Shadcn Syntax Menu Primitives

shadcn ui : Menu Primitives

Four shadcn primitives share the Radix Menu surface : DropdownMenu, ContextMenu, Menubar, NavigationMenu. They look similar (a list of items in a popover-ish surface), but each maps to a different interaction model. Picking the right one is a one-question decision : how does the user open the menu? Composition of the body is then nearly identical (Item / CheckboxItem / RadioGroup / Sub / Separator / Shortcut), with NavigationMenu being the one exception that swaps the body for a list-based site-nav surface with a shared Viewport.

Quick Reference

Decision Tree : Which menu primitive?

Q1. How does the user OPEN the menu?
    click a button (icon, "...", "Options", avatar)   -> DropdownMenu
    right-click (or long-press) on an area / row / canvas -> ContextMenu
    click a label in a desktop-app top bar (File, Edit, View, Help, with
    arrow-key navigation between top-level labels)    -> Menubar
    hover or click an item in a site / page header
    nav, often opening a mega-menu of links           -> NavigationMenu

ALWAYS pick from the interaction model first. NEVER pick by visual shape ; DropdownMenu and ContextMenu render almost identically but expose different a11y semantics (role="menu" opened from a button vs from contextmenu event).

Shared body surface (Dropdown / Context / Menubar)

The * prefix is one of DropdownMenu / ContextMenu / Menubar. The slot names, props, and composition rules are identical across all three.

NavigationMenu surface (different)

NavigationMenu does NOT use Portal / Group / Item / CheckboxItem / RadioGroup / Sub. It is a navigation primitive, not a command-menu primitive.

Five invariants

1. ALWAYS keep "use client" at the top of components/ui/{dropdown-menu,context-menu,menubar}.tsx. NEVER strip it ; the menu primitives use Radix client-only context. (NavigationMenu currently ships WITHOUT "use client" in the v4 registry source because the cva factory is module-level, but the file becomes a client boundary the moment it is imported into a Server Component. Let Next.js infer.)
2. ALWAYS pick the primitive from the interaction model (button-click / right-click / app-bar / site-nav). NEVER use DropdownMenu where the UX is right-click ; screen-reader users hear "menu" with no context of what was right-clicked.
3. ALWAYS render exactly ONE *MenuContent per *Menu Root. ALWAYS render exactly ONE MenubarContent per MenubarMenu. ALWAYS render exactly ONE NavigationMenuContent per NavigationMenuItem. NEVER conditionally render two and toggle which is shown.
4. ALWAYS place *MenuSeparator as a direct child of *MenuContent (or *MenuSubContent). NEVER nest it inside a *MenuItem or MenubarMenu ; Radix expects it at the same level as items.
5. ALWAYS wrap a non-default trigger via <*MenuTrigger asChild>. ALWAYS wrap a non-default link via <NavigationMenuLink asChild>. NEVER place two children inside asChild ; Radix Slot rejects multi-child.

DropdownMenu : button-triggered popup

The default action-menu primitive. Open via click on a button (icon-only <Button variant="ghost" size="icon">, a three-dot kebab, an avatar, a "Filter" pill). Used for table row actions, app header user menu, settings toggles, anywhere a button reveals a list.

Subcomponents

DropdownMenu, DropdownMenuTrigger, DropdownMenuPortal, DropdownMenuContent, DropdownMenuGroup, DropdownMenuLabel, DropdownMenuItem, DropdownMenuCheckboxItem, DropdownMenuRadioGroup, DropdownMenuRadioItem, DropdownMenuSeparator, DropdownMenuShortcut, DropdownMenuSub, DropdownMenuSubTrigger, DropdownMenuSubContent.

DropdownMenuItem exposes a shadcn-specific inset?: boolean (left-pads to align with CheckboxItem / RadioItem rows) and variant?: "default" | "destructive" (data-variant drives the destructive red colouring).

Minimal pattern

"use client"

import {
  DropdownMenu, DropdownMenuTrigger, DropdownMenuContent,
  DropdownMenuItem, DropdownMenuSeparator, DropdownMenuShortcut,
} from "@/components/ui/dropdown-menu"
import { Button } from "@/components/ui/button"

<DropdownMenu>
  <DropdownMenuTrigger asChild>
    <Button variant="outline">Open</Button>
  </DropdownMenuTrigger>
  <DropdownMenuContent align="end">
    <DropdownMenuItem>
      Profile <DropdownMenuShortcut>Shift+P</DropdownMenuShortcut>
    </DropdownMenuItem>
    <DropdownMenuItem>Settings</DropdownMenuItem>
    <DropdownMenuSeparator />
    <DropdownMenuItem variant="destructive">Sign out</DropdownMenuItem>
  </DropdownMenuContent>
</DropdownMenu>

DropdownMenuContent in the v4 source auto-wraps itself in DropdownMenuPortal. Use <DropdownMenuPortal> explicitly only when you need to override the container (shadow DOM, iframe, deliberately-constrained scope).

NEVER omit asChild on the Trigger when wrapping a <Button>. Without asChild, the Trigger renders its own default <button> and the <Button> becomes a nested button : invalid HTML and broken focus management.

ContextMenu : right-click area

For right-click (or long-press on touch) on a target area. Used on table rows, file thumbnails, canvas selections, anywhere "right-click to show options" is the UX pattern.

Subcomponents

ContextMenu, ContextMenuTrigger, ContextMenuPortal, ContextMenuContent, ContextMenuGroup, ContextMenuLabel, ContextMenuItem, ContextMenuCheckboxItem, ContextMenuRadioGroup, ContextMenuRadioItem, ContextMenuSeparator, ContextMenuShortcut, ContextMenuSub, ContextMenuSubTrigger, ContextMenuSubContent.

API surface is identical to DropdownMenu except:

• ContextMenuTrigger is an area wrapper, not a button. It wraps the element that should respond to right-click. Pass asChild if the child element is already a styled component.
• There is no "click to open" affordance ; the user must know to right-click. Pair with a visible hint (a "..." icon, a tooltip) when discoverability matters.

Minimal pattern

"use client"

import {
  ContextMenu, ContextMenuTrigger, ContextMenuContent, ContextMenuItem,
} from "@/components/ui/context-menu"

<ContextMenu>
  <ContextMenuTrigger asChild>
    <div className="rounded border p-4">Right-click on this card</div>
  </ContextMenuTrigger>
  <ContextMenuContent>
    <ContextMenuItem>Rename</ContextMenuItem>
    <ContextMenuItem>Duplicate</ContextMenuItem>
    <ContextMenuItem variant="destructive">Delete</ContextMenuItem>
  </ContextMenuContent>
</ContextMenu>

ALWAYS use asChild when the trigger child already renders a focusable / styled element (a Card, a Button, a row <tr>). Without asChild, ContextMenuTrigger renders an extra <span> wrapper that can break grid layout, table semantics, or flex sizing.

NEVER attach your own onContextMenu to the trigger's child without forwarding the event ; the child handler can preventDefault() and swallow the right-click before Radix sees it.

Menubar : desktop-app top bar

For desktop-style application menus : File, Edit, View, Help. One horizontal Menubar contains multiple MenubarMenu siblings, each owning its own Trigger + Content. Arrow keys move between top-level menus ; opening one menu and then hovering another auto-switches.

Subcomponents

Menubar, MenubarMenu, MenubarPortal, MenubarTrigger, MenubarContent, MenubarGroup, MenubarLabel, MenubarItem, MenubarCheckboxItem, MenubarRadioGroup, MenubarRadioItem, MenubarSeparator, MenubarShortcut, MenubarSub, MenubarSubTrigger, MenubarSubContent.

MenubarContent defaults : align="start", alignOffset={-4}, sideOffset={8} (verified from apps/v4/registry/new-york-v4/ui/menubar.tsx). The negative alignOffset aligns content with the Trigger's left edge.

Minimal pattern

"use client"

import {
  Menubar, MenubarMenu, MenubarTrigger, MenubarContent, MenubarItem,
  MenubarSeparator, MenubarShortcut,
} from "@/components/ui/menubar"

<Menubar>
  <MenubarMenu>
    <MenubarTrigger>File</MenubarTrigger>
    <MenubarContent>
      <MenubarItem>New tab <MenubarShortcut>Cmd+T</MenubarShortcut></MenubarItem>
      <MenubarItem>New window <MenubarShortcut>Cmd+N</MenubarShortcut></MenubarItem>
      <MenubarSeparator />
      <MenubarItem>Print <MenubarShortcut>Cmd+P</MenubarShortcut></MenubarItem>
    </MenubarContent>
  </MenubarMenu>
  <MenubarMenu>
    <MenubarTrigger>Edit</MenubarTrigger>
    <MenubarContent>
      <MenubarItem>Undo <MenubarShortcut>Cmd+Z</MenubarShortcut></MenubarItem>
      <MenubarItem>Redo <MenubarShortcut>Cmd+Shift+Z</MenubarShortcut></MenubarItem>
    </MenubarContent>
  </MenubarMenu>
</Menubar>

ALWAYS wrap each top-level menu in its own <MenubarMenu>. NEVER place multiple MenubarTrigger / MenubarContent pairs as direct children of <Menubar> ; Radix uses the MenubarMenu wrapper to scope state per top-level entry.

Menubar is the right call when the app feels like a desktop application (an editor, a DAW, a CAD tool, a spreadsheet). For a website's main navigation, use NavigationMenu instead.

NavigationMenu : site-nav with viewport

For site / app header navigation : a horizontal list of top-level entries where each can open a panel of links (often a mega-menu with sections and descriptions). Different surface from the other three primitives.

Subcomponents

NavigationMenu, NavigationMenuList, NavigationMenuItem, NavigationMenuTrigger, NavigationMenuContent, NavigationMenuLink, NavigationMenuIndicator, NavigationMenuViewport, navigationMenuTriggerStyle (cva helper).

NavigationMenu accepts a shadcn-specific viewport?: boolean prop (default true). When true, the Root auto-renders a <NavigationMenuViewport /> at the bottom and every NavigationMenuContent slides through it. When false, each NavigationMenuContent renders inline below its own Trigger (a per-item dropdown, like DropdownMenu but link-only).

Minimal pattern (with viewport)

import {
  NavigationMenu, NavigationMenuList, NavigationMenuItem,
  NavigationMenuTrigger, NavigationMenuContent, NavigationMenuLink,
} from "@/components/ui/navigation-menu"
import Link from "next/link"

<NavigationMenu>
  <NavigationMenuList>
    <NavigationMenuItem>
      <NavigationMenuTrigger>Products</NavigationMenuTrigger>
      <NavigationMenuContent>
        <ul className="grid gap-3 p-4 md:w-[400px]">
          <li>
            <NavigationMenuLink asChild>
              <Link href="/products/cad">CAD</Link>
            </NavigationMenuLink>
          </li>
          <li>
            <NavigationMenuLink asChild>
              <Link href="/products/bim">BIM</Link>
            </NavigationMenuLink>
          </li>
        </ul>
      </NavigationMenuContent>
    </NavigationMenuItem>
    <NavigationMenuItem>
      <NavigationMenuLink asChild>
        <Link href="/pricing">Pricing</Link>
      </NavigationMenuLink>
    </NavigationMenuItem>
  </NavigationMenuList>
</NavigationMenu>

ALWAYS use <NavigationMenuLink asChild> when wrapping a Next.js <Link>. NEVER use <Link legacyBehavior> together with <NavigationMenuLink asChild> ; modern Next.js Link no longer needs legacyBehavior / passHref (Next.js 13+ app router), and combining the two produces two nested anchor tags and a hydration mismatch.

For a per-item inline dropdown instead of the shared viewport, pass viewport={false} on <NavigationMenu>. Each <NavigationMenuContent> then renders directly below its Trigger via group-data-[viewport=false] Tailwind utilities (see apps/v4/registry/new-york-v4/ui/navigation-menu.tsx).

Shared pattern : sub-menus

Identical across Dropdown / Context / Menubar. NavigationMenu does NOT support sub-menus (use a nested NavigationMenuContent panel instead).

<DropdownMenuSub>
  <DropdownMenuSubTrigger>More</DropdownMenuSubTrigger>
  <DropdownMenuSubContent>
    <DropdownMenuItem>Move to ...</DropdownMenuItem>
    <DropdownMenuItem>Copy to ...</DropdownMenuItem>
  </DropdownMenuSubContent>
</DropdownMenuSub>

*MenuSubTrigger auto-appends a <ChevronRightIcon className="ml-auto" /> in the shadcn v4 source. Do not add your own chevron.

ALWAYS render *MenuSubContent inside a *MenuSub ; the SubContent is automatically portaled (verified from apps/v4/registry/new-york-v4/ui/dropdown-menu.tsx).

NEVER nest a *MenuSub inside a NavigationMenuContent ; the primitive families are not interchangeable.

Shared pattern : CheckboxItem and RadioGroup

const [showBookmarks, setShowBookmarks] = useState(true)
const [layout, setLayout] = useState("compact")

<DropdownMenuCheckboxItem
  checked={showBookmarks}
 
>
  Bookmarks bar
</DropdownMenuCheckboxItem>

<DropdownMenuRadioGroup value={layout}
  <DropdownMenuRadioItem value="compact">Compact</DropdownMenuRadioItem>
  <DropdownMenuRadioItem value="comfortable">Comfortable</DropdownMenuRadioItem>
</DropdownMenuRadioGroup>

Identical names exist on ContextMenu (ContextMenuCheckboxItem, ContextMenuRadioGroup, ContextMenuRadioItem) and Menubar (MenubarCheckboxItem, MenubarRadioGroup, MenubarRadioItem).

ALWAYS pair CheckboxItem's checked with onCheckedChange, identical to the controlled-prop contract everywhere else in Radix. NEVER pass checked alone (the row becomes unresponsive).

Shared pattern : MenuShortcut

The shortcut hint at the right edge of a menu item. Pure layout, not interactive ; the actual keyboard shortcut must be implemented separately (a global key listener, a useHotkeys hook, a CommandDialog).

<DropdownMenuItem>
  Save <DropdownMenuShortcut>Cmd+S</DropdownMenuShortcut>
</DropdownMenuItem>

NEVER expect <DropdownMenuShortcut> to bind the keystroke. It only renders the styled hint. See shadcn-syntax-command for the CommandDialog pattern that pairs visual shortcuts with real key handling.

a11y : roles per primitive

Each primitive maps to a different WAI-ARIA pattern. Radix wires the roles ; do not override.

Keyboard navigation is handled by Radix : arrow keys cycle items, Enter / Space selects, Esc closes, typing characters does type-ahead search. Do not re-implement these.

ALWAYS provide visible text content inside each *MenuItem. If the item is icon-only, wrap the icon's visual meaning in an <span className="sr-only"> so the role + name pair is valid. NEVER ship a menu item with no accessible name.

RSC and the "use client" directive

dropdown-menu.tsx, context-menu.tsx, and menubar.tsx all ship with "use client" at the top of the shadcn v4 registry source. This is non-negotiable :

• Each uses Radix context internally.
• State (open, data-state), focus trap, and Portal mounting all run client-side.

navigation-menu.tsx in the v4 registry source currently does NOT have "use client" as the first line, because the file's top-level cva() factory is module-level. Next.js treats the file as a client component when it is imported into a Server Component, via the radix-ui import boundary. If you migrate to a different React framework (Remix, vanilla Vite), add "use client" defensively.

ALWAYS keep "use client" in the Dropdown / Context / Menubar files. NEVER strip it ; the file imports radix-ui which requires a client boundary.

See shadcn-impl-rsc-vs-client-boundaries for the broader RSC contract.

Companion Skills

• shadcn-syntax-button : the asChild pattern used by every *MenuTrigger and by NavigationMenuLink. Read first if asChild is unfamiliar.
• shadcn-syntax-popover-tooltip-hovercard : the other Radix *Content family ; same align / side / sideOffset / Portal contract but no menu-item composition.
• shadcn-syntax-command : the cmdk command palette ; pairs MenuShortcut hints with actual key-binding logic via CommandDialog.
• shadcn-errors-radix-controlled : the controlled-state failure catalogue across Radix primitives, including the Slot multi-child crash that bites *MenuTrigger asChild users.
• shadcn-agents-component-selector : the validator that catches "DropdownMenu where ContextMenu fits" and other wrong-primitive choices.

Reference Links

• references/methods.md : per-primitive primitive list (table form), prop signatures, defaults from the v4 registry source.
• references/examples.md : six canonical recipes (DropdownMenu table-row actions, ContextMenu on a card, Menubar File/Edit/View, NavigationMenu mega-menu, CheckboxItem + RadioGroup, MenuShortcut composition).
• references/anti-patterns.md : six anti-patterns with WHY and FIX.

Sources

All claims in this skill trace to URLs in SOURCES.md :

• https://ui.shadcn.com/docs/components/radix/dropdown-menu (canonical DropdownMenu docs, composition tree)
• https://ui.shadcn.com/docs/components/radix/context-menu (ContextMenu docs, ContextMenuTrigger area-wrapper pattern)
• https://ui.shadcn.com/docs/components/radix/menubar (Menubar docs, MenubarMenu wrapper pattern)
• https://ui.shadcn.com/docs/components/radix/navigation-menu (NavigationMenu docs, viewport prop, asChild + Next.js Link)
• https://github.com/shadcn-ui/ui (apps/v4/registry/new-york-v4/ui/{dropdown-menu,context-menu,menubar,navigation-menu}.tsx, verbatim v4 source ; auto-Portal wrapping ; MenubarContent defaults ; data-variant="destructive" ; navigationMenuTriggerStyle cva)
• https://www.radix-ui.com/primitives/docs/components/dropdown-menu (Radix DropdownMenu primitive API)
• https://www.radix-ui.com/primitives/docs/components/context-menu (Radix ContextMenu primitive API)
• https://www.radix-ui.com/primitives/docs/components/menubar (Radix Menubar primitive API)
• https://www.radix-ui.com/primitives/docs/components/navigation-menu (Radix NavigationMenu primitive API)
• https://www.w3.org/WAI/ARIA/apg/patterns/menubar/ (WAI-ARIA Menubar pattern, keyboard navigation contract)

Verified 2026-05-19.