hallmark/SKILL.md) since it serves as the default.

### What is "design DNA" in the context of the `study` verb?

**Design DNA** refers to the extracted structural and stylistic identifiers from a reference: the **macrostructure** (layout pattern), **archetypes** (component types), **type-pairing** (font combinations), and **color anchors** (dominant palette). This information can be serialized to [`design.md`](https://github.com/Nutlope/hallmark/blob/main/design.md) for portable reuse across projects.