primer Modular DS — Config Components
Config components are "all-in-one" APIs that let consumers describe intent through props or data rather than composing markup directly.
<List
items={[{label: 'Item one'}, {label: 'Item two'}, {label: 'Item three'}]}
=> {
/* ... */
}}
/>
When to use a config component
- The pattern is a stable product pattern — Primer understands it well and expects many teams to reuse it.
- Common use-cases and opinionated defaults have already become clear, usually because a presentational + utility version of the same pattern already exists and has stabilized.
Don't reach for a config API for emerging or unstable patterns — see modular-ds-presentational-components for those instead. Config components should typically be built by composing presentational components and behavior hooks, not by reimplementing structure or behavior from scratch.
What a config component owns
- Opinionated defaults for structure, behavior, accessibility, styling, and interaction patterns.
- Integrated behavior — state management, keyboard behavior, selection, filtering, validation, etc. are usually bundled in rather than left to the consumer.
- A fast path for teams that want to implement an established pattern quickly and correctly.
What a config component must not do
- Try to support every variation through props. Limited flexibility is by design — unusual needs should drop down to presentational components instead of growing the config API indefinitely.
- Duplicate behavior, state, or markup that already exists in the presentational components and hooks it composes.
- Expose
data-componentas a customizable prop. Primer ownsdata-componentvalues as component identifiers, at every API type.
Customization surface
Extension happens only through supported props, slots, render props, or configuration — never through arbitrary internal composition. That list mirrors contributor-docs/style.md; it describes what a config API may legitimately expose, not a menu to pick from freely. Slots in particular are the useSlots/__SLOT__ mechanism documented in the slots skill and remain off by default (see modular-ds-presentational-components). When consumers need to change structure, semantics, or behavior beyond what the config API exposes, the clear escape boundary is to move to the presentational components and behavior hooks underneath (see modular-ds-presentational-components).
Styling
Don't invent visual styling without a concrete design reference, image, or specification. If styling isn't specified, keep styles minimal and structural so the component API and accessibility model can be evaluated independently of visual polish.
Refs and typing
Prefer HTMLElement for default root refs and polymorphic component typing. Use narrower element types only when the API or behavior genuinely requires a specific element.
Adoption surfaces
When shipping or changing a config component's public API, include: source exports, tests, stories, docs metadata, and a changeset when published package behavior changes. New components and new public exports need a minor changeset for the affected package, and any matching export snapshots or tests must be updated in the same change.