ascii-ansi-colorizer

Add an ANSI color layer to existing ASCII/plain-text output (gradient/rainbow/highlights) with alignment-safe rules and a required no-color fallback. Use when the user wants to colorize terminal output, add rainbow effects to CLI text, or style ASCII art with ANSI colors.

261 stars

Best use case

ascii-ansi-colorizer is best used when you need a repeatable AI agent workflow instead of a one-off prompt. It is especially useful for teams working in multi. Add an ANSI color layer to existing ASCII/plain-text output (gradient/rainbow/highlights) with alignment-safe rules and a required no-color fallback. Use when the user wants to colorize terminal output, add rainbow effects to CLI text, or style ASCII art with ANSI colors.

Add an ANSI color layer to existing ASCII/plain-text output (gradient/rainbow/highlights) with alignment-safe rules and a required no-color fallback. Use when the user wants to colorize terminal output, add rainbow effects to CLI text, or style ASCII art with ANSI colors.

Users should expect a more consistent workflow output, faster repeated execution, and less time spent rewriting prompts from scratch.

Practical example

Example input

Use the "ascii-ansi-colorizer" skill to help with this workflow task. Context: Add an ANSI color layer to existing ASCII/plain-text output (gradient/rainbow/highlights) with alignment-safe rules and a required no-color fallback. Use when the user wants to colorize terminal output, add rainbow effects to CLI text, or style ASCII art with ANSI colors.

Example output

A structured workflow result with clearer steps, more consistent formatting, and an output that is easier to reuse in the next run.

When to use this skill

  • Use this skill when you want a reusable workflow rather than writing the same prompt again and again.
  • Use it when you already have the supporting tools or dependencies needed by the workflow.

When not to use this skill

  • Do not use this when you only need a one-off answer and do not need a reusable workflow.
  • Do not use it if you cannot install or maintain the related files, repository context, or supporting tools.

Installation

Claude Code / Cursor / Codex

$curl -o ~/.claude/skills/ascii-ansi-colorizer/SKILL.md --create-dirs "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/partme-ai/full-stack-skills/main/skills/ascii-skills/ascii-ansi-colorizer/SKILL.md"

Manual Installation

  1. Download SKILL.md from GitHub
  2. Place it in .claude/skills/ascii-ansi-colorizer/SKILL.md inside your project
  3. Restart your AI agent — it will auto-discover the skill

How ascii-ansi-colorizer Compares

Feature / Agentascii-ansi-colorizerStandard Approach
Platform SupportNot specifiedLimited / Varies
Context Awareness High Baseline
Installation ComplexityUnknownN/A

Frequently Asked Questions

What does this skill do?

Add an ANSI color layer to existing ASCII/plain-text output (gradient/rainbow/highlights) with alignment-safe rules and a required no-color fallback. Use when the user wants to colorize terminal output, add rainbow effects to CLI text, or style ASCII art with ANSI colors.

Where can I find the source code?

You can find the source code on GitHub using the link provided at the top of the page.

Related Guides

SKILL.md Source

## When to use this skill
**CRITICAL TRIGGER RULE**
- Use this skill ONLY when the user explicitly mentions the exact skill name: `ascii-ansi-colorizer`.

**Trigger phrases include:**
- "ascii-ansi-colorizer"
- "use ascii-ansi-colorizer"
- "用 ascii-ansi-colorizer 给 ASCII 上色"
- "使用 ascii-ansi-colorizer 做 ANSI 渐变/彩虹"

## Boundary
- This skill only adds color to existing text. It does not generate the ASCII art itself (pair with `ascii-cli-logo-banner` if needed).
- Required outputs: `coloredText` + `plainTextFallback`.
- ANSI must not break alignment: do not colorize spaces by default; colorize visible characters only.

## How to use this skill
### Inputs
- textOrAscii (required)
- palette (rainbow | gradient | brandColors)
- direction (leftToRight | topToBottom, default leftToRight)
- colorDepth (ansi16 | ansi256 | truecolor, default ansi256)
- scope (logoOnly | highlightsOnly | fullText, default logoOnly)

### Outputs (required)
- coloredText: ANSI-colored output
- plainTextFallback: no-color fallback (identical content, no ANSI)
- compatNotes: copy/paste and redirection guidance (NO_COLOR / --no-color suggestions)

### Steps
1. Pick `colorDepth` (default: ansi256).
2. Choose a stable coloring strategy:
   - Column-wise gradients (leftToRight) are usually the safest
   - Colorize non-space characters only
3. Output both `coloredText` and `plainTextFallback`.
4. Provide no-color guidance (semantic suggestions): `NO_COLOR` / `--no-color`.

### Output Format

Outputs should be structured as three distinct text blocks:

```
coloredText:
  \033[38;5;33mH\033[38;5;34me\033[38;5;35ml\033[38;5;36ml\033[38;5;37mo\033[0m

plainTextFallback:
  Hello

compatNotes:
  - Respect NO_COLOR env var: if set, output plainTextFallback only
  - Support --no-color flag for CLI tools
  - Pipe/redirect: detect non-TTY and fall back to plain text
```

### Workflow

1. Receive text input and validate it is non-empty
2. Select `colorDepth` (default ansi256) and `palette`
3. Apply coloring to visible characters only (skip spaces to preserve alignment)
4. Generate both `coloredText` and `plainTextFallback`
5. **Validate**: Strip ANSI codes from `coloredText` and compare with `plainTextFallback` — they must match

## Script
- `scripts/colorize.py`: apply ANSI 256 gradient or rainbow to stdin

## Examples
- `examples/gradient.md`

## Quality checklist
1. Removing ANSI keeps the same readable content (`plainTextFallback`).
2. Alignment does not change after coloring.
3. Colors should not overpower the informational lines.

## Keywords
**English:** ascii-ansi-colorizer, ansi, color, gradient, rainbow, terminal, no-color, plain text, ascii
**中文:** ascii-ansi-colorizer, ANSI, 上色, 渐变, 彩虹, 终端, 无色回退, 纯文本, ASCII

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