Tamagui Best Practices

This skill provides patterns for Tamagui v1.x that go beyond fundamentals. It focuses on Config v4, compiler optimization, compound components, and common mistakes.

Mandatory Context Loading

When working with these components, read the corresponding pattern file BEFORE writing code:

Config v4 Quick Start

Use @tamagui/config/v4 for simplified setup:

// tamagui.config.ts
import { defaultConfig } from '@tamagui/config/v4'
import { createTamagui } from 'tamagui'

export const config = createTamagui(defaultConfig)

type CustomConfig = typeof config

declare module 'tamagui' {
  interface TamaguiCustomConfig extends CustomConfig {}
}

Recommended setting for new projects (aligns flexBasis to React Native):

export const config = createTamagui({
  ...defaultConfig,
  settings: {
    ...defaultConfig.settings,
    styleCompat: 'react-native',
  },
})

createThemes Pattern

For custom themes, use createThemes with palette/accent/childrenThemes:

import { createThemes, defaultComponentThemes } from '@tamagui/config/v4'

const generatedThemes = createThemes({
  componentThemes: defaultComponentThemes,
  base: {
    palette: {
      dark: ['#050505', '#151515', /* ...12 colors */ '#fff'],
      light: ['#fff', '#f8f8f8', /* ...12 colors */ '#000'],
    },
    extra: {
      light: { ...Colors.blue, shadowColor: 'rgba(0,0,0,0.04)' },
      dark: { ...Colors.blueDark, shadowColor: 'rgba(0,0,0,0.2)' },
    },
  },
  accent: {
    palette: { dark: lightPalette, light: darkPalette }, // inverted
  },
  childrenThemes: {
    blue: { palette: { dark: Object.values(Colors.blueDark), light: Object.values(Colors.blue) } },
    red: { /* ... */ },
    green: { /* ... */ },
  },
})

Token and Theme Syntax

$ Prefix Rules

• Props: Use $ prefix for token references: <Text color="$color" fontSize="$4" />
• Theme keys: Access without $ in theme definitions: { color: palette[11] }
• Token access in variants: Use tokens.size[name] pattern

Variant Spread Operators

Special spread operators map token categories to variant values:

const Button = styled(View, {
  variants: {
    size: {
      // Maps size tokens: $1, $2, $true, etc.
      '...size': (size, { tokens }) => ({
        height: tokens.size[size] ?? size,
        borderRadius: tokens.radius[size] ?? size,
        gap: tokens.space[size]?.val * 0.2,
      }),
    },
    textSize: {
      // Maps fontSize tokens
      '...fontSize': (name, { font }) => ({
        fontSize: font?.size[name],
      }),
    },
  } as const,
})

Important: Use as const on variants object until TypeScript supports inferred const generics.

Compound Components with createStyledContext

For compound APIs like <Button><Button.Text>Click</Button.Text></Button>:

import {
  SizeTokens,
  View,
  Text,
  createStyledContext,
  styled,
  withStaticProperties,
} from '@tamagui/core'

// 1. Create context with shared variant types
export const ButtonContext = createStyledContext<{ size: SizeTokens }>({
  size: '$medium',
})

// 2. Create frame with context
export const ButtonFrame = styled(View, {
  name: 'Button',
  context: ButtonContext,
  variants: {
    size: {
      '...size': (name, { tokens }) => ({
        height: tokens.size[name],
        borderRadius: tokens.radius[name],
        gap: tokens.space[name].val * 0.2,
      }),
    },
  } as const,
  defaultVariants: {
    size: '$medium',
  },
})

// 3. Create text with same context (variants auto-sync)
export const ButtonText = styled(Text, {
  name: 'ButtonText',
  context: ButtonContext,
  variants: {
    size: {
      '...fontSize': (name, { font }) => ({
        fontSize: font?.size[name],
      }),
    },
  } as const,
})

// 4. Compose with withStaticProperties
export const Button = withStaticProperties(ButtonFrame, {
  Props: ButtonContext.Provider,
  Text: ButtonText,
})

Usage:

<Button size="$large">
  <Button.Text>Click me</Button.Text>
</Button>

// Or override defaults from above:
<Button.Props size="$small">
  <Button><Button.Text>Small</Button.Text></Button>
</Button.Props>

Note: context pattern does not work with compiler flattening. Use for higher-level components (Button, Card), not primitives (Stack, Text).

styleable() for Wrapper Components

When wrapping a styled component in a functional component, use .styleable() to preserve variant inheritance:

const StyledText = styled(Text)

// WITHOUT styleable - BROKEN variant inheritance
const BrokenWrapper = (props) => <StyledText {...props} />

// WITH styleable - CORRECT
const CorrectWrapper = StyledText.styleable((props, ref) => (
  <StyledText ref={ref} {...props} />
))

// Now this works:
const StyledCorrectWrapper = styled(CorrectWrapper, {
  variants: {
    bold: { true: { fontWeight: 'bold' } },
  },
})

Adding Extra Props

Pass generic type argument for additional props:

type ExtraProps = { icon?: React.ReactNode }

const IconText = StyledText.styleable<ExtraProps>((props, ref) => {
  const { icon, ...rest } = props
  return (
    <XStack>
      {icon}
      <StyledText ref={ref} {...rest} />
    </XStack>
  )
})

accept Prop for Custom Components

Enable token/theme resolution on non-standard props:

// For SVG fill/stroke that should accept theme colors
const StyledSVG = styled(SVG, {}, {
  accept: { fill: 'color', stroke: 'color' } as const,
})

// Usage: <StyledSVG fill="$blue10" />

// For style objects (like ScrollView's contentContainerStyle)
const MyScrollView = styled(ScrollView, {}, {
  accept: { contentContainerStyle: 'style' } as const,
})

// Usage: <MyScrollView contentContainerStyle={{ padding: '$4' }} />

Important: Use as const on the accept object.

Prop Order Matters

In styled(), prop order determines override priority:

// backgroundColor can be overridden by props
const Overridable = (props) => (
  <View backgroundColor="$red10" {...props} width={200} />
)
// width CANNOT be overridden (comes after spread)

// Variant order matters too:
<Component scale={3} huge />  // scale = 3 (scale comes first)
<Component huge scale={3} />  // scale = 2 (huge overrides)

Anti-Patterns

Dynamic Styles Break Optimization

// BAD - breaks compiler optimization
<View style={{ width: someVariable * 2 }} />
<View backgroundColor={isDark ? '$gray1' : '$gray12'} />

// GOOD - use variants
const Box = styled(View, {
  variants: {
    dark: { true: { backgroundColor: '$gray1' }, false: { backgroundColor: '$gray12' } },
  },
})
<Box dark={isDark} />

Inline Functions

// BAD - new function every render
<View => handlePress(id)} />

// GOOD - stable reference
const handlePressCallback = useCallback(() => handlePress(id), [id])
<View />

Wrong Import Paths

// These are different packages with different contents:
import { View } from 'tamagui'           // Full UI kit
import { View } from '@tamagui/core'     // Core only (smaller)
import { Button } from '@tamagui/button' // Individual component

// Pick one approach and be consistent

Mixing RN StyleSheet with Tamagui

// BAD - StyleSheet values don't resolve tokens
const styles = StyleSheet.create({ box: { padding: 20 } })
<View style={styles.box} backgroundColor="$blue10" />

// GOOD - all Tamagui
<View padding="$4" backgroundColor="$blue10" />

Platform.OS Branching for Dialog/Sheet

// BAD - manual platform branching
if (Platform.OS === 'web') {
  return <Dialog>...</Dialog>
}
return <Sheet>...</Sheet>

// GOOD - use Adapt (see @DIALOG_PATTERNS.md)
<Dialog>
  <Dialog.Portal>...</Dialog.Portal>
  <Adapt when="sm" platform="touch">
    <Sheet><Adapt.Contents /></Sheet>
  </Adapt>
</Dialog>

Fetching Current Documentation

For latest API details, fetch markdown docs directly:

# Core docs
curl -sL "https://tamagui.dev/docs/core/configuration.md"
curl -sL "https://tamagui.dev/docs/core/styled.md"
curl -sL "https://tamagui.dev/docs/core/variants.md"
curl -sL "https://tamagui.dev/docs/core/animations.md"

# Component docs
curl -sL "https://tamagui.dev/ui/sheet.md"
curl -sL "https://tamagui.dev/ui/dialog.md"
curl -sL "https://tamagui.dev/ui/select.md"

# Full docs index
curl -sL "https://tamagui.dev/llms.txt"

For HTML pages, use the web-fetch skill with appropriate selectors.

Quick Reference

Config v4 Shorthands (Tailwind-aligned)

Media Query Breakpoints

Animation Drivers

Additional Pattern Files

• @DIALOG_PATTERNS.md - Dialog, Sheet, Adapt, accessibility
• @FORM_PATTERNS.md - Form, Input, Label, validation with zod
• @ANIMATION_PATTERNS.md - Animation drivers, enterStyle/exitStyle
• @OVERLAY_PATTERNS.md - Popover, Tooltip, Select
• @COMPILER_PATTERNS.md - Compiler optimization details
• @DESIGN_SYSTEM.md - Design tokens and theming