Web Artifacts Builder

Web Artifacts Builder

To build powerful single-file frontend web artifacts, follow these steps:

1. Initialize the frontend repo using scripts/init-artifact.sh
2. Develop your artifact by editing the generated code
3. Bundle all code into a single HTML file using scripts/bundle-artifact.sh
4. Display artifact to user
5. (Optional) Test the artifact

Stack: React 18 + TypeScript + Vite + Parcel (bundling) + Tailwind CSS + shadcn/ui

Design & Style Guidelines

VERY IMPORTANT: To avoid what is often referred to as "AI slop", avoid using excessive centered layouts, purple gradients, uniform rounded corners, and Inter font.

Quick Start

In pmx-canvas, prefer the canvas_app { action: "build-artifact" } MCP tool when available. It uses the same bundled runtime scripts, writes reusable source under .pmx-canvas/artifacts/.web-artifacts/, emits a bundled HTML file under .pmx-canvas/artifacts/, and can open the result directly on the canvas as an embedded node. For browser verification after the build, pair this skill with the local playwright-cli skill.

Step 1: Initialize Project

Run the initialization script to create a new React project:

bash scripts/init-artifact.sh <project-name>
cd <project-name>

This creates a fully configured project with:

• ✅ React + TypeScript (via Vite)
• ✅ Tailwind CSS 3.4.1 with shadcn/ui theming system
• ✅ Path aliases (@/) configured
• ✅ 40+ shadcn/ui components pre-installed
• ✅ All Radix UI dependencies included
• ✅ Parcel configured for bundling (via .parcelrc)
• ✅ Node 18+ compatibility (auto-detects and pins Vite version)

Step 2: Develop Your Artifact

To build the artifact, edit the generated files. See Common Development Tasks below for guidance.

Step 3: Bundle to Single HTML File

To bundle the React app into a single HTML artifact:

bash scripts/bundle-artifact.sh

This creates bundle.html - a self-contained artifact with all JavaScript, CSS, and dependencies inlined. This file can be opened directly in a browser or shared in artifact-capable clients.

Requirements: Your project must have an index.html in the root directory.

What the script does:

• Reuses existing bundling dependencies when present; otherwise installs them once
• Creates .parcelrc config with path alias support
• Builds with Parcel (no source maps) using a quieter log profile
• Inlines all assets into single HTML using html-inline

Step 4: Share Artifact with User

Finally, share the bundled HTML file with the user or open it in the browser so they can view it.

Step 5: Testing/Visualizing the Artifact (Optional)

Note: This is a completely optional step. Only perform if necessary or requested.

To test/visualize the artifact, use available tools (including other Skills or built-in tools like Playwright or Puppeteer). In general, avoid testing the artifact upfront as it adds latency between the request and when the finished artifact can be seen. Test later, after presenting the artifact, if requested or if issues arise.

Reference

• shadcn/ui components: https://ui.shadcn.com/docs/components