print_widget_flutter 0.2.0

Capture Flutter widgets and pages as PNG screenshots for visual verification. Designed for LLMs to generate, compare, and iterate on UI.

print_widget

Capture Flutter widgets as PNG screenshots. Built for LLMs to see what they build.

Screenshots

What it does

You define widgets. It generates PNGs. LLMs read the PNGs and iterate on the UI.

You write code → print_widget generates screenshots → LLM sees the result → fixes UI → repeat

Two things in one

What	Purpose	Install
CLI	Run generate, list, config	dart pub global activate print_widget_flutter
Dev dependency	Use PrintSession, PrintEntry, Printable in code	Added by print_widget init

The CLI runs commands. The dev dependency gives you the Dart classes. print_widget init sets up both.

Quick start

1. Install CLI (once)

dart pub global activate print_widget_flutter

Not yet on pub.dev? Install directly from GitHub:

dart pub global activate --source git https://github.com/ulisseshen/print_widget.git

2. Set up your project

cd my_flutter_app
print_widget init

3. Edit the config

Open test/prints/print_config.dart:

final printSession = PrintSession(
  appWrapper: (child) => MaterialApp(
    theme: MyAppTheme.light,
    home: child,
  ),
  defaultDevice: DeviceFrame.iPhone15Pro,
);

final printList = <PrintEntry>[
  page('login_page', const LoginPage()),
  widget('product_card', ProductCard(title: 'Demo'), size: Size(350, 420)),

  // Multiple states of the same screen
  pages('sign_in', states: [
    state('empty', SignInScreen()),
    state('error', SignInScreen(initialError: 'Invalid email')),
  ]),
];

4. Generate

print_widget generate

Done. PNGs + manifest.json in your output directory.

AI Assistant Onboarding

If you are an AI assistant (Claude Code, Cursor, Codex) setting up print_widget in a Flutter project, follow this complete onboarding flow:

Step 1: Install the CLI globally

dart pub global activate --source git https://github.com/ulisseshen/print_widget.git

Do NOT add print_widget to the project's pubspec.yaml. It is a CLI tool, not a library dependency.

Step 2: Run init and follow the onboarding output

cd <flutter_project>
print_widget init

The init command creates all needed files and prints onboarding instructions specifically for you. Read and follow them — they guide you through:

• Editing the config file with the project's theme and widgets
• Running print_widget generate
• Installing the AI skill (print_widget skills --install=figma)
• Detecting VS Code/Cursor and offering to install the preview extension

Step 3: Read the compact reference

print_widget --llm-guide

This prints a condensed guide with project-specific paths, all CLI commands, entry types, device list, and the VS Code extension install instructions.

Step 4: Add widgets to capture

Edit the config file (path shown in init output) and add the project's widgets:

final printList = <PrintEntry>[
  page('login_page', const LoginPage()),
  widget('product_card', ProductCard(data: mock), size: Size(350, 420)),
];

Step 5: Generate and verify

print_widget generate

Read manifest.json in the output directory to find generated PNG paths. Read the PNGs to visually verify your UI work. Iterate until the screenshots match the design.

What happens after onboarding

Once set up, you can:

• /print-widget <figma-url> — convert a Figma design to Flutter with screenshot comparison loop
• print_widget generate --name=<entry> — regenerate a single screenshot after code changes
• print_widget generate --all-devices — test responsive layouts across iPhone, Pixel, iPad
• Compare screenshots with design references in the VS Code extension sidebar

CLI commands

print_widget init                        # Set up project
print_widget generate                    # Generate all screenshots
print_widget generate --name=login_page  # Generate one entry
print_widget generate --device=pixel_7   # Override device
print_widget generate --all-devices      # All popular devices
print_widget generate --delete-old       # Clean regenerate
print_widget list                        # Show configured entries
print_widget config                      # View settings
print_widget config --device=pixel_7     # Change default device
print_widget skills                      # Install AI assistant skills (Claude, Cursor, Codex)
print_widget skills --list               # List available skills
print_widget --llm-guide                 # Print LLM reference

Page vs Widget

	Page	Widget
Layout	Full screen	Centered in Scaffold
Use for	Screens, routes	Components, cards, buttons
Custom size	Uses device size	Optional size: parameter

Grouped states

Capture multiple visual states of the same component:

pages('sign_in_screen', states: [
  state('empty', SignInScreen()),
  state('error', SignInScreen(initialError: 'Invalid email')),
  state('filled', SignInScreen(initialEmail: '[e-mail]')),
])

Output naming via StateOutputMode:

Mode	File path
prefix (default)	sign_in_screen/empty_iphone_15_pro.png
suffix	sign_in_screen/iphone_15_pro_empty.png
folder	sign_in_screen/empty/iphone_15_pro.png

Devices

DeviceFrame.iPhone15Pro   // 393x852 @3x
DeviceFrame.pixel7        // 412x915 @2.625x
DeviceFrame.iPadPro11     // 834x1194 @2x
DeviceFrame.popular       // [iPhone15Pro, pixel7, iPadPro11]
DeviceFrame.allPhones     // 8 phone devices
DeviceFrame.allTablets    // 4 tablet devices

Manifest

Generated manifest.json for LLM consumption:

{
  "generatedAt": "2026-02-13T15:00:00Z",
  "screenshots": [
    {
      "name": "login_page",
      "type": "page",
      "file": "test/prints/output/login_page/iphone_15_pro.png",
      "device": "iphone_15_pro",
      "width": 393.0,
      "height": 852.0
    }
  ]
}

LLM workflow

1. LLM implements LoginPage
2. LLM adds to printList: page('login_page', LoginPage())
3. LLM runs: print_widget generate --name=login_page
4. LLM reads manifest.json → finds PNG → views screenshot
5. LLM compares with design → iterates until it matches

Works with Figma MCP for autonomous design-match loops — fetch design from Figma, implement, screenshot, compare, fix, repeat.

VS Code Extension

Preview and compare screenshots directly in VS Code.

• Sidebar tree view grouped by feature, state, and device
• Multi-device comparison grid
• Before/after diff with slider overlay
• Design reference comparison with similarity percentage (auto-detects .reference/ images)

Requires Node.js 18+ to build from source:

cd extensions/vscode && npm install && npm run build && npx @vscode/vsce package
code --install-extension print-widget-preview-*.vsix

See extensions/vscode/README.md for full installation instructions (macOS, Linux, Windows).

Docs

• Architecture
• Standalone test API