Tailwind

Tailwind CSS

Tailwind works well at scale only with two things in place: a design system of consistent tokens and a component-based architecture. Most Tailwind pain — unreadable class soup, inconsistent spacing, forgotten dark mode — traces back to missing one of them. This skill enforces both, plus dark mode, responsive, and accessibility as defaults rather than afterthoughts.

Tailwind styles; it does not position floating UI. For dropdowns, tooltips, and popovers that must stay on-screen, see the companion popovers-tooltips skill.

The golden rules

1. No plain CSS. Style through Tailwind utilities, or @apply inside a component layer. Don't hand-write raw CSS properties.
2. No inline styles. Never use the style attribute. If Tailwind lacks a utility, extend the config.
3. Reuse components first. Before adding classes to a new element, check whether an existing partial, component, or shared pattern already handles it.
4. Design tokens over magic numbers. Use the colors, spacing, and sizes from your config — not arbitrary values like bg-[#3b82f6] or p-[13px].
5. Every UI works in light and dark mode. No exceptions.
6. Every UI is responsive. No exceptions.

Design system: theme configuration

The single source of truth for visual decisions is the Tailwind theme (tailwind.config.js, or @theme in CSS for Tailwind v4). Colors, spacing, and breakpoints come from there — not from arbitrary values scattered across templates.

Name colors by purpose, not appearance

Semantic names let you restyle the palette without hunting through every template:

// tailwind.config.js
module.exports = {
  theme: {
    extend: {
      colors: {
        primary:   { /* … */ }, // brand / main actions
        secondary: { /* … */ }, // supporting actions
        accent:    { /* … */ }, // highlights and emphasis
        success:   { /* … */ }, // positive feedback
        warning:   { /* … */ }, // cautionary feedback
        error:     { /* … */ }, // error states
        surface:   { /* … */ }, // backgrounds and cards
        muted:     { /* … */ }, // subdued text and borders
      }
    }
  }
}

Use bg-primary-500, text-error-600, border-muted-200 in templates. Never raw hex or arbitrary color values.

Stick to one spacing scale

Tailwind's default scale (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, …) is solid. Extend it only with a clear reason — and when you do, add a token rather than reaching for arbitrary values:

<!-- WRONG — arbitrary spacing breaks visual rhythm -->
<div class="p-[13px] mt-[7px] gap-[22px]">

<!-- RIGHT — use the scale -->
<div class="p-3 mt-2 gap-5">

Reducing class bloat

Long utility strings — "class soup" — make templates hard to read. Keep class lists short, scannable, intentional.

Use shorthand utilities instead of spelling out each direction:

<!-- WRONG --> <div class="pt-4 pb-4 pl-6 pr-6">
<!-- RIGHT --> <div class="py-4 px-6">

Drop classes that duplicate defaults:

<!-- WRONG — flex-row is the default --> <div class="flex flex-row justify-between">
<!-- RIGHT --> <div class="flex justify-between">

Keep class order consistent so classes are predictable to scan — layout → sizing → spacing → typography → colors → effects → states. Automate it with the official prettier-plugin-tailwindcss rather than ordering by hand:

// .prettierrc
{ "plugins": ["prettier-plugin-tailwindcss"] }

Component-first architecture

The primary weapon against class soup is extracting a component, not @apply. When the same cluster of classes repeats across templates, extract it into a partial or component — not a CSS abstraction.

<%# WRONG — the same button classes copy-pasted everywhere %>
<button class="inline-flex items-center gap-2 px-4 py-2 bg-primary-500 text-white rounded-lg hover:bg-primary-600 dark:bg-primary-600 dark:hover:bg-primary-700">
  Save
</button>

<%# RIGHT — extract a component, pass a variant %>
<%= render ButtonComponent.new(variant: :primary, label: "Save") %>

Use a finite set of variants rather than accepting arbitrary classes — this keeps the design system consistent and gives you one place to edit:

# app/components/button_component.rb
VARIANTS = {
  primary:   "bg-primary-500 text-white hover:bg-primary-600 dark:bg-primary-600 dark:hover:bg-primary-700",
  secondary: "bg-surface-100 text-surface-800 hover:bg-surface-200 dark:bg-surface-700 dark:text-surface-100",
  danger:    "bg-error-500 text-white hover:bg-error-600 dark:bg-error-600 dark:hover:bg-error-700"
}.freeze

Changing a variant propagates everywhere it's used — one edit, not dozens. (In a Rails app, the component owns its class map in a constant — see the rails-toolkit rails-viewcomponents skill.)

When to reach for @apply

Reserve @apply for cases where component extraction isn't practical — global base styles, third-party overrides, or markup generated by libraries you don't control. Keep it inside @layer components to avoid specificity issues:

/* app/assets/stylesheets/application.css */
@layer components {
  .prose-content a {
    @apply text-primary-600 underline hover:text-primary-800 dark:text-primary-400;
  }
  /* Third-party output you can't add classes to directly */
  .trix-content h2 {
    @apply text-lg font-semibold mt-6 mb-2;
  }
}

If you can extract a component or partial instead, always prefer that.

Dark mode

Every element with color classes needs a dark: variant. Dark mode ships with the initial implementation, not as a follow-up.

<!-- WRONG — dark mode forgotten -->
<div class="bg-white text-gray-900 border-gray-200">

<!-- RIGHT — both modes -->
<div class="bg-white dark:bg-gray-900 text-gray-900 dark:text-gray-100 border-gray-200 dark:border-gray-700">

• Contrast still matters. Dark mode isn't just inverting colors — maintain WCAG AA ratios (4.5:1 normal text, 3:1 large text). Light text on dark: use -100/-200 shades; dark text on light: -800/-900. Avoid pure white on pure black — use off-whites and deep grays.
• Adjust images that look wrong on dark backgrounds: class="dark:brightness-90 dark:contrast-105".
• Verify both modes after any UI change: text readable, borders visible, hover/focus states clear, icons and images don't vanish.

Responsive design

Mobile-first: start with the mobile layout, then add larger breakpoints.

<!-- Mobile: stack · Tablet: side-by-side · Desktop: sidebar grid -->
<div class="flex flex-col md:flex-row lg:grid lg:grid-cols-[250px_1fr]">
  <nav class="p-4 md:w-64 lg:w-auto">…</nav>
  <main class="p-4 flex-1">…</main>
</div>

Common patterns: grid grid-cols-1 md:grid-cols-2 lg:grid-cols-3, hidden lg:block, text-2xl md:text-3xl lg:text-4xl, px-4 md:px-8 lg:px-16.

Touch targets need adequate size on mobile — minimum 44×44px: class="min-h-[44px] min-w-[44px] px-4 py-2".

Accessibility

Styling affects accessibility directly.

• Visible focus for keyboard users. Use focus-visible (not focus) so the ring only shows for keyboard navigation, not mouse clicks — and never remove an outline without replacing it: class="focus:outline-none focus-visible:ring-2 focus-visible:ring-primary-500 focus-visible:ring-offset-2".
• Color is not the only signal. Pair color with an icon or text. An error field gets aria-invalid="true" + an aria-describedby message, not just border-error-500.
• Semantic HTML first. <button> over <div role="button">; <nav> over <div aria-label="navigation">.
• Screen-reader-only labels for icon-only controls: <span class="sr-only">Delete post</span>.
• Respect reduced motion: class="transition-transform motion-reduce:transition-none motion-reduce:transform-none".

Anti-patterns

Checklist for UI changes

1. Existing component? — is there a partial/component/shared pattern that already handles this?
2. Design tokens — colors, spacing, sizes from the theme, not arbitrary values.
3. Lean classes — shorthand, drop defaults, consistent order (Prettier plugin).
4. Dark mode — every color class has a dark: pair, contrast holds.
5. Responsive — works from mobile up; touch targets ≥ 44px.
6. Accessibility — focus-visible states, semantic HTML, sr-only labels for icon-only buttons.
7. No plain CSS, no inline styles — utilities or @apply in @layer components only.

Adapted from the MIT-licensed mattsears/rails-cto rails-cto-tailwind skill, generalised beyond Rails.