Style-Lock Builder Skill for Consistent AI Images

Image series drift because the style words change from prompt to prompt, contradict each other, or are too vague to hold a look. Image Prompt Style-Lock Phrase Set turns one paragraph describing the look you want for a series of AI-generated images (subjects, medium, mood, colours, light, framing, what to avoid) into a reusable style block you paste into every prompt unchanged: 12 fixed style phrases in 8 named slots, 6 avoid phrases, a list of what may change per image, and 3 example prompts. It writes text only; it generates no images and calls no image tool.

Phase 0 — Intake. Needs what the images will show, the look (medium, mood, colours) and what must never appear. Asks at most 3 questions, only if one is missing.

Phase 1 — Anchors. Subjects, medium, mood words, named palette, light, framing habit and the must-never list, plus the working phrase-length limits.

Phase 2 — The set. 12 lock phrases in 8 slots (medium, line, palette, light, shading, framing, background, mood), 6 avoid phrases, 5-8 may-change items with a note on keeping each from dragging the style, and 3 full example prompts.

Phase 3 — Validation. Counts, real word counts, vague praise words, conflicts between phrases and between lock and avoid, subject words leaking into the lock, rights (no artist, studio, brand or franchise names; from memory, not legal advice), and SFW.

Phase 4 — Review lenses. One model applies four review lenses in turn: Drift Hunter, Conflict Checker, Plain-Word Editor, Rights & Safety Scout. For each finding, the other three lenses each write a challenge, corroborate or no-challenge line. A verdict tags each finding CONFIRMED, CORROBORATED, DISPUTED or NO CHANGE. Fixes are applied and listed.

Sample output

Output from running this Skill on a sample problem (the input is a hand-written sample; the output is the Skill's unedited response):

Input ([HAND-WRITTEN FICTIONAL SAMPLE - invented for testing.]):

I'm making about 40 illustrations for a children's picture-book style series about forest animals running a tiny post office - a fox, a hedgehog, a badger and some birds delivering letters. I want it to look like soft gouache painting on textured paper: warm muted colours (moss green, rust orange, cream, dusty blue), gentle morning light, simple rounded shapes, characters shown mostly full-body at eye level with plenty of space around them. Mood: calm and cozy. The images must never have text or letters drawn in them, no photo look, no scary or dark scenes. Square format.

Forest animals running a tiny post office, a picture-book series of about 40 illustrations | soft gouache on textured paper | calm and cozy | 12 lock phrases | 6 avoid phrases | SFW

## Essentials

- Subjects: a fox, a hedgehog, a badger and some birds running a tiny post office and delivering letters (given)
- Use: about 40 illustrations for a children's picture-book style series (given)
- Medium: soft gouache painting on textured paper (given)
- Colours: warm muted moss green, rust orange, cream and dusty blue (given)
- Light: gentle morning light (given). The light comes from the left (assumed).
- Shapes: simple rounded shapes (given)
- Framing: characters mostly full-body, at eye level, with plenty of space around them (given)
- Mood: calm and cozy (given)
- Must never have: "text or letters drawn in them", "no photo look", "no scary or dark scenes" (given)
- Format: square (given)
- Meaning of "letters": read as written letters of the alphabet. Envelopes and parcels may appear but stay blank (assumed).
- Characters per image: 1-3 (assumed)
- Tool: not named (assumed tool-neutral)

## Anchors

1. Subjects and use: forest animals (fox, hedgehog, badger, birds) running a tiny post office, about 40 picture-book illustrations (given)
2. Medium: soft gouache painting on textured paper, simple rounded shapes (given)
3. Mood words: calm, cozy (given)
4. Palette: moss green, rust orange, cream, dusty blue. Colours are warm and muted (given).
5. Light: gentle morning light (given), coming from the left (assumed)
6. Framing habit: mostly full-body, eye level, plenty of space around, square format (given)
7. Must-never list: text or letters drawn in, photo look, scary or dark scenes (given)

Working limits:
- Each lock phrase is 2-8 words.
- The whole lock is 60-96 words.
- Each avoid phrase is 1-4 words.
- A hyphenated word counts as one.

## Style lock

| ID | Slot | Phrase | Words | Checks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| L01* | MEDIUM | soft opaque gouache, visible brushstrokes | 5 | LEN, VAGUE, CONFLICT, LEAK, RIGHTS pass; 1b applied |
| L02 | MEDIUM | visible textured paper grain throughout | 5 | LEN, VAGUE, CONFLICT, LEAK, RIGHTS pass |
| L03 | LINE | simple rounded shapes | 3 | LEN, VAGUE, CONFLICT, LEAK, RIGHTS pass |
| L04 | LINE | soft painted edges, no outlines | 5 | LEN, VAGUE, CONFLICT, LEAK, RIGHTS pass |
| L05 | PALETTE | moss green, rust orange, cream, dusty blue | 7 | LEN, VAGUE, CONFLICT, LEAK, RIGHTS pass |
| L06 | PALETTE | warm muted low-saturation colours | 4 | LEN, VAGUE, CONFLICT, LEAK, RIGHTS pass; 3b DISPUTED |
| L07 | LIGHT | gentle warm morning light from the left | 7 | LEN, VAGUE, CONFLICT, LEAK, RIGHTS pass |
| L08* | SHADING | soft gradient shading, dusty-blue shadows | 5 | LEN, VAGUE, CONFLICT, LEAK, RIGHTS pass; 1a applied |
| L09 | FRAMING | full-body framing at eye level | 5 | LEN, VAGUE, CONFLICT, LEAK, RIGHTS pass; 2a NO CHANGE, flag |
| L10 | FRAMING | square frame, wide space around figures | 6 | LEN, VAGUE, CONFLICT, LEAK, RIGHTS pass |
| L11 | BACKGROUND | simple low-detail background, paler than figures | 6 | LEN, VAGUE, CONFLICT, LEAK, RIGHTS pass |
| L12* | MOOD | calm cozy unhurried atmosphere | 4 | LEN, VAGUE, CONFLICT, LEAK, RIGHTS pass; 3a applied |

Lock block (62 words):

```
soft opaque gouache, visible brushstrokes, visible textured paper grain throughout, simple rounded shapes, soft painted edges, no outlines, moss green, rust orange, cream, dusty blue, warm muted low-saturation colours, gentle warm morning light from the left, soft gradient shading, dusty-blue shadows, full-body framing at eye level, square frame, wide space around figures, simple low-detail background, paler than figures, calm cozy unhurried atmosphere
```

## Avoid phrases

| ID | Phrase | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A01 | written text or lettering | Must-never: "text or letters drawn in them". The wording keeps envelopes allowed. |
| A02 | photorealistic rendering | Must-never: "no photo look" |
| A03 | camera lens effects | Must-never: "no photo look" (bokeh, flare, lens blur) |
| A04 | dark or scary scenes | Must-never: "no scary or dark scenes" |
| A05 | deep black shadows | Must-never: "no scary or dark scenes". It also protects L08. |
| A06 | neon saturated colours | Would break L05 and L06 |

```
written text or lettering, photorealistic rendering, camera lens effects, dark or scary scenes, deep black shadows, neon saturated colours
```

## May change per image

- **M1 Character** (fox, hedgehog, badger, birds): name the animal and at most one clothing item. Keep clothing colours to the four palette colours.
- **M2 Pose and action** (sorting, carrying, flying, handing over): describe the action, not a camera move or zoom.
- **M3 Expression**: keep to gentle expressions (smiling, curious, sleepy) so the calm mood holds.
- **M4 Props** (envelopes, parcels, mailbags, stamps): always write "blank envelope" or "blank parcel" so no writing appears.
- **M5\* Setting content** (post-office counter, forest path, mailbox in a tree): name the place, not its lighting or weather. For indoor scenes add "window on the left" so the light matches L07.
- **M6 Number of characters** (1-3 per image, assumed): more figures shrink the space around them that L10 asks for.

## Example prompts

**E1\***
```
A fox postmaster in a rust-orange scarf handing a blank envelope across a small wooden post-office counter, window on the left, soft opaque gouache, visible brushstrokes, visible textured paper grain throughout, simple rounded shapes, soft painted edges, no outlines, moss green, rust orange, cream, dusty blue, warm muted low-saturation colours, gentle warm morning light from the left, soft gradient shading, dusty-blue shadows, full-body framing at eye level, square frame, wide space around figures, simple low-detail background, paler than figures, calm cozy unhurried atmosphere
Avoid: written text or lettering, photorealistic rendering, camera lens effects, dark or scary scenes, deep black shadows, neon saturated colours
```

**E2\***
```
A hedgehog pulling a small cart of blank envelopes along a mossy forest path, soft opaque gouache, visible brushstrokes, visible textured paper grain throughout, simple rounded shapes, soft painted edges, no outlines, moss green, rust orange, cream, dusty blue, warm muted low-saturation colours, gentle warm morning light from the left, soft gradient shading, dusty-blue shadows, full-body framing at eye level, square frame, wide space around figures, simple low-detail background, paler than figures, calm cozy unhurried atmosphere
Avoid: written text or lettering, photorealistic rendering, camera lens effects, dark or scary scenes, deep black shadows, neon saturated colours
```

**E3\***
```
Two small birds flying side by side carrying a blank envelope tied with string above a forest clearing, soft opaque gouache, visible brushstrokes, visible textured paper grain throughout, simple rounded shapes, soft painted edges, no outlines, moss green, rust orange, cream, dusty blue, warm muted low-saturation colours, gentle warm morning light from the left, soft gradient shading, dusty-blue shadows, full-body framing at eye level, square frame, wide space around figures, simple low-detail background, paler than figures, calm cozy unhurried atmosphere
Avoid: written text or lettering, photorealistic rendering, camera lens effects, dark or scary scenes, deep black shadows, neon saturated colours
```

## Validation

1. **Counts**: 12 lock phrases. Slot counts match the table:
   - MEDIUM 2 [L01, L02]
   - LINE 2 [L03, L04]
   - PALETTE 2 [L05, L06]
   - LIGHT 1 [L07]
   - SHADING 1 [L08]
   - FRAMING 2 [L09, L10]
   - BACKGROUND 1 [L11]
   - MOOD 1 [L12]

   There are 6 avoid phrases, 6 may-change items and 3 example prompts. Every phrase fits its slot definition. L01 "visible brushstrokes" describes the rendering method, so it stays in MEDIUM.
2. **[LEN]**: PASS. The words are counted per row in the tables above.
   - All lock phrases are 3-7 words, inside 2-8.
   - All avoid phrases are 2-4 words, inside 1-4.
   - The whole lock is 62 words, inside 60-96.
   - The pre-review total was 62. Phase 4 changes: L01 +1, L08 -1, L12 0. 62 + 1 - 1 + 0 = 62.
3. **[VAGUE]**: PASS. There are no praise or quality words. "soft", "gentle" and "cozy" each describe something visible: low edge contrast, low light contrast, and the mood slot.
4. **[CONFLICT]**: PASS, with three pairs explained:
   - L06 "warm" vs L05 "dusty blue": the blue is muted and acts as an accent, so they do not clash.
   - L07 warm light vs L08 dusty-blue shadows: warm light with cool shadows is consistent.
   - L01 "visible brushstrokes" vs L04 "soft painted edges": the strokes sit inside the shapes and the edges stay soft.

   No lock phrase asks for anything A01-A06 bans. L08 does not conflict with A05.
5. **[LEAK]**: PASS. "figures" in L10 and L11 is a generic framing reference and names no subject. "morning" in L07 is a fixed time of day the user asked for, not setting content.
6. **[RIGHTS]**: PASS. No artist, studio, brand, franchise, game or character name appears anywhere.
7. **SFW and must-never**: PASS.
   - "text or letters drawn in them" -> A01
   - "no photo look" -> A02, A03
   - "no scary or dark scenes" -> A04, A05

Phase 3 change list: no changes needed.

Counts line: 12 lock, 6 avoid, 6 may-change, 3 examples, lock 62 words (final version, after Phase 4 changes).

## Review lenses

### Findings per lens

**Lens 1 - Drift Hunter**
- **1a** [L08] "soft gradient shading with pale shadows": the shadow colour is unspecified. Across 20 subjects it will wander between grey, brown and near-black. Proposal: "soft gradient shading, dusty-blue shadows".
- **1b** [L01] "soft opaque gouache painting": brush-mark visibility is unspecified. It will wander between smooth digital fills and heavy strokes. Proposal: "soft opaque gouache, visible brushstrokes".

**Lens 2 - Conflict Checker**
- **2a** [L09] "full-body framing at eye level": the user wrote "mostly full-body". A fixed lock blocks the occasional closer shot. Proposal: no lock change, only a Notes line on swapping L09 for single exceptions.
- **2b** [L07, M5] "gentle warm morning light from the left" vs M5 "name the place, not its lighting or weather": indoor post-office scenes have no stated light source. They will drift to overhead or lamp light. Proposal: add to M5 "for indoor scenes add 'window on the left'", and add "window on the left" to E1.

**Lens 3 - Plain-Word Editor**
- **3a** [L12] "calm cozy storybook feeling": "storybook" can be read as a genre or as an object, and a tool may draw a book. Proposal: "calm cozy unhurried atmosphere".
- **3b** [L06] "warm muted low-saturation colours": "muted" and "low-saturation" say the same thing, so the adjectives are stacked. Proposal: "warm, low-saturation colours".

**Lens 4 - Rights & Safety Scout**
- **4a** [A01, E1, E2, E3] "written text or lettering": the must-never is covered by A01. However, the draft examples say "an envelope", "envelopes" and "an envelope tied with string" without "blank". In a mail story these invite drawn addresses and stamps with writing, which breaches "text or letters drawn in them" and contradicts M4. Proposal: add "blank" to the envelope in E1, E2 and E3.
- No hidden artist, brand, franchise or real-person references found.

### Cross-check

`[1a, L08] Lens 2: corroborate - "pale shadows" next to warm L07 light can tip into brown or grey that fights L05 / Lens 3: corroborate - "pale" reads as either a colour or a strength / Lens 4: no challenge`

`[1b, L01] Lens 2: no challenge / Lens 3: no challenge / Lens 4: no challenge`

`[2a, L09] Lens 1: no challenge / Lens 3: no challenge / Lens 4: no challenge`

`[2b, L07, M5] Lens 1: corroborate - an unstated indoor light source is a drift point across the counter scenes / Lens 3: no challenge / Lens 4: no challenge`

`[3a, L12] Lens 1: corroborate - a drawn book would be a stray prop that changes image to image / Lens 2: no challenge / Lens 4: no challenge`

`[3b, L06] Lens 1: no challenge / Lens 2: challenge - the paragraph says "warm muted colours", so "muted" is the user's own word, and the overlap reinforces the low saturation / Lens 4: no challenge`

`[4a, A01, E1, E2, E3] Lens 1: corroborate - written envelopes would also raise the detail level image to image / Lens 2: corroborate - the draft examples contradict the M4 note / Lens 3: no challenge`

### Verdict

- **1a** CORROBORATED (applied) - L08
- **1b** CONFIRMED (applied) - L01
- **2a** NO CHANGE, flag (see Notes) - L09
- **2b** CORROBORATED (applied) - M5, E1
- **3a** CORROBORATED (applied) - L12
- **3b** DISPUTED - L06.
  - Lens 3: "muted" duplicates "low-saturation"; drop it.
  - Lens 2: "muted" is the user's word ("warm muted colours") and reinforces the look.
  - Not applied. The user decides.
- **4a** CORROBORATED (applied) - E1, E2, E3

Phase 3 was re-run on the changed items, and all seven checks pass. Lock total: 62 words.

**Recommendation**
[E1, E2, E3] Run these three as the first test, since they cover three different subjects with the final lock.
- E1: 4a CORROBORATED (applied), 2b CORROBORATED (applied). It contains L06 (3b DISPUTED) and L09 (2a NO CHANGE, flag (see Notes)).
- E2: 4a CORROBORATED (applied). It contains L06 (3b DISPUTED) and L09 (2a NO CHANGE, flag (see Notes)).
- E3: 4a CORROBORATED (applied). It contains L06 (3b DISPUTED) and L09 (2a NO CHANGE, flag (see Notes)).

### Changes applied

- L01: "soft opaque gouache painting" -> "soft opaque gouache, visible brushstrokes" [1b] (Words 4 -> 5)
- L08: "soft gradient shading with pale shadows" -> "soft gradient shading, dusty-blue shadows" [1a] (Words 6 -> 5)
- L12: "calm cozy storybook feeling" -> "calm cozy unhurried atmosphere" [3a] (Words 4 -> 4)
- M5: "Setting content (post-office counter, forest path, mailbox in a tree): name the place, not its lighting or weather." -> "Setting content (post-office counter, forest path, mailbox in a tree): name the place, not its lighting or weather. For indoor scenes add "window on the left" so the light matches L07." [2b]
- E1 subject part: "A fox postmaster in a rust-orange scarf handing an envelope across a small wooden post-office counter" -> "A fox postmaster in a rust-orange scarf handing a blank envelope across a small wooden post-office counter, window on the left" [4a, 2b]
- E2 subject part: "A hedgehog pulling a small cart of envelopes along a mossy forest path" -> "A hedgehog pulling a small cart of blank envelopes along a mossy forest path" [4a]
- E3 subject part: "Two small birds flying side by side carrying an envelope tied with string above a forest clearing" -> "Two small birds flying side by side carrying a blank envelope tied with string above a forest clearing" [4a]
- All three examples: the lock block updated to the final L01, L08 and L12 [1a, 1b, 3a]

Changed: 7 items [L01, L08, L12, M5, E1, E2, E3]. Lock total 62 words.

## Notes

- **Assumptions to confirm:**
  - Light from the left (L07, M5)
  - "letters" means written text only, so blank envelopes are allowed (A01, M4)
  - 1-3 characters per image (M6)
- **3b, the user decides:** keep L06 as "warm muted low-saturation colours" or shorten it to "warm, low-saturation colours".
- **2a flag:** "mostly full-body" leaves room for a few closer shots. For those single images, replace L09 in that prompt only, for example with "waist-up framing at eye level". Expect slightly more drift in those images.
- **Avoid phrases:** tools handle them differently. Some have a separate negative field, some read "Avoid:" as plain text, and some ignore it.
- **3-image test:**
  - Run E1, E2 and E3 with the same lock unchanged.
  - Compare line and edges (L03, L04), palette (L05, L06), light (L07, L08) and background (L11).
  - Fix the slot that drifted most first, then re-test.
- **Honest limit:** this lock is text only. It cannot prove consistency on your tool, and the rights check is from memory, not legal advice.
- **Offer:** I can write a second lock for a different series, tighten this one from the test results you describe, or make a shorter lock for tools with short prompts.

Use cases

• Keeping one look across a picture-book, sticker, thumbnail or character series
• Finding which style words in your current prompt contradict each other
• Replacing 'in the style of ' with plain visual qualities
• Separating what must stay fixed from what can change in each prompt

FAQ

Does it generate images? No. It writes the style block as text. Run the 3 example prompts in your own tool and tighten the slot that drifted.

Which image tool does it target? None in particular. Phrases are plain language; it does not state any tool's parameter or weight syntax. Check your tool's documentation for negative prompts.

How does it handle artist or brand styles? It never writes living artists', studios', brands' or franchises' names into the lock and describes visual qualities (line, palette, shading) instead. It cannot guarantee that generated images will not resemble an existing work; rights checks are from memory and are not legal advice.

Is it safe for work? It writes SFW phrases only and refuses requests for phrases meant to reproduce a real person's face. What your image tool generates is outside its control.

Which tools? Written for SKILL.md agents: Claude Code, Codex CLI and OpenClaw. One-time download, no hosting, no API key, no network calls.