React Pwa Designer

React PWA Designer

Design and build modern React progressive web applications using SuperDesign methodology, shadcn/ui components, and React best practices.

When to Use This Skill

Trigger this skill when the user requests:

• Designing or building React applications
• Creating progressive web apps (PWAs)
• Implementing shadcn/ui components
• Building modern, responsive web interfaces
• Creating React component libraries
• Designing with Tailwind CSS and modern design systems
• Converting designs to React components

MCP Server Prerequisites

This skill expects two MCP servers to be configured: shadcn (mcp__shadcn__*) for live component discovery and variant details, and context7 (mcp__context7__*) for official/latest library documentation. Both are optional. Without them the skill falls back to its bundled reference files (@reference/shadcn-components.md and the other @reference/* guides), so component listings may be incomplete and documentation may lag the latest releases.

Reference File Index

Getting Started

• README.md - Complete skill overview
• @reference/setup-guide.md - Project initialization, dependencies, configuration
• templates/.superdesign/ - copy to the project root; design artifacts go in .superdesign/design_iterations/ (naming rules in the README inside it)

React Patterns

• @reference/react-hooks.md - Custom hooks and patterns
• @reference/component-patterns.md - Component architecture, compound components, render props
• @reference/state-management-patterns.md - useState vs Context vs Zustand vs React Query

Styling & Layout

• @reference/dynamic-styling-patterns.md - CSS Variables, Tailwind, inline styles
• @reference/layout-patterns.md - Flex scrolling, grid, responsive design, text overflow
• @reference/shadcn-components.md - shadcn/ui integration (check BEFORE MCP calls)

PWA

• @reference/pwa-checklist.md - PWA requirements checklist
• @reference/pwa-icon-validation.md - Icon validation (CRITICAL - read before generating icons!)
• @reference/pwa-troubleshooting.md - Installation, service worker, offline issues

Quality

• @reference/code-quality-tooling.md - ESLint, TypeScript, Prettier configuration
• @reference/common-pitfalls.md - Anti-patterns to avoid
• @reference/accessibility.md - WCAG AA patterns and examples
• @reference/implementation-examples.md - Complete code examples (Dashboard, Auth Flow)

Templates

• templates/vite.config.ts - Vite + PWA configuration
• templates/tailwind.config.js - Tailwind CSS setup
• templates/tsconfig.json - TypeScript configuration
• templates/manifest.json - PWA manifest template
• templates/component-boilerplate.tsx - React component template
• templates/custom-hook-template.ts - Custom hook structure
• templates/service-worker.ts - Manual service worker implementation

SuperDesign Workflow

Four-phase methodology. Get user approval before proceeding at each phase.

Phase 1: Discovery & Planning

1. Understand Requirements - App purpose, target users, PWA needs (offline, installable, notifications)
2. Component Discovery - Use mcp__shadcn__getComponents() and mcp__shadcn__getComponent() to identify matching components
3. Architecture Planning - Component hierarchy, state management, routing, data fetching

Phase 2: Design

Reference: See SuperDesign.md for complete methodology.

1. Layout Design - ASCII wireframes showing component structure and responsive breakpoints
2. Theme Design - MUST use tool calls (never text output), save to .superdesign/design_iterations/theme_[n].css
3. Animation Design - Micro-syntax specs for transitions, loading states, interactions
4. Component Implementation - Compose from shadcn primitives with proper TypeScript types

Phase 3: PWA Implementation

1. Icons - MUST READ @reference/pwa-icon-validation.md first (dimension mismatches = silent install failure)
2. Manifest - Use templates/manifest.json as starting point
3. Service Worker - Vite PWA Plugin (recommended) or manual via templates/service-worker.ts
4. Verify - See @reference/pwa-checklist.md for complete requirements

Phase 4: Development

• React patterns → @reference/react-hooks.md, @reference/component-patterns.md
• State management → @reference/state-management-patterns.md
• TypeScript & linting → @reference/code-quality-tooling.md
• Performance - React.memo, virtualization, code splitting, bundle monitoring
• Troubleshooting → @reference/pwa-troubleshooting.md

Session Scoping

• Limit to 15-20 files maximum per session
• Focus on single feature or component per iteration
• Complete cycle: Implementation → Tests → Commit before next scope

Tool Usage Decision Tree

Need component info?
├─ Common component details → Check @reference/shadcn-components.md FIRST
├─ Detailed implementation/variants → mcp__shadcn__getComponent("name")
└─ List all available components → mcp__shadcn__getComponents()

Need library documentation?
├─ React hooks/patterns → Check @reference/react-hooks.md FIRST
├─ State management → Check @reference/state-management-patterns.md FIRST
├─ Styling decisions → Check @reference/dynamic-styling-patterns.md FIRST
├─ PWA requirements → Check @reference/pwa-checklist.md FIRST
├─ Need official/latest docs → mcp__context7__resolve_library_id() then get_library_docs()
└─ Common Context7 libraries:
   /facebook/react, /vite-pwa/vite-plugin-pwa, /GoogleChrome/workbox,
   /tanstack/react-query, /pmndrs/zustand, /shadcn/ui

Rule: Always check reference files before MCP calls to save tokens.

Quick Decision Trees

Component Selection

Need interactive element?
├─ Button/action → <Button>
├─ Link/navigation → <Link> or <a>
├─ Input field → <Input> or <Textarea>
├─ Toggle → <Switch> or <Checkbox>
└─ Selection → <Select> or <RadioGroup>

Need layout container?
├─ Content box → <Card>
├─ Modal → <Dialog>
├─ Side panel → <Sheet>
├─ Dropdown → <DropdownMenu>
└─ Sections → <Tabs> or <Accordion>

Need feedback?
├─ Loading → <Skeleton> or <Progress>
├─ Notification → <Toast> or <Alert>
├─ Hint → <Tooltip>
└─ Confirmation → <AlertDialog>

State Management

What kind of state?
├─ Local to component → useState
├─ Shared (2-3 components) → Props or useContext
├─ Complex app state → Zustand or Jotai
├─ Server data → React Query or SWR
└─ Form state → React Hook Form + Zod

Critical Reminders

1. ALWAYS use actual tool calls - Never output "Called tool: ..." as text
2. Get user approval at each workflow step before proceeding
3. Use tool calls for theme generation - Never output CSS as text
4. Save to .superdesign/design_iterations/ for all design artifacts
5. Check reference files before MCP for component details
6. Follow React best practices - hooks, TypeScript, composition
7. PWA icons MUST match manifest exactly - see @reference/pwa-icon-validation.md
8. Avoid bootstrap blue colors - use modern design systems
9. Mobile-first responsive - always design for smallest screen first
10. Accessibility required - ARIA labels, keyboard nav, semantic HTML, WCAG AA contrast

Keep this skill current

When shadcn/ui, the Vite PWA plugin, or the MCP servers named here change an API or a component list, update the affected reference file in the same session. Replace the superseded text; do not append a note.