# `_design_handoff/` — Snapshot Staging Area

This top-level folder is a **staging area for files we hand to external design
tools** (e.g. Claude Design, Figma plugins, UX consultants). Each subfolder is
a curated, self-contained snapshot of a feature's relevant source — schema
records, content JSON, screen code — so the design tool gets enough context
to redesign without seeing the entire codebase.

## What this folder is NOT

- **Not source code.** Nothing in here is referenced by any `.csproj`,
  imported by any namespace, or executed by the game. Deleting the entire
  folder would not affect `dotnet build` or `dotnet test`.
- **Not authoritative.** Everything is a copy. The originals — under
  `Theriapolis.*/` and `Content/Data/` — are canonical. If a design discussion
  motivates a code change, edit the original, not the snapshot.
- **Not auto-refreshed.** Snapshots are taken manually (see each subfolder's
  `MANIFEST.md` for the file list and refresh command). They go stale the
  moment the originals change.

## For future Claude Code sessions

If you grep the repo and hit a match under `_design_handoff/`, treat it as
documentation, not as a second copy of the same file to edit. Only edit the
canonical path under `Theriapolis.*` / `Content/`. To bring a snapshot back in
sync, follow the refresh command in that subfolder's `MANIFEST.md`.

It's safe to delete any subfolder once the design conversation it was created
for has wrapped up. Each subfolder is independent.

## Current contents

- **`character_creation/`** — Phase 5 M2 character creation flow snapshot.
  Created 2026-04-25 for Claude Design redesign of the single-screen
  `CharacterCreationScreen`. See its `README.md` for context.