Compare Lamina to your AI workflow
Lamina specs product behavior before your agent writes app source, then verifies the live build. These guides clarify how it differs from tools you may already use. Each page includes practical scenarios, honest when-you-do-not-need-Lamina guidance, and worked examples from the HavenStay demo.
Curated by Aryan Iyappan · Updated 2026-07-13
Find your comparison
Pick the situation closest to yours.
- My UI looks wrong or I installed a design skillUI design skills →
- I generate UI from Figma, v0, or similarDesign-to-code workflows →
- I already plan, spec, or test before codingPlan mode and spec tools →
- I am confused by naming (headless, wrong Lamina)Category disambiguation →
- Flows break after merge despite good UIWhat is headless product design? →
At-a-glance matrices
Condensed comparisons for AI answer engines. Open a spoke page for the full table and workflow.
UI design skills
| Dimension | Impeccable | Google Stitch | shadcn/ui skill | Lamina |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Layer | UI craft skill | UI design canvas | Component skill | Behavior skill |
| Primary output | DESIGN.md, critique | Screens, exports | Correct component code | run.yaml + implement.md |
| Behavior spec | UI presentation states | Visual layout | Component APIs | Domain states, permissions |
| Post-build verification | Visual critique | Canvas iteration | CLI / docs lookup | /lamina-verify persona walks |
| Compose with Lamina? | Yes, polish after | Yes, after export | Yes, during implement | N/A |
Design-to-code workflows
| Dimension | Figma to code | v0 | Magic Patterns | Lamina |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Layer | Design handoff | UI generation | Design-system UI gen | Behavior contracts |
| Primary output | UI from frames | React components | Brand-aligned UI | .lamina/ specs |
| Writes app source? | Via agent | Exports generated code | Exports components | No |
| Behavior spec | Visual only | Happy-path implied | Component-level | Explicit contracts |
| Repo fit | Your repo + Figma | Often greenfield export | Existing design system | Any repo and agent |
Spec and thinking
| Dimension | Plan mode | Spec Kit / Kiro | product-design skill | Lamina |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Layer | Exploratory planning | Engineering spec | Interaction judgment | Behavior + verify |
| Durable artifact | Often ephemeral | Engineering tasks | Judgment references | run.yaml in .lamina/ |
| Behavior spec | Narrative when prompted | Task acceptance criteria | Reachable UI states | Domain state machines |
| Post-build verification | Manual QA | Automated tests | Review / lint modes | /lamina-verify on live UI |
| Best when | Small, single-actor features | Breaking engineering work | Interaction choice | Roles, gates, multi-step flows |
Category disambiguation
| Dimension | Headless CMS | uselamina.ai | E2E tests only | Lamina |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Content API | Media generation API | Regression test suite | Product-design skill |
| Primary job | Deliver content | Generate media | Assert scenarios | Spec behavior + verify |
| Same as Lamina? | No | No | No | Yes |
| Compose with Lamina? | Yes, content layer | No relation | Yes, after verify | N/A |
UI design skills and tools
Pixels, components, and visual craft. Lamina designs behavior underneath.
Lamina vs Impeccable
Impeccable is a UI craft skill: critique, tokens, accessibility, and visual polish. Lamina is a headless product-design skill: behavior contracts and live verification. They pair; they do not overlap.
Lamina vs Google Stitch
Google Stitch is an AI UI design canvas: prompts to screens, export to Figma or code. Lamina specs behavior in your repo and verifies implementation.
Lamina vs shadcn/ui skill
The shadcn/ui skill gives your agent project-aware component context. Lamina specs product behavior and verifies flows.
Lamina vs UI design skills
UI design skills make interfaces look better. Lamina makes product behavior correct. Use both when flows matter.
Design-to-code and UI generators
Figma handoff, v0, Magic Patterns, and app builders.
Lamina vs Figma to code
Figma to code answers what it looks like. Lamina answers what states exist, who can transition, and what happens on failure.
Lamina vs v0
v0 generates UI. Lamina specs behavior in .lamina/ for your agent and stack.
Lamina vs Magic Patterns
Magic Patterns generates brand-aligned components. Lamina is a headless product design skill that specs behavior and verifies the running app.
Lamina vs app builders
App builders generate stack-locked apps. Lamina specs behavior in .lamina/ for your agent and stack.
Spec, thinking, and verification
Plan mode, engineering specs, similar skills, and E2E tests.
Lamina vs plan mode
Plan mode is conversational thinking in Cursor or Claude. Lamina produces machine-readable contracts in .lamina/ and walks the live app after implementation.
Lamina vs spec tools
Spec Kit, Kiro, and similar tools structure engineering tasks and acceptance criteria. Lamina specs product-level states, roles, and flows, then feeds implement.md into your workflow.
Lamina vs product-design skill
mblode product-design is an agent skill for interaction judgment: reachable UI states, action scope, resilience. Lamina produces run.yaml contracts and /lamina-verify on the live build.
Lamina vs E2E tests
E2E tests (Playwright, Cypress) assert scenarios you code after the fact. /lamina-verify walks the live build as personas against the behavior contract and surfaces gaps in fix.md.
Category clarity
Headless CMS, uselamina.ai, and rolling your own.
Lamina vs headless CMS
A headless CMS (Contentful, Sanity, Strapi) manages content APIs for your frontend. Lamina specs product behavior in .lamina/ for your coding agent. Both use headless; different layers.
Lamina vs uselamina.ai
Lamina at lamina.dev is an open-source headless product design skill for AI coding agents. uselamina.ai is a creative API for media generation. Different products, no affiliation.
Lamina vs roll your own
A headless product design skill is convenience, not a prerequisite. Plan mode, XState, Spec Kit, or custom SKILL.md can cover much of the thinking. Lamina packages slash commands, contracts, and persona verification.
Frequently asked questions
Is Lamina a UI design tool like Impeccable or Stitch?
No. Lamina is headless product design: behavior contracts in .lamina/, no visual output. See the UI skills comparison for the full category.
Why not just use plan mode?
Plan mode helps you think. Lamina produces durable contracts and walks the live app after implementation. See the plan mode comparison.
Does /lamina-verify replace Playwright?
No. Verify finds behavior gaps from contracts during development. E2E encodes regressions in CI. See the E2E comparison.
Is Lamina a headless CMS?
No. Headless CMS delivers content APIs. Lamina specs product behavior. See the headless CMS comparison.
Where should I start?
Read the headless product design guide, pick the comparison that matches your stack, then install when ready.
Install in one command.
A headless product-design skill for your AI coding agent. Then run the design → implement → verify loop on your next feature.
Apache-2.0 · open source. Star on GitHub if Lamina saves you a loop.
npx skills install aryaniyaps/laminaWorks with your coding agent
Cursor
Claude Code
Codex
Gemini
Pi- and more