A reference is evidence
A visual reference identifies an external resource or an addressable part of it. It can constrain composition, typography, color, behavior, motion, lighting or another stated aspect. It is not executable content and does not automatically override explicit document requirements.
A website reference may need a URL, selector, viewport and capture context. A video reference may need a time interval or frame. A presentation reference needs a slide; a PDF reference needs a page; a 3D reference may name a scene, node or camera. Figma references identify a file and node. Image references can identify a region.
Use the reference explorer to construct and inspect locator data. The explorer produces a descriptor; it does not fetch a website, extract a Figma file or establish ownership of an asset.
Keep the aspects narrow
A photograph might define lighting without defining subject identity. A video might define timing without defining color. Declare those boundaries so consumers do not import incidental characteristics.
Reference roles express how evidence is used: source of truth, preferred, supporting, inspiration or avoid. An avoid reference expresses a negative constraint. It must not be averaged into a positive style target.
Reference sets and conflicts
A set groups evidence for a shared purpose, such as a checkout baseline. It can give layout authority to a design file, typography authority to a brand guide and motion authority to a video interval.
Choose a conflict policy explicitly. Equal-authority incompatible requirements need a diagnostic or an author decision. A consumer must not conceal that conflict by choosing whichever source was loaded last.
Capture reproducibility
Record immutable resource versions or checksums where available. A live URL is a location, not a reproducible snapshot. Record the dimensions, crop and temporal context used during extraction. Keep credentials outside the document.
A locator that cannot be resolved should produce an unresolved-reference result. It must not be treated as evidence that the desired feature is absent.
Preserve uncertainty
Provenance records whether a value was authored, measured, extracted, inferred, generated, defaulted or derived from a platform. Confidence is bounded between zero and one and describes the producer's confidence; it is not a universal quality score. Unknown values should remain unknown instead of being assigned fabricated precision.