@tenphi/tasty 0.0.0-snapshot.f5e7305 → 0.0.0-snapshot.f60eafb

package/README.md

@@ -5,8 +5,8 @@
 <h1 align="center">Tasty</h1>
 
 <p align="center">
-  <strong>The styling engine built for design systems.</strong><br>
-  Deterministic CSS generation. State-aware DSL. Zero specificity conflicts. Ever.
+  <strong>Deterministic styling for stateful component systems.</strong><br>
+  A design-system styling engine that compiles component states into mutually exclusive selectors, so complex components stay predictable as they evolve.
 </p>
 
 <p align="center">
@@ -17,23 +17,44 @@
 
 ---
 
-Most CSS-in-JS libraries emit rules that compete through cascade and specificity. Tasty emits **mutually exclusive CSS selectors** — for any component state combination, exactly one selector matches each property at a time. No cascade conflicts, no specificity wars, no `!important` escapes. Components compose and extend without breaking each other.
+Tasty is a styling engine for design systems that generates deterministic CSS for stateful components.
 
-That guarantee unlocks a concise, CSS-like DSL where design tokens, custom units, responsive states, container queries, sub-element styling, and theming all compose without surprises — one coherent system that scales from a single component to an enterprise design system.
+It compiles state maps into **mutually exclusive selectors**, so for a given property and component state, one branch wins by construction instead of competing through cascade and specificity.
+
+That is the core guarantee: component styling resolves from declared state logic, not from source-order accidents or specificity fights.
+
+The practical payoff shows up later: adding states, variants, and overrides stays inside the state map instead of reopening selector logic by hand.
+
+Tasty fits best when you are building a design system or component library with intersecting states, variants, tokens, sub-elements, responsive rules, and extension semantics that need to stay predictable over time.
+
+On top of that foundation, Tasty gives teams a governed styling model: a CSS-like DSL, tokens, recipes, typed style props, sub-elements, and multiple rendering modes.
+
+- **New here?** Start with [Comparison](docs/comparison.md) if you are evaluating fit.
+- **Adopting Tasty?** Read the [Adoption Guide](docs/adoption.md).
+- **Want the mechanism first?** Jump to [How It Actually Works](#how-it-actually-works).
+- **Ready to build?** Go to [Getting Started](docs/getting-started.md).
 
 ## Why Tasty
 
-- **Deterministic at any scale** — Exclusive selector generation eliminates the entire class of cascade/specificity bugs. Every state combination resolves to exactly one CSS rule per property. Refactor freely. See [How It Actually Works](#how-it-actually-works).
-- **AI-friendly by design** — Style definitions are declarative, self-contained, and structurally consistent. AI tools can read, understand, and refactor even advanced state bindings as confidently as a human — because there's no hidden cascade logic or implicit ordering to second-guess.
-- **DSL that feels like CSS** — Property names you already know (`padding`, `color`, `display`) with syntax sugar that removes boilerplate. Learn the DSL in minutes, not days. See [Style Properties](docs/styles.md).
-- **CSS properties as normal component props** — `styleProps` lets you expose selected styles as typed React props. Use `<Button placeSelf="end">` or `<Space flow="row" gap="2x">` without extra wrappers, utility classes, or `styles` overrides. The same props also accept state maps, so responsive values work with the same API. See [CSS properties as props](#css-properties-as-props).
-- **Design-system native** — Color tokens (`#primary`), spacing units (`2x`), typography presets (`h1`, `t2`), border radius (`1r`), and recipes are first-class primitives, not afterthoughts. See [Configuration](docs/configuration.md).
-- **Near-complete modern CSS coverage** — Media queries, container queries, `@supports`, `:has()`, `@starting-style`, `@property`, `@keyframes`, etc. Some features that don't fit Tasty's component model (such as `@layer` and `!important`) are intentionally omitted, but real-world use cases are covered almost completely.
-- **Runtime, zero-runtime, or SSR — your call** — Use `tasty()` for dynamic React components with runtime injection, `tastyStatic()` with the Babel plugin for zero-runtime CSS extraction, or enable SSR with zero-cost client hydration for Next.js, Astro, or any React framework (experimental). Same DSL, same tokens, same output.
-- **Only generate what is used** — In runtime mode, Tasty injects CSS on demand for mounted components/variants, so your app avoids shipping style rules for UI states that are never rendered.
-- **Runtime performance that holds at scale** — The runtime path is tested against enterprise-scale applications and tuned with multi-level caching, chunk-level style reuse, style garbage collection, and a dedicated injector.
-- **Composable and extensible by design** — Extend any component's styles with proper merge semantics, and evolve built-in behavior through configuration and plugins.
-- **TypeScript-first** — Full type definitions, module augmentation for custom properties, and autocomplete for tokens, presets, and themes. See [Configuration](docs/configuration.md).
+- **Deterministic composition, not cascade fights** — Stateful styles resolve from the state map you declared, not from selector competition. See [How It Actually Works](#how-it-actually-works).
+- **Easier to extend over time** — When components gain new states, variants, or overrides, you update declared branches instead of re-deriving selector interactions by hand.
+- **Built for design-system teams** — Best fit for reusable component systems with complex state interactions.
+- **A governed styling model, not just syntax sugar** — Design-system authors define the styling language product teams consume.
+- **DSL that still feels like CSS** — Familiar property names, less selector boilerplate. Start with the [Style DSL](docs/dsl.md), then use [Style Properties](docs/styles.md) as the handler reference.
+
+### Supporting capabilities
+
+- **Typed style props and mod props** — `styleProps` exposes selected CSS properties as typed React props (`<Space flow="row" gap="2x">`); `modProps` does the same for modifier keys (`<Button isLoading size="large">`). Both support state maps and full TypeScript autocomplete. See [Style Props](#style-props) and [Mod Props](#mod-props).
+- **Server-compatible by default, zero client JS in server-only contexts** — All `tasty()` components and style functions are hook-free. In server-only rendering (Next.js RSC, Astro without islands, SSG), they produce zero client JavaScript with the full feature set. Add SSR integration only when your app also has client-side hydration. Use `tastyStatic()` only when you need build-time extraction without React.
+- **Broad modern CSS coverage** — Media queries, container queries, `@supports`, `:has()`, `@starting-style`, `@property`, `@keyframes`, and more. Features that do not fit the component model (such as `@layer` and `!important`) are intentionally left out.
+- **Performance and caching** — Runtime mode injects CSS on demand, reuses chunks aggressively, and relies on multi-level caching so large component systems stay practical.
+- **TypeScript-first and AI-friendly** — Style definitions are declarative, structurally consistent, and fully typed, which helps both humans and tooling understand advanced stateful styles without hidden cascade logic.
+
+## Why It Exists
+
+Modern component styling becomes fragile when multiple selectors can still win for the same property. Hover, disabled, theme, breakpoint, parent state, and root state rules start competing through specificity and source order.
+
+Tasty replaces that competition with explicit state-map resolution. Each property compiles into mutually exclusive branches, so component styling stays deterministic as systems grow. For the full mechanism, jump to [How It Actually Works](#how-it-actually-works).
 
 ## Installation
 
@@ -41,6 +62,30 @@ That guarantee unlocks a concise, CSS-like DSL where design tokens, custom units
 pnpm add @tenphi/tasty
 ```
 
+Requirements:
+
+- Node.js 20+
+- React 18+ (peer dependency for the React entry points)
+- `pnpm`, `npm`, or `yarn`
+
+Other package managers:
+
+```bash
+npm add @tenphi/tasty
+yarn add @tenphi/tasty
+```
+
+## Start Here
+
+For the fuller docs map beyond the quick routes above, start here:
+
+- **[Comparison](docs/comparison.md)** — read this first if you are evaluating whether Tasty fits your team's styling model
+- **[Adoption Guide](docs/adoption.md)** — understand who Tasty is for, where it fits, and how to introduce it incrementally
+- **[Getting Started](docs/getting-started.md)** — the canonical onboarding path: install, first component, optional shared `configure()`, ESLint, editor tooling, and rendering mode selection
+- **[Style rendering pipeline](docs/pipeline.md)** — see the selector model behind deterministic style resolution
+- **[Docs Hub](docs/README.md)** — choose docs by role and task: runtime, zero-runtime, runtime SSR integration, design-system authoring, internals, and debugging
+- **[Methodology](docs/methodology.md)** — the recommended component model and public API conventions for design-system code
+
 ## Quick Start
 
 ### Create a styled component
@@ -53,11 +98,12 @@ const Card = tasty({
   styles: {
     display: 'flex',
     flow: 'column',
-    padding: '4x',
-    gap: '2x',
-    fill: '#surface',
-    border: '#border bottom',
-    radius: '1r',
+    padding: '24px',
+    gap: '12px',
+    fill: 'white',
+    color: '#222',
+    border: '1px solid #ddd',
+    radius: '12px',
   },
 });
 
@@ -65,7 +111,11 @@ const Card = tasty({
 <Card>Hello World</Card>
 ```
 
-Every value maps to CSS you'd recognize — but with tokens and units that keep your design system consistent by default.
+Every value maps to CSS you'd recognize. This example is intentionally a simple first contact, not a tour of the whole DSL.
+
+When you want a more design-system-shaped authoring model, Tasty also supports built-in units, tokens, recipes, state aliases, and color values such as `okhsl(...)` without extra runtime libraries.
+
+Use `configure()` when you want to define shared tokens, state aliases, recipes, or other conventions for your app or design system. For a fuller onboarding path, follow [Getting Started](docs/getting-started.md).
 
 ### Add state-driven styles
 
@@ -112,7 +162,7 @@ const DangerButton = tasty(Button, {
 
 Child styles merge with parent styles intelligently — state maps can extend or replace parent states per-property.
 
-### Configure once, use everywhere
+### Optional: configure shared conventions
 
 ```tsx
 import { configure } from '@tenphi/tasty';
@@ -129,70 +179,56 @@ configure({
 });
 ```
 
-Predefined states turn complex selector logic into single tokens. Use `@mobile` instead of writing media query expressions in every component.
+Use `configure()` once when your app or design system needs shared aliases, tokens, recipes, or parser extensions. Predefined states turn complex selector logic into single tokens, so teams can write `@mobile` instead of repeating media query expressions in every component.
 
-### CSS properties as props
+### Props as the public API
 
-With `styleProps`, a component can expose the styles you choose as normal typed props. That means you can adjust layout, spacing, alignment, or positioning right where the component is used, instead of introducing wrapper elements or reaching for a separate styling API.
-
-This is especially good for prototyping and fast UI iteration: you can shape interfaces quickly, while still staying inside a typed, design-system-aware component API that scales to production.
-
-```tsx
-import { tasty, FLOW_STYLES, POSITION_STYLES } from '@tenphi/tasty';
-
-const Space = tasty({
-  styles: {
-    display: 'flex',
-    flow: 'column',
-    gap: '1x',
-  },
-  styleProps: FLOW_STYLES,
-});
-
-const Button = tasty({
-  as: 'button',
-  styles: {
-    padding: '1.5x 3x',
-    fill: '#primary',
-    color: '#primary-text',
-    radius: true,
-  },
-  styleProps: POSITION_STYLES,
-});
-```
-
-Now you can compose layout and tweak component positioning directly in JSX:
+`styleProps` exposes selected CSS properties as typed React props, and `modProps` does the same for modifier keys. Together they let design systems define a governed, typed component API without wrapper elements or `styles` overrides:
 
 ```tsx
 <Space flow="row" gap="2x" placeItems="center">
-  <Title>Dashboard</Title>
-  <Button placeSelf="end">Add Item</Button>
+  <Button isLoading size="large" placeSelf="end">Submit</Button>
 </Space>
 ```
 
-The same props also support state maps, so responsive values use the exact same API:
+See [Style Props](#style-props) and [Mod Props](#mod-props) below, or the full reference in [React API](docs/react-api.md#style-props).
 
-```tsx
-<Space
-  flow={{ '': 'column', '@tablet': 'row' }}
-  gap={{ '': '2x', '@tablet': '4x' }}
->
-  <Sidebar />
-  <Content />
-</Space>
-```
+## Choose a Styling Approach
+
+Once you understand the component model, pick the rendering mode that matches your app.
 
-Layout components can expose flow props. Buttons can expose positioning props. Each component can offer only the style props that make sense for its role, while still keeping tokens, custom units, and state maps fully typed. This works in runtime `tasty()` components, not in `tastyStatic()`.
+| Approach | Entry point | Best for | Trade-off |
+|----------|-------------|----------|-----------|
+| **Runtime (default)** | `tasty()` from `@tenphi/tasty` | All React apps — server-rendered by default, zero client JS until you need interactivity | Full feature set; CSS computed during React rendering (server or client) |
+| **Runtime + SSR integration** | Add `@tenphi/tasty/ssr/*` | Apps with client-side hydration (Next.js client components, Astro islands) | Adds CSS deduplication, FOUC prevention, and client cache hydration |
+| **Zero-runtime** | `tastyStatic()` from `@tenphi/tasty/static` | Non-React frameworks or when you need build-time extraction without React | Requires the Babel plugin; no component-level `styleProps` or runtime-only APIs |
+
+All `tasty()` components are hook-free and work as React Server Components. In server-only contexts — Next.js RSC without `'use client'`, Astro without `client:*` directives, and other SSG setups — they produce the same end result as `tastyStatic()` (static HTML + CSS, zero client JavaScript) but with the full feature set including `styleProps`, sub-elements, and variants. SSR integration is only needed when your app also has client-side rendering. See [Getting Started](docs/getting-started.md#choosing-a-rendering-mode), [Zero Runtime](docs/tasty-static.md), and [Server-Side Rendering](docs/ssr.md).
 
 ## How It Actually Works
 
 This is the core idea that makes everything else possible.
 
-Traditional CSS has two structural problems.
+For the end-to-end architecture — parsing state keys, building exclusive conditions, merging by output, and materializing selectors and at-rules — see **[Style rendering pipeline](docs/pipeline.md)**.
+
+### The structural problem with normal CSS
 
 First, the **cascade** resolves conflicts by specificity and source order: when multiple selectors match, the one with the highest specificity wins, or — if specificity is equal — the last one in source order wins. That makes styles inherently fragile. Reordering imports, adding a media query, or composing components from different libraries can silently break styling.
 
-Second, **authoring selectors that capture real-world state logic is fundamentally hard.** A single state like "dark mode" may depend on a root attribute, an OS preference, or both — each branch needing its own selector, proper negation of competing branches, and correct `@media` nesting. The example below shows the CSS you'd write by hand for just *one* property with *one* state. Scale that across dozens of properties, then add breakpoints and container queries, and the selector logic quickly becomes unmanageable.
+A small example makes this tangible. Two rules for a button's background:
+
+```css
+.btn:hover     { background: dodgerblue; }
+.btn[disabled] { background: gray; }
+```
+
+Both selectors have specificity `(0, 1, 1)`. When the button is hovered **and** disabled, both match — and the last rule in source order wins. Swap the two lines and a hovered disabled button silently turns blue instead of gray. This class of bug is invisible in code review because the logic is correct; only the ordering is wrong.
+
+### Why real state logic is hard to author by hand
+
+Authoring selectors that capture real-world state logic is fundamentally hard. A single state like "dark mode" may depend on a root attribute, an OS preference, or both — each branch needing its own selector, proper negation of competing branches, and correct `@media` nesting. The example below shows the CSS you'd write by hand for just *one* property with *one* state. Scale that across dozens of properties, then add breakpoints and container queries, and the selector logic quickly becomes unmanageable.
+
+### What Tasty generates instead
 
 Tasty solves both problems at once: **every state mapping compiles into mutually exclusive selectors.**
 
@@ -211,7 +247,31 @@ const Text = tasty({
 });
 ```
 
-If `@dark` expands to `@root(schema=dark) | (!@root(schema) & @media(prefers-color-scheme: dark))`, Tasty generates:
+If `@dark` expands to `@root(schema=dark) | (!@root(schema) & @media(prefers-color-scheme: dark))`, try writing the CSS by hand. A first attempt might look like this:
+
+```css
+/* First attempt — the @media branch is too broad */
+.t0 { color: var(--text-color); }
+:root[data-schema="dark"] .t0 { color: var(--text-on-dark-color); }
+@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {
+  .t0 { color: var(--text-on-dark-color); }
+}
+```
+
+The `@media` branch fires even when `data-schema="light"` is explicitly set. Fix that:
+
+```css
+/* Second attempt — @media is scoped, but the default is still too broad */
+.t0 { color: var(--text-color); }
+:root[data-schema="dark"] .t0 { color: var(--text-on-dark-color); }
+@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {
+  :root:not([data-schema]) .t0 { color: var(--text-on-dark-color); }
+}
+```
+
+Better — but the bare `.t0` default still matches unconditionally. It matches in dark mode, it matches when `data-schema="dark"` is set, and it can beat the attribute selector by source order if another rule re-declares it later. There is no selector that says "apply this default only when none of the dark branches win."
+
+This is just *one* property with *one* state, and getting it right already takes multiple iterations. The correct selectors require negating every other branch — which is exactly what Tasty generates automatically:
 
 ```css
 /* Branch 1: Explicit dark schema */
@@ -239,12 +299,18 @@ If `@dark` expands to `@root(schema=dark) | (!@root(schema) & @media(prefers-col
 }
 ```
 
+### What guarantee that gives you
+
 Every rule is guarded by the negation of higher-priority rules. No two rules can match at the same time. No specificity arithmetic. No source-order dependence. Components compose and extend without collisions.
 
-By absorbing selector complexity, Tasty makes advanced CSS patterns practical again — nested container queries, multi-condition `@supports` gates, and combined root-state/media branches. You stay in pure CSS instead of relying on JavaScript workarounds, so the browser can optimize layout, painting, and transitions natively. Tasty doesn't limit CSS; it unlocks its full potential by removing the complexity that held teams back.
+By absorbing selector complexity, Tasty makes advanced CSS patterns practical again — nested container queries, multi-condition `@supports` gates, and combined root-state/media branches. You stay in pure CSS instead of relying on JavaScript workarounds, so the browser can optimize layout, painting, and transitions natively. Tasty keeps the solution in CSS while removing much of the selector bookkeeping that is hard to maintain by hand.
+
+[Try it in the playground →](https://tasty.style/playground)
 
 ## Capabilities
 
+This section is a quick product tour. For the canonical guides and references, start from the [Docs Hub](docs/README.md).
+
 ### Design Tokens and Custom Units
 
 Tokens are first-class. Colors use `#name` syntax. Spacing, radius, and border width use multiplier units tied to CSS custom properties:
@@ -280,12 +346,12 @@ Every style property accepts a state mapping object. Keys can be combined with b
 | Class selector (supported) | `.is-active` | `.is-active` |
 | Media query | `@media(w < 768px)` | `@media (width < 768px)` |
 | Container query | `@(panel, w >= 300px)` | `@container panel (width >= 300px)` |
-| Root state | `@root(theme=dark)` | `:root[data-theme="dark"]` |
+| Root state | `@root(schema=dark)` | `:root[data-schema="dark"]` |
 | Parent state | `@parent(theme=danger)` | `:is([data-theme="danger"] *)` |
 | Feature query | `@supports(display: grid)` | `@supports (display: grid)` |
 | Entry animation | `@starting` | `@starting-style` |
 
-Combine with `&` (AND), `|` (OR), `!` (NOT):
+Combine with `&` (AND), `|` (OR), `!` (NOT), `^` (XOR):
 
 ```tsx
 fill: {
@@ -297,232 +363,109 @@ fill: {
 
 ### Sub-Element Styling
 
-Style inner elements from the parent component definition. No extra components, no CSS leakage:
+Compound components can style inner parts from the parent definition with capitalized keys in `styles` and optional `elements` declarations, producing typed sub-components like `<Card.Title />` instead of separate wrapper components or ad hoc class naming.
 
-```tsx
-const Card = tasty({
-  styles: {
-    padding: '4x',
-    Title: { preset: 'h3', color: '#primary' },
-    Content: { color: '#text', preset: 't2' },
-  },
-  elements: { Title: 'h2', Content: 'div' },
-});
-
-<Card>
-  <Card.Title>Heading</Card.Title>
-  <Card.Content>Body text</Card.Content>
-</Card>
-```
-
-Sub-elements use `data-element` attributes — no extra class names, no naming conventions.
-
-By default, sub-elements participate in the same state context as the root component. That means mappings like `:hover`, `theme=danger`, `[role="button"]`, and other keys are evaluated as one unified block, which keeps styling logic predictable across the whole markup tree.
+Sub-elements share the root state context by default, so keys like `:hover`, modifiers, root states, and media queries resolve as one coordinated styling block. Use `@own(...)` when a sub-element should react to its own state, and use the `$` selector affix when you need precise descendant targeting.
 
-Use `@own(...)` when a sub-element should react to its own state instead of the root state context.
+See [React API - Sub-element Styling](docs/react-api.md#sub-element-styling), [Style DSL - Advanced States](docs/dsl.md#advanced-states--prefix), and [Methodology](docs/methodology.md#component-architecture-root--sub-elements).
 
-Class selectors are also supported, but modifiers/pseudo-classes are usually the better default in design-system code.
-
-Use the sub-element selector `$` when you need precise descendant targeting to avoid leakage in deeply nested component trees.
-
-### Variants
+### Style Props
 
-Variants are designed to keep single-component CSS lean. Instead of generating dozens of static button classes up front, define all versions once and let runtime usage decide what CSS is actually emitted.
+`styleProps` exposes selected CSS properties as typed React props. Components control which properties to open up; consumers get layout and composition knobs without `styles` overrides. Supports state maps for responsive values.
 
 ```tsx
-const Button = tasty({
-  styles: { padding: '2x 4x', radius: '1r' },
-  variants: {
-    default: { fill: '#primary', color: '#on-primary' },
-    danger: { fill: '#danger', color: '#on-danger' },
-    outline: { fill: 'transparent', border: '1bw solid #primary' },
-  },
-});
-
-<Button variant="danger">Delete</Button>
-```
-
-### Recipes
-
-Recipes are predefined style sets that work like composable styling classes for Tasty. They can be pre-applied or post-applied to current styles, which lets you add reusable state logic while still allowing local style overrides.
-
-```tsx
-configure({
-  recipes: {
-    card: { padding: '4x', fill: '#surface', radius: '1r', border: true },
-    elevated: { shadow: '0 2x 4x #shadow' },
-  },
+const Space = tasty({
+  styles: { display: 'flex', flow: 'column', gap: '1x' },
+  styleProps: FLOW_STYLES,
 });
 
-const ProfileCard = tasty({
-  styles: {
-    recipe: 'card elevated',
-    color: '#text',
-  },
-});
+<Space flow="row" gap={{ '': '2x', '@tablet': '4x' }}>
 ```
 
-Use `/` to post-apply recipes after local styles when you need recipe states/styles to win the final merge order. Use `none` to skip base recipes: `recipe: 'none / disabled'`.
-
-### Auto-Inferred `@property`
+See [React API - Style Props](docs/react-api.md#style-props) and [Methodology - styleProps](docs/methodology.md#styleprops-as-the-public-api).
 
-CSS custom properties do not animate smoothly by default because the browser does not know how to interpolate their values. The [`@property`](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/CSS/@property) at-rule fixes that by declaring a property's syntax, such as `<number>` or `<color>`.
+### Mod Props
 
-In Tasty, you usually do not need to declare `@property` manually. When a custom property is assigned a concrete value, Tasty infers the syntax and registers the matching `@property` for you:
+`modProps` exposes modifier keys as typed React props — the modifier equivalent of `styleProps`. Accepts an array of key names or an object with type descriptors (`Boolean`, `String`, `Number`, or enum arrays) for full TypeScript autocomplete.
 
 ```tsx
-const Pulse = tasty({
+const Button = tasty({
+  as: 'button',
+  modProps: { isLoading: Boolean, size: ['sm', 'md', 'lg'] as const },
   styles: {
-    animation: 'pulse 2s infinite',
-    transform: 'scale($pulse-scale)',
-    '@keyframes': {
-      pulse: {
-        '0%, 100%': { '$pulse-scale': 1 },
-        '50%': { '$pulse-scale': 1.05 },
-      },
-    },
+    fill: { '': '#primary', isLoading: '#primary.5' },
+    padding: { '': '2x 4x', 'size=sm': '1x 2x' },
   },
 });
+
+<Button isLoading size="lg">Submit</Button>
 ```
 
-Here, `$pulse-scale: 1` is inferred as `<number>`, so Tasty injects `@property --pulse-scale` automatically before using it in the animation. Numeric types (`<number>`, `<length>`, `<percentage>`, `<angle>`, `<time>`) are inferred from values; `<color>` is inferred from the `#name` token convention.
+See [React API - Mod Props](docs/react-api.md#mod-props) and [Methodology - modProps](docs/methodology.md#modprops-and-mods).
 
-If you prefer full manual control, disable auto-inference globally with `configure({ autoPropertyTypes: false })`.
+### Variants
 
-### Explicit `@properties`
+Variants let one component expose named visual versions without pre-generating a separate class for every possible combination. In runtime mode, Tasty emits only the variant CSS that is actually used.
 
-Declare `@properties` yourself only when you need to override the defaults, for example to set `inherits: false` or provide a custom `initialValue`:
+See [React API - Variants](docs/react-api.md#variants).
 
-```tsx
-'@properties': {
-  '$pulse-scale': { syntax: '<number>', inherits: false, initialValue: 1 },
-},
-```
-
-### React Hooks
+### Recipes
 
-For cases where you don't need a full component:
+Recipes are reusable style bundles defined in `configure({ recipes })` and applied with the `recipe` style property. They are useful when your design system wants shared state logic or visual presets without forcing every component to repeat the same style map.
 
-```tsx
-import { useStyles, useGlobalStyles, useRawCSS } from '@tenphi/tasty';
+Use `/` to post-apply recipes after local styles when recipe states should win the final merge order, and use `none` to skip base recipes entirely.
 
-function App() {
-  const { className } = useStyles({ padding: '2x', fill: '#surface' });
-  useGlobalStyles(':root', { '#primary': 'purple', '$gap': '8px' });
-  useRawCSS('body { margin: 0; }');
-
-  return <main className={className}>...</main>;
-}
-```
+See [Style DSL - Recipes](docs/dsl.md#recipes) and [Configuration - recipes](docs/configuration.md#recipes).
 
-### Zero-Runtime Mode
+### Auto-Inferred `@property`
 
-Extract all CSS at build time. Zero JavaScript overhead in production:
+Tasty usually removes the need to hand-author CSS [`@property`](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/CSS/@property) rules. When a custom property receives a concrete value, Tasty infers its syntax and registers the matching `@property` automatically, which makes transitions and animations on custom properties work without extra boilerplate.
 
-```tsx
-import { tastyStatic } from '@tenphi/tasty/static';
+If you prefer explicit control, disable inference with `configure({ autoPropertyTypes: false })` or declare the properties yourself.
 
-const card = tastyStatic({
-  padding: '4x',
-  fill: '#surface',
-  radius: '1r',
-  color: { '': '#text', '@dark': '#text-on-dark' },
-});
+See [Style DSL - Properties (`@property`)](docs/dsl.md#properties-property).
 
-// card is a CSS class name string
-<div className={card}>Static styles, zero runtime</div>
-```
+### Explicit `@properties`
 
-Configure the Babel plugin:
+Use explicit `@properties` only when you need to override defaults such as `inherits: false` or a custom `initialValue`.
 
-```js
-module.exports = {
-  plugins: [
-    ['@tenphi/tasty/babel-plugin', {
-      output: 'public/tasty.css',
-      config: {
-        states: { '@dark': '@root(theme=dark)' },
-      },
-    }],
-  ],
-};
-```
+See [Style DSL - Properties (`@property`)](docs/dsl.md#properties-property).
 
-### `tasty` vs `tastyStatic`
+### Style Functions
 
-| | `tasty` (runtime) | `tastyStatic` (zero-runtime) |
-|---|---|---|
-| **Output** | React component | CSS class name |
-| **CSS injection** | Runtime `<style>` tags | Build-time extraction |
-| **Runtime cost** | Style generation on mount | None |
-| **Generated CSS scope** | Only styles/variants used at runtime | All extracted static styles at build time |
-| **Dynamic values** | Fully supported | Via CSS custom properties |
-| **Sub-elements** | Built-in (`<C.Title>`) | Manual (`data-element`) |
-| **Variants** | Built-in (`variants` option) | Separate static styles |
-| **Framework** | React | Any (requires Babel) |
-| **Best for** | Interactive apps, design systems | Static sites, SSG, landing pages |
+When you do not need a full component wrapper, use the style functions directly: `useStyles` for local class names, `useGlobalStyles` for selector-scoped global CSS, `useRawCSS` for raw rules, plus `useKeyframes`, `useProperty`, `useFontFace`, and `useCounterStyle` for animation, custom-property, font, and counter-style primitives. All style functions are hook-free and work in React Server Components.
 
-Both share the same DSL, tokens, units, state mappings, and recipes.
+See [React API - Style Functions](docs/react-api.md#style-functions).
 
-### Runtime Performance
+### Zero-Runtime Mode
 
-If you choose the runtime approach, performance is usually a non-issue in practice:
+Use `tastyStatic` when you want the same DSL and state model, but with CSS extracted at build time and no styling runtime in the client bundle. It is a strong fit for static sites, landing pages, and other build-time-first setups.
 
-- CSS is generated and injected only when styles are actually used.
-- Multi-level caching avoids repeated parsing and style recomputation.
-- Styles are split into reusable chunks and applied as multiple class names, so matching chunks can be reused across components instead of re-injected.
-- Style normalization guarantees equivalent style input resolves to the same chunks, improving deduplication hit rates.
-- A style garbage collector removes unused styles/chunks over time.
-- A dedicated style injector minimizes DOM/style-tag overhead.
-- This approach is validated in enterprise-scale apps where runtime styling overhead is not noticeable in normal UI flows.
+See [Zero Runtime (tastyStatic)](docs/tasty-static.md) and [Getting Started - Choosing a rendering mode](docs/getting-started.md#choosing-a-rendering-mode).
 
-### Server-Side Rendering (Experimental)
+### `tasty` vs `tastyStatic`
 
-SSR with zero-cost client hydration. Existing `tasty()` components work unchanged — SSR is opt-in and requires no per-component modifications. Supports Next.js (App Router with streaming), Astro (middleware + islands), and any React-based framework via the core API. Requires React 19+.
+`tasty()` returns React components that compute CSS during rendering. In server-only contexts, this produces static HTML + CSS with zero client JavaScript — the same end result as `tastyStatic()` but with the full feature set. `tastyStatic()` returns class names and extracts CSS during the build via a Babel plugin, with no React dependency at runtime. Both share the same DSL, tokens, units, state mappings, and recipes. Use `tasty()` as the default for any React-based setup; use `tastyStatic()` when you need build-time extraction without React.
 
-**Next.js setup:**
+See [Zero Runtime (tastyStatic)](docs/tasty-static.md), [React API](docs/react-api.md), and [Comparison - Build-time vs runtime](docs/comparison.md#build-time-vs-runtime).
 
-```tsx
-// app/tasty-registry.tsx
-'use client';
+### Server-Side Rendering
 
-import { TastyRegistry } from '@tenphi/tasty/ssr/next';
+`tasty()` components already work on the server without any SSR integration — they are hook-free and render as React Server Components by default. In server-only contexts (Next.js RSC, Astro without islands), they produce zero client JavaScript with the full feature set.
 
-export default function TastyStyleRegistry({
-  children,
-}: {
-  children: React.ReactNode;
-}) {
-  return <TastyRegistry>{children}</TastyRegistry>;
-}
-```
+SSR integration (`TastyRegistry`, `tastyIntegration`) adds CSS batching, deduplication across component trees, FOUC prevention, and client cache hydration. Use it when your app also has client-side rendering:
 
-```tsx
-// app/layout.tsx
-import TastyStyleRegistry from './tasty-registry';
-
-export default function RootLayout({
-  children,
-}: {
-  children: React.ReactNode;
-}) {
-  return (
-    <html>
-      <body>
-        <TastyStyleRegistry>{children}</TastyStyleRegistry>
-      </body>
-    </html>
-  );
-}
-```
+- `@tenphi/tasty/ssr/next` for Next.js App Router (mixed server + client components)
+- `@tenphi/tasty/ssr/astro` for Astro (with or without islands)
+- The core SSR API for other React SSR setups
 
-See the [full SSR guide](docs/ssr.md) for Astro integration, streaming SSR, generic framework usage, and the complete API reference.
+See the [full SSR guide](docs/ssr.md).
 
 ## Entry Points
 
 | Import | Description | Platform |
 |--------|-------------|----------|
-| `@tenphi/tasty` | Runtime style engine (`tasty`, hooks, `configure`) | Browser |
+| `@tenphi/tasty` | Runtime style engine (`tasty`, style functions, `configure`) | Browser |
 | `@tenphi/tasty/static` | Zero-runtime static styles (`tastyStatic`) | Browser |
 | `@tenphi/tasty/core` | Lower-level internals (config, parser, pipeline, injector, style handlers) for tooling and advanced use | Browser / Node |
 | `@tenphi/tasty/babel-plugin` | Babel plugin for zero-runtime CSS extraction | Node |
@@ -530,7 +473,70 @@ See the [full SSR guide](docs/ssr.md) for Astro integration, streaming SSR, gene
 | `@tenphi/tasty/next` | Next.js integration wrapper | Node |
 | `@tenphi/tasty/ssr` | Core SSR API (collector, context, hydration) | Node |
 | `@tenphi/tasty/ssr/next` | Next.js App Router SSR integration | Node |
-| `@tenphi/tasty/ssr/astro` | Astro middleware + auto-hydration | Node / Browser |
+| `@tenphi/tasty/ssr/astro` | Astro integration + middleware | Node |
+| `@tenphi/tasty/ssr/astro-client` | Astro client-side cache hydration | Browser |
+
+## Browser Requirements
+
+Tasty's exclusive selector system relies on modern CSS pseudo-class syntax:
+
+- **`:is()`** — available across all major browsers since January 2021 ([MDN Baseline](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/CSS/:is)).
+- **Level-4 `:not()` with selector lists** — Chrome/Edge 88+, Firefox 84+, Safari 9+, Opera 75+.
+- **Not supported:** IE 11.
+
+## Performance
+
+### Bundle Size
+
+All sizes measured with [size-limit](https://github.com/ai/size-limit) — minified and brotli-compressed, including all dependencies.
+
+| Entry point | Size |
+|-------------|------|
+| `@tenphi/tasty` (runtime + SSR) | 50.19 kB |
+| `@tenphi/tasty/core` (runtime, no SSR) | 47.76 kB |
+| `@tenphi/tasty/static` (zero-runtime) | 16.43 kB |
+| `@tenphi/tasty/zero` (programmatic extraction) | 29.6 kB |
+| `@tenphi/tasty/babel-plugin` (Babel plugin entry) | 43.7 kB |
+
+Run `pnpm size` to reproduce (outputs may shift slightly with releases).
+
+### Runtime Benchmarks
+
+If you choose the runtime approach, performance is usually a non-issue in practice. The numbers below show single-call throughput for the core pipeline stages, measured with `vitest bench` on an Apple M1 Max (Node 22).
+
+| Operation | ops/sec | Latency (mean) |
+|-----------|--------:|---------------:|
+| `renderStyles` — 5 flat properties (cold) | ~72,000 | ~14 us |
+| `renderStyles` — state map with media/hover/modifier (cold) | ~22,000 | ~46 us |
+| `renderStyles` — same styles (cached) | ~7,200,000 | ~0.14 us |
+| `parseStateKey` — simple key like `:hover` (cold) | ~1,200,000 | ~0.9 us |
+| `parseStateKey` — complex OR/AND/NOT key (cold) | ~190,000 | ~5 us |
+| `parseStateKey` — any key (cached) | ~3,300,000–8,900,000 | ~0.1–0.3 us |
+| `parseStyle` — value tokens like `2x 4x` (cold) | ~345,000 | ~3 us |
+| `parseStyle` — color tokens (cold) | ~525,000 | ~1.9 us |
+| `parseStyle` — any value (cached) | ~15,500,000 | ~0.06 us |
+
+"Cold" benchmarks use unique inputs to bypass all caches. Cached benchmarks reuse a single input and measure the LRU hot path.
+
+Run `pnpm bench` to reproduce.
+
+#### What This Means in Practice
+
+- **Cached path dominates production.** After a component's first render, subsequent renders with stable styles skip the pipeline entirely (React `useMemo` + LRU cache hits at every level). All cached operations are sub-microsecond — effectively free.
+- **Cold path is fast enough.** The heaviest cold operation — a complex state map with media queries, hover, and modifiers — takes ~46 us. Even a page with 100 unique styled components adds only ~5 ms of total style computation on first render, negligible next to React reconciliation and DOM work.
+- **Cache multipliers are 30x–100x.** This confirms the multi-level LRU architecture (parser, state-key, simplify, condition, pipeline) is delivering real value.
+- **Comparable to lighter systems.** Emotion's `css()` is typically 5–20 us for simple styles; Tasty's cold `renderStyles` at ~14 us for 5 properties is in the same range despite doing significantly more work (state maps, design tokens, sub-elements, chunking).
+- **On slower devices.** The benchmarks above are from an M1 Max (Geekbench 6 SC ~2,400). A mid-range consumer laptop (~1,800 SC) is roughly 1.3x slower; a mid-range phone (~1,200 SC) is roughly 2x slower; a budget phone (~700 SC) is roughly 3–4x slower. Even at 4x, the heaviest cold operation stays under 200 us and 100 unique components under 20 ms — still well within a single frame budget. The cached path remains sub-microsecond on all devices.
+
+### How It Stays Fast
+
+- CSS is generated and injected only when styles are actually used.
+- Multi-level caching avoids repeated parsing and style recomputation.
+- Styles are split into reusable chunks and applied as multiple class names, so matching chunks can be reused across components instead of re-injected.
+- Style normalization guarantees equivalent style input resolves to the same chunks, improving deduplication hit rates.
+- A style garbage collector removes unused styles/chunks over time.
+- A dedicated style injector minimizes DOM/style-tag overhead.
+- This approach is validated in enterprise-scale apps where runtime styling overhead is not noticeable in normal UI flows.
 
 ## Ecosystem
 
@@ -538,7 +544,7 @@ Tasty is the core of a production-ready styling platform. These companion tools
 
 ### [ESLint Plugin](https://github.com/tenphi/eslint-plugin-tasty)
 
-`@tenphi/eslint-plugin-tasty` — 27 lint rules that validate style property names, value syntax, token existence, state keys, and enforce best practices. Catch typos and invalid styles at lint time, not at runtime.
+`@tenphi/eslint-plugin-tasty` — 27 total lint rules for style property names, value syntax, token existence, state keys, and best practices. The `recommended` preset enables 18 of them as a practical default. Catch typos and invalid styles at lint time, not at runtime.
 
 ```bash
 pnpm add -D @tenphi/eslint-plugin-tasty
@@ -573,20 +579,62 @@ Syntax highlighting for Tasty styles in TypeScript, TSX, JavaScript, and JSX. Hi
   <img src="assets/tasty-vscode-highlight.png" width="512" alt="Tasty VS Code syntax highlighting example">
 </p>
 
-### [Cube UI Kit](https://github.com/cube-js/cube-ui-kit)
+## Built with Tasty
+
+### [tasty.style](https://tasty.style) ([source](https://github.com/tenphi/tasty.style))
+
+The official Tasty documentation and landing page — itself built entirely with Tasty. A showcase for zero-runtime styling via `tastyStatic`, SSR with Next.js, and OKHSL color theming with Glaze.
+
+### [Cube Cloud](https://cube.dev/)
+
+Enterprise universal semantic layer platform by Cube Dev, Inc. Cube Cloud unifies data modeling, caching, access control, and APIs (REST, GraphQL, SQL, AI) for analytics at scale. Tasty has powered its frontend for over 5 years in production.
+
+### [Cube Cloud for Excel and Google Sheets](https://cube.dev/)
+
+A single spreadsheet add-in deployed to both [Microsoft Excel](https://marketplace.microsoft.com/en-us/product/office/WA200008486) and [Google Sheets](https://workspace.google.com/u/0/marketplace/app/cube_cloud_for_sheets/641460343379). Connects spreadsheets to any cloud data platform (BigQuery, Databricks, Snowflake, Redshift, and more) via Cube Cloud's universal semantic layer.
+
+### [Cube UI Kit](https://github.com/cube-js/cube-ui-kit) ([storybook](https://cube-ui-kit.vercel.app/))
 
 Open-source React UI kit built on Tasty + React Aria. 100+ production components proving Tasty works at design-system scale. A reference implementation and a ready-to-use component library.
 
 ## Documentation
 
-- **[Usage Guide](docs/usage.md)** — Runtime styling: component creation, state mappings, sub-elements, variants, and hooks
+Start from the docs hub if you want the shortest path to the right guide for your role or styling approach.
+
+- **[Docs Hub](docs/README.md)** — audience-based navigation across onboarding, design-system authoring, runtime, zero-runtime, runtime SSR integration, debugging, and internals
+
+### Start here
+
+- **[Getting Started](docs/getting-started.md)** — Installation, first component, optional shared configuration, ESLint plugin setup, editor tooling, and rendering mode decision tree
+- **[Methodology](docs/methodology.md)** — The recommended patterns for structuring Tasty components: root + sub-elements, styleProps, tokens, styles vs style, wrapping and extension
+
+### Guides
+
+- **[Building a Design System](docs/design-system.md)** — Practical guide to building a DS layer: token vocabulary, state aliases, recipes, primitives, compound components, override contracts
+- **[Adoption Guide](docs/adoption.md)** — Where Tasty sits in the stack, who should adopt it, what you define yourself, and how to introduce it incrementally into an existing design system
+
+### Reference
+
+- **[Style DSL](docs/dsl.md)** — The Tasty style language: state maps, tokens, units, color syntax, extending semantics, recipes, keyframes, and @property
+- **[React API](docs/react-api.md)** — React-specific API: `tasty()` factory, component props, variants, sub-elements, and style functions
 - **[Configuration](docs/configuration.md)** — Global configuration: tokens, recipes, custom units, style handlers, and TypeScript extensions
 - **[Style Properties](docs/styles.md)** — Complete reference for all enhanced style properties: syntax, values, modifiers, and recommendations
+
+### Rendering modes
+
 - **[Zero Runtime (tastyStatic)](docs/tasty-static.md)** — Build-time static styling: Babel plugin setup, Next.js integration, and static style patterns
 - **[Server-Side Rendering](docs/ssr.md)** — SSR setup for Next.js, Astro, and generic frameworks: streaming support, cache hydration, and troubleshooting
+
+### Internals
+
+- **[Style rendering pipeline](docs/pipeline.md)** — How `Styles` become mutually exclusive CSS rules: parse → exclusives → combinations → handlers → merge → materialize (`src/pipeline/`)
 - **[Style Injector](docs/injector.md)** — Internal CSS injection engine: `inject()`, `injectGlobal()`, `injectRawCSS()`, `keyframes()`, deduplication, reference counting, cleanup, SSR support, and Shadow DOM
 - **[Debug Utilities](docs/debug.md)** — Runtime CSS inspection via `tastyDebug`: CSS extraction, element inspection, cache metrics, chunk breakdown, and performance monitoring
 
+### Context
+
+- **[Comparison](docs/comparison.md)** — How Tasty compares to Tailwind, Panda CSS, vanilla-extract, StyleX, Stitches, and Emotion: positioning, trade-offs, and when each tool fits best
+
 ## License
 
 [MIT](LICENSE)