ST

state-machine

Map UI component states and transitions to ensure consistent, documented interaction logic.

Install

mkdir -p .claude/skills/state-machine && curl -L -o skill.zip "https://agentskills.codes/api/skills/download/5100" && unzip -o skill.zip -d .claude/skills/state-machine && rm skill.zip

Installs to .claude/skills/state-machine

Activation

This is the description your AI agent reads to decide when to run this skill — the better it matches your request, the more reliably it fires.

Document UI component states (current vs expected) with transitions
67 charsno explicit “when” trigger
Beginner

Key capabilities

  • Map UI state transition tables
  • Identify state side effects and triggers
  • Generate Mermaid diagrams for state machines
  • Document state-specific UI behaviors

How it works

Systematically iterates through state categories to map triggers and expected outputs into a standard documentation format.

Inputs & outputs

You give it
Component behavior requirements or legacy UI code
You get back
Structured state transition tables and diagram code

When to use state-machine

  • Refactor legacy UI components
  • Define state machine for new interactive features
  • Compare actual vs expected UI states
  • Document visibility and selection flows

About this skill

State Machine Skill

Document the state machine for UI components, comparing current behavior to expected behavior and mapping all state transitions.

When to Use

  • During Ask mode CONVERGE loop for stateful components
  • When refactoring existing components with complex state
  • Before implementing new interactive UI components

Instructions

Phase 1: Identify States

List all possible states for the component:

StateCurrent BehaviorExpected Behavior
Initial[What happens now][What should happen]
Loading[Current loading UX][Expected loading UX]
Success[Current success display][Expected success display]
Error[Current error handling][Expected error handling]
Empty[Current empty state][Expected empty state]

Common States to Consider:

State TypeExamples
Data statesInitial, Loading, Success, Error, Empty, Stale
Interaction statesIdle, Hover, Focus, Active, Disabled
Visibility statesHidden, Visible, Collapsed, Expanded
Selection statesUnselected, Selected, Partially selected
Validation statesValid, Invalid, Pending validation

Phase 2: Map Transitions

Define what triggers each state change:

FromToTriggerSide Effects
InitialLoadingUser action / MountStart fetch
LoadingSuccessData receivedPopulate UI
LoadingErrorRequest failedShow error message
LoadingEmptyEmpty responseShow empty state
ErrorLoadingRetry clickedRestart fetch
SuccessLoadingRefresh clickedRefetch data

Phase 3: State Diagram

Create a Mermaid state diagram:

stateDiagram-v2
    [*] --> Initial
    Initial --> Loading : fetch
    Loading --> Success : data received
    Loading --> Error : request failed
    Loading --> Empty : no data
    Error --> Loading : retry
    Success --> Loading : refresh
    Empty --> Loading : refresh
    Success --> [*] : unmount

Phase 4: Data Requirements

For each state, define what data is needed:

StateRequired DataUI Elements
InitialNonePlaceholder or skeleton
LoadingNoneSpinner, skeleton, progress
Success[List required fields]Full component
ErrorError message, retry actionError banner, retry button
EmptyEmpty message, CTAEmpty illustration, CTA button

Phase 5: Edge Cases

Identify edge cases and how to handle:

Edge CaseCurrentExpected
Network timeout[Current]Show timeout message, retry option
Partial data[Current]Graceful degradation, show available
Stale data[Current]Show stale indicator, background refresh
Concurrent updates[Current]Optimistic update, rollback on conflict
Auth expired[Current]Redirect to login, preserve state

Output Format

## State Machine: [Component Name]

### State Table

| State | Current | Expected | Data Required |
|-------|---------|----------|---------------|
| Initial | [Behavior] | [Behavior] | [Data] |
| Loading | [Behavior] | [Behavior] | [Data] |
| Success | [Behavior] | [Behavior] | [Data] |
| Error | [Behavior] | [Behavior] | [Data] |
| Empty | [Behavior] | [Behavior] | [Data] |

### Transition Diagram

[Mermaid stateDiagram]

### Edge Cases

| Case | Handling |
|------|----------|
| [Case] | [How to handle] |

### Summary
- States: [N] identified
- Transitions: [N] mapped
- Edge cases: [N] documented

Invocation

Invoke manually with "use state-machine skill" or follow Ask mode CONVERGE loop which references this skill.

Related Skills

  • qa-planning - Uses states to define test coverage
  • design-context - Check existing component states in Storybook

When not to use it

  • Simple, stateless components
  • High-velocity prototyping with no documentation requirements

Limitations

  • Requires manual identification of states by the developer
  • Does not enforce state machine logic in actual code

How it compares

Formalizes UX logic into state machines rather than descriptive prose.

Compared to similar skills

state-machine side by side with the closest alternatives in the catalog.

SkillInstallsUpdatedSafetyDifficulty
state-machine (this skill)17moNo flagsBeginner
draw-io416moReviewIntermediate
ui-design-system297moReviewBeginner
design-md274moNo flagsIntermediate

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