# Consuming whynot-design from another repo

whynot-design is the **upstream visual reference** for other repos. It is a
development reference and demo platform — it does not run as a production
workload and handles no critical data. Consuming repos build their production
UIs *from* it, and follow up on changes **at their own pace** — they are never
force-synced.

A consumer tracks the **IR** (`ir/`), not the Lit internals. The IR is the
technology-neutral contract: per-component contracts (`ir/components/*.json`),
W3C-DTCG tokens (`ir/tokens.json`), exemplars, and the version anchor
`ir/manifest.json`. Three moves make this work:

1. **Pin** a version — the package + your lockfile.
2. **Inspect** it — `ir/INDEX.md` (browsable) + `ir/manifest.json` (machine).
3. **Get a grip on changes** — `npx @whynot/design drift`.

This is the inverse of whynot-design's own upstream machinery
(`Claude Design → designbook/ → ir/`), now pointed downstream
(`ir/ → your repo`). It is **one-way**: you read the IR; you never write back.

---

## 1. Pin a version

`@whynot/design` is published to the coulomb Gitea npm registry. Pin an exact
tagged version; your lockfile becomes the real pin.

```bash
# .npmrc in your repo (see PUBLISHING.md for the read-token routing)
# @whynot:registry=https://gitea.coulomb.social/api/packages/coulomb/npm/

npm i @whynot/design@0.3.0 lit
```

`lit` is a **peer dependency** — install it alongside so your bundler dedupes to
a single `lit` instance.

## 2. Inspect what you pinned

No clone, no build needed:

- **`node_modules/@whynot/design/ir/INDEX.md`** — human-readable catalog: every
  component, its tag, props/variants/slots/events, and a link to its exemplar.
- **`node_modules/@whynot/design/ir/manifest.json`** — the machine inventory:
  `designVersion`, a `tokensHash`, and a content `hash` per component.

## 3. Adopt a sync-point

Record which IR state your repo has reconciled against. Run once, in your repo root:

```bash
npx @whynot/design drift --update
```

This writes **`.whynot-design.lock`** — commit it. It is the consumer-side mirror
of whynot-design's own `designbook/.design-sync.json`.

### `.whynot-design.lock` format

```json
{
  "designVersion": "0.3.0",
  "adoptedAt": "2026-06-27T17:31:08.640Z",
  "manifestSchemaVersion": "1.0.0",
  "manifestHashes": {
    "tokens": "sha256:426f565a9ce6c36f",
    "components": {
      "Button": "sha256:4a32713049e433dd",
      "TopNav": "sha256:32ebc6e46db38f93"
    }
  }
}
```

| field | meaning |
| --- | --- |
| `designVersion` | the `@whynot/design` version you adopted |
| `adoptedAt` | when you adopted it (first adopt, or last `drift --update`) |
| `manifestSchemaVersion` | the manifest's shape version; a mismatch warns that hashes may not be directly comparable |
| `manifestHashes.tokens` | adopted value of the manifest `tokensHash` |
| `manifestHashes.components` | adopted content hash per component |

**Lifecycle:** created on first `drift --update`, advanced only by a later
`drift --update`. Nothing else writes it. Schema: `ir/schema/lock.schema.json`.

## 4. Follow up at your own pace

When you bump `@whynot/design` (or just want to know what moved), run:

```bash
npx @whynot/design drift
```

It compares your adopted `.whynot-design.lock` against the installed package's
`ir/manifest.json` and reports **added / changed / removed** components plus
whether **tokens** changed:

```
whynot-design drift
  adopted: 0.3.0  (2026-06-27T17:31:08.640Z)
  target:  0.4.0  (2026-07-10T09:02:11.400Z)

Tokens:     changed
Components:  +1 added · ~1 changed · -0 removed · 11 total
  + Banner
  ~ Button

Drift detected vs your adopted sync-point.
Adopt this version:  npx @whynot/design drift --update
```

Then, when *you* are ready, review the changed contracts in `ir/INDEX.md`, update
your UI, and adopt the new sync-point:

```bash
npx @whynot/design drift --update
```

### Exit codes (CI-friendly)

Mirrors the adapter contract (`adapters/ADAPTER_CONTRACT.md`):

| code | meaning |
| --- | --- |
| `0` | in sync — your lock matches the target |
| `2` | usage / config error (bad flag, missing/invalid manifest or lock) |
| `3` | **drift detected** — something changed since your sync-point |

Add `--json` for automation. Useful flags: `--manifest <path>` (diff against an
explicit manifest, e.g. a fetched newer version on disk), `--version <x.y.z>`
(assert the resolved manifest is that version — guards against the wrong install),
`--lock <path>` (non-default lock location).

> **No network, no writes to the package.** `drift` reads only the
> already-installed package + your lock, and the only file it ever writes is your
> repo's `.whynot-design.lock`.

---

## Try the full loop now

A copy-pasteable fixture lives at
[`examples/consumer-fixture/`](./examples/consumer-fixture/) — it exercises
pin → inspect → drift → update against a fixed version without needing a real
install. See its `README.md`.

See also: [`README.md`](./README.md) *Tracking whynot-design* ·
[`MultiFrameworkSupport.md`](./MultiFrameworkSupport.md) ·
[`ir/SCHEMA.md`](./ir/SCHEMA.md).