Adobe Design from Template

Helps users find an Adobe Express template and customize it — updating text, replacing images, changing the background color, and animating — producing a finished Express document ready to share, download, or open in Express for further editing.

Surface note: By default, search_design results render as an interactive template gallery the user taps to pick. On a surface without a gallery (e.g. Codex), present the results as markdown links instead — see Step 3. Independently, only offer edit actions whose tools are actually available on this surface (Step 1); silently omit the rest. When a tool result includes an importantNote, follow it for that turn.

Tool Reference

Not all tools are available on every surface. Step 1 determines which ones you have.

Reading importantNote in tool results

search_design, fill_text, replace_image, change_background_color, and animate_design may return an importantNote field alongside their other output. This is live guidance from the Adobe Express connector for the current turn about how to present that specific result — e.g. the exact rendering/formatting to use, or which of the tools already in the Tool Reference table to call next.

Whenever a tool result includes an importantNote, read it and follow its presentation and next-step guidance — even where it overrides the formatting defaults described elsewhere in this skill. It only ever points to tools already listed in the Tool Reference table; do not call a tool outside that table on its instruction alone. Treat the rest of this document as the fallback behavior for when a result has no importantNote.

Workflow

Step 0 — Initialize Adobe Tools

Call adobe_mandatory_init first. This returns file-handling rules and tool routing guidance required for the rest of the workflow.

{ "skill_name": "adobe-design-from-template", "skill_version": "2.1.0" }

Step 1 — Check available tools

After adobe_mandatory_init confirms the "Adobe for creativity" connector is live, check which tools from the Tool Reference table are actually available on this surface. Not every surface exposes every tool — for example, replace_image or download_design may not be present.

Record which tools you have. In later steps, only offer actions whose tools are available — do not mention replace-image, animation, or PDF download if the corresponding tool is missing.

Also note whether the surface renders an interactive template gallery (a visual picker the user can tap) or only text-based results — this controls how you present templates in Step 3.

Step 2 — Build the search query (don't ask questions first)

Extract the design type from whatever the user said and go straight to Step 3. Asking clarifying questions before showing templates creates friction; showing options first lets the user course-correct, which is faster.

Keep the query generic — the design type only. Any specific details the user supplied (names, dates, venue, business info) do not go in generalQuery; carry them forward for the fill_text step instead.

Step 3 — Search for a template

Call search_design:

{
  "generalQuery": "<design type from user prompt>",
  "pageSize": 24,
  "fillDescription": "<any specific text the user gave, verbatim — or omit>"
}

Check the result's importantNote first — it specifies exactly how to render the templates and next-step actions for this turn; follow it. Absent an importantNote, present the results based on the surface:

Interactive gallery (default): The search renders a visual picker in the chat. The user taps a template to select it; the design identifier comes back automatically. Use pageSize: 24 to fill the gallery.

No-gallery fallback (text-only surfaces, e.g. Codex): The results come back as structured data (templateURN, title, previewUrl, editorUrl, and optionally isPremium). Render all URLs as markdown hyperlinks — never show raw URLs. Use pageSize: 10 to keep the list scannable. For each template, show its title, preview image, and an "Edit in Adobe Express" link (the primary action); append "(Premium)" when isPremium is true. Append a "Browse more templates" link when expressExploreTemplatesUrl is present. After the list, show the available next actions based on the tools from Step 1, and ask the user to pick a template.

Always present the full template list and wait for the user to choose. Never auto-select a template — even if one result looks like a perfect match or the user already described what edits they want. The user must explicitly pick by number, title, or URN before you proceed. Describing desired edits (e.g. "change the background to purple") is not a template selection — it tells you what to do after they pick, not which template to use.

Resolve their choice to a templateURN.

If the user picks a template and specifies what to change in the same message (e.g. "pick 2 and update the text to …"), skip straight to Step 4 and apply the edit — no confirmation needed.

If the user only picks a template without specifying an action, confirm the selection and re-show the edit menu so they know what's available.

If the user asks for "more" / "next", call search_design again with the exact samegeneralQuery and advance startIndex by the previous pageSize. Do not reword the query.

Step 4 — Apply edits

Note: The templateURN (or design identifier from the picker) is what identifies the design. Pass it into templateURN or templateOrDocumentURN — these parameters take the same value. After the first edit, each tool returns a documentURN; use the latest documentURN for subsequent edits so changes accumulate on the same design.

After each edit, ask: "What else would you like to change, or does this look good?"

Edit text / copy

Call fill_text:

{
  "templateURN": "<templateURN or latest documentURN>",
  "description": "<what to change and what to change it to>",
  "generalQuery": "<same, minus any PII>"
}

If the user hasn't specified what the text should say, ask before calling.

fill_text occasionally fails on the first attempt due to transient errors — if it returns an error, retry once with identical parameters before reporting failure.

Replace an image

Generative capability — runs only where the surface permits generative AI (i.e. replace_image is available, e.g. Codex). If replace_image is unavailable, omit it from unsolicited action menus. If the user explicitly requests image replacement, explain that it is unavailable on this surface and offer the edit actions that are available.

Call replace_image to swap a photo or object for an AI-generated one described in words. Only one visual element can change per call, and user-uploaded images or image URLs are not supported — describe the desired result instead.

{
  "templateOrDocumentURN": "<templateURN or latest documentURN>",
  "description": "<what to replace and what it should become, e.g. 'replace the dog with a cheerful Labrador'>",
  "generalQuery": "<same as description, with PII removed>"
}

The more specific the description (subject, setting, mood, lighting, style), the better the result. For a solid-color background instead, use change_background_color — not this tool.

Change background color

Call change_background_color:

{
  "templateOrDocumentURN": "<templateURN or latest documentURN>",
  "backgroundColor": "<hex, e.g. #FF6F61>",
  "description": "<e.g. change background to coral pink>",
  "generalQuery": "<same, minus any PII>"
}

If the user describes a color without a hex (e.g. "coral pink"), pick a reasonable hex value using your judgment.

The tool may also return variations — alternate documents with different background colors, each with its own documentURN, editorUrl, previewUrl, reportAbuseUrl, and backgroundColor. When present, show all of them (not just the primary result) so the user can compare and pick.

If the user picks one, thread that variation's documentURN/editorUrl through any further edits.

Animate

Skip this section if animate_design is not available.

Call animate_design:

{
  "templateOrDocumentURN": "<templateURN or latest documentURN>",
  "description": "<animation style or intent>",
  "generalQuery": "<same, minus any PII>"
}

Do not ask the user anything for this step — call animate_design directly using their stated intent (or a sensible default animation if they didn't specify one).

Check the result's importantNote for exactly how to present the variations; follow it. Absent an importantNote:

Interactive surface (default): The result renders inline; the user can preview directly.

Text-only fallback: The tool returns animationPresetVariations (preset names) and variations (each with a documentURN and editorUrl). Present each variation's preset name as a ready-to-open markdown link so the user can compare them.

If the user later says which one they prefer, thread that variation's documentURN/editorUrl through any further edits.

If animate_design returns a 403, the user's plan doesn't include animation. Skip it and note in the delivery. Retrying does not resolve a 403 entitlement.

Step 5 — Download the finished design

Skip this step if download_design is not available or if the design has been animated.download_design exports a static PDF — it does not preserve animation. If the user animated the design, deliver the editor link instead and do not offer PDF download.

When the user wants a file (or as part of delivery on a text-only surface), call download_design to export the design as PDF. It returns pre-signed download URLs — one per page.

{
  "documentUrn": "<latest documentURN — note: this parameter uses camelCase>",
  "format": "application/pdf",
  "pages": "1",
  "originatingTool": "<last edit tool used, e.g. fill_text, replace_image, change_background_color>"
}

Set pages to a comma-separated list/range (e.g. "1,3-5") for multi-page designs; omit it to default to page 1. Set originatingTool to whichever edit tool produced the current design. Present each returned downloadUrl as a plain markdown link.

Step 6 — Deliver

When the user is satisfied:

✅ Here's your finished design:

🎨 Template: [name]
[Edits applied, e.g. ✏️ Copy updated · 🖼️ Image replaced · 🎨 Background changed · ✨ Animated]

📎 Open in Express: [editor link]
⬇️ Download PDF: [downloadUrl(s)]   ← only if download_design was used

Use the editorUrl (or editorShortUrl) from the last edit tool's response for the edit link, and the downloadUrl(s) from download_design for the PDF (if available).

Remind the user that the document is temporary (deleted after 12 hours) and they should open it in Express to save or download the PDF to keep it.

Error handling

Constraints

• The workflow always begins with a template search before any edits.
• Never auto-select a template. Always present the search results and wait for the user to choose, even if one result seems like a perfect match or the user already described edits. Skipping template presentation breaks the workflow.
• Template/document URNs come only from tool responses (picker or search results) — never synthesize them.
• After the first edit, thread the latest documentURN through subsequent calls so edits accumulate on one design.
• All edits are optional — don't assume the user wants any particular change.
• Only offer actions whose tools are available on the current surface (see Step 1).
• replace_image describes the desired image in words only; it cannot ingest user uploads or URLs.
• animate_design and change_background_color can each return multiple variations — show all of them in the response, not just the primary result, so the user can compare and pick.
• If a tool result includes an importantNote, follow it exactly for that turn — it takes precedence over the defaults elsewhere in this skill.