moodspec

Infrequently asked questions

Not the ones that make us look good — the ones people actually hesitate over before pasting a link.

01

What this actually is

Is this a design system tool?
No. A design system is code — components, tokens, tested and versioned. moodspec is the layer before that: the decisions a design system would encode, written down early enough that an agent can build with them. If you already have a real design system, point your agent at that; use moodspec for the parts it does not cover, like tone of voice, who you build for, and how motion should feel.
So it is a prompt library?
No. A prompt library stores instructions you send. A canvas stores facts your agent reads on its own, every time, without you remembering to attach anything.
What stops me from just keeping a markdown file in the repo?
Nothing — and that is the honest alternative. A file works until you have four repos, two clients and a font you swapped last week. moodspec is the same idea with one copy, live everywhere, and with the tedious parts (pulling fonts and palettes off a URL) done for you.
Does it write code?
No. It answers questions your agent asks while it writes code.
02

Working with agents

Which agents can read a canvas?
Anything that speaks MCP — Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Lovable, Replit today, and whatever ships next month without us doing anything.
Do I have to say "use the canvas" in every prompt?
Once per session in most clients; some pull it automatically when a request touches UI or copy. If the agent ignores it, that is a client behaviour, not a moodspec one — the setup guides note which is which.
Will the agent obey it?
It follows the canvas the way it follows any instruction: usually, not religiously. What changes is the baseline — you stop starting from a purple gradient and start from your own type.
Does reading the canvas cost tokens?
A little. A typical canvas serialises to under two thousand tokens, and only the parts relevant to the request are pulled.
Can it write back to my canvas?
Not directly, on any plan. On Business an agent can file a proposal — a suggested change with a before, an after and a reason — which sits in an approval queue until an owner accepts it. Nothing an agent does changes a canvas on its own.
Can I self-host the MCP server?
Not on Free, Pro or Business — every plan connects to our hosted endpoint over Streamable HTTP. Enterprise can run it in a private cloud or on-prem; ask on the enterprise page.
What happens if a token leaks?
Whoever holds it can read that one canvas, nothing more — no other canvases, and no ability to change anything. Reads are rate-limited per token, and you can revoke it instantly from the canvas settings.
03

Data and privacy

Where does my canvas live if I never sign in?
In this browser, in local storage. Clear the browser and it is gone — no copy exists anywhere else. That also means it cannot be connected over MCP.
Do you train on my content?
No. Never, on any plan. Your canvas is stored to serve it back to you and your agents.
Who can read my MCP endpoint?
Whoever holds the token. Endpoints are private per canvas, revocable, and on Business scoped per repo so a leak costs you one project, not the whole workspace.
I pasted a competitor URL. Did they get notified?
No. We fetch the page the way any browser does, once, from our servers.
Can I export everything and leave?
Yes — JSON and Markdown, on every plan including free. The Markdown is what your agent sees, so it is readable to you too.
04

Money

Why is there a free plan at all?
Because the argument only lands once you have used it. One canvas, no account, no card — if it does not change your next build, nothing was lost.
What counts as an editor on Business?
Anyone who can change a canvas. Viewers are free, and agents reading over MCP never count as seats.
What happens to my canvases if I stop paying?
They stay readable and exportable. You drop back to one live canvas; the rest go read-only rather than being deleted.
Can we buy this through procurement?
Business takes invoices; Enterprise takes purchase orders, security reviews, a DPA and whatever else your legal team needs.
05

Awkward ones

Is this not just a moodboard with extra steps?
A moodboard is for humans to feel something. A canvas is for a machine to act on. Same inputs, different output — one ends in a conversation, the other ends in a pricing page that already looks like you.
What if my taste is bad?
Then at least it will be consistently bad, which is the first thing you need in order to notice and change it.
Who is this not for?
Anyone with a mature design system and a codebase full of components. Your agent should read your code. Come back when you start something new.