Rules with codes, not paragraphs
Platform Design tvOS is the tvos folder of ehmo's platform-design-skills pack. Its SKILL.md has coded rules in seven sections: focus navigation, Siri Remote, 10-foot UI, Top Shelf, media playback, tab bar and accessibility, for apps with no pointer and no touch screen.
Unlike skills written as prose, the tvOS file labels each rule with a code: FOCUS-01, REMOTE-04, DISTANCE-01, SHELF-03, MEDIA-06, TAB-03, ACCESS-01. An agent or reviewer can cite a code and everyone knows which rule was meant.
The premise comes first. Apple TV is a living room device driven by focus and the Siri Remote, with no pointer, no touch screen and no mouse, so every decision accounts for the viewing distance.
Seven sections and their weight
- Focus-based navigation, Siri Remote and accessibility are CRITICAL.
- 10-foot UI and Top Shelf are HIGH.
- Media and playback and the tab bar are MEDIUM.
- Reference tables cover parallax layers and text sizes.
Numbers an agent can apply
The text size table sets body text at a 29pt minimum, recommending 31 to 35pt, with titles at 48pt or larger. Critical content stays inside a safe area inset 60pt from the edges, because some TV sets crop.
Layout guidance is just as concrete. One row of 5 to 7 cards beats a grid of 20 or more thumbnails, and thin fonts and hairline borders are discouraged since fine strokes vanish on TV displays.
Scope
Use it for
- tvOS apps built around focus, with focus guides bridging gaps in layouts.
- Media apps that need standard transport controls, scrubbing and resume position.
- Home screen presence through a Top Shelf extension with deep links.
Not the right tool for
- Anything touch or pointer driven. See the sibling iOS, iPadOS and macOS skills.
- General motion craft. Related: improve-animations.
Use it with UiChemy
The tvOS skill does not involve WordPress. If your streaming product also needs a marketing site, design the pages in Figma and convert them to editable WordPress pages with UiChemy. Click Get Started on uichemy.com. Related: typeset, fixing-accessibility and apple-design.
How to install Platform Design tvOS: Apple TV Rules for AI Agents
git clone https://github.com/ehmo/platform-design-skills.gitClone the repository
Run the command above. The README only shows a skills CLI install, so a clone is the route that works for any agent.
Copy skills/tvos
The folder holds SKILL.md, AGENTS.md, metadata.json and a rules folder. Copy it whole.
Register it with your agent
Put the folder where your agent looks for skills. The pack does not state agent folders, so confirm the location in your tool's docs.
Test with a focus question
Ask the agent to review a SwiftUI grid for focus behavior and text sizes on Apple TV.
Check that it loaded
Ask for a review of one tvOS screen. The agent should reference rule codes such as FOCUS-01 or DISTANCE-01 and mention the 29pt minimum body size.
Key features
- Visible focus statesFOCUS-01 requires every interactive element to show focus through scale of about 1.05x to 1.1x, shadow, brightness or a border, never color alone.
- Predictable focus movementFOCUS-02 and FOCUS-03 ask for logical spatial movement, with UIFocusGuide bridging layout gaps so a swipe always lands somewhere meaningful.
- Parallax layer referenceA table assigns minimal movement to the background, moderate to the midground and maximum to the foreground, using layered static images or focus engine callbacks.
- Siri Remote contractSwipe moves focus, click selects, Menu always navigates back, Play/Pause controls media, and no complex or multi-finger gestures are required.
- Voice and text entryREMOTE-06 and REMOTE-08 push dictation, Siri search, autofill and code-based flows so the on-screen keyboard is never the only text path.
- Text size tableBody at 29pt minimum, secondary labels at 25pt, titles at 48pt, large headers at 64pt and buttons at 29pt, each with a recommended size.
- Safe area and imageryA 60pt safe area inset, plus 1920x1080 or 3840x2160 full-screen backgrounds and simple, spacious layouts.
- Top Shelf extensionSHELF rules call for TVTopShelfContentProvider, an inset banner or sectioned layout, deep links per item and fresh content.
- Playback conventionsMEDIA rules cover AVPlayerViewController transport controls, the swipe-down info overlay, touch-surface scrubbing, subtitles, PiP and resume position.
- Top tab barTAB rules place a translucent tab bar at the top with 3 to 7 text-labeled tabs, and remember the selected tab between launches.
Frequently asked questions
What does the tvOS design skill cover?
Seven areas of Apple TV design: focus-based navigation, the Siri Remote, 10-foot UI, Top Shelf, media and playback, the tab bar and accessibility. Each rule has a code such as FOCUS-01 or DISTANCE-01 so reviews can cite exactly which rule applies.
How do I install the tvOS skill?
The README gives a skills CLI command, which this page skips. Clone ehmo/platform-design-skills and copy skills/tvos into the folder your agent reads skills from. The pack names no agent folders, so check your agent's documentation for the right place.
What text size does it require?
Body text has a 29pt minimum, with 31 to 35pt recommended. Secondary labels start at 25pt, titles at 48pt, large headers at 64pt and buttons at 29pt. The reasoning is the 8 to 12 foot viewing distance.
Does it explain the focus system?
Yes, it calls focus the foundation of tvOS interaction. Rules require visible focus states, logical movement, UIFocusGuide for layout gaps and parallax on focused items, plus a layer table for background, midground and foreground movement.
What does it say about the Top Shelf?
Provide a TVTopShelfContentProvider extension, since the older TVTopShelfProvider is deprecated since tvOS 14. Use an inset banner or sectioned layout, deep link each item to its content, use quality imagery and keep content fresh.
Which remote gestures are allowed?
Single-finger swipe and click only. The skill forbids pinch, rotate, multi-tap and long-press requirements, says Menu must always navigate back, and says Play/Pause must control media instead of being repurposed.
Does it work with Claude and other agents?
The README says skills activate automatically when agents detect platform-relevant tasks and names no specific agents. Because the folder uses the SKILL.md format plus an AGENTS.md file, Claude or another agent that reads that format should load it.
What license applies?
The repository is MIT licensed according to GitHub metadata and the README. Keep the license text when you copy the folder into another repository or share it across a team.