ui

SKILL.md

Determine the appropriate UI system for the project and route to the correct specialized skill.

When to Route vs Answer Directly

Route to a specialized skill when:

User wants to understand, edit, or generate specific UI elements

User references specific files or UI objects

User asks for UI changes or creation

Answer directly (without routing) when:

User asks comparative/educational questions ("What's the difference between UI Toolkit and uGUI?")

User asks about UI system capabilities or recommendations ("Should I use UITK or uGUI for mobile?")

User needs conceptual explanation of Unity UI architecture

Routing Logic

Step 1: Check for explicit file references or keywords:

User mentions
Route to

.uxml or .uss files (including in /Editor/)
ui-uitk

"UI Toolkit", "UITK", "UIElements", "CreateGUI"
ui-uitk

Canvas prefabs/objects, .prefab with UI
ui-ugui

"uGUI", "Canvas", "RectTransform", "legacy UI"
ui-ugui

"IMGUI", "OnGUI", "OnInspectorGUI", "immediate mode"
ui-imgui

Figma URL (figma.com/design/...), "Figma", "import from Figma"
Not available — see below

For editor-related requests (EditorWindow, custom inspector, PropertyDrawer):

If no explicit UI system mentioned → Go to Step 2 to detect project's editor UI system

If no existing pattern is detected, default to ui-uitk for new editor UI

Only use ui-imgui if project exclusively uses IMGUI or user explicitly requests it

If explicit file or keywords found, activate the corresponding skill immediately.

Step 2: If ambiguous, detect from project:

Search the project to determine which UI system is in use:

Look for
Indicates

.uxml or .uss files (including in /Editor/)
UI Toolkit (runtime or editor)

UIDocument components in scenes
UI Toolkit (runtime)

Editor scripts with CreateGUI() method
UI Toolkit (editor)

Canvas in scenes/prefabs
uGUI

RectTransform heavy usage
uGUI

Editor scripts with OnGUI() or OnInspectorGUI()
IMGUI (legacy editor)

Step 3: If still unclear, ask or default:

For existing projects: detect and follow whichever framework is already in use (Step 2)

For new projects with no UI yet: ask the user which framework they prefer (UI Toolkit vs uGUI), briefly explaining that UI Toolkit is modern/CSS-like while uGUI is Canvas-based/mature

For new runtime/game UI where the user has no preference: default to uGUI (ui-ugui)

When the user mentions mobile/performance constraints or older Unity versions (pre-6.0): bias toward uGUI (ui-ugui)

Request Types

Specialized skills handle three types of requests:

Type
Examples

Understanding
"What does this button do?", "How is this laid out?", "Explain this UI"

Editing
"Change this color", "Add a label here", "Fix this layout"

Generation
"Create a menu", "Make an inventory screen", "Build a settings panel"

Route all types to the appropriate specialized skill based on the UI system.

Available Sub-Skills

UI Toolkit — ui-uitk

For Unity 6.0+ projects using UI Toolkit (runtime game UI and editor tools)

Understands, edits, and generates .uxml and .uss files

Modern, CSS-like styling approach

Preferred for new editor windows (CreateGUI) and existing UI Toolkit projects

uGUI — ui-ugui

For projects using Unity's Canvas-based UI system

Understands, edits, and generates Canvas hierarchies

Uses Layout Groups for responsive design

Default for new runtime/game UI when the user has no framework preference

IMGUI — ui-imgui

For legacy editor tools using OnGUI/immediate mode

Only use when project has existing IMGUI editor code or user explicitly requests IMGUI

Understands, edits, and generates EditorWindow, inspectors, PropertyDrawers built with OnGUI

Not for runtime game UI — for new editor tools, use UI Toolkit unless the project already uses IMGUI exclusively

Figma design import — not available here

Importing a Figma design requires Unity's Figma integration service, which only exists
inside Unity AI Assistant. There is no client-side equivalent, so do not promise it.

If the user brings a Figma URL, say the automated import is not available here and offer
the alternative: ask them to describe or screenshot the screen, then build it with the
appropriate framework skill above.

Common Guidelines (All UI Systems)

Scope Discipline

Do only what is requested:

Question → answer without making changes

Targeted edit → modify only what's specified

Generation → create only requested files

Don't proactively add scripts unless explicitly asked

These do NOT imply scripts:

"proper buttons" → well-styled buttons

"working UI" → valid UI that renders

"menu screen" → visual layout only

Conventions

Follow project patterns first. Search existing files before applying defaults.

Type
Convention

Element names
Follow project patterns, or camelCase

File organization
Match existing project structure

Workflow

Determine UI system — Use routing logic above

For Figma requests, tell the user the automated import is not available here, then
work from their description or screenshot and continue with framework detection

Activate specialized skill — Route to ui-uitk, ui-ugui, or ui-imgui

Skill handles request — Understanding, editing, or generation as appropriate

Handling Mixed Projects

Many Unity projects use multiple UI systems simultaneously (e.g., UI Toolkit for runtime game UI plus editor tools). When you detect multiple systems:

For runtime UI requests (menus, HUDs, game screens) → Route to whichever runtime system (UITK or uGUI) is already in use

For editor tool requests (custom inspectors, editor windows):

Prefer UI Toolkit (CreateGUI) for new editor UI — it's the modern approach

Only use IMGUI if the project's existing editor tools use IMGUI exclusively, or user explicitly requests IMGUI

Check for existing editor .uxml files to confirm UITK usage

If creating new runtime UI in a mixed project → Match the pattern used by similar existing UI; if there is no similar existing UI and the user has no preference, use uGUI