---
name: typeset
description: "Typography pass covering font choice, modular scale, tracking, leading, weight hierarchy, and micro-typography details. Use when fonts feel generic (default Inter with no reason), the scale is ad hoc, hierarchy is flat, or the user says "fix the typography" / "the text doesn't feel right". Invoke when the user asks for typeset on their UI, or mentions 'typeset' alongside design / UI / frontend work."
---
<!-- HARNESS MIRROR — do not edit here. Canonical source: skills/ or commands/. After editing source, copy into cli/assets/<harness>/ and repo-root harness mirrors. -->
**Context:** this sub-skill is one lens of the broader `ui-craft` skill. If the `ui-craft` skill is also installed, read its SKILL.md first for Discovery + Anti-Slop + Craft Test, then apply the specific lens below.
Typeset the UI at the target the user described. Load the `ui-craft` skill and read `references/typography.md`.
**Note:** typeset is knob-agnostic — typography rules (no ALL CAPS on headings, tracking-tight ≥24px, one body font, etc.) are not tunable.
**Apply, in order:**
1. **Font inventory** — what's loaded? If Inter is the default choice with no reason, ask before accepting it (Inter is the #1 AI-tell). Good alternatives: Geist, DM Sans, Plus Jakarta Sans, system stack. One body font, optionally one display font. Never three.
2. **Scale** — is there a scale or are sizes ad hoc? Anchor to a modular scale (1.125 / 1.2 / 1.25). Sizes: 12 / 14 / 16 / 20 / 24 / 32 / 48 / 64 / 72. No 13px / 15px / 17px one-offs unless optical.
3. **Tracking (letter-spacing)**:
- ≥ 24px → `tracking-tight` (`-0.02em`) or tighter for 40px+
- 14-20px body → default
- 11-13px category labels → `tracking-wide` (`+0.06em`) + uppercase IS allowed here (the one exception)
- Never ALL CAPS on headings, nav, buttons, tables
4. **Leading (line-height)**:
- Headings: 1.05-1.15
- Body: 1.5-1.65
- UI (buttons, labels): 1.2-1.3
5. **Weight hierarchy** — pick 2-3 weights max. Common: 400 body, 500 UI/labels, 600-700 headings. Never load 9 weights "just in case".
6. **Micro-typography** (the compound details):
- `tabular-nums` on every number you align (tables, stats, timestamps, prices)
- `text-wrap: balance` on headlines, `text-wrap: pretty` on body
- Curly quotes (`'` / `"`), em dashes (`—`), en dashes (`–`), no double hyphens
- ` ` in brand names, between number + unit, and before final short words in headlines
- Real apostrophes in contractions
- `font-feature-settings` or `font-variant-*` for opt-in features (ligatures, ss01, fractions)
- Straight prime marks (`′`, `″`) for units, not quotes
7. **Hierarchy check** — can you tell primary / secondary / tertiary at a glance? If every line has the same weight or size, collapse or amplify.
## Amplifying hierarchy
If the UI is technically correct but forgettable, use typography as the weapon. **Pick ONE element to carry signature** (never two); boldness is typography, not color or decoration:
1. **Hero headline** — push size to 80-120px, weight to 700-800, tracking to -0.04em. Tight leading (0.95-1.0).
2. **Hierarchy jump** — widen the gap between H1 and body. If H1 is 32px and body is 16px, the UI is whispering; if H1 is 48px+, the ratio reads. Compress or expand the range deliberately.
3. **Micro-motif** — one custom detail that repeats: a hand-drawn underline, numeric counters (`01`, `02`), an asymmetric supporting element, a distinctive list marker.
**Knob gating for amplification (CRAFT_LEVEL):**
- `≤ 4` — skip. Boldness is a craft layer, not a baseline.
- `5-7` — apply the type amplification only. No signature motif unless asked.
- `8+` — type amplification + one signature detail (chosen at `/craft` first pass per `references/craft-intent.md`; `/polish` and `/bolder` strengthen it — never stack a second).
**Pre-check:** if an accent is already overused or hierarchy is already loud, you don't have a tameness problem — you have a noise problem. Route to `/distill` (cut) or `/colorize` (reduce accents) instead.
**Output**: edit code directly. Print the Review Format table. Call out the single highest-impact change (usually: "font choice" or "tracking-tight on hero").