Working With Sonner
A guide skill for Sonner, the toast library. When a task involves Sonner — wiring it up,
rendering toasts, styling them, or fixing them — answer from this file first.
Setup
Two pieces, and only two:
- One
<Toaster />, mounted once, as close to the root as possible (in Next.js:
layout.tsx — it works inside server components). Never render it per-page or
conditionally; a second mounted Toaster duplicates every toast.
toast() called from client code — event handlers, effects, callbacks. It's a plain
function, no hook or provider needed, but it does nothing on the server: in a server
action, return the result and call toast() in the client code that receives it.
import { Toaster } from 'sonner'; // once, in layout
import { toast } from 'sonner'; // anywhere client-side
Picking the right call
| You want |
Call |
| Plain message |
toast('Title') — add { description } for a second line |
| Success / error / info / warning icon |
toast.success('…'), toast.error('…'), etc. |
| Spinner while you manage state yourself |
toast.loading('…'), then update it by id |
| Loading → success/error tied to a promise |
toast.promise(promise, { loading, success, error }) — success/error accept functions receiving the resolved value/error |
| Button that does something |
{ action: { label, onClick } } — closes the toast unless onClick calls event.preventDefault(); cancel is the secondary variant |
| Custom JSX, default toast shell |
toast(<jsx />) |
| Custom JSX, no styles at all |
toast.custom((t) => <jsx />) — headless, t gives you the id to dismiss |
Recipes
Update a toast — call toast() again with the same id; only the props you pass change.
Switching to toast.success(…, { id }) changes the type. This is how loading → success flows
work without toast.promise:
const id = toast.loading('Uploading…');
toast.success('Uploaded', { id });
- Persist —
{ duration: Infinity }. Dismiss — toast.dismiss(id), or
toast.dismiss() for all. Read active toasts — useSonner() in React,
toast.getActiveToasts() outside it.
- Links or components in the text — pass a function for the title or description:
toast(() => <a href="…">View</a>).
- Multiple toasters — give each an
id and target with
toast('…', { toasterId: 'canvas' }). Without toasterId, every toaster renders the toast.
- Close callbacks —
onDismiss fires on close button or swipe; onAutoClose fires on
timeout. They are separate; there is no single "closed" callback.
Styling — the escalation ladder
Climb only as far as the change requires; jumping to the top rung too early is fine (it's the
recommended end state), lingering in the middle is not.
- Defaults — plus
richColors on the Toaster for colorful success/error, invert to
flip against the theme.
- Inline tweaks —
toastOptions={{ style: {…} }} on the Toaster for all toasts, or
style per toast() call.
- Classes on parts —
toastOptions={{ classNames: { toast, title, description, actionButton, cancelButton, closeButton } }}.
Sonner's injected styles win the cascade, so every class needs !important (Tailwind:
!text-red-900). If you're marking more than a few things important, stop — go headless.
- Headless —
toast.custom() with your own JSX, keeping Sonner's positioning, stacking,
and swipe. The recommended approach for a design-system toast: wrap it in your own toast()
abstraction. (unstyled: true exists as a halfway house, but headless gives more control
for the same effort.)
Icons — swap defaults per-type with the Toaster's icons prop, per-toast with icon,
remove with null.
Theme — theme defaults to 'light' and does not track the OS. Pass theme="system", or
wire your theme provider: <Toaster theme={resolvedTheme} /> from next-themes.
Troubleshooting
| Symptom |
Cause → fix |
| Toast never appears |
No <Toaster /> mounted, or it unmounted (conditional render, per-page placement). Mount one at the root. If calling from a server action: toast() is client-only — call it with the action's result on the client. |
| Same toast appears twice |
Two Toasters mounted (layout and page) — keep one. Or toast() fired in an effect under React StrictMode's dev double-invoke — fire from the event handler instead, or pass a stable id so the second call updates rather than duplicates. |
| Tailwind/CSS classes have no effect |
Default styles override them. Mark them !important, or use unstyled / headless (see the ladder above). |
| Toasts render completely unstyled (common in Astro, view transitions) |
Sonner's injected stylesheet was lost — import it explicitly in a layout: import 'sonner/dist/styles.css'. |
| Unstyled inside Shadow DOM |
Styles land in document.head, not the shadow root. Copy the style tag whose text includes [data-sonner-toaster] into the shadow root. |
| Toast behind a modal/overlay, or clipped |
An ancestor creates a stacking context (transform, filter, overflow) or the overlay out-z-indexes the toaster. Move <Toaster /> to the document root, outside any dialog/portal container. |
| Dark mode ignored |
theme defaults to 'light' — set theme="system" or pass the resolved theme (see Theme above). |
| Success/error look gray, not green/red |
That's the default. Add richColors to the Toaster. |
| Toast never closes |
duration: Infinity, dismissible: false, or a toast.promise whose promise never settles — the loading toast waits forever. |
toast.promise stuck on loading |
It needs a promise (or a function returning one) as its first argument, and the promise must actually resolve/reject. |
| Swipe-to-dismiss goes the wrong way / doesn't work |
Directions derive from position. Override with swipeDirections on the Toaster. |
| Toast shows up in every toaster |
Multiple toasters need targeting: give each Toaster an id and pass toasterId in the toast() call. |
| Toasts too close to the screen edge on mobile |
offset (desktop, default 32px) and mobileOffset (<600px, default 16px) — numbers, CSS strings, or per-side objects. |
See Also
taste-skill — recommends Sonner in its library-selection table; this skill is what to read
once that recommendation is picked.emil-design-eng — the toast animation recipe (opacity/translateY with @starting-style)
behind Sonner's own motion.
1---2name: ask-sonner3description: Guide to Sonner, the React toast library — install and wire up the Toaster, pick the right toast() call, promise and loading toasts, updating, dismissing and persisting toasts, styling, theming and icons, positioning and multiple toasters. Use when working with Sonner or troubleshooting it — toasts that don't appear, appear twice, lose their styles, ignore Tailwind classes, sit behind a modal, or don't follow dark mode. Companion to `taste-skill`'s library table, which recommends Sonner for toasts. Source: github.com/emilkowalski/skills.4---56# Working With Sonner78A guide skill for Sonner, the toast library. When a task involves Sonner — wiring it up,9rendering toasts, styling them, or fixing them — answer from this file first.1011## Setup1213Two pieces, and only two:14151. **One `<Toaster />`**, mounted once, as close to the root as possible (in Next.js:16 `layout.tsx` — it works inside server components). Never render it per-page or17 conditionally; a second mounted Toaster duplicates every toast.182. **`toast()` called from client code** — event handlers, effects, callbacks. It's a plain19 function, no hook or provider needed, but it does nothing on the server: in a server20 action, return the result and call `toast()` in the client code that receives it.2122```jsx23import { Toaster } from 'sonner'; // once, in layout24import { toast } from 'sonner'; // anywhere client-side25```2627## Picking the right call2829| You want | Call |30| --- | --- |31| Plain message | `toast('Title')` — add `{ description }` for a second line |32| Success / error / info / warning icon | `toast.success('…')`, `toast.error('…')`, etc. |33| Spinner while you manage state yourself | `toast.loading('…')`, then update it by id |34| Loading → success/error tied to a promise | `toast.promise(promise, { loading, success, error })` — success/error accept functions receiving the resolved value/error |35| Button that does something | `{ action: { label, onClick } }` — closes the toast unless `onClick` calls `event.preventDefault()`; `cancel` is the secondary variant |36| Custom JSX, default toast shell | `toast(<jsx />)` |37| Custom JSX, no styles at all | `toast.custom((t) => <jsx />)` — headless, `t` gives you the id to dismiss |3839## Recipes4041**Update a toast** — call `toast()` again with the same `id`; only the props you pass change.42Switching to `toast.success(…, { id })` changes the type. This is how loading → success flows43work without `toast.promise`:4445```js46const id = toast.loading('Uploading…');47toast.success('Uploaded', { id });48```4950- **Persist** — `{ duration: Infinity }`. **Dismiss** — `toast.dismiss(id)`, or51 `toast.dismiss()` for all. **Read active toasts** — `useSonner()` in React,52 `toast.getActiveToasts()` outside it.53- **Links or components in the text** — pass a function for the title or description:54 `toast(() => <a href="…">View</a>)`.55- **Multiple toasters** — give each an `id` and target with56 `toast('…', { toasterId: 'canvas' })`. Without `toasterId`, every toaster renders the toast.57- **Close callbacks** — `onDismiss` fires on close button or swipe; `onAutoClose` fires on58 timeout. They are separate; there is no single "closed" callback.5960## Styling — the escalation ladder6162Climb only as far as the change requires; jumping to the top rung too early is fine (it's the63recommended end state), lingering in the middle is not.64651. **Defaults** — plus `richColors` on the Toaster for colorful success/error, `invert` to66 flip against the theme.672. **Inline tweaks** — `toastOptions={{ style: {…} }}` on the Toaster for all toasts, or68 `style` per `toast()` call.693. **Classes on parts** —70 `toastOptions={{ classNames: { toast, title, description, actionButton, cancelButton, closeButton } }}`.71 Sonner's injected styles win the cascade, so every class needs `!important` (Tailwind:72 `!text-red-900`). If you're marking more than a few things important, stop — go headless.734. **Headless** — `toast.custom()` with your own JSX, keeping Sonner's positioning, stacking,74 and swipe. The recommended approach for a design-system toast: wrap it in your own `toast()`75 abstraction. (`unstyled: true` exists as a halfway house, but headless gives more control76 for the same effort.)7778**Icons** — swap defaults per-type with the Toaster's `icons` prop, per-toast with `icon`,79remove with `null`.8081**Theme** — `theme` defaults to `'light'` and does not track the OS. Pass `theme="system"`, or82wire your theme provider: `<Toaster theme={resolvedTheme} />` from `next-themes`.8384## Troubleshooting8586| Symptom | Cause → fix |87| --- | --- |88| Toast never appears | No `<Toaster />` mounted, or it unmounted (conditional render, per-page placement). Mount one at the root. If calling from a server action: `toast()` is client-only — call it with the action's result on the client. |89| Same toast appears twice | Two Toasters mounted (layout and page) — keep one. Or `toast()` fired in an effect under React StrictMode's dev double-invoke — fire from the event handler instead, or pass a stable `id` so the second call updates rather than duplicates. |90| Tailwind/CSS classes have no effect | Default styles override them. Mark them `!important`, or use `unstyled` / headless (see the ladder above). |91| Toasts render completely unstyled (common in Astro, view transitions) | Sonner's injected stylesheet was lost — import it explicitly in a layout: `import 'sonner/dist/styles.css'`. |92| Unstyled inside Shadow DOM | Styles land in `document.head`, not the shadow root. Copy the style tag whose text includes `[data-sonner-toaster]` into the shadow root. |93| Toast behind a modal/overlay, or clipped | An ancestor creates a stacking context (`transform`, `filter`, `overflow`) or the overlay out-z-indexes the toaster. Move `<Toaster />` to the document root, outside any dialog/portal container. |94| Dark mode ignored | `theme` defaults to `'light'` — set `theme="system"` or pass the resolved theme (see Theme above). |95| Success/error look gray, not green/red | That's the default. Add `richColors` to the Toaster. |96| Toast never closes | `duration: Infinity`, `dismissible: false`, or a `toast.promise` whose promise never settles — the loading toast waits forever. |97| `toast.promise` stuck on loading | It needs a promise (or a function returning one) as its first argument, and the promise must actually resolve/reject. |98| Swipe-to-dismiss goes the wrong way / doesn't work | Directions derive from position. Override with `swipeDirections` on the Toaster. |99| Toast shows up in every toaster | Multiple toasters need targeting: give each Toaster an `id` and pass `toasterId` in the `toast()` call. |100| Toasts too close to the screen edge on mobile | `offset` (desktop, default 32px) and `mobileOffset` (<600px, default 16px) — numbers, CSS strings, or per-side objects. |101102## See Also103104- `taste-skill` — recommends Sonner in its library-selection table; this skill is what to read105 once that recommendation is picked.106- `emil-design-eng` — the toast animation recipe (`opacity`/`translateY` with `@starting-style`)107 behind Sonner's own motion.
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