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Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.kombai.com/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

Design Mode is currently in beta. For feedback, please contact us at support@kombai.com.
Design Mode stores all its artifacts—canvases, Blocks, Themes, and Style Guides—as files inside the .kombai/ folder at the root of your project. This means you can collaborate on designs using the same tools and workflows you already use for code.

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Git as a collaboration system

Because every Design Mode artifact is a file on disk, your existing Git workflow doubles as a design collaboration system. When you commit and push your .kombai/ folder, your entire team gets access to the same Themes, Blocks, Style Guides, and Canvas files.

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What to commit

Make sure your essential design files are tracked in version control:
  • Themes — so every team member generates designs with the same design tokens (colors, typography, spacing, shadows).
  • Blocks — from small primitives (buttons, inputs) to compound components (navbars, pricing tables), so the whole team can reuse them.
  • Style Guides — so anyone on the team can generate new designs that follow the same visual direction.
  • Canvases — for any in-progress or finalized page designs you want the team to review or build upon.
  1. Create a branch for your design work, just like you would for a feature.
  2. Design on the Canvas and save your Blocks, Themes, and Style Guides as you go.
  3. Commit and push the .kombai/ folder changes.
  4. Open a pull request so your team can review the design files alongside any code changes.
  5. Merge to main once approved, so the designs become available to everyone.
This keeps your design artifacts in sync with your codebase and gives you the full benefits of Git—branching, history, diffs, and code review—for your design work.

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Sharing individual files

Since all Design Mode artifacts live as files inside .kombai/, you can share specific files directly with a teammate without going through a full Git workflow. This is especially useful for quick, informal collaboration.

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How it works

  1. Locate the file you want to share inside .kombai/canvas/ (or the relevant subfolder for Themes, Blocks, etc.).
  2. Send the file to your teammate through any channel—Slack, email, or a shared drive.
  3. Your teammate drops the file into the same path inside their own .kombai/ folder.
  4. They can now open and use the shared Canvas, Block, Theme, or Style Guide in their Design Mode session.

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Example scenarios

  • Two designers collaborating on a page — One person designs the hero section and shares the Canvas file. The other person opens it, adds the features section, and shares it back or commits it to the branch.
  • Sharing a Theme across projects — If you’ve built a polished Theme in one project, copy the Theme file from .kombai/ and drop it into another project’s .kombai/ folder to reuse the same design tokens.
  • Handing off a Block — A teammate built a reusable card component as a Block. They share the Block file with you, and you can immediately use it on your Canvas without rebuilding it.
This file-based approach means there’s no lock-in to a specific design tool or platform—your design assets are portable, versioned, and always accessible.