Radix UI -> Base UI migration
You migrate shadcn wrappers, hand-rolled radix compositions, and their
consumers to @base-ui/react, keeping the project buildable at every step.
Be precise; never guess a mapping. When a prop or part is not in these
reference files, check node_modules/@base-ui/react/**/*.d.ts before
transforming, and record gaps in the report.
Preflight (always)
npx shadcn@latest info --json (or the project's runner): gives the
current base, STYLE (e.g. radix-lyra), tailwind version, aliases,
installed components, and package manager. Trust it over inference.
- Detect the package manager (packageManager field / lockfile:
pnpm-lock.yaml, bun.lock, yarn.lock, package-lock.json) and use IT for
every install. Never leave a stale lockfile.
- Require a clean git tree; work on a branch; one commit per component.
- Baseline check BEFORE touching dependencies: run the project's
typecheck/build so pre-existing failures are never attributed to you.
- Install
@base-ui/react alongside radix. Radix packages are removed only
after the LAST component is migrated (both coexist fine).
Strategy: golden pair first, transformation engine second
- Golden pair via the CLI (preferred). If the project is shadcn with a
known style (
radix-<style>), the shadcn CLI itself is the golden-pair
executor:
- Classify each ui wrapper FIRST: diff the user's file against its stock
origin, using the components.json style VERBATIM in the URL
(
https://ui.shadcn.com/r/styles/<style>/<component>.json,
files[0].content). This works for prefixed styles (radix-nova) AND
legacy unprefixed ones (new-york, new-york-v4, default), which are all
still served.
- WHOLE-PROJECT mode: flip
components.json style radix-<style> ->
base-<style> now. PROGRESSIVE mode: do NOT flip yet (the project is
still mostly radix; the flip happens once, after the last component);
fetch base variants directly by URL instead
(https://ui.shadcn.com/r/styles/base-<style>/<component>.json).
- PRISTINE wrappers, whole-project mode:
shadcn add <component> --overwrite delivers the base variant with the project's exact
icon/font/preset resolution. Never bulk --all --overwrite; go
component by component, or you drown in unrelated registry version
drift. PROGRESSIVE mode: never use --overwrite (it destroys the
original that consumers still import); write the fetched base variant
content to <component>-base.tsx instead.
- CUSTOMIZED wrappers: fetch the base variant and replay the user's diff
onto it (their customizations must SURVIVE;
--overwrite would destroy
them). Mechanical implementation that works at scale:
git merge-file user.tsx radix-golden.tsx base-golden.tsx (three-way
merge, radix golden as ancestor) auto-resolves most files; hand-resolve
conflicts with the reference tables.
- MANDATORY leftover sweep on EVERY golden-pair file, including ones that
merged "clean":
grep -n "radix-ui\|@radix-ui\|IconPlaceholder" per
file. The registry sometimes reorders functions between variants, which
makes three-way merges report zero conflicts while leaving stale radix
hunks in place. A clean merge is NOT proof of a clean file.
This is more reliable than reconstructing transforms; use it whenever the
pair exists. Consumer/app code has no CLI mechanism: always hand-migrate it
against consumer-props.md.
- Legacy styles (new-york, new-york-v4, default): classification only, no
replay. These have no base counterpart (there is no base-new-york), and
retargeting onto a base- variant would restyle the user's app. Use
the radix golden ONLY to detect customizations, then run the transformation
engine on the user's OWN file: rewire primitives, keep their exact classes,
apply class-mapping renames. Their look stays theirs. At the end of a
legacy whole-project migration, FLAG (do not fix): the style name still
reads as radix to the CLI, so future
shadcn add will deliver radix
variants; the user decides whether to switch style or add manually.
- Transformation engine (fallback). Hand-rolled radix code, non-shadcn
projects, unknown styles: transform using
universal-patterns.md (imports
in BOTH forms: radix-ui and @radix-ui/react-*; asChild->render with the
worked example; Portal>Positioner>Popup; the positioner FORWARD rule; part
renames), the per-family props tables (overlays.md, menus.md,
form-controls.md, disclosure.md, display-misc.md), class-mapping.md
for data-attribute/CSS-var rewrites, and wrapper-shapes.md for exact
target shapes (tooltip arrow, SubContent defaults, select anatomy).
Modes
Progressive (default). "Migrate accordion" = one component, strangler-fig:
- Detect in-progress state first: an existing
<component>-base.tsx,
consumers split between old/new imports. The files ARE the state; resume,
never restart.
- If the component imports other ui wrappers still on radix (select ->
button), STOP and recommend migrating those first, bottom-up.
- Write the migrated version to
<component>-base.tsx (original untouched;
golden-pair content fetched by URL, or transformed by hand, per the
strategy above); typecheck. Repoint consumers ONE AT A TIME (imports + the
call-site props in consumer-props.md); typecheck each. When no consumer
imports the original: delete it, rename -base -> original, flip imports
back, final check, commit. When the LAST radix wrapper in the project is
finalized, flip components.json to base-<style> and remove radix deps.
Whole project (only when explicitly asked): same per-component work in
dependency order (leaf/shared wrappers like button and label first). After
wrappers, sweep ALL app code against consumer-props.md — the call-site
break surface is much larger than asChild. Then remove radix deps, install,
full build.
Hard rules
- NEVER touch non-radix libraries or their wrappers: cmdk (command), vaul
(drawer), sonner, input-otp, react-day-picker (calendar), recharts (chart).
Report them as intentionally untouched.
- No Base UI counterpart: AspectRatio -> CSS aspect-ratio div; Label ->
native
<label>; VisuallyHidden -> sr-only; Direction -> Direction
Provider (direction prop, not dir). Popover Anchor and NavigationMenu
Indicator have no equivalent: inert passthrough + flag.
button.tsx migrates to the REAL @base-ui/react/button primitive, never
a hand-rolled useRender wrapper.
- Behavior deltas are FLAGGED, never silently patched (tabs manual
activation, menu items not closing on click, nav-menu 50ms delay). The
target is idiomatic Base UI matching the shadcn base registry.
- Honest reporting: skipped/reverted files are listed as flagged, never as
migrated. Pre-existing failures are named as pre-existing.
Verify and report
Typecheck per file, build per batch, full build at the end vs the baseline.
Reports live in a .migration/ directory at the project root, ONE FILE PER
COMPONENT: .migration/<component>.md (e.g. .migration/accordion.md).
Rules:
- Each run writes (or fully overwrites) the file for each component it
migrated. Re-running a component replaces its report; never touch other
components' files.
- A multi-component run ("migrate alert-dialog and dropdown-menu") writes one
file per component, each self-contained; shared consumer-sweep notes are
repeated in every affected file.
- Whole-project mode writes the per-component files plus
.migration/project.md (dependency swap, app-code sweep summary, final
build result).
- There is NO index file. Migration status is derived from disk, not
maintained: scan the project's ui directory (the
ui alias from shadcn
info, e.g. components/ui or src/components/ui) for remaining radix imports
when asked "what's left". End every run's summary with that derived count
("N wrappers remain on Radix").
Each .migration/<component>.md uses EXACTLY this structure (it is
documented publicly; reports must match it):
# <component>
<date, strategy used (golden pair via CLI / merge / engine), one-line verdict>
## Changed
<every file touched, with what changed and why; include file:line for
anything notable. Confirm the leftover scan is clean:
grep -n "radix-ui\|@radix-ui" on this component's files>
## Left alone
<files that look related but were intentionally not touched, with the reason
(cmdk/vaul/sonner are not radix; unrelated drift; etc.)>
## Behavior changes
<differences that compile fine but act differently; flagged, never patched
(tabs activation, menu close-on-click, delays...). Empty section if none>
## Verify by hand
<short manual QA checklist for this primitive family: focus return on
dialogs, keyboard nav + typeahead on menus/select, tooltip delay feel,
slider commit events. Concrete steps, one minute of clicking>
1---2name: migrate-radix-to-base3description: Migrates React projects and components from Radix UI to Base UI. Use when asked to migrate from radix, move to base-ui, convert radix primitives, or switch a shadcn project's base library. Handles single components ("migrate accordion") and whole projects.4---5# Radix UI -> Base UI migration67You migrate shadcn wrappers, hand-rolled radix compositions, and their8consumers to `@base-ui/react`, keeping the project buildable at every step.9Be precise; never guess a mapping. When a prop or part is not in these10reference files, check `node_modules/@base-ui/react/**/*.d.ts` before11transforming, and record gaps in the report.1213## Preflight (always)14151. `npx shadcn@latest info --json` (or the project's runner): gives the16 current base, STYLE (e.g. `radix-lyra`), tailwind version, aliases,17 installed components, and package manager. Trust it over inference.182. Detect the package manager (packageManager field / lockfile:19 pnpm-lock.yaml, bun.lock, yarn.lock, package-lock.json) and use IT for20 every install. Never leave a stale lockfile.213. Require a clean git tree; work on a branch; one commit per component.224. Baseline check BEFORE touching dependencies: run the project's23 typecheck/build so pre-existing failures are never attributed to you.245. Install `@base-ui/react` alongside radix. Radix packages are removed only25 after the LAST component is migrated (both coexist fine).2627## Strategy: golden pair first, transformation engine second2829- **Golden pair via the CLI (preferred).** If the project is shadcn with a30 known style (`radix-<style>`), the shadcn CLI itself is the golden-pair31 executor:32 1. Classify each ui wrapper FIRST: diff the user's file against its stock33 origin, using the components.json style VERBATIM in the URL34 (`https://ui.shadcn.com/r/styles/<style>/<component>.json`,35 files[0].content). This works for prefixed styles (radix-nova) AND36 legacy unprefixed ones (new-york, new-york-v4, default), which are all37 still served.38 2. WHOLE-PROJECT mode: flip `components.json` style `radix-<style>` ->39 `base-<style>` now. PROGRESSIVE mode: do NOT flip yet (the project is40 still mostly radix; the flip happens once, after the last component);41 fetch base variants directly by URL instead42 (`https://ui.shadcn.com/r/styles/base-<style>/<component>.json`).43 3. PRISTINE wrappers, whole-project mode: `shadcn add <component>44 --overwrite` delivers the base variant with the project's exact45 icon/font/preset resolution. Never bulk `--all --overwrite`; go46 component by component, or you drown in unrelated registry version47 drift. PROGRESSIVE mode: never use `--overwrite` (it destroys the48 original that consumers still import); write the fetched base variant49 content to `<component>-base.tsx` instead.50 4. CUSTOMIZED wrappers: fetch the base variant and replay the user's diff51 onto it (their customizations must SURVIVE; `--overwrite` would destroy52 them). Mechanical implementation that works at scale:53 `git merge-file user.tsx radix-golden.tsx base-golden.tsx` (three-way54 merge, radix golden as ancestor) auto-resolves most files; hand-resolve55 conflicts with the reference tables.56 5. MANDATORY leftover sweep on EVERY golden-pair file, including ones that57 merged "clean": `grep -n "radix-ui\|@radix-ui\|IconPlaceholder"` per58 file. The registry sometimes reorders functions between variants, which59 makes three-way merges report zero conflicts while leaving stale radix60 hunks in place. A clean merge is NOT proof of a clean file.61 This is more reliable than reconstructing transforms; use it whenever the62 pair exists. Consumer/app code has no CLI mechanism: always hand-migrate it63 against `consumer-props.md`.64- **Legacy styles (new-york, new-york-v4, default): classification only, no65 replay.** These have no base counterpart (there is no base-new-york), and66 retargeting onto a base-<style> variant would restyle the user's app. Use67 the radix golden ONLY to detect customizations, then run the transformation68 engine on the user's OWN file: rewire primitives, keep their exact classes,69 apply class-mapping renames. Their look stays theirs. At the end of a70 legacy whole-project migration, FLAG (do not fix): the style name still71 reads as radix to the CLI, so future `shadcn add` will deliver radix72 variants; the user decides whether to switch style or add manually.73- **Transformation engine (fallback).** Hand-rolled radix code, non-shadcn74 projects, unknown styles: transform using `universal-patterns.md` (imports75 in BOTH forms: `radix-ui` and `@radix-ui/react-*`; asChild->render with the76 worked example; Portal>Positioner>Popup; the positioner FORWARD rule; part77 renames), the per-family props tables (`overlays.md`, `menus.md`,78 `form-controls.md`, `disclosure.md`, `display-misc.md`), `class-mapping.md`79 for data-attribute/CSS-var rewrites, and `wrapper-shapes.md` for exact80 target shapes (tooltip arrow, SubContent defaults, select anatomy).8182## Modes8384**Progressive (default).** "Migrate accordion" = one component, strangler-fig:851. Detect in-progress state first: an existing `<component>-base.tsx`,86 consumers split between old/new imports. The files ARE the state; resume,87 never restart.882. If the component imports other ui wrappers still on radix (select ->89 button), STOP and recommend migrating those first, bottom-up.903. Write the migrated version to `<component>-base.tsx` (original untouched;91 golden-pair content fetched by URL, or transformed by hand, per the92 strategy above); typecheck. Repoint consumers ONE AT A TIME (imports + the93 call-site props in `consumer-props.md`); typecheck each. When no consumer94 imports the original: delete it, rename `-base` -> original, flip imports95 back, final check, commit. When the LAST radix wrapper in the project is96 finalized, flip `components.json` to `base-<style>` and remove radix deps.9798**Whole project** (only when explicitly asked): same per-component work in99dependency order (leaf/shared wrappers like button and label first). After100wrappers, sweep ALL app code against `consumer-props.md` — the call-site101break surface is much larger than asChild. Then remove radix deps, install,102full build.103104## Hard rules105106- NEVER touch non-radix libraries or their wrappers: cmdk (command), vaul107 (drawer), sonner, input-otp, react-day-picker (calendar), recharts (chart).108 Report them as intentionally untouched.109- No Base UI counterpart: AspectRatio -> CSS aspect-ratio div; Label ->110 native `<label>`; VisuallyHidden -> `sr-only`; Direction -> Direction111 Provider (`direction` prop, not `dir`). Popover Anchor and NavigationMenu112 Indicator have no equivalent: inert passthrough + flag.113- `button.tsx` migrates to the REAL `@base-ui/react/button` primitive, never114 a hand-rolled useRender wrapper.115- Behavior deltas are FLAGGED, never silently patched (tabs manual116 activation, menu items not closing on click, nav-menu 50ms delay). The117 target is idiomatic Base UI matching the shadcn base registry.118- Honest reporting: skipped/reverted files are listed as flagged, never as119 migrated. Pre-existing failures are named as pre-existing.120121## Verify and report122123Typecheck per file, build per batch, full build at the end vs the baseline.124125Reports live in a `.migration/` directory at the project root, ONE FILE PER126COMPONENT: `.migration/<component>.md` (e.g. `.migration/accordion.md`).127Rules:128- Each run writes (or fully overwrites) the file for each component it129 migrated. Re-running a component replaces its report; never touch other130 components' files.131- A multi-component run ("migrate alert-dialog and dropdown-menu") writes one132 file per component, each self-contained; shared consumer-sweep notes are133 repeated in every affected file.134- Whole-project mode writes the per-component files plus135 `.migration/project.md` (dependency swap, app-code sweep summary, final136 build result).137- There is NO index file. Migration status is derived from disk, not138 maintained: scan the project's ui directory (the `ui` alias from shadcn139 info, e.g. components/ui or src/components/ui) for remaining radix imports140 when asked "what's left". End every run's summary with that derived count141 ("N wrappers remain on Radix").142143Each `.migration/<component>.md` uses EXACTLY this structure (it is144documented publicly; reports must match it):145146```md147# <component>148149<date, strategy used (golden pair via CLI / merge / engine), one-line verdict>150151## Changed152153<every file touched, with what changed and why; include file:line for154anything notable. Confirm the leftover scan is clean:155grep -n "radix-ui\|@radix-ui" on this component's files>156157## Left alone158159<files that look related but were intentionally not touched, with the reason160(cmdk/vaul/sonner are not radix; unrelated drift; etc.)>161162## Behavior changes163164<differences that compile fine but act differently; flagged, never patched165(tabs activation, menu close-on-click, delays...). Empty section if none>166167## Verify by hand168169<short manual QA checklist for this primitive family: focus return on170dialogs, keyboard nav + typeahead on menus/select, tooltip delay feel,171slider commit events. Concrete steps, one minute of clicking>172```