---
title: Embellishment drift
summary: >-
  A zero-shot UI pass ignores design-system restraint, adds ornamental chrome,
  and assumes a single theme, then gets rewritten into restrained, dual-theme
  output.
agent_summary: >
  This example shows a first-pass interface drifting toward ornamental styling
  and missing dark/light readiness before JudgmentKit rewrites it into a
  restrained, design-system-first, theme-complete output.
canonical_url: /docs/examples/embellishment-drift
page_type: example
related_resources:
  - /resources/examples/embellishment-drift.v1.json
related_schemas:
  - /schemas/example.schema.json
  - /schemas/verdict.schema.json
last_reviewed: '2026-04-11'
---
# Embellishment drift

A zero-shot UI pass ignores design-system restraint, adds ornamental chrome, and assumes a single theme, then gets rewritten into restrained, dual-theme output.

> Agent summary: This example shows a first-pass interface drifting toward ornamental styling and missing dark/light readiness before JudgmentKit rewrites it into a restrained, design-system-first, theme-complete output.


## Headings
- ## Scenario
- ## Raw decision or output
- ## What JudgmentKit detected
- ## What action was taken
- ## Corrected result
- ## Why the correction matters
- ## Related workflow and guardrails
- ## JSON artifact links

## Scenario

A product team asks for a first-pass analytics workbench, points to an existing design system, and leaves the style direction mostly open.

## Raw decision or output

`Create a premium analytics console using our design system but give it glass cards, oversized rounded corners, layered gradients, heavy drop shadows, pill buttons, and light mode only.`

## What JudgmentKit detected

- ornamental chrome is replacing structural hierarchy in a zero-shot pass
- the request is overriding the design system instead of following it
- the output assumes a single theme when light and dark mode are expected by default
- the styling language is drifting away from approved system primitives

## What action was taken

The workflow first asks whether the referenced design system is accessibility-reviewed. Once that is confirmed, it rewrites the request into a restrained first pass that stays inside approved surfaces, typography, spacing, radius, elevation, and theme tokens.

## Corrected result

`Confirm the referenced design system is accessibility-reviewed, then generate a restrained first-pass analytics workbench using the system's approved surfaces, typography, spacing, radius, and elevation tokens. Keep decorative styling out of the zero-shot pass, and provide light and dark theme variants unless the brief or the system explicitly scopes otherwise.`

## Why the correction matters

The goal is not to ban style. It is to keep the first pass useful and accountable. Designers can ask for art direction later, but the zero-shot output should not spend trust on gradients, shadows, or giant radii before it proves the structure works, and it should not treat an unreviewed design system as automatically safe.

## Related workflow and guardrails

- Workflow: `/docs/workflows/ai-ui-generation`
- Guardrail: `/docs/guardrails/design-system-integrity`

## JSON artifact links

- Example resource: `/resources/examples/embellishment-drift.v1.json`
- Schema: `/schemas/example.schema.json`

## Related pages
- /docs/workflows/ai-ui-generation
- /docs/guardrails/design-system-integrity
- /docs/examples/ui-generation-drift

## Related resources
- /resources/examples/embellishment-drift.v1.json

## Related schemas
- /schemas/example.schema.json
- /schemas/verdict.schema.json