Hallmark Verbs Explained: The 4 Commands for AI-Powered Design

Hallmark provides four verbs—default, audit, redesign, and study—that let you generate, evaluate, rebuild, and analyze web designs from the command line.

This guide breaks down each Hallmark verb based on the official source code in Nutlope/hallmark. Whether you're building from scratch or dissecting an existing interface, understanding these four commands unlocks the full power of Hallmark's AI design workflow.

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The Four Hallmark Verbs

Hallmark's CLI surface consists of one implicit default behavior and three explicit verbs. According to skills/hallmark/SKILL.md (line 21), this structure keeps the tool simple while covering the complete design lifecycle: creation, critique, revision, and research.

1. Default (No Verb) — Generate from Scratch

When you run Hallmark without a verb, it executes the Design flow—the built-in generation pipeline that creates new designs from a text brief.

This is the entry point for most users. The system parses your intent, constructs information architecture, and produces a working visual structure with routes, components, and content.

# Default behavior — build a fresh design from a brief

hallmark "Design a SaaS landing page for a fintech startup"

The default verb is implicit; no subcommand is required. The implementation lives in the core SKILL.md under "Design flow (default)."

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2. Audit — Score Against Anti-Patterns

The audit verb performs read-only analysis on an existing file or page. It evaluates code or design against Hallmark's anti-pattern list, then returns a ranked punch-list with severity scores.

According to skills/hallmark/references/verbs/audit.md, this verb is strictly observational—it never writes changes. Use it for code reviews, design QA, or pre-launch verification.

# Evaluate a page for design debt and anti-patterns

hallmark audit ./src/pages/hero.tsx

Key characteristics from the source:

• Reads the target file without modification
• Scores violations by severity
• Generates a ranked remediation list
• Performs stamp verification for traceability

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3. Redesign — Rebuild Visual Structure

The redesign verb performs a controlled overhaul of existing content. It preserves routes, copy intent, brand voice, and information architecture—unless the user explicitly authorizes a full rebuild.

The specification in skills/hallmark/references/verbs/redesign.md defines scope detection (single-page vs. multi-page) and mood modification through flags like --mood.

# Overhaul visuals while keeping structure intact

hallmark redesign ./src/pages/about.tsx --mood luxurious

Redesign is destructive to visuals but conservative to structure—ideal for brand refreshes, accessibility fixes, or visual upgrades without rewriting content.

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4. Study — Extract Design DNA

The study verb reverse-engineers design systems from screenshots or live URLs. It extracts macrostructure, typography roles, color anchors, and compositional patterns, then produces a diagnosis report.

Per skills/hallmark/references/study.md, this verb supports two input modes:

• URL mode: Fetches and analyzes a public webpage
• Image mode: Processes a local screenshot

Optional: emits a portable design.md for later reuse.

# Extract DNA from a live site

hallmark study https://example.com/portfolio

# Or analyze a local screenshot

hallmark study ./screenshots/inspiration.png

Study is the research companion to the default generation flow—use it to build a reference library before creating original work.

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Quick Reference: Hallmark Verb Comparison

Verb	Input	Output	Writes files?	Primary use case
(default)	Text brief	New design	Yes	Greenfield projects
audit	File or page	Punch-list	No	Quality assurance
redesign	Existing files	Rebuilt visuals	Yes	Visual refresh
study	URL or image	Diagnosis report	Optional	Competitive analysis

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Key Source Files

Hallmark's verb system is fully documented in the repository's skill definition layer:

• skills/hallmark/SKILL.md — Central definition declaring the default behavior plus three explicit verbs
• skills/hallmark/references/verbs/audit.md — Protocol for read-only analysis with severity grading
• skills/hallmark/references/verbs/redesign.md — Specification for controlled visual overhaul
• skills/hallmark/references/study.md — DNA extraction workflow for URLs and images

These markdown files constitute the complete Hallmark verb surface and are parsed by the CLI at runtime.

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Summary

• Default (no verb): Generates new designs from text prompts using the built-in Design flow
• audit: Read-only scoring against anti-patterns; outputs ranked remediation list
• redesign: Visual rebuild with structural preservation; supports mood and scope flags
• study: Extracts design DNA from URLs or screenshots; optionally outputs design.md

Mastering these four verbs lets you move seamlessly through the full design lifecycle in Hallmark.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How do I run Hallmark without a verb?

Omit any subcommand and provide a text brief directly. Hallmark interprets this as the default Design flow and generates a fresh design from scratch.

Is the audit verb safe to run on production code?

Yes. According to audit.md, the verb is read-only by design—it analyzes and reports without modifying any files.

Can redesign change my page routes or content?

Only if you explicitly authorize it. The redesign verb preserves routes, copy intent, and information architecture by default; use flags or prompts to override this behavior.

What format does the study verb output?

By default, a diagnosis report. Optionally, study can emit a portable design.md containing the extracted design DNA for reuse in other Hallmark workflows.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "instagit": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "instagit@latest"]
    }
  }
}