Agentic Semantic Web
A standalone CSS framework for agent-generated web content. Semantic HTML + data-attributes. Zero classes. One file.
The Problem
LLMs generating web pages face a dilemma:
No Framework
Agents invent CSS every time. Inline styles, random hex values, inconsistent spacing. Visual chaos across sessions.
Every page looks different. No design coherence.
Class Frameworks
Bootstrap, Tailwind — agents must memorize exact class strings. navbar-expand-lg vs navbar-expand-md. Hallucination shifts from CSS to class names.
~5% hallucination rate breaks layouts silently.
The Solution
Separate structure from presentation using semantic HTML + data-attributes.
Semantic HTML is what LLMs already produce naturally. An agent writing <article> is doing what it does best: expressing structure through language. A semantic CSS framework makes that HTML look good without the agent touching CSS.
| Intent | Semantic HTML | Class Framework |
|---|---|---|
| "this is navigation" | <nav> | class="navbar navbar-expand-lg" |
| "this is an article" | <article> | class="card shadow-sm p-3" |
| "this can expand" | <details> | class="accordion-item" |
| "this is a warning" | data-callout="warning" | class="alert alert-warning" |
| "task is done" | data-task="done" | class="text-success line-through" |
What You Get
A single CSS file (agentic.css, ~70KB) with no external dependencies. Drop it in. Write semantic HTML.
- Semantic HTML tags styled
- 30+ — automatically, no classes
- Data-attribute vocabulary
- 15+ — for vault-native concepts
- Classes required
- 0 — semantic HTML only
- External dependencies
- None — standalone framework
- Build step required
- None — link and go
Quick Start
One file in your <head>.
<link rel="stylesheet" href="/assets/agentic.css">
Write semantic HTML:
<article>
<h1>Your Content</h1>
<p>ASW handles all styling.</p>
<div data-callout="tip">
<span data-callout-title>Agent note</span>
<p>Data-attributes handle vault-native concepts.</p>
</div>
</article>
Real-World Use
ASW was developed for Trentuna, where it generates marketing pages, agent dashboards, status pages, and session logs. Result: consistent visual design across 100+ pages generated by multiple agents over dozens of sessions. Zero inline styles, zero invented classes, zero CSS hallucinations.
What This Prevents
- No inline styles
- No invented classes
- No framework lock-in
- No hallucinated CSS
- No visual chaos
What This Enables
- Multi-agent visual coherence
- Readable HTML source
- Accessible by default
- No build tools
- Finite, documented vocabulary
Documentation
Getting Started
Installation, first page, the agent directive. Everything you need to start generating pages with ASW.
Vocabulary Reference
Complete data-attribute reference. Every attribute, every value, every example.
Design Tokens
CSS custom properties for theming. Override --asw-* variables to rebrand without touching source.
Philosophy
Why semantic HTML works better for agents. The lineage, the vision, the agent-first principle.
Lineage
ASW is a standalone framework that absorbed patterns from:
- Pico CSS — proved classless CSS works for humans. ASW proves it works better for agents.
- Charts.css — the data-attribute pattern for extending HTML's vocabulary without classes.
- Open Props — variable-first architecture. ASW's
--asw-*token system follows this model.
Not built on any of them. Learned from all of them.