mcp({
  tool: "value_hierarchy_list_values",
  server: "value-hierarchy"
})

mcp({
  tool: "value_hierarchy_list_aesthetics",
  server: "value-hierarchy",
  args: {
    "limit": 30
  }
})

mcp({
  tool: "value_hierarchy_aesthetic_types",
  server: "value-hierarchy"
})

1. PURPOSE: What should a visitor feel within 3 seconds of landing here?
   (Not "what information"—what EMOTION? Trust? Excitement? Calm? Aspiration?)

2. ACTION: What's the primary action you want them to take?
   (Buy, contact, read, join, trust—different actions need different aesthetics)

3. IDENTITY: How do you want to be perceived?
   (Expert? Rebel? Caretaker? Architect? Each has distinct visual vocabulary)

4. AUDIENCE VALUES: What do your users value? 
   (Speed? Depth? Beauty? Community? Your site aesthetic should serve THEIR values too)

Based on your hierarchy prioritizing Intellectual Mastery, Visible Impact, 
and Absorbed Recreation, here's your website aesthetic:

**CORE THEME:** "The Craftsman's Workshop"—visible expertise, tools of the 
trade, clarity of purpose, with moments of playful experimentation.

**VISUAL RECOMMENDATIONS:**
1. **Color:** Deep navy (#1a1a2e) as primary (seriousness, depth) with electric 
   accent (#e94560) for CTAs (energy, breakthrough moments). White space = 40% 
   minimum (intellectual breathing room).

2. **Typography:** IBM Plex Mono for headings (code/technical authenticity) + 
   Inter for body (modern clarity). Headings: bold weight, tight tracking 
   (confidence). Body: 18px minimum, 1.7 line-height (absorbed reading).

3. **Photography:** Process shots over product shots—hands on keyboards, 
   sketches, whiteboard sessions. Authenticity over polish. 
   [Reference: Your captured aesthetic "workshop-clutter.jpg" with reason 
   "organized chaos as visible thinking"]

4. **Layout:** Asymmetric grid with clear focal points. Each page has ONE 
   dominant element (mastery requires focus). No sidebar distractions.

5. **Animation:** Purposeful, not decorative. Smooth ease-outs (0.3s) for 
   interactions. Nothing that competes with content.

**TONE RECOMMENDATIONS:**
- Direct, declarative sentences. Active voice. No "we believe" or "it is thought."
- Technical precision when discussing work. Show the mechanism, not just result.
- Occasional humor or playfulness (honoring your Absorbed Recreation value)—
  maybe an Easter egg or surprising interaction.

**EXAMPLE SITES WITH THIS AESTHETIC:**
- Stripe.com (technical mastery + clarity)
- Your captured aesthetic: "paul-graham-essays" (intellectual depth, minimal 
  decoration, focus on ideas)

**ANTI-EXAMPLES (what to avoid):**
- Generic corporate blue/gray (says nothing about your values)
- Stock photos of people shaking hands (violates Visible Impact—you need 
  real work shown)
- Dense, cluttered layouts (violates clarity)

1. PURPOSE: What concept should this image make immediately obvious?
   (Aesthetics are semantic—they mean things. What meaning?)

2. CONTEXT: Where will this appear? 
   (Hero image needs different approach than thumbnail)

3. EMOTION: What should the viewer feel when seeing this?
   (Hope? Recognition? Awe? Determination?)

4. METAPHOR: What physical reality embodies your values here?
   (Architecture? Nature? Technology? Craft?)

**FOR:** Hero image for your productivity tool landing page
**VALUES TO EXPRESS:** Achievement, Clarity, Visible Impact

**PROMPT:**
"Minimalist summit achievement, single figure standing on mountain peak at 
golden hour, clear sky gradient from deep blue to warm orange, sharp silhouette 
against vast landscape, aerial perspective showing the full climb, architectural 
photography style, 8k resolution, crisp detail, no clutter, lone figure as 
scale reference, visible path winding up mountain (effort made visible), 
cinematic composition, heroic but grounded, not exaggerated"

**WHY THIS WORKS:**
- Summit = Achievement value made visible
- Clear sky = Clarity, no obstruction
- Winding path visible = Visible Impact (the effort, not just result)
- Minimalist = Honors your Intellectual Mastery value (focus on essence)
- Golden hour = Optimism without saccharine

**VARIATIONS BY CONTEXT:**
- Thumbnail version: Tighter crop on figure, more saturated colors (punchy at small size)
- Dark mode site: Twilight version with stars emerging (same silhouette, different mood)
- Mobile hero: Vertical composition, figure lower third, more sky (scroll breathing room)

**ANTI-PROMPTS (avoid):**
- "Crowded celebration" (violates Clarity)
- "Abstract concept" (violates Visible Impact—you need tangible)
- "Corporate team on summit" (violates Autonomy and achievement attribution)

1. GENRE: What container are we working in?
   (Adventure, romance, technical documentation, philosophical essay?)

2. PROTAGONIST VALUES: What does the hero value? 
   (Their values drive their choices—the reader must feel these are RIGHT choices)

3. WORLD VALUES: What does the setting reward? 
   (Is this a universe where honesty wins? Where strength wins? Where cunning wins?)

4. READER EMOTION: How should they feel at the end?
   (Triumphant? Haunted? Clear? Inspired to act?)

**FOR:** Adventure story protagonist who shares your values of Autonomy, 
Intellectual Mastery, and Visible Impact

**CORE VOICE:** "The Competent Rogue"—not reckless, but self-directed. 
Plans thoroughly (mastery), acts decisively (impact), needs no permission (autonomy).

**NARRATIVE RECOMMENDATIONS:**

1. **CHOICE ARCHITECTURE:** Every major plot point should present a choice 
   between:
   - Safe conformity vs. risky self-direction (Autonomy)
   - Easy deception vs. difficult honesty (if Integrity is also valued)
   - Quick solution vs. thorough understanding (Mastery)
   
   The protagonist must consistently pay the price for their values. 
   Their losses come from holding them, not abandoning them.

2. **SENTENCE STRUCTURE:** 
   - Primary: Short, declarative. "He assessed the room. Three exits. Two guards."
   - Secondary: Occasional complex periodic sentence for contrast, paying 
     off with confidence. "Having calculated the angles, the wind, and the 
     guard's blind spot, he moved."
   - Dialogue: Direct. No "seemed to" or "appeared to." The protagonist sees 
     clearly and says what they mean.

3. **VOICE QUALITIES:**
   - **Observational precision:** Specific details others miss. Show the 
     mechanism, not just the result.
   - **Internal deliberation:** We see them think through problems. The 
     thinking IS the character.
   - **Physical competence:** Their body obeys their will. Movement is 
     intentional, not frantic.
   - **Self-amusement:** Occasional dry humor, especially at absurdity of 
     obstacles. Mastery includes not taking oneself too seriously.

4. **AVOID:**
   - "Somehow he managed..." (No. Show competence, not luck)
   - Excessive emotional reaction (Competence is cool under pressure)
   - Asking permission or waiting for approval (Violates core Autonomy value)
   - Winning through coincidence (Victories must be visible results of skill)

**EXAMPLE OPENING:**
---
The vault had three locks. The first was mechanical, eighteen tumblers, 
standard city ordinance. The second was electronic, biometric, installed by 
paranoid owners. The third was conceptual—the certainty that no one would 
try.

Reese tried the third first.

He'd been watching the house for six weeks. He knew the maid's schedule, 
the guard's attention span, the precise angle at which the kitchen window 
caught the afternoon light and blinded the camera. The first two locks 
would take twelve minutes with his tools. Getting to them would take two.

He moved.
---

**WHY THIS WORKS:**
- Immediate display of competence (Mastery)
- Self-directed planning (Autonomy)
- Visible process, not just outcome (Visible Impact)
- No wasted words (Clarity)
- Physical precision over emotional reaction

**REFERENCE FROM YOUR AESTHETICS:**
Your captured text: "The question isn't who is going to let me; it's who 
is going to stop me." This energy—self-efficacy, initiative, refusal to 
seek permission—should permeate the prose.

1. IDENTIFY: What specific aesthetic requirement conflicts with which value?
   (e.g., "The client wants trendy gradients, but user values Clarity and Order")

2. TRANSLATE: Can the requirement be met through a different aesthetic path 
   that honors the value?
   (e.g., "Gradients can suggest depth/order if used systematically, not 
   decorationally")

3. NEGOTIATE: Is there a compromise where the task need is met superficially 
   while the value is expressed structurally?
   (e.g., "One gradient accent in hero, but grid and clarity throughout")

4. ESCALATE: If no translation possible, flag the conflict explicitly.
   "This requirement (trendy maximalism) fundamentally conflicts with your 
   stated value of Clarity. Proceeding will create cognitive dissonance for 
   you. Options: (A) Accept the conflict as temporary pragmatism, (B) Push 
   back on requirement, (C) Re-examine if Clarity is truly your value."

// Compare aesthetics from 6 months ago vs now
mcp({
  tool: "value_hierarchy_list_aesthetics",
  server: "value-hierarchy",
  args: {
    "limit": 50
  }
})

"I've suggested aesthetics expressing your Clarity and Achievement values. 
However, your hierarchy also prioritizes Connection (priority 4), but I 
haven't found a way to express this yet. Should we:

A) Adjust suggestion to include warmth/human element
B) Acknowledge this task doesn't serve Connection, which is fine for a 
   specific-use aesthetic
C) Question whether Connection belongs at priority 4 if it doesn't 
   naturally emerge in your creative choices"

"What should a visitor feel about you in 3 seconds? And what's the primary 
action you want them to take? These two answers will determine the aesthetic 
direction."

"What concept should this make immediately obvious, and what metaphor from 
physical reality embodies that? (Mountain? Workshop? Network? Garden?)"

"What does your protagonist value? Their values drive every choice—they must 
pay prices for them, not abandon them when convenient."

"You want [X aesthetic] but also need to serve [Y practical goal]. Let me 
find the path where your values are expressed structurally while the 
practical need is met functionally."

"This suggestion is unconventional because your Autonomy value is high priority. 
Generic aesthetics would violate that. Here's why this specific choice serves 
your actual values..."