Macos App Icon Prompt

Prompt Requirements

By default, make the prompt specific, visual, and directly usable.

Always make sure the prompt asks for:

• a 1:1 aspect ratio
• a square composition
• one centered object
• comfortable padding around the object
• a clean background that is easy to separate later

Unless the user asks otherwise, bias toward:

• premium macOS icon craftsmanship
• calm Apple-like polish
• a single icon object
• restrained colors
• no mockup
• no text
• no UI
• no app-store tile
• no extra scene dressing

Human-in-the-Loop Workflow

When the user wants the full workflow, follow these steps:

1. Write the prompt.
2. Copy it to the clipboard with pbcopy.
3. Open Gemini immediately in the browser.
4. The user pastes the prompt into Gemini and generates images.
5. Iterate on the prompt without reopening the browser each time.
6. Once the user downloads a result, assume it lands in ~/Downloads.
7. Open Figma in the browser for the user to do manual background cleanup and upscaling there.
8. Open Icon Composer on macOS for the cleaned export.
9. The user saves the Icon Composer project under the project assets/ folder and exports the final icon there.
10. Wire the finished icon into the app.

If the user wants a faster Icon Composer setup:

11. Use the bundled template at assets/icon-composer/icon.json.template.
12. Use the bundled script at scripts/create_icon_composer_project.py to generate a clean .icon project from the cleaned PNG.
13. Prefer this script over hand-building the .icon bundle when the user wants speed and repeatability.

Workflow Rules

• do not create a helper script in the repo for this workflow unless the user explicitly asks for one
• when opening Figma for cleanup, also open Finder in the folder that contains the downloaded image so the user can drag it in
• when opening Icon Composer, also open Finder in the folder that contains the cleaned export so the user can drag it in
• whenever the user needs to drag a file into another app, open the relevant Finder folder too
• after the Icon Composer export, rename random PNG filenames in assets/ to a clean stable name before wiring the icon into the app
• when bootstrapping Icon Composer from a cleaned PNG, create the .icon bundle outside the repo only if the user asks; otherwise prefer the project assets/ folder
• after generating the .icon bundle, open both the .icon project and its Finder location so the user can export immediately

Bundled Icon Composer Bootstrap

Use the bundled script when the user has already cleaned the PNG and wants to jump straight into Icon Composer.

Command:

python3 /Users/oli/projects/agent-toolkit/skills/macos-app-icon-prompt/scripts/create_icon_composer_project.py \
  --source ~/Downloads/cleaned-icon.png \
  --output /absolute/path/to/project/assets/MyApp.icon \
  --name "My App" \
  --open

Behavior:

• copies the cleaned PNG into the .icon bundle with a stable filename
• writes icon.json from the bundled template
• opens the generated .icon project in Icon Composer
• reveals the project in Finder

Use --force only when replacing an existing .icon bundle intentionally.

Strong Default Prompt Pattern

Use this structure unless the user asks for another direction:

Prompt:
Create a premium macOS app icon object for "[APP NAME OR CONCEPT]".

Show a single centered symbol only: [SYMBOL DESCRIPTION].

Style:
- Apple-like macOS icon craftsmanship
- calm, polished, premium finish
- gentle depth
- clean rounded edges
- crisp silhouette
- restrained material treatment

Color:
- restrained palette
- low saturation
- mostly off-white, soft gray, muted blue-gray
- tiny accent color only if needed

Composition:
- 1:1 aspect ratio
- square composition
- centered object
- comfortable padding
- single floating object
- no app icon tile
- no pedestal
- no scene
- no mockup
- no text
- no watermark

Background:
- perfectly uniform solid black background
- no gradient
- no texture
- no haze
- no vignette
- no background shadow
- easy to separate later

Negative prompt:
futuristic, sci-fi, holographic, neon glow, rainbow colors, app icon tile, rounded square base, pedestal, scene, mockup, text, watermark, UI, extra objects, clipart, cartoon, cheap 3D