02 · Meaning · Signal Language

Four signals. Each one says exactly one thing.

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Signals describe state — what something is doing. Kinds (next section) describe identity — what something is. They share a color range but not a surface: signals live on badges, rails, and tints; kinds live on glyphs, thumbnails, and nav dots. If nothing in the composition is failed, running, pending, or complete, nothing in the composition is red, amber, blue, or green.

Signal Meaning Use for Never for
Red Destructive · Failed · Active attention Delete, failed generation, deploy button, attention badges Decorative accents, brand flourish, "primary" CTAs
Blue In-progress · Linked · Agent Generating states, linked integrations, agent-owned UI Generic links (use ink-2 underlines instead)
Amber Waiting · Pending · Warning Queued jobs, pending review, soft warnings "Interesting" or "highlighted" — amber is a state, not a flag
Green Published · Healthy · Complete Success confirmations, published figments, healthy systems Generic positive emphasis — success isn't decoration