MonoCSS

MonoCSS is a CSS-architecture audit orchestrator over Monogram. It gathers static evidence about import order, !important debt, token coupling, raw colors, scrollbar ownership, and runtime inline-style bypasses, then tells the reviewer which claims still need live DOM geometry. Published contract: monocss 0.16.0, OpenCLIs build 2026-07-20-111510. The executing binary, OpenCLIs installed state, and public CDN metadata agree on this release. Registry ownership: the canonical docs_url is this page, the public product homepage is https://monolex.ai, and MonoCSS pairs with Monogram for source proof, MonoSurf or Kernel CLI for runtime DOM proof, and Monoflow for temporal context. Repository ownership remains monolex/monolex; no public source URL is advertised while that repository is private.

Version 0.16.0 has root help, but no per-command help parser. Use bare monocss, monocss help, or root monocss --help. audit --help is an unknown audit option, summarize --help treats --help as an audit directory, and status --help still runs the status probe.

Release Identity

latest.json and all five platform entries record clean source commit 9221412fba57808e8d01a8bd22ef8a58de13e5cc. The following archive and extracted-payload hashes were verified from build 2026-07-20-111510:

Platform	Archive SHA-256	Extracted payload SHA-256
`darwin-aarch64`	`c1aed2904e609c6b3ffe2da365adc9ac2de68484ee3e03206e3ca34145587726`	`5b9a924156cc5d2393ea032152028485e5df4fcdd75c3ed805d5e0efa9616e6c`
`linux-x86_64`	`bc0e4d61337f3cd570cf3fc0676b7c05665d27e55c01933be1353a938033446f`	`691419df49722780a100c414ea4bf47594d3d394bb743cd06a9312e474af239c`
`linux-aarch64`	`69f8f736763951d389e605bdbdf33ba9e110d3fc345c68602836a80ae1e8619c`	`7bbf791cdeb1b3eaa9e0f964077aab0f55ff0a199b76d9786fc27c7513212dd9`
`windows-x86_64`	`3aea760b6ca6bb05fee6641d013e37328e0d7a636d033fb147ee97fb610d8367`	`868f356787e0e1241071a468315f0b189c27f030820cf5ba4a2c798cf00175bb`
`windows-aarch64`	`c87a111eadd3eb495f78a4e5951df4f0bb4d97623526f5bf4677545112fde308`	`5b8ff25d623f462a1b0209976ff3f752bea52aadb6dae57a7d96a0ae11f82578`

Artifact availability, hash integrity, executable signature, and runtime DOM proof are separate layers. A published binary does not by itself prove a CSS finding or the final rendered geometry.

Quick Start

openclis install monocss

monocss --version
monocss status
monocss audit --entry src/styles/main.css --styles src/styles

Read the generated SUMMARY.md first. Raw artifacts are supporting evidence, not the required starting point.

Complete Command Reference

Command	What it does	Important controls
`audit`	Runs the complete source CSS audit and writes a normalized report directory.	`--entry <file>`, `--styles <dir>`, `--out <dir>`, `--json`
`summarize <audit-dir>`	Prints the compact summary from an existing audit run.	Read-only over the selected output directory.
`plan <audit-dir>`	Generates a prioritized remediation plan from an audit.	Uses existing findings; it does not apply CSS edits.
`prove selector <selector>`	Traces a selector through Monogram’s CSS source graph.	Equivalent proof core: `monogram chain <selector> --depth 2 --strict --lang css`.
`prove scrollbar --selector <selector>`	Runs static selector proof and prints the live DOM metrics still required.	Requires later runtime measurement for geometry.
`status`	Reports the Monogram index status MonoCSS depends on.	Read-only readiness check.
`mcp-schema`	Prints the OpenCLIs CLI-to-MCP schema.	Six callable schema entries: `audit`, `summarize`, `plan`, `prove_selector`, `prove_scrollbar`, and `status`. `--mcp-schema` is an alias.
`help`	Prints the installed guide.	No arguments also print the guide.

Audit Artifacts

An audit run writes 00-monogram-stats.txt, then one raw artifact for each probe in registry order. Version 0.16.0 has 33 probes:

Artifact	Evidence
`00-monogram-stats.txt`	Source-index readiness and scope
`01-css-order.json`	Import and cascade order
`02-important-report.json`	`!important` classifications, including removable and competing declarations
`03-css-token-coupling.json`	Static design-token coupling
`04-scrollbar-static.txt`	Static scrollbar and overflow ownership plus the DOM proof request
`04b-scroll-owner-inventory.txt`	CSS and inline scroll owners diffed against the canonical `scrollbar.css` identity inventory, plus unresolved runtime assignments
`05-inline-runtime-styles.txt`	JavaScript/TypeScript inline-style bypass candidates
`06-raw-color-literals.txt`	Raw color literals outside token policy
`07-z-index.txt`	z-index count, peak value, and extreme escalation
`08-media-query.txt`	Media-query count and hot files
`09-motion.txt`	Transition/animation declarations and hot files
`10-font-family.txt`	Font-family declarations and ownership hot spots
`11-position-escape.txt`	Absolute/fixed positioning escapes
`12-transition-all.txt`	`transition: all` performance and ownership smells
`13-calc.txt`	`calc()` expression hot spots
`14-magic-px.txt`	Hardcoded pixel-value frequency and distinct spacing values
`15-var-fallback.txt`	Undefined bare tokens, fallback-only orphans, and runtime-defined exclusions
`16-id-selectors.txt`	Styled ID selectors and specificity concentration
`17-vendor-prefix.txt`	Legacy `-webkit-`, `-moz-`, and `-ms-` prefixes
`18-overflow.txt`	Overflow modes, including hidden-content clipping risk
`19-font-size-px.txt`	Hardcoded pixel font sizes outside a type scale
`20-important-structural.txt`	`!important` on z-index, position, or display
`21-display-none.txt`	Hidden/toggled element hot spots
`22-duration-values.txt`	Distinct transition and animation duration values
`23-outline-none.txt`	Removed focus outlines and accessibility review points
`24-box-shadow.txt`	Untokenized elevation/shadow declarations
`25-pointer-events-none.txt`	Interaction-blocking pointer-event declarations
`26-rem-em.txt`	Relative-unit usage for comparison with hardcoded pixels
`27-user-select-none.txt`	Unselectable-text declarations
`28-important-property.txt`	`!important` debt grouped by property
`29-text-overflow.txt`	Truncation and white-space ownership
`30-dead-css.txt`	Conservatively detected class definitions with no static reference
`31-reduced-motion.txt`	Reduced-motion coverage and universal-guard detection
`32-token-graph.txt`	Cross-language CSS↔TypeScript token definitions, reads, writes, fallbacks, and dead edges
`monocss-report.json`	Normalized machine report
`SUMMARY.md`	Human/agent entry summary

The default output root is .niia/monocss-audit/<timestamp>.

The compact Writes section embedded in the installed 0.16.0 guide stops at artifact 06 but includes the new 04b artifact. The runtime registry and normalized report contain all 33 probes listed above; this public page records the complete release behavior.

Scroll-owner inventory

The 0.16.0 scroll_owner probe closes the gap between “a scrollbar rule exists” and “every scrolling container has an intentional owner”:

domain CSS overflow rules ─┐
HTML/TS inline overflow ───┼─▶ identify selector/id/class/tag ─▶ compare with scrollbar.css
runtime style assignments ─┘                                      │
                        classified · exception · UNCLASSIFIED ─────┘
                                      │
                                      └─▶ live DOM proof for unresolved identity/geometry

It strips comments from the inventory, resolves CSS declarations back to their selector headers, and scans HTML plus TypeScript templates for inline overflow owners. The report separates unclassified inline owners (highest native- scrollbar risk) from unclassified CSS owners. Runtime .style.overflow* or setProperty("overflow…") assignments are listed separately because static analysis may find the write site without proving which element receives it. The normalized finding exposes owners_css, owners_inline, classified, exceptions, unclassified_css, unclassified_inline, runtime_assigns, and inventory_available. If scrollbar.css cannot be read, the probe marks the diff degraded instead of claiming every owner is truly unclassified.

Normalized Report Contract

With audit --json, stdout contains the same report written to monocss-report.json:

Field	Meaning
`version`, `generated_at`, `cwd`	Tool identity, audit time, and audited working directory
`entry_css`, `style_dir`	Explicit audit scope
`index_state`	Monogram status, detail, and changed-file list
`findings[]`	One normalized result per registry probe
`dom_proof_required[]`	Runtime claims static evidence cannot close
`next_commands[]`	Suggested selector, scrollbar, CSS, important, and token-coupling proofs

Each finding carries id, artifact, executed command, success, headline, extra_lines, probe-specific metrics, report sections, and an optional dom_proof request. A raw subprocess artifact is evidence; the finding is the stable machine-facing interpretation.

Remediation Plan Thresholds

monocss plan <audit-dir> reads the normalized metrics and emits advice only. It never edits CSS. Version 0.16.0 gates these plan items:

Priority	Probe and threshold	Recommended direction
P0	`z_index`: an extreme value exists or maximum ≥ 1000	Replace escalation with a named layer scale
P1	`id_selectors`: at least 50 distinct styled IDs	Move shared ownership toward classes
P1	`important`: redundant + conflicting declarations ≥ 50	Remove unopposed declarations, then resolve competing owners
P1	`reduced_motion`: at least 20 motion declarations without a global guard	Add one universal reduced-motion policy
P1	`var_fallback`: at least one undefined bare `var(--x)`	Define the missing themed token; the declaration currently drops
P2	`var_fallback`: at least 5 fallback-only orphan tokens	Define real shared tokens without metric-gaming
P2	`magic_px`: at least 30 distinct pixel values	Introduce a spacing scale
P2	`font_size_px`: at least 100 declarations	Introduce an accessible type scale
P2	`overflow`: at least 50 hidden declarations	Review containers for clipped content
P2	`raw_color`: at least 100 literals	Move owned colors into tokens
P2	`dead_css`: at least 50 candidates	Prove no dynamic/DOM usage before deleting

Thresholds are prioritization policy, not proof that a finding is safe to fix. Every suggested change must be re-audited and, where requested, verified in the live DOM.

Static and Runtime Proof Boundary

MonoCSS + Monogram
  import order · selector ownership · token coupling · static risks
                              ↓
MonoSurf or app browser inspection
  computed style · client/offset widths · real gaps · overflow owner

prove scrollbar explicitly asks for scrollbarGutter, left/right padding, clientWidth, offsetWidth, first-child edge gaps, overflow ownership, and inline-style ownership. A clean static trace cannot prove those live values. Use MonoSurf for browser DOM evidence, or the appropriate Tauri runtime inspector for application-only surfaces.

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Release Identity

Quick Start

Complete Command Reference

Audit Artifacts

Scroll-owner inventory

Normalized Report Contract

Remediation Plan Thresholds

Static and Runtime Proof Boundary

​Release Identity

​Quick Start

​Complete Command Reference

​Audit Artifacts

​Scroll-owner inventory

​Normalized Report Contract

​Remediation Plan Thresholds

​Static and Runtime Proof Boundary

Release Identity

Quick Start

Complete Command Reference

Audit Artifacts

Scroll-owner inventory

Normalized Report Contract

Remediation Plan Thresholds

Static and Runtime Proof Boundary