DESIGN TOKENS THAT AI CAN ACTUALLY READ

Summary from the TLDR Design newsletter

Most design tokens lack the context AI needs, leading tools like Claude to misuse primitives rather than semantic tokens. Making tokens AI-readable requires three elements: semantic naming that conveys intent rather than appearance, descriptions explaining when to use each token, and relationships showing which tokens connect or pair together. Teams can start by adding descriptions to their top 10 most-used tokens, or by creating companion files that provide usage guidelines without restructuring existing token systems.