bend_brief

Plan	Quota	Changes data	Hints
All, unlimited	None	Only with canvasId: saves the directions	idempotent

Bending is deterministic: the same brief, wildness, platform, pages, moves and lens give the same directions with the same ids. Your own rate_directions history and the ideas on your last 3 boards shift the odds, so you do not see the same idea on every new brief.

Inputs

Name	Type	Required	Limits and default	What it does
brief	string	Yes	1 to 500 characters	What is being designed, in a few words: “flight checkout screen”
wildness	integer	Yes	1 to 5	1 Fresh, 2 Bold, 3 Weird, 4 Wild, 5 Bananas. Higher combines more moves
count	integer	No	1 to 8, default 6	How many directions. The skill asks for 8
platform	enum	No	mobile, tablet, website, webapp, any	Leave out to detect it from the brief. Rules
pages	string[]	No	1 to 3, each up to 60 characters	The pages the idea is for. Leave out to get wildSpots
moves	enum[]	No	transplant, material, era, constraint, scale, lens	Limit which moves are used. Default all six
lens	enum	No	sadu, najdi, kufic, mashrabiya, talli, qatt-asiri, desert-modern, memphis, swiss-international, japanese-ma	Every direction pulls from that tradition
mustKeep	string[]	No	1 to 6, each up to 60 characters	Patterns users rely on (“clear total”, “one primary action”, “step indicator”). A direction that would break one is dropped. Checkout, cart and booking briefs keep a clear total and one primary action by default
taste	string[]	No	1 to 5 words, each up to 40 characters	Style words, saved on the canvas with canvasId
canvasId	string	No	1 to 100 characters	Saves the directions to that board, so search_references can take a directionId

Output

Per direction: id, title (the idea in at most 4 words, never the brief), twist (always from wildness 3), move, searchQuery, platform, pages, mechanic, artQueries (1 to 3 image queries for the art zone, phrased as subject, medium and composition), prompt and spec.

mechanic is { element, how }: the working part of the page the wild idea becomes, one of progress, total, cta, divider, section-nav, header or empty-state (a braid as the progress bar, tabs as sections, a woven band as the section divider). It never lands on a protected total or main button. Build the direction around it, and search for UI that has that element.

spec fields:

Spec field	Example
typeVoice, typography	mono: a monospace for display at clamp(48px, 8vw, 120px), the same mono for body at 18px
color	Chalky terracotta, sage and bone, no gloss; text at 4.5 to 1 or more
layout	12 column grid, fluid type, a scroll story that opens on a hero with one clear action
imagery, texture, iconography	Close-up sandstone renders; layered sandstone bands; emoji stand in for every icon
motion	Slow 300ms fades, nothing loops, none with reduced motion on
density	Airy sections, one message per screen height
signature, pattern	The hero section rendered in sandstone; layered panels as the section divider
steal[], avoid[]	How light sits on sandstone; text over sandstone without a solid backing
styleWords[], whyItFits	minimal; “A dusty matte mood suits hungry people deciding fast”

Plus platform, pages, wildness, wildnessLabel, lens (with its arabicFont, a Google Fonts display face), suggestedLenses (up to 3 lens ids when the brief names a Gulf or Arab market or Arabic and no lens is set) and wildSpots (5 spots, empty when pages was given). With canvasId: canvasId and saved.

Example call

{
  "name": "bend_brief",
  "arguments": {
    "brief": "launch page for a specialty coffee roaster",
    "wildness": 3,
    "count": 2,
    "platform": "website",
    "pages": ["launch page"],
    "canvasId": "c3f1a0d2-6b1e-4d8a-9f4b-0a1b2c3d4e5f"
  }
}

Example output

Real output from the bend engine, shortened:

2 directions for "launch page for a specialty coffee roaster" (wildness 3, Weird):
Platform: website (website). Each direction is for one wild page or two, not the product's main design.
Pages: launch page.

1. Fluxus 1962 sandstone (Twist: only circles and half circles, no exceptions) [material + era] query: sandstone
   id: bd-z0y2y96z. Prompt: Redesign the specialty coffee launch page. Render every surface as sandstone...
   Mechanic: build this direction around cta = Sandstone skins the main button; still one button with a plain label. Search for UI that has this element.
   Spec: type mono: A monospace for display at clamp(48px, 8vw, 120px)... | color: Chalky terracotta, sage and bone...
   Signature: The hero section rendered in sandstone, with real light and shadow. Pattern: Layered sandstone panels...
   Art queries: sandstone texture; Fluxus graphic design
2. Cereal box (Twist: sparklines blown up huge) [scale + transplant] query: cereal box
   id: bd-mob5pq35. ...
   Mechanic: build this direction around section-nav = Cereal box as the tabs that switch between sections. Search for UI that has this element.
   Art queries: cereal box; oversized sparklines poster

Saved to canvas c3f1a0d2-.... Pass a direction id as directionId (with this canvasId) to search_references.

Wild spots

Call it with no pages (and no canvasId if you do not want to save anything):

{ "name": "bend_brief", "arguments": { "brief": "personal finance app", "wildness": 3, "count": 1, "platform": "mobile" } }

Pages: none given. Where weirdness pays off (wildSpots):
- onboarding: Seen once, sets the tone, and nobody has learned the layout yet.
- empty state: Nothing to read yet, so the screen has room for a strong idea.
- achievement or streak moment: A reward should feel special, not like every other screen.
- paywall: A memorable paywall sells the feeling, not just the feature list.
- splash screen: A second of brand with no task to get in the way.

Messages

Message	Fix
“brief must be 1 to 500 characters, for example “flight checkout screen”.”	Shorten the brief
“wildness must be a whole number from 1 (Fresh) to 5 (Bananas).”	Pass 1 to 5
“pages must be 1 to 3 page names, each up to 60 characters.”	Fewer, shorter pages
“mustKeep must be 1 to 6 short patterns, each up to 60 characters, like “clear total”.”	Fewer, shorter must keeps
“canvasId must be an id from open_canvas.”	Use a real canvas id
“The directions were not saved: that canvas was not found or could not be reached…”	Directions still come back; search with their query text, or bend again with a valid id

Related: Go wild on a screen, Wildness, moves and lenses.