Waitlist Page Skill

Pre-launch pages are your first handshake with future users. This skill builds a focused, honest entrance: your brand identity, what you're making, one clear path to join the early list. No artificial scarcity, no fake countdown, no inflation tactics—just a clean, mobile-first vessel for genuine interest.

Workflow

Preflight: Load hardened template and brand foundation

0. Load the brand identity — Read DESIGN.md for the color system, font pairing, and spatial rules. This is your foundation. A waitlist page lives or dies by consistency with the brand it represents. If DESIGN.md is missing, ask the user to provide one before you proceed.
1. Read and copy the reusable template — Read assets/template.html. This template is the hardened seed for all outputs. Copy it to index.html as your base. Do not write HTML from scratch or deviate from this structure. The template has all required layout, form structure, decorations, focus styles, and accessibility scaffolding baked in.

Steps: Token replacement with validation and escaping

2. Map tokens from inputs — For each placeholder in the template (e.g., {{PRODUCT_NAME}}, {{BG_EXPRESSION}}, {{BORDER_EXPRESSION}}, {{LOGO_MARK}}), follow the replacement rules below:
   • Text tokens ({{PRODUCT_NAME}}, {{TAGLINE}}): HTML-escape <, >, &, ", ' before insertion into HTML text nodes or attribute values.
   • HTML tokens ({{LOGO_MARK}}): If using text initials, HTML-escape them by default. If using inline SVG, you must strictly sanitize it using an allowlist: strip <script> tags, event handlers (on*), <foreignObject>, external refs (href, xlink:href, url()), and any disallowed attributes/elements before insertion. If the SVG cannot be safely sanitized, fallback to escaped text initials. Never emit raw, unsanitized arbitrary HTML. Ensure any SVG scales cleanly within its container.
   • Color expression tokens ({{BG_EXPRESSION}}, {{FG_EXPRESSION}}, {{ACCENT_EXPRESSION}}, {{DECO_EXPRESSION}}, {{STRIPE_EXPRESSION}}, {{SUCCESS_EXPRESSION}}, {{BORDER_EXPRESSION}}, {{BTN_LABEL_EXPRESSION}}, {{TICKER_BG_EXPRESSION}}, {{TICKER_FG_EXPRESSION}}, {{DECO_STROKE_EXPRESSION}}, {{LOGO_SHADOW_EXPRESSION}}, {{LOGO_FG_EXPRESSION}}): Must strictly adhere to an explicit color grammar (#hex, rgb/rgba, hsl/hsla, oklch, or color-mix() using only local variables). Hard reject any input containing ;, {}, <, >, comments (/*), @, url(, or external refs to prevent CSS injection. Do not wrap in # or add extra quotes. Examples: rgba(196, 169, 154, 0.38), color-mix(in srgb, var(--fg) 38%, transparent), #FDE8DF. Insert as-is into :root CSS variables. Derive --success from DESIGN.md if present; otherwise use the allowed fallback #2D6A4F only.
   • Font name tokens ({{DISPLAY_FONT_CSS}}, {{BODY_FONT_CSS}}): These are CSS font-family values, already quoted if they contain spaces (e.g., 'DM Sans', Syne). Insert as-is into --font-display and --font-body declarations; do NOT add extra quotes.
   • Font URL tokens ({{DISPLAY_FONT_URL}}, {{BODY_FONT_URL}}): Spaces must be encoded as + for the Google Fonts URL (e.g., DM+Sans, IBM+Plex+Serif). Validate the URL is well-formed before insertion.
3. Verify token mapping rules — All color tokens are now in CSS variables:
   • --bg = {{BG_EXPRESSION}} (e.g., #FDE8DF)
   • --fg = {{FG_EXPRESSION}} (e.g., #1A1410)
   • --accent = {{ACCENT_EXPRESSION}} (brand badge)
   • --deco = {{DECO_EXPRESSION}} (decoration primary)
   • --deco-stripe = {{STRIPE_EXPRESSION}} (accent stripe)
   • --input-border = {{BORDER_EXPRESSION}} (full CSS expression with opacity)
   • --success = {{SUCCESS_EXPRESSION}} or #2D6A4F fallback
   • --btn-label = {{BTN_LABEL_EXPRESSION}} (button text color for contrast)
   • --ticker-bg = {{TICKER_BG_EXPRESSION}} (animated ticker background)
   • --ticker-fg = {{TICKER_FG_EXPRESSION}} (animated ticker text)
   • --deco-stroke = {{DECO_STROKE_EXPRESSION}} (SVG strokes, typically muted with 12–15% opacity)
   • --logo-shadow = {{LOGO_SHADOW_EXPRESSION}} (logo container shadow, subtle foreground shade)
   • --logo-fg = {{LOGO_FG_EXPRESSION}} (contrasting text color for logo initials)
4. Responsive layout — The template includes mobile-first scaling:
   • 375px: form stacks to single column, logo shrinks to 40px, decoration compresses, no horizontal scroll.
   • 768px: comfortable two-column breathing room.
   • 1440px+: centered layout with generous whitespace.
   • Verify all text remains readable and the email input + button are fully visible (no clipping) at 375×667 and 390×844.

Validation: Run hardened quality gates before emitting

5. Run the quality checklist — Read references/checklist.md. Validate every P0 gate before emitting:
   • Exactly one CTA (email form)
   • No countdown timer, no fake social proof, no emoji
   • No horizontal scroll at 375px
   • Email input has type="email" and required; first name has no required
   • Form does NOT use novalidate; JS uses checkValidity() guard
   • Success message has role="status" or aria-live="polite"
   • All colors from DESIGN.md or allowed fallback; no invented hex values
   • All user text is HTML-escaped; color tokens adhere to strict grammar; fonts are URL-encoded
   • Pass P0 or do not emit. If any P0 gate fails, ask the user or fix the token mappings and try again.
6. Verify P1 gates for quality submission (recommended):
   • Hover and active states on submit button
   • Form validation with clear feedback
   • Ticker animation respects prefers-reduced-motion: reduce
   • All interactive elements have visible focus styles (input:focus includes outline)
   • Tab/Enter keyboard support
   • WCAG AA contrast for body text (≥4.5:1) and button label (≥4.5:1)
   • Logo alt/aria-label present; ticker has aria-hidden="true"
   • <html lang=""> is set

Output

7. Emit clean HTML — Single file, CSS inlined, SVG for graphics. Mark interactive elements with data-od-id (headline, form, logo, ticker, grid, etc.) so agents can customize without parsing.

Quality gates

This skill enforces a hardened, template-based workflow to ensure compliance. You must follow this execution path; deviating from the template disqualifies the output.

Mandatory template-based execution:

• Read assets/template.html as your base; do not write HTML from scratch.
• Copy it to index.html and replace only the {{PLACEHOLDER}} tokens with validated/escaped values.
• Run every P0 gate in references/checklist.md before emitting; if any fail, fix and re-validate.

P0 gates (must pass):

• Single CTA: Email form is the only interactive element. No nav, no secondary buttons, no social links.
• Logo placement: Fixed top-left, matches DESIGN.md accent color, scales down on mobile (50px → 40px).
• Color consistency: Every color from DESIGN.md palette. Only allowed hardcoded exception: #2D6A4F for --success.
• No anti-patterns: No countdown timer, no fake social proof, no emoji icons, no lorem ipsum.
• Content integrity: Headline and copy tie directly to product_name and tagline inputs—no filler copy.
• Mobile fit: No horizontal scroll at 375px. Email input and submit button are fully visible (no clipping) at 375×667 and 390×844. Vertical overflow is scrollable, not hidden.
• Typographic discipline: Display + body fonts only (2-font rule). Consistent sizing across sections.
• Form structure: Two fields (first name optional, email required), checkValidity() guard, success message with role="status".
• Token escaping: All user-supplied text HTML-escaped; color tokens adhere to strict grammar and contain no unsafe characters (;, {}, <, >, /*, @, url(); font names are URL-encoded; {{LOGO_MARK}} is escaped text initials or strictly sanitized inline SVG (no scripts, no event handlers, no foreignObject, no external hrefs).

P1 gates (should pass for quality submission):

• Hero section visually distinct and above-the-fold.
• Email submit button has hover and active states.
• Form validation provides clear feedback.
• Page scrollable (not clipped) at all mobile viewports; CTA visible without scroll.
• Ticker animation paused/removed under prefers-reduced-motion: reduce.
• All interactive elements have visible focus styles (outline, not just outline:none).
• Keyboard: Tab reaches each form field; Enter submits.
• WCAG AA contrast: Body text ≥4.5:1, button label ≥4.5:1.
• Logo alt/aria-label present; ticker has aria-hidden="true".
• <html lang=""> set to correct language code.

Decoration restraint:

• Lower zone enhances without distraction. Opacity, subtle strokes, muted animation.
• No gradient that spans more than 20% of viewport height.
• Coil, stripe, grid, or ticker all use colors from DESIGN.md only.

Output

Only emit after all P0 gates in references/checklist.md pass.

Emit the artifact between tags:

<artifact identifier="waitlist-id" type="text/html" title="Coming Soon — {{PRODUCT_NAME}}">
<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
...
</html>
</artifact>

One line of description above the artifact; nothing below.

Post-emission: If the user asks for changes, update the index.html in-place and re-run the P0 checklist gates before emitting the next version. Do not skip validation on iterations.