Claude-Code-Game-Studios asset-spec

Generate per-asset visual specifications and AI generation prompts from GDDs, level docs, or character profiles. Produces structured spec files and updates the master asset manifest. Run after art bible and GDD/level design are approved, before production begins.

install

source · Clone the upstream repo

git clone https://github.com/Donchitos/Claude-Code-Game-Studios

Claude Code · Install into ~/.claude/skills/

T=$(mktemp -d) && git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/Donchitos/Claude-Code-Game-Studios "$T" && mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills && cp -r "$T/.claude/skills/asset-spec" ~/.claude/skills/donchitos-claude-code-game-studios-asset-spec && rm -rf "$T"

manifest: .claude/skills/asset-spec/SKILL.md

source content

If no argument is provided, check whether

design/assets/asset-manifest.md

exists:

If it exists: read it, find the first context (system/level/character) with any asset at status "Needed" but no spec file written yet, and use
```
AskUserQuestion
```
:
- Prompt: "The next unspecced context is [target]. Generate asset specs for it?"
- Options:
```
[A] Yes — spec [target]
```
  /
```
[B] Pick a different target
```
  /
```
[C] Stop here
```

If no manifest: fail with:

"Usage:
/asset-spec system:<name>
— e.g.,
/asset-spec system:tower-defense
Or:
/asset-spec level:iron-gate-fortress
/
/asset-spec character:frost-warden
Run after your art bible and GDDs are approved."

Phase 0: Parse Arguments

Extract:

Target type:
```
system
```
,
```
level
```
, or
```
character
```
Target name: the name after the colon (normalize to kebab-case)
Review mode:
```
--review [full|lean|solo]
```
if present

Mode behavior:

```
full
```
(default): spawn both
```
art-director
```
and
```
technical-artist
```
in parallel
```
lean
```
: spawn
```
art-director
```
only — faster, skips technical constraint pass
```
solo
```
: no agent spawning — main session writes specs from art bible rules alone. Use for simple asset categories or when speed matters more than depth.

Phase 1: Gather Context

Read all source material before asking the user anything.

Required reads:

Art bible: Read
```
design/art/art-bible.md
```
— fail if missing:
"No art bible found. Run
```
/art-bible
```
first — asset specs are anchored to the art bible's visual rules and asset standards." Extract: Visual Identity Statement, Color System (semantic colors), Shape Language, Asset Standards (Section 8 — dimensions, formats, polycount budgets, texture resolution tiers).
Technical preferences: Read
```
.claude/docs/technical-preferences.md
```
— extract performance budgets and naming conventions.

Source doc reads (by target type):

system: Read
```
design/gdd/[target-name].md
```
. Extract the Visual/Audio Requirements section. If it doesn't exist or reads
```
[To be designed]
```
:
"The Visual/Audio section of
```
design/gdd/[target-name].md
```
is empty. Either run
```
/design-system [target-name]
```
to complete the GDD, or describe the visual needs manually." Use
```
AskUserQuestion
```
:
```
[A] Describe needs manually
```
/
```
[B] Stop — complete the GDD first
```
level: Read
```
design/levels/[target-name].md
```
. Extract art requirements, asset list, VFX needs, and the art-director's production concept specs from Step 4.
character: Read
```
design/narrative/characters/[target-name].md
```
or search
```
design/narrative/
```
for the character profile. Extract visual description, role, and any specified distinguishing features.

Optional reads:

Existing manifest: Read
```
design/assets/asset-manifest.md
```
if it exists — extract already-specced assets for this target to avoid duplicates.
Related specs: Glob
```
design/assets/specs/*.md
```
— scan for assets that could be shared (e.g., a common UI element specced for one system might apply here too).

Present context summary:

Asset Spec: [Target Type] — [Target Name]

Source doc: [path] — [N] asset types identified

Art bible: found — Asset Standards at Section 8

Existing specs for this target: [N already specced / none]

Shared assets found in other specs: [list or "none"]

Phase 2: Asset Identification

From the source doc, extract every asset type mentioned — explicit and implied.

For systems: look for VFX events, sprite references, UI elements, audio triggers, particle effects, icon needs, and any "visual feedback" language.

For levels: look for unique environment props, atmospheric VFX, lighting setups, ambient audio, skybox/background, and any area-specific materials.

For characters: look for sprite sheets (idle, walk, attack, death), portrait/avatar, VFX attached to abilities, UI representation (icon, health bar skin).

Group assets into categories:

Sprite / 2D Art — character sprites, UI icons, tile sheets
VFX / Particles — hit effects, ambient particles, screen effects
Environment — props, tiles, backgrounds, skyboxes
UI — HUD elements, menu art, fonts (if custom)
Audio — SFX, music tracks, ambient loops (note: audio specs are descriptions only — no generation prompts)
3D Assets — meshes, materials (if applicable per engine)

Present the full identified list to the user. Use

AskUserQuestion

Prompt: "I identified [N] assets across [N] categories for [target]. Review before speccing:"
Show the grouped list in conversation text first

Options:

[A] Proceed — spec all of these

[B] Remove some assets

[C] Add assets I didn't catch

[D] Adjust categories

Do NOT proceed to Phase 3 without user confirmation of the asset list.

Phase 3: Spec Generation

Spawn specialist agents based on review mode. Issue all Task calls simultaneously — do not wait for one before starting the next.

Full mode — spawn in parallel:

art-director

via Task:

Provide: full asset list from Phase 2, art bible Visual Identity Statement, Color System, Shape Language, the source doc's visual requirements, and any reference games/art mentioned in the art bible Section 9
Ask: "For each asset in this list, produce: (1) a 2–3 sentence visual description anchored to the art bible's shape language and color system — be specific enough that two different artists would produce consistent results; (2) a generation prompt ready for use with AI image tools (Midjourney/Stable Diffusion style — include style keywords, composition, color palette anchors, negative prompts); (3) which art bible rules directly govern this asset (cite by section). For audio assets, describe the sonic character instead of a generation prompt."

technical-artist

via Task:

Provide: full asset list, art bible Asset Standards (Section 8), technical-preferences.md performance budgets, engine name and version
Ask: "For each asset in this list, specify: (1) exact dimensions or polycount (match the art bible Asset Standards tiers — do not invent new sizes); (2) file format and export settings; (3) naming convention (from technical-preferences.md); (4) any engine-specific constraints this asset type must respect; (5) LOD requirements if applicable. Flag any asset type where the art bible's preferred standard conflicts with the engine's constraints."

Lean mode — spawn art-director only (skip technical-artist).

Solo mode — skip both. Derive specs from art bible rules alone, noting that technical constraints were not validated.

Collect both responses before Phase 4. If any conflict exists between art-director and technical-artist (e.g., art-director specifies 4K textures but technical-artist flags the engine budget requires 512px), surface it explicitly — do NOT silently resolve.

Phase 4: Compile and Review

Combine the agent outputs into a draft spec per asset. Present all specs in conversation text using this format:

## ASSET-[NNN] — [Asset Name]

| Field | Value |
|-------|-------|
| Category | [Sprite / VFX / Environment / UI / Audio / 3D] |
| Dimensions | [e.g. 256×256px, 4-frame sprite sheet] |
| Format | [PNG / SVG / WAV / etc.] |
| Naming | [e.g. vfx_frost_hit_01.png] |
| Polycount | [if 3D — e.g. <800 tris] |
| Texture Res | [e.g. 512px — matches Art Bible §8 Tier 2] |

**Visual Description:**
[2–3 sentences. Specific enough for two artists to produce consistent results.]

**Art Bible Anchors:**
- §3 Shape Language: [relevant rule applied]
- §4 Color System: [color role — e.g. "uses Threat Blue per semantic color rules"]

**Generation Prompt:**
[Ready-to-use prompt. Include: style keywords, composition notes, color palette anchors, lighting direction, negative prompts.]

**Status:** Needed

After presenting all specs, use

AskUserQuestion

Prompt: "Asset specs for [target] — [N] assets. Review complete?"

Options:

[A] Approve all — write to file

[B] Revise a specific asset

[C] Regenerate with different direction

If [B]: ask which asset and what to change. Revise inline and re-present. Do NOT re-spawn agents for minor text revisions — only re-spawn if the visual direction itself needs to change.

If [C]: ask what direction to change. Re-spawn the relevant agent with the updated brief.

Phase 5: Write Spec File

After approval, ask: "May I write the spec to

design/assets/specs/[target-name]-assets.md

Write the file with:

# Asset Specs — [Target Type]: [Target Name]

> **Source**: [path to source GDD/level/character doc]
> **Art Bible**: design/art/art-bible.md
> **Generated**: [date]
> **Status**: [N] assets specced / [N] approved / [N] in production / [N] done

[all asset specs in ASSET-NNN format]

Then update

design/assets/asset-manifest.md

. If it doesn't exist, create it:

# Asset Manifest

> Last updated: [date]

## Progress Summary

| Total | Needed | In Progress | Done | Approved |
|-------|--------|-------------|------|----------|
| [N] | [N] | [N] | [N] | [N] |

## Assets by Context

### [Target Type]: [Target Name]
| Asset ID | Name | Category | Status | Spec File |
|----------|------|----------|--------|-----------|
| ASSET-001 | [name] | [category] | Needed | design/assets/specs/[target]-assets.md |

If the manifest already exists, append the new context block and update the Progress Summary counts.

Ask: "May I update

design/assets/asset-manifest.md

Phase 6: Close

Use

AskUserQuestion

Prompt: "Asset specs complete for [target]. What's next?"

Options:

[A] Spec another system — /asset-spec system:[next-system]

[B] Spec a level — /asset-spec level:[level-name]

[C] Spec a character — /asset-spec character:[character-name]

[D] Run /asset-audit — validate delivered assets against specs

```
[E] Stop here
```

Asset ID Assignment

Asset IDs are assigned sequentially across the entire project — not per-context. Read the manifest before assigning IDs to find the current highest number:

Grep pattern="ASSET-" path="design/assets/asset-manifest.md"

Start new assets from

ASSET-[highest + 1]

. This ensures IDs are stable and unique across the whole project.

If no manifest exists yet, start from

ASSET-001

Shared Asset Protocol

Before speccing an asset, check if an equivalent already exists in another context's spec:

Common UI elements (health bars, score displays) are often shared across systems
Generic environment props may appear in multiple levels
Character VFX (hit sparks, death effects) may reuse a base spec with color variants

If a match is found: reference the existing ASSET-ID rather than creating a duplicate. Note the shared usage in the manifest's referenced-by column.

"ASSET-012 (Generic Hit Spark) already specced for Combat system. Reusing for Tower Defense — adding tower-defense to referenced-by."

Error Recovery Protocol

If any spawned agent returns BLOCKED or cannot complete:

Surface immediately: "[AgentName]: BLOCKED — [reason]"
In
```
lean
```
mode or if
```
technical-artist
```
blocks: proceed with art-director output only — note that technical constraints were not validated
In
```
solo
```
mode or if
```
art-director
```
blocks: derive descriptions from art bible rules — flag as "Art director not consulted — verify against art bible before production"
Always produce a partial spec — never discard work because one agent blocked

Collaborative Protocol

Every phase follows: Identify → Confirm → Generate → Review → Approve → Write

Never spec assets without first confirming the asset list with the user
Always anchor specs to the art bible — a spec that contradicts the art bible is wrong
Surface all agent disagreements — do not silently pick one
Write the spec file only after explicit approval
Update the manifest immediately after writing the spec

Recommended Next Steps

Run
```
/asset-spec [next-context]
```
to continue speccing remaining systems, levels, or characters
Run
```
/asset-audit
```
to validate delivered assets against the written specs and identify gaps or mismatches