Design exploration

Nitro Kit landing page — four directions

First screen plus first proof section, drawn in the site's brand. Each variant answers a different question first: what does it do, why does it exist, what's in it, or what do I pay for. All copy is real or adapted from the codebase and product docs.

Source site/app/views/pages/index.rb · docs/product.md · core/README.md
Generated 2026-09-04
Variants 4
Surface / (landing) · desktop
A

Prompt in, interface out

Optimizes for proving the agent claim on the first screen: the real prompt sits next to the real result. · Tradeoff gives up the theme-range customizer and the "why" argument above the fold.

Variant A · demo-led · 1280px
Alpha Nitro Kit 2 for Rails

Prompt in.
Rails interface out.

Coding agents changed everything. What made you productive before works against your agent. Nitro Kit is the interface system that keeps your coding agent on track.

Works withCodexClaude Codeany MCP client
Application shellAuthenticationOnboardingAccount settingsBillingUploadsWebhooks
Prompt Full · Abbreviated Build Racecamp's application shell (27 Seagulls) in all three Nitro Kit layouts: sidebar, top bar, hybrid. Workspace switcher, Projects/Teams/Activity/Settings nav, user menu, ⌘K command palette, dashboard metrics. Dummy content; UI showcase.
Codex + Nitro Kit 2 + Pro pattern application-shell
Result
27 Seagulls ⌃⌄
Projects
Teams
Activity 3
Settings
Ada Lovelace
ada@racecamp.test
Projects12 active across 4 teams
⌘K Search+ New project
Open tasks248+12 this week
On track9of 12
Due this week31−4
People324 teams
ProjectTeamDue
Racecamp iOSMobileSep 18On track
Billing v2PlatformSep 30On track
Onboarding refreshGrowthOct 2On track

What works

The strongest possible evidence for "agent-native" is a verbatim prompt and its result, and this puts both on screen before any argument. The demo tabs reuse the seven real demos, so the hero grows as the showcase grows.

What risks

The claim is only as honest as the demos. Until the "generate demos with an agent for real" ticket lands, this hero is making a promise the current previews don't fully back. It also drops the theme presets that show range.

Pick this if

You believe the demos are the product's best marketing and want the landing page to become the demos page's front door.

B

The manifesto

Optimizes for converting the skeptical Rails developer with the argument itself; the six "human → agent" swaps become the hero. · Tradeoff gives up instant visual proof, and asks the visitor to read.

Variant B · argument-led · 1280px

What made humans productive works against your agent.

Nitro Kit is a Rails interface system built for coding agents: strict Ruby components, plain versioned CSS, native HTML, and a gem-owned core your agent can't drift from.

01
TailwindCSSPlain CSS

A human can check and adjust every utility class. An agent can write classes that look right but do not exist in your design system.

02
ERB fragmentsRuby components

Ruby components state the rules in code. If your agent uses them wrong, the code fails loudly instead of rendering broken HTML.

03
Classes + stylesVariants + fixed APIs

A short list to choose from. If it guesses wrong, it knows right away.

04
Custom JavaScript stateNative HTML

Browsers keep improving. Humans miss things. Agents reinvent them.

05
Mixed frontend stacksRails end to end

Two stacks mean more glue, slower shipping, and more places for bugs to hide.

06
Copied sourceGem-owned core

Humans notice when copied components drift. Agents create another variation.

What works

The human/agent voice marks, strike-throughs, and diffs already exist in the codebase and are the most distinctive thing about the site. Promoting them to the hero makes the page unmistakable and gives the headline a real point of view.

What risks

No product screenshot above the fold, so a visitor who wants to see quality before reading may bounce. The 72px headline with three fonts in it is one step from gimmicky and needs careful kerning.

Pick this if

Your audience is Rails developers who already trust their agent and need to be talked out of Tailwind-plus-partials habits.

C

The spec sheet

Optimizes for trust through completeness: install line, numbers, the full component inventory, and one contract on the first screen. · Tradeoff gives up narrative and emotion; reads closer to a README than a launch page.

Variant C · inventory-led · 1280px
2.0.0.alpha.5 · prerelease

54 components.
One gem. Zero class= guesses.

A gem-owned Phlex interface system for Rails. Every component, its CSS, its Stimulus behavior, and its contract ship in the gem and upgrade with bundle update. Nothing is copied into your app unless you ask.

Copy # Gemfile
gem "nitro_kit", "2.0.0.alpha.5"

$ bundle install
$ bin/rails generate nitro_kit:install
$ bin/rails nitro_kit:doctor
Components54 catalogued
RenderingPhlex · plain Ruby
StylingPlain versioned CSS
BehaviorNative HTML first
OwnershipGem-owned, ejectable
Pro patterns10 · via MCP

Everything in the box core/app/components/nitro_kit

AccordionAlertAppNavigationAppShellAppearancePickerAuthShell AvatarAvatarStackBadgeButtonButtonGroupButtonTo CardCheckboxCheckboxGroupChoiceComboboxCommandPalette ContainerControlGroupDangerZoneDataSectionDetailsTableDialog DropdownDropzoneEmptyStateFieldFieldGroupFieldset FlexFormBuilderGridIconInputLabel PageHeaderPaginationPaginationBarProgressiveImageRadioButtonRadioButtonGroup RichTextAreaSelectSettingsLayoutSettingsSectionSheetStatGrid SwitchTableTabsTextareaToastToolbar TooltipTypeset
Button contract · 2.0.0.alpha.5
variant:default · :primary · :destructive · :ghost
size:xs · :sm · :md · :lg · :xl
iconLucide name, or icon_end:
hrefrenders <a> with the same states
slotslabel · icon-start · icon-end
Button(variant: :danger) → ArgumentError: unknown variant

What works

Developers evaluating a gem want the install line, the count, and one honest contract. Putting the failure mode on the first screen says "strict" better than any adjective. The inventory doubles as navigation into the gallery.

What risks

Nothing here says why agents specifically. The numbers are real today but "54" becomes a maintenance chore and the page dates itself with every release. It competes with the gallery site rather than sending people there.

Pick this if

You want the landing page to feel like a serious, complete piece of infrastructure and let the demos and Pro pages carry the story.

D

Two parts, one app

Optimizes for commercial clarity: the free kit and the Pro playbook are the hero, with the agent and MCP drawn between them and your app. · Tradeoff gives up the emotional hook and risks reading as a pricing page before anyone is sold.

Variant D · product-led · 1280px
Rails interfaces for coding agents

The kit is free. The playbook is Pro.

Free is the complete interface system. Pro is verified compositional knowledge, delivered with source exemplars so your agent builds real Rails interfaces correctly.

The kitFree
  • All 54 components, CSS, and behavior
  • Contracts and executable gallery
  • Public coding-agent guidance
  • Upgrades through Bundler
$0 · custom NitroKit License
Install the gem →
gem
your coding agentCodex · Claude Code · MCP
MCP
The playbookPro alpha
  • 10 patterns: auth, onboarding, CRUD, billing, uploads, webhooks…
  • Application-owned source exemplars
  • Evals against the pinned core
  • Website + MCP retrieval, continued updates
Private alpha · no license check in your app
Ask about Pro
Your app
Northstar Studio ⌃⌄
Dashboard
Orders
Customers
Agent New
Ada Lovelace
ada@northstar.test
Good morning, AdaHere’s what’s happening today.
Monthly ⌄+ Invite
Revenue$228,441+4% this month
Expenses$25,108−2.4%
Sales458+5.7%
Profit$203,133+3%

Connect your agent in one line

Pro patterns are retrieved over MCP with OAuth. The exemplar becomes ordinary code in your app and keeps working if you stop paying.

claude mcp add --transport http nitro-kit https://nitrokit.dev/mcp
codex mcp add nitro-kit --url https://nitrokit.dev/mcp
Then: “search the Nitro Kit catalog for billing and retrieve the pattern.”

What works

It says what Pro is and isn't in one glance, which the current page buries below the fold and the Pro page only hints at. The gem/MCP pipe diagram is the product architecture, drawn honestly.

What risks

Leading with a two-column boundary before anyone is convinced can feel like being sold to. Pro is still private alpha, so the right column can't close; it ends in a mailto. The pricing slot is empty until Stripe billing ships.

Pick this if

Launch is close, Pro delivery is the thing you most need people to understand, and the landing page should double as the Pro page.

How to pick a direction

Each direction answers a different first question. Pick on which question your visitor is asking.

Show me it works → APrompt beside result. Best once demos are genuinely agent-generated.
Convince me → BThe six swaps as hero. Best for opinionated Rails developers who read.
What's in it → CInstall line, inventory, one contract. Best for gem evaluators.
What do I pay for → DFree kit, Pro playbook, MCP between. Best when launch is near.