getedgehq shadcn-first
Someone maintains this code after you. Every hand-written div with bespoke
classes and every style={{}} is a thing they keep alive, and it drifts. Hand-rolled UI also
silently drops the craft that comes free with the library: focus rings, hover and
active states, keyboard navigation, skeletons, empty states, ARIA.
The order. Never skip a step.
- Block.
ui.shadcn.com/blockshas whole sidebars, dashboards, logins, data tables. Install the block. - Component. If no block fits, use a component from the registry.
- Compose two or three components.
- Write it yourself. Only here, and the commit message must name which block or component you evaluated and why it did not fit.
Adapt the design to the component, not the component to the design. Brand and visual language are reached through theme variables in one theme, never per-screen CSS beside the component.
Tools, and which to use
Two MCP servers are configured. They do different jobs.
shadcn-official (npx shadcn@latest mcp) is project-aware: it reads the
repo's components.json. Use it for the real work.
| Tool | Use it to |
|---|---|
get_project_registries |
confirm the project is initialised at all |
search_items_in_registries |
find the component for the job, fuzzy |
list_items_in_registries |
see everything available |
view_items_in_registries |
read a component's actual source and deps before using it |
get_item_examples_from_registries |
copy a real usage example instead of guessing the API |
get_add_command_for_items |
get the exact npx shadcn add … line, then run it |
get_audit_checklist |
run after writing code. This is the gate. |
shadcn (@jpisnice/shadcn-ui-mcp-server) is registry-wide and knows blocks
and themes: list_blocks, get_block, list_themes, get_theme,
get_component_demo. Use it for step 1 and for theming.
If a project has no components.json, the official tools error. Run
npx shadcn@latest init first, then continue.
For AI chat surfaces use prompt-kit (prompt-kit.com, shadcn-compatible):
chat-container, message, prompt-input, scroll-button, markdown,
code-block, loader. Same rule, install rather than rebuild.
Components people re-invent instead of installing
sidebar (collapsible, with footer user menu), command (Cmd+K palette),
table + TanStack data-table block, tabs, sheet, dialog, alert-dialog,
popover, tooltip, skeleton, sonner (toasts), form (react-hook-form +
zod), breadcrumb, resizable, scroll-area, avatar, badge, separator,
dropdown-menu, select, collapsible, chart.
If you catch yourself building any of these by hand, stop and install it.
Keyboard shortcuts
Use Cmd+K for the command palette; that is the cmdk convention the
command component ships with. Cmd+L is reserved by the browser for the
address bar and cannot be intercepted reliably in Chrome. If someone asks for
Cmd+L, bind Cmd+K, add Cmd+L opportunistically, and say why.
Done means measured, not claimed
Before reporting done, run get_audit_checklist and report the numbers:
- custom UI lines removed
- blocks and components installed
- remaining
style={{}}occurrences (grep -rc 'style={{' src/) - per screen: elements from
components/ui/vs hand-written
Anything still hand-written must stand there with a stated reason, not be overlooked. A screenshot is the proof that the screen renders; the counts are the proof that the rule was followed. Both, or it is not done.
Do not
- No emojis in UI. Real SVG icons (Lucide ships with shadcn).
- No text-in-circles for brand logos. Source real SVG paths: SimpleIcons > svgl.app > gilbarbara/logos > favicon.
- Max one or two accent colours. No coloured left borders on cards. No gradient on every element.
- Do not fork a component to change a colour. Change the theme variable.