animation-vocabulary Skill for Claude: What It Does and How to Install It

Turns a loose description of a web animation into its exact name, so you know what to ask Claude or a designer for.

Installs: 255.3K; on skills.sh
Stars: 52.7K; on GitHub
Updated: Oct 2026; last repo commit

animation-vocabulary is a lookup glossary for motion effects. You describe what you see, like "the bouncy thing when a popover opens", and Claude returns the exact term, here Pop in, plus one or two close alternates with a note on how they differ. It quotes the glossary's own definitions and says so when nothing matches exactly.

It is for naming an effect, not designing or building one. Use it when you ask "what's it called when...". If you invoke it without a question, it replies with one ready line and waits. It is a single SKILL.md with no scripts.

Good for

Developers who can describe an effect but not name it
Designers writing precise prompts for AI tools
Non-designers briefing a front-end developer

Install animation-vocabulary

Claude Code

Copy this prompt.

Install the animation-vocabulary skill in Claude Code. Run this command:

npx skills add https://github.com/emilkowalski/skills --skill animation-vocabulary

Then check that it loaded and tell me how to use it.

2
Paste it into Claude Code. It shows the change and asks before running it.

Requires Node.js.

From its listing on skills.sh. Source.

What's in the skill

When it loads

Reverse-lookup glossary that turns a vague description of a web animation or motion effect into its exact term ("the bouncy thing when a popover opens" → Pop in; "the iOS rubber-band scroll" → Rubber-banding). Use when the user asks "what's it called when…", or describes a motion effect without knowing its name and wants the right word to prompt an AI or designer with. For naming an effect, not designing or building one.

Sections in SKILL.md

Initial Response
Quick Start
Instructions
Examples
Glossary
Entrances & Exits — how elements appear and disappear
Sequencing & Timing — coordinating multiple elements or moments
Movement & Transforms — changing an element's position, size, or angle
Transitions Between States — connecting one state, view, or element to another
Scroll — motion tied to scrolling or navigating between views
Feedback & Interaction — responding to the user's actions
Easing — how speed changes over an animation
Spring Animations — physics-based motion as an alternative to fixed-duration easing
Looping & Ambient Motion — animations that run on their own
Polish & Effects — the small touches that separate good from great
Performance — what keeps motion smooth instead of stuttering

Key facts

Author: emilkowalski
Repo: emilkowalski/skills (skills/animation-vocabulary)
Installs on skills.sh: 255,299 (Nov 2026)
GitHub stars: 52,705 (Nov 2026)
License: MIT
Last repo commit: Oct 28, 2026
Files in the skill folder: 1 including SKILL.md
skills.sh audits: Gen Agent Trust Hub: pass, Socket: pass, Snyk: pass

What it includes

You say what you see or feel; Claude maps it to a glossary term
Describe the effect
Contrasts pairs such as Clip-path vs Mask or Pop in vs Bounce
Disambiguate close terms
Terms for how elements appear and disappear
Entrances and exits
Terms for coordinating several elements, such as stagger
Sequencing and timing
Position, size and angle changes
Movement and transforms
Morph, crossfade, shared element transition and similar
Transitions between states
Motion tied to scrolling or navigating between views
Scroll
Responses to clicks, hovers and presses
Feedback and interaction
How speed changes, and physics-based alternatives to fixed durations
Easing and springs
Ambient loops, finishing touches and what keeps motion smooth
Looping, polish and performance

From the official docs

Questions

How do I install animation-vocabulary?

Use the install box above. It is one skill in the emilkowalski/skills repo.

How do I use it?

Describe the effect in plain words, such as the SKILL.md example "The thing where one image turns into another image." Claude answers with the term (Morph in that example) and, if several fit, one or two alternates with a note on how they differ.

Will it build the animation for me?

No. SKILL.md says it is for naming an effect, not designing or building one. Use the name in your next prompt. The apple-design skill in the same repo gives rules for fluid, gesture-driven motion.

What if the effect is not in the glossary?

Claude is told to name the closest term and say it is an approximation, or describe the effect using glossary words. It should not invent a term.

Does it need scripts or an API key?

No. It bundles no scripts and asks for no key.

Information

updated Nov 2, 2026

Repository: emilkowalski/skills
Folder: skills/animation-vocabulary

emilkowalski/skills skills.sh

Sources

Docs, issue trackers and discussions this page is built from.

Show all 2

animation-vocabulary SKILL.md · github.com
apple-design SKILL.md · github.com