mode belongs to the surface; palette sources are exclusive

a7 transcript evidence: 01-observability samples drew orange-honey and
green seeds, recited the color-strategy menu, and shipped dark
category-reflex palettes anyway; the model applied the subject's
workmanlike grammar to its own landing page. Two generic lines: the
mode belongs to the surface, not the subject (a landing page for a
dense tool is still Persuade; deciding a page can be plain because its
subject is workmanlike is the category error in reverse), and the
palette has exactly two legitimate sources (seed or the subject's
world; the category's habitual palette is neither).

Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

.agents/skills/impeccable/SKILL.md

@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ Calibration for this provider:
 
 ## Registers
 
-Name the visitor's mode before designing; the page's grammar follows from it, and most ruined pages are one mode wearing another mode's grammar. The brief and the surface decide the mode; PRODUCT.md's `register` field survives only as a family hint (`brand` covers Persuade and Experience, `product` covers Operate and Read). Depth beyond the paragraphs below: [reference/new-work.md](reference/new-work.md) when inventing identity, [reference/operate.md](reference/operate.md) for substantial Operate and Read work.
+Name the visitor's mode before designing; the page's grammar follows from it, and most ruined pages are one mode wearing another mode's grammar. **The mode belongs to the surface, not the subject**: a landing page for a dense technical tool is still Persuade, with Persuade's full permission to be striking; a docs page for a fashion house is still Read. Deciding a page can be plain because its subject is workmanlike is the same category error in reverse. The brief and the surface decide the mode; PRODUCT.md's `register` field survives only as a family hint (`brand` covers Persuade and Experience, `product` covers Operate and Read). Depth beyond the paragraphs below: [reference/new-work.md](reference/new-work.md) when inventing identity, [reference/operate.md](reference/operate.md) for substantial Operate and Read work.
 
 **Persuade** (landing pages, marketing, campaigns; design IS the product). The deliverable is an impression that stops the scroll, earns the click, converts. Spans every genre (tech, luxury, consumer); don't collapse them into one look. Briefs that imply imagery must ship real, verified imagery; a colored rectangle where a photo belongs reads as incomplete. New Persuade surfaces take their typeface procedure and reject list from [reference/new-work.md](reference/new-work.md).
 

.agents/skills/impeccable/reference/new-work.md

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ You are reading this because nothing committed exists yet (greenfield), or the u
 
 ## Seed
 
-If the project is brand-new (no committed tokens, fonts, or brand colors found in the code), run `node .agents/skills/impeccable/scripts/palette.mjs` for a brand seed color. The seed exists to break your reflex palette; it does not override the subject. When the subject's world clearly dictates color (an era, a place, a material, a medium), derive the palette from that world and use the seed only to check yourself. Otherwise anchor on it. Use OKLCH throughout. Skip this entirely when the code already has committed brand colors: identity-preservation wins.
+If the project is brand-new (no committed tokens, fonts, or brand colors found in the code), run `node .agents/skills/impeccable/scripts/palette.mjs` for a brand seed color. The seed exists to break your reflex palette; it does not override the subject. When the subject's world clearly dictates color (an era, a place, a material, a medium), derive the palette from that world and use the seed only to check yourself. Otherwise anchor on it. The palette has exactly two legitimate sources: the seed, or the subject's world. What the category usually looks like is neither, and quietly swapping in the category's habitual palette and theme after drawing a seed is the reflex this step exists to break. Use OKLCH throughout. Skip this entirely when the code already has committed brand colors: identity-preservation wins.
 
 ## Ground it in the subject
 

.claude/skills/impeccable/SKILL.md

@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ Build to this floor without announcing it. The design detector (the project hook
 
 ## Registers
 
-Name the visitor's mode before designing; the page's grammar follows from it, and most ruined pages are one mode wearing another mode's grammar. The brief and the surface decide the mode; PRODUCT.md's `register` field survives only as a family hint (`brand` covers Persuade and Experience, `product` covers Operate and Read). Depth beyond the paragraphs below: [reference/new-work.md](reference/new-work.md) when inventing identity, [reference/operate.md](reference/operate.md) for substantial Operate and Read work.
+Name the visitor's mode before designing; the page's grammar follows from it, and most ruined pages are one mode wearing another mode's grammar. **The mode belongs to the surface, not the subject**: a landing page for a dense technical tool is still Persuade, with Persuade's full permission to be striking; a docs page for a fashion house is still Read. Deciding a page can be plain because its subject is workmanlike is the same category error in reverse. The brief and the surface decide the mode; PRODUCT.md's `register` field survives only as a family hint (`brand` covers Persuade and Experience, `product` covers Operate and Read). Depth beyond the paragraphs below: [reference/new-work.md](reference/new-work.md) when inventing identity, [reference/operate.md](reference/operate.md) for substantial Operate and Read work.
 
 **Persuade** (landing pages, marketing, campaigns; design IS the product). The deliverable is an impression that stops the scroll, earns the click, converts. Spans every genre (tech, luxury, consumer); don't collapse them into one look. Briefs that imply imagery must ship real, verified imagery; a colored rectangle where a photo belongs reads as incomplete. New Persuade surfaces take their typeface procedure and reject list from [reference/new-work.md](reference/new-work.md).
 

.claude/skills/impeccable/reference/new-work.md

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ You are reading this because nothing committed exists yet (greenfield), or the u
 
 ## Seed
 
-If the project is brand-new (no committed tokens, fonts, or brand colors found in the code), run `node .claude/skills/impeccable/scripts/palette.mjs` for a brand seed color. The seed exists to break your reflex palette; it does not override the subject. When the subject's world clearly dictates color (an era, a place, a material, a medium), derive the palette from that world and use the seed only to check yourself. Otherwise anchor on it. Use OKLCH throughout. Skip this entirely when the code already has committed brand colors: identity-preservation wins.
+If the project is brand-new (no committed tokens, fonts, or brand colors found in the code), run `node .claude/skills/impeccable/scripts/palette.mjs` for a brand seed color. The seed exists to break your reflex palette; it does not override the subject. When the subject's world clearly dictates color (an era, a place, a material, a medium), derive the palette from that world and use the seed only to check yourself. Otherwise anchor on it. The palette has exactly two legitimate sources: the seed, or the subject's world. What the category usually looks like is neither, and quietly swapping in the category's habitual palette and theme after drawing a seed is the reflex this step exists to break. Use OKLCH throughout. Skip this entirely when the code already has committed brand colors: identity-preservation wins.
 
 ## Ground it in the subject
 

.cursor/skills/impeccable/SKILL.md

@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ Build to this floor without announcing it. The design detector (the project hook
 
 ## Registers
 
-Name the visitor's mode before designing; the page's grammar follows from it, and most ruined pages are one mode wearing another mode's grammar. The brief and the surface decide the mode; PRODUCT.md's `register` field survives only as a family hint (`brand` covers Persuade and Experience, `product` covers Operate and Read). Depth beyond the paragraphs below: [reference/new-work.md](reference/new-work.md) when inventing identity, [reference/operate.md](reference/operate.md) for substantial Operate and Read work.
+Name the visitor's mode before designing; the page's grammar follows from it, and most ruined pages are one mode wearing another mode's grammar. **The mode belongs to the surface, not the subject**: a landing page for a dense technical tool is still Persuade, with Persuade's full permission to be striking; a docs page for a fashion house is still Read. Deciding a page can be plain because its subject is workmanlike is the same category error in reverse. The brief and the surface decide the mode; PRODUCT.md's `register` field survives only as a family hint (`brand` covers Persuade and Experience, `product` covers Operate and Read). Depth beyond the paragraphs below: [reference/new-work.md](reference/new-work.md) when inventing identity, [reference/operate.md](reference/operate.md) for substantial Operate and Read work.
 
 **Persuade** (landing pages, marketing, campaigns; design IS the product). The deliverable is an impression that stops the scroll, earns the click, converts. Spans every genre (tech, luxury, consumer); don't collapse them into one look. Briefs that imply imagery must ship real, verified imagery; a colored rectangle where a photo belongs reads as incomplete. New Persuade surfaces take their typeface procedure and reject list from [reference/new-work.md](reference/new-work.md).
 

.cursor/skills/impeccable/reference/new-work.md

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ You are reading this because nothing committed exists yet (greenfield), or the u
 
 ## Seed
 
-If the project is brand-new (no committed tokens, fonts, or brand colors found in the code), run `node .cursor/skills/impeccable/scripts/palette.mjs` for a brand seed color. The seed exists to break your reflex palette; it does not override the subject. When the subject's world clearly dictates color (an era, a place, a material, a medium), derive the palette from that world and use the seed only to check yourself. Otherwise anchor on it. Use OKLCH throughout. Skip this entirely when the code already has committed brand colors: identity-preservation wins.
+If the project is brand-new (no committed tokens, fonts, or brand colors found in the code), run `node .cursor/skills/impeccable/scripts/palette.mjs` for a brand seed color. The seed exists to break your reflex palette; it does not override the subject. When the subject's world clearly dictates color (an era, a place, a material, a medium), derive the palette from that world and use the seed only to check yourself. Otherwise anchor on it. The palette has exactly two legitimate sources: the seed, or the subject's world. What the category usually looks like is neither, and quietly swapping in the category's habitual palette and theme after drawing a seed is the reflex this step exists to break. Use OKLCH throughout. Skip this entirely when the code already has committed brand colors: identity-preservation wins.
 
 ## Ground it in the subject
 

.gemini/skills/impeccable/SKILL.md

@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ Build to this floor without announcing it. The design detector (the project hook
 
 ## Registers
 
-Name the visitor's mode before designing; the page's grammar follows from it, and most ruined pages are one mode wearing another mode's grammar. The brief and the surface decide the mode; PRODUCT.md's `register` field survives only as a family hint (`brand` covers Persuade and Experience, `product` covers Operate and Read). Depth beyond the paragraphs below: [reference/new-work.md](reference/new-work.md) when inventing identity, [reference/operate.md](reference/operate.md) for substantial Operate and Read work.
+Name the visitor's mode before designing; the page's grammar follows from it, and most ruined pages are one mode wearing another mode's grammar. **The mode belongs to the surface, not the subject**: a landing page for a dense technical tool is still Persuade, with Persuade's full permission to be striking; a docs page for a fashion house is still Read. Deciding a page can be plain because its subject is workmanlike is the same category error in reverse. The brief and the surface decide the mode; PRODUCT.md's `register` field survives only as a family hint (`brand` covers Persuade and Experience, `product` covers Operate and Read). Depth beyond the paragraphs below: [reference/new-work.md](reference/new-work.md) when inventing identity, [reference/operate.md](reference/operate.md) for substantial Operate and Read work.
 
 **Persuade** (landing pages, marketing, campaigns; design IS the product). The deliverable is an impression that stops the scroll, earns the click, converts. Spans every genre (tech, luxury, consumer); don't collapse them into one look. Briefs that imply imagery must ship real, verified imagery; a colored rectangle where a photo belongs reads as incomplete. New Persuade surfaces take their typeface procedure and reject list from [reference/new-work.md](reference/new-work.md).
 

.gemini/skills/impeccable/reference/new-work.md

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ You are reading this because nothing committed exists yet (greenfield), or the u
 
 ## Seed
 
-If the project is brand-new (no committed tokens, fonts, or brand colors found in the code), run `node .gemini/skills/impeccable/scripts/palette.mjs` for a brand seed color. The seed exists to break your reflex palette; it does not override the subject. When the subject's world clearly dictates color (an era, a place, a material, a medium), derive the palette from that world and use the seed only to check yourself. Otherwise anchor on it. Use OKLCH throughout. Skip this entirely when the code already has committed brand colors: identity-preservation wins.
+If the project is brand-new (no committed tokens, fonts, or brand colors found in the code), run `node .gemini/skills/impeccable/scripts/palette.mjs` for a brand seed color. The seed exists to break your reflex palette; it does not override the subject. When the subject's world clearly dictates color (an era, a place, a material, a medium), derive the palette from that world and use the seed only to check yourself. Otherwise anchor on it. The palette has exactly two legitimate sources: the seed, or the subject's world. What the category usually looks like is neither, and quietly swapping in the category's habitual palette and theme after drawing a seed is the reflex this step exists to break. Use OKLCH throughout. Skip this entirely when the code already has committed brand colors: identity-preservation wins.
 
 ## Ground it in the subject
 

.github/skills/impeccable/SKILL.md

@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ Build to this floor without announcing it. The design detector (the project hook
 
 ## Registers
 
-Name the visitor's mode before designing; the page's grammar follows from it, and most ruined pages are one mode wearing another mode's grammar. The brief and the surface decide the mode; PRODUCT.md's `register` field survives only as a family hint (`brand` covers Persuade and Experience, `product` covers Operate and Read). Depth beyond the paragraphs below: [reference/new-work.md](reference/new-work.md) when inventing identity, [reference/operate.md](reference/operate.md) for substantial Operate and Read work.
+Name the visitor's mode before designing; the page's grammar follows from it, and most ruined pages are one mode wearing another mode's grammar. **The mode belongs to the surface, not the subject**: a landing page for a dense technical tool is still Persuade, with Persuade's full permission to be striking; a docs page for a fashion house is still Read. Deciding a page can be plain because its subject is workmanlike is the same category error in reverse. The brief and the surface decide the mode; PRODUCT.md's `register` field survives only as a family hint (`brand` covers Persuade and Experience, `product` covers Operate and Read). Depth beyond the paragraphs below: [reference/new-work.md](reference/new-work.md) when inventing identity, [reference/operate.md](reference/operate.md) for substantial Operate and Read work.
 
 **Persuade** (landing pages, marketing, campaigns; design IS the product). The deliverable is an impression that stops the scroll, earns the click, converts. Spans every genre (tech, luxury, consumer); don't collapse them into one look. Briefs that imply imagery must ship real, verified imagery; a colored rectangle where a photo belongs reads as incomplete. New Persuade surfaces take their typeface procedure and reject list from [reference/new-work.md](reference/new-work.md).
 

.github/skills/impeccable/reference/new-work.md

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ You are reading this because nothing committed exists yet (greenfield), or the u
 
 ## Seed
 
-If the project is brand-new (no committed tokens, fonts, or brand colors found in the code), run `node .github/skills/impeccable/scripts/palette.mjs` for a brand seed color. The seed exists to break your reflex palette; it does not override the subject. When the subject's world clearly dictates color (an era, a place, a material, a medium), derive the palette from that world and use the seed only to check yourself. Otherwise anchor on it. Use OKLCH throughout. Skip this entirely when the code already has committed brand colors: identity-preservation wins.
+If the project is brand-new (no committed tokens, fonts, or brand colors found in the code), run `node .github/skills/impeccable/scripts/palette.mjs` for a brand seed color. The seed exists to break your reflex palette; it does not override the subject. When the subject's world clearly dictates color (an era, a place, a material, a medium), derive the palette from that world and use the seed only to check yourself. Otherwise anchor on it. The palette has exactly two legitimate sources: the seed, or the subject's world. What the category usually looks like is neither, and quietly swapping in the category's habitual palette and theme after drawing a seed is the reflex this step exists to break. Use OKLCH throughout. Skip this entirely when the code already has committed brand colors: identity-preservation wins.
 
 ## Ground it in the subject
 

.kiro/skills/impeccable/SKILL.md

@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ Build to this floor without announcing it. The design detector (the project hook
 
 ## Registers
 
-Name the visitor's mode before designing; the page's grammar follows from it, and most ruined pages are one mode wearing another mode's grammar. The brief and the surface decide the mode; PRODUCT.md's `register` field survives only as a family hint (`brand` covers Persuade and Experience, `product` covers Operate and Read). Depth beyond the paragraphs below: [reference/new-work.md](reference/new-work.md) when inventing identity, [reference/operate.md](reference/operate.md) for substantial Operate and Read work.
+Name the visitor's mode before designing; the page's grammar follows from it, and most ruined pages are one mode wearing another mode's grammar. **The mode belongs to the surface, not the subject**: a landing page for a dense technical tool is still Persuade, with Persuade's full permission to be striking; a docs page for a fashion house is still Read. Deciding a page can be plain because its subject is workmanlike is the same category error in reverse. The brief and the surface decide the mode; PRODUCT.md's `register` field survives only as a family hint (`brand` covers Persuade and Experience, `product` covers Operate and Read). Depth beyond the paragraphs below: [reference/new-work.md](reference/new-work.md) when inventing identity, [reference/operate.md](reference/operate.md) for substantial Operate and Read work.
 
 **Persuade** (landing pages, marketing, campaigns; design IS the product). The deliverable is an impression that stops the scroll, earns the click, converts. Spans every genre (tech, luxury, consumer); don't collapse them into one look. Briefs that imply imagery must ship real, verified imagery; a colored rectangle where a photo belongs reads as incomplete. New Persuade surfaces take their typeface procedure and reject list from [reference/new-work.md](reference/new-work.md).
 

.kiro/skills/impeccable/reference/new-work.md

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ You are reading this because nothing committed exists yet (greenfield), or the u
 
 ## Seed
 
-If the project is brand-new (no committed tokens, fonts, or brand colors found in the code), run `node .kiro/skills/impeccable/scripts/palette.mjs` for a brand seed color. The seed exists to break your reflex palette; it does not override the subject. When the subject's world clearly dictates color (an era, a place, a material, a medium), derive the palette from that world and use the seed only to check yourself. Otherwise anchor on it. Use OKLCH throughout. Skip this entirely when the code already has committed brand colors: identity-preservation wins.
+If the project is brand-new (no committed tokens, fonts, or brand colors found in the code), run `node .kiro/skills/impeccable/scripts/palette.mjs` for a brand seed color. The seed exists to break your reflex palette; it does not override the subject. When the subject's world clearly dictates color (an era, a place, a material, a medium), derive the palette from that world and use the seed only to check yourself. Otherwise anchor on it. The palette has exactly two legitimate sources: the seed, or the subject's world. What the category usually looks like is neither, and quietly swapping in the category's habitual palette and theme after drawing a seed is the reflex this step exists to break. Use OKLCH throughout. Skip this entirely when the code already has committed brand colors: identity-preservation wins.
 
 ## Ground it in the subject
 

.opencode/skills/impeccable/SKILL.md

@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ Build to this floor without announcing it. The design detector (the project hook
 
 ## Registers
 
-Name the visitor's mode before designing; the page's grammar follows from it, and most ruined pages are one mode wearing another mode's grammar. The brief and the surface decide the mode; PRODUCT.md's `register` field survives only as a family hint (`brand` covers Persuade and Experience, `product` covers Operate and Read). Depth beyond the paragraphs below: [reference/new-work.md](reference/new-work.md) when inventing identity, [reference/operate.md](reference/operate.md) for substantial Operate and Read work.
+Name the visitor's mode before designing; the page's grammar follows from it, and most ruined pages are one mode wearing another mode's grammar. **The mode belongs to the surface, not the subject**: a landing page for a dense technical tool is still Persuade, with Persuade's full permission to be striking; a docs page for a fashion house is still Read. Deciding a page can be plain because its subject is workmanlike is the same category error in reverse. The brief and the surface decide the mode; PRODUCT.md's `register` field survives only as a family hint (`brand` covers Persuade and Experience, `product` covers Operate and Read). Depth beyond the paragraphs below: [reference/new-work.md](reference/new-work.md) when inventing identity, [reference/operate.md](reference/operate.md) for substantial Operate and Read work.
 
 **Persuade** (landing pages, marketing, campaigns; design IS the product). The deliverable is an impression that stops the scroll, earns the click, converts. Spans every genre (tech, luxury, consumer); don't collapse them into one look. Briefs that imply imagery must ship real, verified imagery; a colored rectangle where a photo belongs reads as incomplete. New Persuade surfaces take their typeface procedure and reject list from [reference/new-work.md](reference/new-work.md).
 

.opencode/skills/impeccable/reference/new-work.md

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ You are reading this because nothing committed exists yet (greenfield), or the u
 
 ## Seed
 
-If the project is brand-new (no committed tokens, fonts, or brand colors found in the code), run `node .opencode/skills/impeccable/scripts/palette.mjs` for a brand seed color. The seed exists to break your reflex palette; it does not override the subject. When the subject's world clearly dictates color (an era, a place, a material, a medium), derive the palette from that world and use the seed only to check yourself. Otherwise anchor on it. Use OKLCH throughout. Skip this entirely when the code already has committed brand colors: identity-preservation wins.
+If the project is brand-new (no committed tokens, fonts, or brand colors found in the code), run `node .opencode/skills/impeccable/scripts/palette.mjs` for a brand seed color. The seed exists to break your reflex palette; it does not override the subject. When the subject's world clearly dictates color (an era, a place, a material, a medium), derive the palette from that world and use the seed only to check yourself. Otherwise anchor on it. The palette has exactly two legitimate sources: the seed, or the subject's world. What the category usually looks like is neither, and quietly swapping in the category's habitual palette and theme after drawing a seed is the reflex this step exists to break. Use OKLCH throughout. Skip this entirely when the code already has committed brand colors: identity-preservation wins.
 
 ## Ground it in the subject
 

.pi/skills/impeccable/SKILL.md

@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ Build to this floor without announcing it. The design detector (the project hook
 
 ## Registers
 
-Name the visitor's mode before designing; the page's grammar follows from it, and most ruined pages are one mode wearing another mode's grammar. The brief and the surface decide the mode; PRODUCT.md's `register` field survives only as a family hint (`brand` covers Persuade and Experience, `product` covers Operate and Read). Depth beyond the paragraphs below: [reference/new-work.md](reference/new-work.md) when inventing identity, [reference/operate.md](reference/operate.md) for substantial Operate and Read work.
+Name the visitor's mode before designing; the page's grammar follows from it, and most ruined pages are one mode wearing another mode's grammar. **The mode belongs to the surface, not the subject**: a landing page for a dense technical tool is still Persuade, with Persuade's full permission to be striking; a docs page for a fashion house is still Read. Deciding a page can be plain because its subject is workmanlike is the same category error in reverse. The brief and the surface decide the mode; PRODUCT.md's `register` field survives only as a family hint (`brand` covers Persuade and Experience, `product` covers Operate and Read). Depth beyond the paragraphs below: [reference/new-work.md](reference/new-work.md) when inventing identity, [reference/operate.md](reference/operate.md) for substantial Operate and Read work.
 
 **Persuade** (landing pages, marketing, campaigns; design IS the product). The deliverable is an impression that stops the scroll, earns the click, converts. Spans every genre (tech, luxury, consumer); don't collapse them into one look. Briefs that imply imagery must ship real, verified imagery; a colored rectangle where a photo belongs reads as incomplete. New Persuade surfaces take their typeface procedure and reject list from [reference/new-work.md](reference/new-work.md).
 

.pi/skills/impeccable/reference/new-work.md

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ You are reading this because nothing committed exists yet (greenfield), or the u
 
 ## Seed
 
-If the project is brand-new (no committed tokens, fonts, or brand colors found in the code), run `node .pi/skills/impeccable/scripts/palette.mjs` for a brand seed color. The seed exists to break your reflex palette; it does not override the subject. When the subject's world clearly dictates color (an era, a place, a material, a medium), derive the palette from that world and use the seed only to check yourself. Otherwise anchor on it. Use OKLCH throughout. Skip this entirely when the code already has committed brand colors: identity-preservation wins.
+If the project is brand-new (no committed tokens, fonts, or brand colors found in the code), run `node .pi/skills/impeccable/scripts/palette.mjs` for a brand seed color. The seed exists to break your reflex palette; it does not override the subject. When the subject's world clearly dictates color (an era, a place, a material, a medium), derive the palette from that world and use the seed only to check yourself. Otherwise anchor on it. The palette has exactly two legitimate sources: the seed, or the subject's world. What the category usually looks like is neither, and quietly swapping in the category's habitual palette and theme after drawing a seed is the reflex this step exists to break. Use OKLCH throughout. Skip this entirely when the code already has committed brand colors: identity-preservation wins.
 
 ## Ground it in the subject
 

.qoder/skills/impeccable/SKILL.md

@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ Build to this floor without announcing it. The design detector (the project hook
 
 ## Registers
 
-Name the visitor's mode before designing; the page's grammar follows from it, and most ruined pages are one mode wearing another mode's grammar. The brief and the surface decide the mode; PRODUCT.md's `register` field survives only as a family hint (`brand` covers Persuade and Experience, `product` covers Operate and Read). Depth beyond the paragraphs below: [reference/new-work.md](reference/new-work.md) when inventing identity, [reference/operate.md](reference/operate.md) for substantial Operate and Read work.
+Name the visitor's mode before designing; the page's grammar follows from it, and most ruined pages are one mode wearing another mode's grammar. **The mode belongs to the surface, not the subject**: a landing page for a dense technical tool is still Persuade, with Persuade's full permission to be striking; a docs page for a fashion house is still Read. Deciding a page can be plain because its subject is workmanlike is the same category error in reverse. The brief and the surface decide the mode; PRODUCT.md's `register` field survives only as a family hint (`brand` covers Persuade and Experience, `product` covers Operate and Read). Depth beyond the paragraphs below: [reference/new-work.md](reference/new-work.md) when inventing identity, [reference/operate.md](reference/operate.md) for substantial Operate and Read work.
 
 **Persuade** (landing pages, marketing, campaigns; design IS the product). The deliverable is an impression that stops the scroll, earns the click, converts. Spans every genre (tech, luxury, consumer); don't collapse them into one look. Briefs that imply imagery must ship real, verified imagery; a colored rectangle where a photo belongs reads as incomplete. New Persuade surfaces take their typeface procedure and reject list from [reference/new-work.md](reference/new-work.md).
 

.qoder/skills/impeccable/reference/new-work.md

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ You are reading this because nothing committed exists yet (greenfield), or the u
 
 ## Seed
 
-If the project is brand-new (no committed tokens, fonts, or brand colors found in the code), run `node .qoder/skills/impeccable/scripts/palette.mjs` for a brand seed color. The seed exists to break your reflex palette; it does not override the subject. When the subject's world clearly dictates color (an era, a place, a material, a medium), derive the palette from that world and use the seed only to check yourself. Otherwise anchor on it. Use OKLCH throughout. Skip this entirely when the code already has committed brand colors: identity-preservation wins.
+If the project is brand-new (no committed tokens, fonts, or brand colors found in the code), run `node .qoder/skills/impeccable/scripts/palette.mjs` for a brand seed color. The seed exists to break your reflex palette; it does not override the subject. When the subject's world clearly dictates color (an era, a place, a material, a medium), derive the palette from that world and use the seed only to check yourself. Otherwise anchor on it. The palette has exactly two legitimate sources: the seed, or the subject's world. What the category usually looks like is neither, and quietly swapping in the category's habitual palette and theme after drawing a seed is the reflex this step exists to break. Use OKLCH throughout. Skip this entirely when the code already has committed brand colors: identity-preservation wins.
 
 ## Ground it in the subject
 

.rovodev/skills/impeccable/SKILL.md

@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ Build to this floor without announcing it. The design detector (the project hook
 
 ## Registers
 
-Name the visitor's mode before designing; the page's grammar follows from it, and most ruined pages are one mode wearing another mode's grammar. The brief and the surface decide the mode; PRODUCT.md's `register` field survives only as a family hint (`brand` covers Persuade and Experience, `product` covers Operate and Read). Depth beyond the paragraphs below: [reference/new-work.md](reference/new-work.md) when inventing identity, [reference/operate.md](reference/operate.md) for substantial Operate and Read work.
+Name the visitor's mode before designing; the page's grammar follows from it, and most ruined pages are one mode wearing another mode's grammar. **The mode belongs to the surface, not the subject**: a landing page for a dense technical tool is still Persuade, with Persuade's full permission to be striking; a docs page for a fashion house is still Read. Deciding a page can be plain because its subject is workmanlike is the same category error in reverse. The brief and the surface decide the mode; PRODUCT.md's `register` field survives only as a family hint (`brand` covers Persuade and Experience, `product` covers Operate and Read). Depth beyond the paragraphs below: [reference/new-work.md](reference/new-work.md) when inventing identity, [reference/operate.md](reference/operate.md) for substantial Operate and Read work.
 
 **Persuade** (landing pages, marketing, campaigns; design IS the product). The deliverable is an impression that stops the scroll, earns the click, converts. Spans every genre (tech, luxury, consumer); don't collapse them into one look. Briefs that imply imagery must ship real, verified imagery; a colored rectangle where a photo belongs reads as incomplete. New Persuade surfaces take their typeface procedure and reject list from [reference/new-work.md](reference/new-work.md).
 

.rovodev/skills/impeccable/reference/new-work.md

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ You are reading this because nothing committed exists yet (greenfield), or the u
 
 ## Seed
 
-If the project is brand-new (no committed tokens, fonts, or brand colors found in the code), run `node .rovodev/skills/impeccable/scripts/palette.mjs` for a brand seed color. The seed exists to break your reflex palette; it does not override the subject. When the subject's world clearly dictates color (an era, a place, a material, a medium), derive the palette from that world and use the seed only to check yourself. Otherwise anchor on it. Use OKLCH throughout. Skip this entirely when the code already has committed brand colors: identity-preservation wins.
+If the project is brand-new (no committed tokens, fonts, or brand colors found in the code), run `node .rovodev/skills/impeccable/scripts/palette.mjs` for a brand seed color. The seed exists to break your reflex palette; it does not override the subject. When the subject's world clearly dictates color (an era, a place, a material, a medium), derive the palette from that world and use the seed only to check yourself. Otherwise anchor on it. The palette has exactly two legitimate sources: the seed, or the subject's world. What the category usually looks like is neither, and quietly swapping in the category's habitual palette and theme after drawing a seed is the reflex this step exists to break. Use OKLCH throughout. Skip this entirely when the code already has committed brand colors: identity-preservation wins.
 
 ## Ground it in the subject
 

.trae-cn/skills/impeccable/SKILL.md

@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ Build to this floor without announcing it. The design detector (the project hook
 
 ## Registers
 
-Name the visitor's mode before designing; the page's grammar follows from it, and most ruined pages are one mode wearing another mode's grammar. The brief and the surface decide the mode; PRODUCT.md's `register` field survives only as a family hint (`brand` covers Persuade and Experience, `product` covers Operate and Read). Depth beyond the paragraphs below: [reference/new-work.md](reference/new-work.md) when inventing identity, [reference/operate.md](reference/operate.md) for substantial Operate and Read work.
+Name the visitor's mode before designing; the page's grammar follows from it, and most ruined pages are one mode wearing another mode's grammar. **The mode belongs to the surface, not the subject**: a landing page for a dense technical tool is still Persuade, with Persuade's full permission to be striking; a docs page for a fashion house is still Read. Deciding a page can be plain because its subject is workmanlike is the same category error in reverse. The brief and the surface decide the mode; PRODUCT.md's `register` field survives only as a family hint (`brand` covers Persuade and Experience, `product` covers Operate and Read). Depth beyond the paragraphs below: [reference/new-work.md](reference/new-work.md) when inventing identity, [reference/operate.md](reference/operate.md) for substantial Operate and Read work.
 
 **Persuade** (landing pages, marketing, campaigns; design IS the product). The deliverable is an impression that stops the scroll, earns the click, converts. Spans every genre (tech, luxury, consumer); don't collapse them into one look. Briefs that imply imagery must ship real, verified imagery; a colored rectangle where a photo belongs reads as incomplete. New Persuade surfaces take their typeface procedure and reject list from [reference/new-work.md](reference/new-work.md).
 

.trae-cn/skills/impeccable/reference/new-work.md

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ You are reading this because nothing committed exists yet (greenfield), or the u
 
 ## Seed
 
-If the project is brand-new (no committed tokens, fonts, or brand colors found in the code), run `node .trae-cn/skills/impeccable/scripts/palette.mjs` for a brand seed color. The seed exists to break your reflex palette; it does not override the subject. When the subject's world clearly dictates color (an era, a place, a material, a medium), derive the palette from that world and use the seed only to check yourself. Otherwise anchor on it. Use OKLCH throughout. Skip this entirely when the code already has committed brand colors: identity-preservation wins.
+If the project is brand-new (no committed tokens, fonts, or brand colors found in the code), run `node .trae-cn/skills/impeccable/scripts/palette.mjs` for a brand seed color. The seed exists to break your reflex palette; it does not override the subject. When the subject's world clearly dictates color (an era, a place, a material, a medium), derive the palette from that world and use the seed only to check yourself. Otherwise anchor on it. The palette has exactly two legitimate sources: the seed, or the subject's world. What the category usually looks like is neither, and quietly swapping in the category's habitual palette and theme after drawing a seed is the reflex this step exists to break. Use OKLCH throughout. Skip this entirely when the code already has committed brand colors: identity-preservation wins.
 
 ## Ground it in the subject
 

.trae/skills/impeccable/SKILL.md

@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ Build to this floor without announcing it. The design detector (the project hook
 
 ## Registers
 
-Name the visitor's mode before designing; the page's grammar follows from it, and most ruined pages are one mode wearing another mode's grammar. The brief and the surface decide the mode; PRODUCT.md's `register` field survives only as a family hint (`brand` covers Persuade and Experience, `product` covers Operate and Read). Depth beyond the paragraphs below: [reference/new-work.md](reference/new-work.md) when inventing identity, [reference/operate.md](reference/operate.md) for substantial Operate and Read work.
+Name the visitor's mode before designing; the page's grammar follows from it, and most ruined pages are one mode wearing another mode's grammar. **The mode belongs to the surface, not the subject**: a landing page for a dense technical tool is still Persuade, with Persuade's full permission to be striking; a docs page for a fashion house is still Read. Deciding a page can be plain because its subject is workmanlike is the same category error in reverse. The brief and the surface decide the mode; PRODUCT.md's `register` field survives only as a family hint (`brand` covers Persuade and Experience, `product` covers Operate and Read). Depth beyond the paragraphs below: [reference/new-work.md](reference/new-work.md) when inventing identity, [reference/operate.md](reference/operate.md) for substantial Operate and Read work.
 
 **Persuade** (landing pages, marketing, campaigns; design IS the product). The deliverable is an impression that stops the scroll, earns the click, converts. Spans every genre (tech, luxury, consumer); don't collapse them into one look. Briefs that imply imagery must ship real, verified imagery; a colored rectangle where a photo belongs reads as incomplete. New Persuade surfaces take their typeface procedure and reject list from [reference/new-work.md](reference/new-work.md).
 

.trae/skills/impeccable/reference/new-work.md

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ You are reading this because nothing committed exists yet (greenfield), or the u
 
 ## Seed
 
-If the project is brand-new (no committed tokens, fonts, or brand colors found in the code), run `node .trae/skills/impeccable/scripts/palette.mjs` for a brand seed color. The seed exists to break your reflex palette; it does not override the subject. When the subject's world clearly dictates color (an era, a place, a material, a medium), derive the palette from that world and use the seed only to check yourself. Otherwise anchor on it. Use OKLCH throughout. Skip this entirely when the code already has committed brand colors: identity-preservation wins.
+If the project is brand-new (no committed tokens, fonts, or brand colors found in the code), run `node .trae/skills/impeccable/scripts/palette.mjs` for a brand seed color. The seed exists to break your reflex palette; it does not override the subject. When the subject's world clearly dictates color (an era, a place, a material, a medium), derive the palette from that world and use the seed only to check yourself. Otherwise anchor on it. The palette has exactly two legitimate sources: the seed, or the subject's world. What the category usually looks like is neither, and quietly swapping in the category's habitual palette and theme after drawing a seed is the reflex this step exists to break. Use OKLCH throughout. Skip this entirely when the code already has committed brand colors: identity-preservation wins.
 
 ## Ground it in the subject
 

plugin/skills/impeccable/SKILL.md

@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ Build to this floor without announcing it. The design detector (the project hook
 
 ## Registers
 
-Name the visitor's mode before designing; the page's grammar follows from it, and most ruined pages are one mode wearing another mode's grammar. The brief and the surface decide the mode; PRODUCT.md's `register` field survives only as a family hint (`brand` covers Persuade and Experience, `product` covers Operate and Read). Depth beyond the paragraphs below: [reference/new-work.md](reference/new-work.md) when inventing identity, [reference/operate.md](reference/operate.md) for substantial Operate and Read work.
+Name the visitor's mode before designing; the page's grammar follows from it, and most ruined pages are one mode wearing another mode's grammar. **The mode belongs to the surface, not the subject**: a landing page for a dense technical tool is still Persuade, with Persuade's full permission to be striking; a docs page for a fashion house is still Read. Deciding a page can be plain because its subject is workmanlike is the same category error in reverse. The brief and the surface decide the mode; PRODUCT.md's `register` field survives only as a family hint (`brand` covers Persuade and Experience, `product` covers Operate and Read). Depth beyond the paragraphs below: [reference/new-work.md](reference/new-work.md) when inventing identity, [reference/operate.md](reference/operate.md) for substantial Operate and Read work.
 
 **Persuade** (landing pages, marketing, campaigns; design IS the product). The deliverable is an impression that stops the scroll, earns the click, converts. Spans every genre (tech, luxury, consumer); don't collapse them into one look. Briefs that imply imagery must ship real, verified imagery; a colored rectangle where a photo belongs reads as incomplete. New Persuade surfaces take their typeface procedure and reject list from [reference/new-work.md](reference/new-work.md).
 

plugin/skills/impeccable/reference/new-work.md

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ You are reading this because nothing committed exists yet (greenfield), or the u
 
 ## Seed
 
-If the project is brand-new (no committed tokens, fonts, or brand colors found in the code), run `node .claude/skills/impeccable/scripts/palette.mjs` for a brand seed color. The seed exists to break your reflex palette; it does not override the subject. When the subject's world clearly dictates color (an era, a place, a material, a medium), derive the palette from that world and use the seed only to check yourself. Otherwise anchor on it. Use OKLCH throughout. Skip this entirely when the code already has committed brand colors: identity-preservation wins.
+If the project is brand-new (no committed tokens, fonts, or brand colors found in the code), run `node .claude/skills/impeccable/scripts/palette.mjs` for a brand seed color. The seed exists to break your reflex palette; it does not override the subject. When the subject's world clearly dictates color (an era, a place, a material, a medium), derive the palette from that world and use the seed only to check yourself. Otherwise anchor on it. The palette has exactly two legitimate sources: the seed, or the subject's world. What the category usually looks like is neither, and quietly swapping in the category's habitual palette and theme after drawing a seed is the reflex this step exists to break. Use OKLCH throughout. Skip this entirely when the code already has committed brand colors: identity-preservation wins.
 
 ## Ground it in the subject
 

skill/SKILL.src.md

@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ Calibration for this provider:
 
 ## Registers
 
-Name the visitor's mode before designing; the page's grammar follows from it, and most ruined pages are one mode wearing another mode's grammar. The brief and the surface decide the mode; PRODUCT.md's `register` field survives only as a family hint (`brand` covers Persuade and Experience, `product` covers Operate and Read). Depth beyond the paragraphs below: [reference/new-work.md](reference/new-work.md) when inventing identity, [reference/operate.md](reference/operate.md) for substantial Operate and Read work. <!-- rule:skill-visitor-mode -->
+Name the visitor's mode before designing; the page's grammar follows from it, and most ruined pages are one mode wearing another mode's grammar. **The mode belongs to the surface, not the subject**: a landing page for a dense technical tool is still Persuade, with Persuade's full permission to be striking; a docs page for a fashion house is still Read. Deciding a page can be plain because its subject is workmanlike is the same category error in reverse. The brief and the surface decide the mode; PRODUCT.md's `register` field survives only as a family hint (`brand` covers Persuade and Experience, `product` covers Operate and Read). Depth beyond the paragraphs below: [reference/new-work.md](reference/new-work.md) when inventing identity, [reference/operate.md](reference/operate.md) for substantial Operate and Read work. <!-- rule:skill-visitor-mode -->
 
 **Persuade** (landing pages, marketing, campaigns; design IS the product). The deliverable is an impression that stops the scroll, earns the click, converts. Spans every genre (tech, luxury, consumer); don't collapse them into one look. Briefs that imply imagery must ship real, verified imagery; a colored rectangle where a photo belongs reads as incomplete. New Persuade surfaces take their typeface procedure and reject list from [reference/new-work.md](reference/new-work.md). <!-- rule:brand-register-core -->
 

skill/reference/new-work.md

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ You are reading this because nothing committed exists yet (greenfield), or the u
 
 ## Seed
 
-If the project is brand-new (no committed tokens, fonts, or brand colors found in the code), run `node {{scripts_path}}/palette.mjs` for a brand seed color. The seed exists to break your reflex palette; it does not override the subject. When the subject's world clearly dictates color (an era, a place, a material, a medium), derive the palette from that world and use the seed only to check yourself. Otherwise anchor on it. Use OKLCH throughout. Skip this entirely when the code already has committed brand colors: identity-preservation wins.
+If the project is brand-new (no committed tokens, fonts, or brand colors found in the code), run `node {{scripts_path}}/palette.mjs` for a brand seed color. The seed exists to break your reflex palette; it does not override the subject. When the subject's world clearly dictates color (an era, a place, a material, a medium), derive the palette from that world and use the seed only to check yourself. Otherwise anchor on it. The palette has exactly two legitimate sources: the seed, or the subject's world. What the category usually looks like is neither, and quietly swapping in the category's habitual palette and theme after drawing a seed is the reflex this step exists to break. Use OKLCH throughout. Skip this entirely when the code already has committed brand colors: identity-preservation wins.
 
 ## Ground it in the subject