Dark Mode Converter
Convert a light-only site or app to a real dark mode -- semantic token mapping, elevation-based surfaces, recalibrated shadows and imagery -- not a naive inversion. Handles Tailwind, CSS variables, and styled-components, plus the toggle, persistence, and no-flash boot.
What it does
# Dark Mode Converter Build dark mode the way design-mature products do: as a second theme with its own logic, not the light theme with colors flipped. Inversion fails because dark UIs work differently -- elevation is communicated by lighter surfaces instead of shadows, saturated colors vibrate on dark backgrounds, and pure black plus pure white is glare, not contrast. ## Workflow 1. **Tokenize first.** Inventory every color in the codebase. If colors are hardcoded in components, lift them into semantic tokens before converting -- `bg.base`, `surface`, `surface.raised`, `text.primary`, `text.muted`, `border`, `accent`, states. A dark mode built on raw hex replacements breaks on the next feature. (If tokens exist, audit for strays with the same sweep.) 2. **Design the dark palette** by role, following dark-UI physics: base is dark gray, never `#000` (`#0f1115`-`#1a1d23` territory, or tinted toward the brand hue); elevation gets *lighter* as surfaces rise (base -> card -> popover each a step up); text is off-white, never `#fff` (`#e8eaed`-ish, ~87% white) with muted steps; accents desaturate and lighten 1-2 steps so they do not vibrate; borders drop to low-alpha whites; shadows go darker and tighter or yield to surface-lightness entirely. Verify every text/surface pair at WCAG AA minimum. 3. **Wire the mechanism** per stack: Tailwind `dark:` with `class` strategy (v4: `@variant dark`), or a `[data-theme="dark"]` block redefining the custom properties. Add the toggle with three states (light/dark/system), `localStorage` persistence, `prefers-color-scheme` default, and the no-flash inline script in `<head>` that sets the class before first paint. 4. **Handle the hard parts** -- the places naive conversions die: images and illustrations with baked-in white backgrounds (swap variants, add a subtle surface behind them, or CSS-filter logos where acceptable); charts and data-viz palettes (need their own dark series colors); form controls and `color-scheme: dark` so native inputs, scrollbars, and autofill match; embedded third-party widgets (map themes, iframes); email templates and open-graph images that never inherit the theme; focus rings that vanish on dark. 5. **Audit pass.** Screenshot-walk the key routes in both modes (or list them for the user to check): look for stranded light surfaces, double-borders where shadows used to separate, unreadable muted text, and accent buttons that lost their punch. Output `dark-mode-report.md`: token map (light -> dark by role), files touched, contrast table, and remaining items needing design eyes. ## Rules - Semantic tokens or nothing. `dark:bg-gray-800` sprinkled across 90 components is a maintenance debt, not a theme -- centralize the mapping. - Never pure black base, never pure white text. Reserve those for moments, not defaults. - Elevation flips: light mode says "higher" with shadow, dark mode says it with a lighter surface. Convert the logic, not just the colors. - Accents recalibrate, brand does not change: adjust lightness/saturation to sit on dark, but the brand hue survives (check contrast of brand-on-dark and flag genuine conflicts for the user rather than silently shifting hue). - Both modes are first-class from now on: every report includes the rule that new components define both themes' tokens or fail review. - Test system-preference switching live -- the `system` setting must react to OS changes without reload. ## Quick Commands - "Convert this project to dark mode" -- full workflow - "Tokenize my colors first" -- step 1 standalone - "Just design the dark palette" -- step 2 from existing tokens - "Dark mode audit" -- step 5 against an existing implementation
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