heygen-com__hyperframes/docs/contributing/catalog.mdx

---
title: Contributing to the Catalog
description: How to add blocks and components to the HyperFrames registry.
---

Your agent already knows how to build video components. It writes HTML. HyperFrames renders it. The registry is the collection of everything that's been built - 52 blocks and counting.

This guide shows you how to add to it.

<Info>
**Quick version** - Fork the repo. Write one HTML file with a paused anime.js timeline, add `runtime: "animejs"` to `registry-item.json`, run `hyperframes lint` + `validate`, publish with `npx hyperframes publish`, and open a PR.
</Info>

## Why Contribute?

Every block in the registry exists because someone needed it and built it. When you add a block, every HyperFrames user gets it with one command:

```bash
npx hyperframes add instagram-follow
```

The registry grows, HyperFrames gets more useful, and your work ships to everyone.

## Two Paths

### Ideas (No Code)

You spot visual trends before anyone. That's the most valuable contribution.

- Screen-record a caption style from TikTok/YouTube that doesn't exist yet
- Sketch a lower-third in Figma with fonts, colors, and timing
- Install a component, preview it, report what feels off

Open an issue on [GitHub](https://github.com/heygen-com/hyperframes/issues) with a visual reference. Tag it `component-request`.

<Tip>The bar for ideas is low. We'd rather have 100 and build the best 10.</Tip>

### Build It

Every block is a single HTML file. No build step, no framework.

If you use Claude Code with HyperFrames skills:

> "I want to contribute a new transition that looks like \[description\]"

The `/hyperframes-registry` skill scaffolds the structure, validates, renders a preview, publishes to [hyperframes.dev](https://hyperframes.dev), and prepares the PR.

## What Goes in the Registry

**Blocks** (`registry/blocks/`) - full standalone compositions. Fixed dimensions, fixed duration. Caption styles, VFX effects, title cards, transitions.

**Components** (`registry/components/`) - reusable snippets. No fixed size. CSS effects, text treatments, overlays that adapt to any composition.

### Structure

```
registry/blocks/my-block/
  my-block.html           ← the composition
  registry-item.json      ← metadata
```

### registry-item.json

```json
{
  "$schema": "https://hyperframes.heygen.com/schema/registry-item.json",
  "name": "my-block",
  "type": "hyperframes:block",
  "title": "My Block",
  "description": "What this block does in one sentence",
  "runtime": "animejs",
  "tags": ["category", "subcategory"],
  "dimensions": { "width": 1920, "height": 1080 },
  "duration": 5,
  "files": [
    {
      "path": "my-block.html",
      "target": "compositions/my-block.html",
      "type": "hyperframes:composition"
    }
  ]
}
```

`runtime` declares the animation engine used by the registry item. New contributions default to `"animejs"`. Existing or migrated GSAP-authored items declare `"runtime": "gsap"`, so installers and docs can route users to the correct adapter guidance. Omitted `runtime` is treated as legacy GSAP for backward compatibility, but new registry items should always set it explicitly.

## The Rules

Five things that must be true for every registry item:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Deterministic">
    No `Math.random()`, no `Date.now()`. Use seeded PRNG only.
  </Step>
  <Step title="Paused timeline">
    Use `anime.createTimeline({ autoplay: false })` or `anime.animate(..., { autoplay: false })`. The player controls playback.
  </Step>
  <Step title="Register timeline">
    `hyperframesAnime.register("id", tl, { labels })` must match `data-composition-id`.
  </Step>
  <Step title="No requestAnimationFrame">
    Drive Three.js/WebGL scenes from the registered timeline's current position or `hf-seek` events.
  </Step>
  <Step title="Hard kills on captions">
    Set caption opacity and visibility to hidden at the group end. No lingering text.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Warning>
Break any of these and renders won't be reproducible. The renderer captures every frame by seeking the registered animation. If your animation depends on real time or random state, it breaks.
</Warning>

## Quality Bar

Not everything belongs in the registry. The bar is production quality.

| Type | Minimum standard |
|------|-----------------|
| Captions | 96px+ font, text-stroke/shadow, overflow prevention |
| VFX | Solves a problem that takes 4+ hours from scratch |
| Transitions | Smoother than CSS - if opacity 0→1 works, it's not a transition |
| Blocks | Would a professional use this in a client project? |

### Common rejection reasons

1. **"Looks like a demo"** - a spinning cube is not a component
2. **"Text unreadable"** - font too small, no contrast treatment
3. **"Non-deterministic"** - `Math.random()` or `Date.now()`
4. **"Animation registration not found"** - ID mismatch between HTML and JS
5. **"Breaks as sub-composition"** - element IDs collide (prefix everything)

## Workflow

<Steps>
  <Step title="Fork and create">
    Fork [heygen-com/hyperframes](https://github.com/heygen-com/hyperframes) and create your block directory:
    ```bash
    mkdir -p registry/blocks/your-block
    ```
  </Step>
  <Step title="Write your block">
    Create the HTML composition and `registry-item.json`. Use the templates above.
  </Step>
  <Step title="Validate">
    ```bash
    hyperframes lint
    hyperframes validate
    npx oxfmt your-block.html
    ```
  </Step>
  <Step title="Update registry">
    ```bash
    # Add to registry index
    # Update registry/registry.json
    npx tsx scripts/generate-catalog-pages.ts
    ```
  </Step>
  <Step title="Render preview">
    ```bash
    hyperframes render -o preview.mp4
    ```
  </Step>
  <Step title="Publish and PR">
    ```bash
    npx hyperframes publish
    ```
    Open a PR with your [hyperframes.dev](https://hyperframes.dev) preview link.
  </Step>
</Steps>

**External contributors:** attach the preview MP4 to your PR. A maintainer handles the catalog image.

**HeyGen internal:** run `scripts/upload-docs-images.sh` to push catalog PNGs.

## What's Needed Right Now

These are gaps in the registry. If you're looking for something to build, start here.

| Category | Gap | Difficulty |
|----------|-----|-----------|
| Captions | Karaoke with clip-path sweep (CapCut style) | Medium |
| Captions | RTL language layouts (Arabic, Hebrew) | Medium |
| Lower thirds | 10 variations for podcasts/interviews | Easy |
| Lower thirds | News ticker / scrolling text bar | Easy |
| Maps | Animated route maps, region highlights, location pins | Medium |
| VFX | Product turntable with HDRI | Hard |
| VFX | Particle system with physics (collisions, gravity) | Hard |
| Transitions | Morphing shape transitions | Hard |
| Data viz | Sankey / flow diagrams | Medium |