Mascot

Create ONE original animated pixel-art mascot in the current app. The art is code: pixel maps rendered to PNG by a zero-dependency engine (no image-gen AI, no npm installs). Poses change by frame swap; bob/tilt/squash run as native transforms in a PixelPet component. Every generation is deterministic — regenerating a pack reproduces its PNGs byte-for-byte.

Pipeline

1. Interview — animal from $ARGUMENTS, else ask (suggest: cat, bunny, panda, frog, fox — any animal works). Then ask the mascot's name. Then one prompt: "Defaults: palette from assets/palettes.json (cozy/DB16), one small accessory, full 7-frame state set. Any overrides?" Apply overrides; otherwise proceed. Only ask what is missing.
2. Vendor — copy scripts/engine.mjs, scripts/validate-frames.mjs, assets/palettes.json into <app>/scripts/mascots/, and ../../react-native/PixelPet.tsx into <app>/components/. The build scripts and generated PNGs live in the app repo, diffable and regenerable without this skill. Details: references/pipeline.md.
3. Design the pack — write scripts/mascots/packs/<animal>.mjs following references/animal-recipes.md (construction) and references/craft.md (palette, outline, timing). Study scripts/packs/duck.mjs first — it is the reference implementation.
4. GATE 1 · art — generate (node scripts/mascots/engine.mjs scripts/mascots/packs/<animal>.mjs --out <app>/assets/mascots/<animal>). Self-critique the contact sheet against the checklist in references/qa.md and run at least 2 polish passes BEFORE showing the user. Then show the sheet path and wait for the user's "cute enough". Do not write component code before this verdict.
5. GATE 2 · motion — node scripts/mascots/validate-frames.mjs must PASS. Then build an inline HTML preview of the animation (port the frames to a canvas; timings from references/craft.md) and get the user's timing approval before touching the simulator.
6. GATE 3 · device — typecheck, run the app, drive every state, and save per-state screenshots to <app>/docs/mascots/<animal>/qa/. Protocol: references/qa.md.
7. Report — evidence links (contact sheet, QA screenshots), the regen command, and which files were added/changed.

Reference routing

When	Read
First run in an app, pack anatomy, engine/validator CLI	references/pipeline.md
Drawing the animal (ears, tails, silhouettes)	references/animal-recipes.md
Palettes, outlines, shading, animation timing	references/craft.md
Reviewing art, polish passes, simulator QA, evidence	references/qa.md
Wiring PixelPet, progress mapping, character switcher	references/app-integration.md

NEVER

• NEVER ship art without the user's explicit "cute enough" — polish passes before that verdict are yours to run unattended; the verdict is not.
• NEVER add a dependency — the engine uses only node: builtins; PixelPet only react-native. If something seems to need a library, redesign.
• NEVER hand-edit generated PNGs — change the pack, regenerate, revalidate.
• NEVER put pixel art in the component — components animate frames; all art lives in packs.
• NEVER claim QA done without per-state screenshots saved on disk.