Extract Gradient Styles for an AI Coding Agent

Start by extracting the gradient as a set of usable design rules, not as one vague color description. Record the gradient type, direction, color stops, stop positions, opacity, where it appears, and how it changes across backgrounds or components.

A practical extraction method

Use this five-part checklist for every gradient:

1. Location: Note whether it belongs to the page background, hero artwork, button, card, border, overlay, or text treatment.
2. Geometry: Record the direction or angle, such as left-to-right, top-to-bottom, radial, or a diagonal sweep. Include the approximate area covered.
3. Color stops: Capture each visible stop as a hex or OKLCH value, with an approximate position from 0% to 100%.
4. Opacity and blending: Check whether the gradient is solid, translucent, layered over an image, or blended with another surface.
5. Usage rule: Explain when to use it and when not to use it. A hero background gradient should not automatically become a button fill.

The examples below include a captured Pangram AI Detector reference and a muted green palette. Use them as visual references, then verify the gradient itself before writing production tokens. The listed colors include deep green values such as #15502e, #14532d, and #1e6f30, plus lighter green and gray-green values such as #2a966f and #799c92. Those colors can help an agent understand the direction of a palette, but they are not proof of a specific gradient recipe.

Turn observations into tokens

Give your coding agent a small token table instead of a paragraph. For example:

Only use values you have actually checked. If the source uses a soft radial glow, do not rewrite it as a sharp diagonal gradient. If the visual result comes from several overlays, keep those layers separate so the agent can adjust them without changing the base surface.

For each token, add a role such as hero-background, card-highlight, button-accent, or image-overlay. Also include contrast guidance. For example, specify that light text is reserved for the darkest part of the gradient and that muted text should not sit over a mid-green stop without a supporting surface.

Ask for code that stays editable

A useful extraction request should ask for CSS variables, Tailwind v4 theme tokens, and component examples. It should also ask the agent to preserve the original stop order, angle, and opacity rather than choosing visually similar colors.

Before accepting the result, compare the implementation at the same viewport size and against the same surrounding surfaces. Check the beginning, middle, and end of the gradient. Then test text, borders, hover states, and mobile wrapping over it. A gradient that looks correct in isolation can become too bright or low-contrast when a card or navigation layer is added.

If the source is part of a larger visual system, keep the gradient notes beside typography, spacing, radii, shadows, and component states. The gradient is useful only when the agent knows where it belongs and what should remain consistent around it.

Use this in your AI agent

> Inspect the supplied website reference for gradient styles. Extract every observed gradient by location, type, angle or direction, color stops, stop positions, opacity, blending layers, and component usage. Separate verified observations from estimates. Return CSS variables, Tailwind v4 theme tokens, and short component examples. Include contrast guidance for text and controls, preserve editable token names, and do not invent gradients that were not observed. Compare the result against the reference at desktop and mobile widths. > > Install Fudge for your AI agent to provide the reference and inspect the observed design details while you work.

Treat the visible result as a stack and document each layer separately. Start with the base background, then identify any linear or radial gradient, image overlay, blur, tint, mask, and surface placed above it. For video, note whether the gradient stays fixed while the footage changes or moves with the media.

Ask your agent to return a layer order such as: background color, gradient overlay, image, darkening wash, and content surface. Include opacity for each layer and specify whether blending appears to be normal, multiply, screen, or another mode. If the exact blend mode is unclear, label it as an estimate and test alternatives in code rather than presenting one as fact.

Check the result at the brightest and darkest frames, especially when video or animated artwork changes the background. Then verify text contrast over the full range, not just the opening frame. Keep the final implementation modular so you can adjust the overlay without replacing the media or changing the component's content.

Give it a compact design note with four parts: verified tokens, usage rules, implementation examples, and review checks. The token section should list names, values, angles, stop positions, opacity, and fallback colors. The usage section should say which surfaces may use each gradient and which components should use a flat color instead.

Include one CSS example and one Tailwind v4 theme example, but keep both tied to the same token names. Add a short list of checks: compare the start, midpoint, and end colors; confirm the gradient direction; test light and dark text; review hover and focus states; and check the smallest supported viewport.

If you want a repeatable handoff, ask the agent to return a DESIGN.md section with an evidence label for every observation. That keeps checked values separate from approximations and makes later updates easier when the source page changes.

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