Variable Contract Positioning

What Variable Contract is, what it is not, and how it fits into the larger UMP system.

What Variable Contract is

Variable Contract is:

A governance layer on DTCG 2025.10 format
Rules for naming, validation, and versioning
Adapter patterns for tool integration
A standard for managing variables in version control

Variable Contract provides:

Structure (DTCG-compliant JSON)
Governance (naming rules, change control)
Validation (what to check)
Adapters (how to convert tool outputs)

What Variable Contract is NOT

Variable Contract is NOT:

A new format (uses DTCG 2025.10)
A tool (works with existing tools)
A design system (governs variables, not design decisions)
A runtime library (use DTCG-compliant validators)
A build tool (use Style Dictionary or similar)

UMP context

Variable Contract is part of UMP (UI Mapping Protocol), a larger system for mapping design and development artifacts.

UMP components:

Variable Contract (this spec) - variables/tokens
Component Contract (future) - component mapping
Pattern Contract (future) - pattern mapping
Design-Dev Mapping (future) - artifact relationships

Variable Contract is the first piece of UMP, focusing on variables.

Target audience

Designers

Designers use Variable Contract to:

Create variables in Figma
Follow naming conventions
Export variables correctly
Understand governance rules

Developers

Developers use Variable Contract to:

Consume variables in code
Validate variable changes
Generate CSS/TypeScript outputs
Understand variable structure

Design Engineers

Design Engineers use Variable Contract to:

Maintain variable contract
Review variable changes
Set up validation
Manage versioning
Bridge design and development

Problem it solves

Variable Contract solves:

Naming confusion: Everyone calls them something different
No governance: Variables change without rules
Tool lock-in: Variables tied to specific tools
Handoff breaks: Design and code don’t align
No validation: Invalid variables ship to production
Versioning chaos: Breaking changes without notice

How it works

Variable Contract works by:

Defining structure (DTCG 2025.10 format)
Adding governance (naming, validation, versioning)
Providing adapters (tool integration)
Enabling validation (CI checks)
Supporting migration (from any format)

Success criteria

Variable Contract succeeds when:

Teams adopt it without confusion
Variables are validated automatically
Design and code stay aligned
Migration is straightforward
Tools work together via DTCG format and adapters

Out of scope

UMP full system (separate project)
Runtime libraries (use existing tools)
UI tools (use existing tools)
Design decisions (govern structure, not values)

Positioning