Stitch's first file is not the prompt. It's DESIGN.md.

The useful reversal in google-labs-code / stitch-skills [C001]: the first file is not the prompt. It's DESIGN.md [C002]. If you mostly use chatbots, that changes your next move: stop stuffing colors, fonts, and vibe into every prompt.

This matters if you mostly use chatbots but keep tracking AI tools because you do not want to fall behind. The expensive mistake is polishing prompt wording while the repo docs are pointing you to a different first step. That is how you burn time, money, and attention on the wrong part.

One guide says to check whether a shared design system already exists. If it does, the prompt should not repeat colors, fonts, or theme. That is the reversal: style lives in a saved design file, not in every new ask.

Another guide treats DESIGN.md as the project-level source of truth. There is even a helper whose whole job is to pull style rules out of existing screens and code, then write them into DESIGN.md.

Not saying every quick sketch needs a full design system. Narrower point: write shared design rules first, then ask for screens. Don't judge an update by feature count. Judge it by whether it changes your next decision. Public repo docs only. Share this with anyone still hunting for the perfect design prompt.