Open Format · v1.0

STYLE.md

STYLE.md is a Markdown file with YAML front matter that describes a creative style — colors, typography, mood, voice, lighting, composition, materials, motion, and more. Any AI tool that reads Markdown can consume it.
STYLE.md File Structure

Two Layers

YAML front matter for machine-readable metadata. Markdown body for the authoritative style specification. No plugins required.
YAML Front Matter
Structured metadata: style name, section index, and high-signal key-value pairs for fast agent routing. Wrapped in --- delimiters.
name: "My Visual Style"
generator: "styleref.io"
sections:
- colors
- typography
signals:
mood: "Calm, Minimal"
palette: "#1a1a2e 40%, #f5f5f0 35%"
Markdown Body
The authoritative style specification. Organized into ## sections — one per creative domain. Flowing prose that any AI can read and apply.
# My Visual Style
 
## Colors
 
Palette built around deep navy and off-white.
Accent: terracotta #c0614a.
No gradients. Low contrast.
 
## Typography
 
Sans-serif primary. Weight 400/600 only.
All body text set at 16px baseline.
 
## Voice & Language
 
Direct, confident, minimal jargon.
Sentences short. No filler phrases.
Example

Complete STYLE.md Example

Plain Markdown, ready for any AI tool.
---
name: "Kokeshi Toy Style"
description: "Japanese kokeshi doll aesthetic — calm, geometric, muted earth tones"
generator: "styleref.io"
sections:
- output-format
- mood-and-personality
- colors
- light-and-shadow
- shape-language
signals:
color_palette: "#111114 24%, #F2E8DC 20%, #CFAF97 14%, #C9D7D0 12%"
mood_personality: "Calm, Friendly, Playful, Minimalist, Elegant"
creative_discipline: "Photography"
energy_level: "Gentle"
saturation_range: "Muted"
---
 
# Kokeshi Toy Style
 
> This file defines a creative style specification for AI-generated content.
> Apply all rules below to every generated image, text, video, or design.
 
## Output Format
 
Digital. Creative discipline: Photography. 1:1 ratio. High Res Raster.
 
## Mood & Personality
 
Calm, Friendly, Playful, Minimalist, Elegant. Energy: Gentle.
Emotional bias: Positive. Tone register: Observational.
 
## Colors
 
Palette: [ #111114 24%, #F2E8DC 20%, #CFAF97 14%, #C9D7D0 12%, #C25B57 10% ]
No gradients. Mixed temperature. Saturation: Muted.
 
## Light & Shadow
 
Soft artificial lighting. Studio-flat. Even exposure.
Minimal cast shadows. Atmosphere: Clean.
 
## Shape Language
 
Rounded primitives. Cylindrical forms. Simple silhouettes.
Generous negative space. No sharp edges.
Full example available at /samples/kokeshi-toy-style or in the GitHub repo.
Sections

20 Supported Sections

Include only the sections relevant to your style. Each is optional.
Output Format
Mood & Personality
Colors
Typography
Light & Shadow
Voice & Language
Spatial Structure
Camera & Motion
Shape Language
Container & Boundary
Line & Stroke System
Surface & Material
Post-processing
Background & Environment
Artistic Mediums
UI & Web
References
Inspiration
Guardrails
Custom Style Items
For Tool Builders

Integration

STYLE.md is designed to be extended. If your AI tool reads STYLE.md files, let us know.
Consumer BehaviorHow to handle unknown or missing content when parsing a STYLE.md file.
Unknown section headingPreserve; do not error
Unknown signal keyAccept if value is a string
Missing signals blockValid; signals are optional
Missing descriptionValid; description is optional
Missing generatorValid; generator is optional
Duplicate section headingError; reject the file
Empty section bodyValid; section has no content
Token BudgetWell within all major AI model context windows.
YAML front matter80–150
Preamble + enforcement60–80
Markdown body (5–8 sections)500–1,500
Markdown body (15–20 sections)2,000–4,000
Total range670–5,270

Frequently Asked Questions

What is STYLE.md and why does it exist?

STYLE.md is an open file format for portable creative style specifications. It stores colors, typography, mood, voice, lighting, and up to 20 creative domains in a single Markdown file with YAML front matter. Any AI tool that reads Markdown — ChatGPT, Claude, Midjourney, FLUX, Cursor, or your own agent — can consume it directly, without plugins or integrations.

Which AI tools can use a STYLE.md file?

Any AI coding agent or tool that reads your project files. Drop STYLE.md in your project root and it gets picked up automatically. For tools that need an explicit pointer, add one line to your AGENTS.md or claude.md instructing the agent to load STYLE.md for any style or creative work — Claude Code, Cursor, Copilot, Cline, and most custom agents follow that convention.

What creative disciplines does STYLE.md cover?

Photography, illustration, graphic design, motion graphics, copywriting, UI/web design, video, and product design — and anything in between. The format defines 20 sections covering output format, colors, typography, light & shadow, voice & language, camera & motion, surface & material, guardrails, and more. Include only the sections your style actually uses.

Do I need to fill in all 20 sections?

No. Sections are optional — include only what is relevant to your style. A photography-only style might use Output Format, Colors, Light & Shadow, and Mood & Personality. A copywriting style might only need Voice & Language and Guardrails. The YAML front matter lists which sections are present so tools can route efficiently without reading the whole file.

How do I create my own STYLE.md file?

The fastest way is with StyleRef: describe your style, upload reference images, or browse example styles — StyleRef generates a valid STYLE.md you can download and drop into any project. You can also write one by hand following the open spec on GitHub. The format is plain Markdown; no build tools or dependencies required.

Your Style. Structured.
Portable. Persistent.

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