tomevault-io Chakra UI Migration: v2 → v3
You are guiding a developer through migrating their project from Chakra UI v2 to v3. Work through the steps below in order. Inspect the project first — never guess the package versions or framework.
Node requirement: Chakra UI v3 requires Node >= 20.x. Confirm before proceeding if the environment is uncertain.
Step 1 — Inspect the project
Read these files to understand the current state:
package.json
Look for:
- Current
@chakra-ui/reactversion (v2.x vs v3.x) - Related packages:
@chakra-ui/icons,@chakra-ui/hooks,@chakra-ui/next-js,@emotion/styled,framer-motion - Framework: Next.js (App Router or Pages Router), Vite, plain React
- Package manager (from lockfiles:
pnpm-lock.yaml,yarn.lock,bun.lock,package-lock.json)
Also spot-check key files when helpful:
- Provider / theme setup (
_app.tsx,layout.tsx,theme.ts) - Color mode usage (
ColorModeScript,useColorMode,useColorModeValue) - Any component files showing heavy v2 patterns
Step 2 — Update packages
Remove v2-only dependencies
# npm
npm uninstall @chakra-ui/icons @chakra-ui/hooks @chakra-ui/next-js @emotion/styled framer-motion
# pnpm
pnpm remove @chakra-ui/icons @chakra-ui/hooks @chakra-ui/next-js @emotion/styled framer-motion
# yarn
yarn remove @chakra-ui/icons @chakra-ui/hooks @chakra-ui/next-js @emotion/styled framer-motion
@emotion/styled and framer-motion are no longer required in v3.
Install v3 core packages
# npm
npm install @chakra-ui/react @emotion/react
# pnpm
pnpm add @chakra-ui/react @emotion/react
# yarn
yarn add @chakra-ui/react @emotion/react
Replacements for removed packages
| Removed | Replacement |
|---|---|
@chakra-ui/icons |
lucide-react or react-icons |
@chakra-ui/hooks |
react-use or usehooks-ts |
@chakra-ui/next-js |
asChild prop pattern (see Next.js section) |
Step 3 — Run the codemod
The official codemod handles most mechanical changes: component renames, prop updates, import rewrites, and compound component restructuring. It does not replace manual review — plan to audit the output.
Dry run first (no files changed):
npx @chakra-ui/codemod upgrade --dry
Review what it proposes. When satisfied:
npx @chakra-ui/codemod upgrade
After the codemod, commit the changes before making manual edits so you have a clean diff to work from.
Step 4 — Update the Provider
Old v2 pattern
// v2
import { ChakraProvider } from "@chakra-ui/react"
import theme from "./theme"
;<ChakraProvider theme={theme}>{children}</ChakraProvider>
New v3 pattern (using Chakra CLI snippets)
Generate the provider and component snippets:
npx @chakra-ui/cli snippet add
This creates components/ui/provider.tsx (plus toaster and tooltip
snippets) and automatically installs required npm dependencies — including
next-themes. Import and use it:
// v3 — app/layout.tsx (Next.js App Router)
import { Provider } from "@/components/ui/provider"
;<html lang="en" suppressHydrationWarning>
<body>
<Provider>{children}</Provider>
</body>
</html>
The Provider file includes "use client" — do not add it to layout.tsx. See
the Next.js section for Pages Router placement.
Custom theme in v3
Replace extendTheme with createSystem:
// v2
import { extendTheme } from "@chakra-ui/react"
// v3
import { createSystem, defaultConfig, defineConfig } from "@chakra-ui/react"
export const theme = extendTheme({ colors: { brand: { 500: "#2196f3" } } })
const config = defineConfig({
theme: { tokens: { colors: { brand: { 500: { value: "#2196f3" } } } } },
})
export const system = createSystem(defaultConfig, config)
Pass system to ChakraProvider via value={system}.
Step 5 — Color mode migration
Remove all v2 color mode patterns
// REMOVE these v2 imports and usages:
import { ColorModeScript } from "@chakra-ui/react"
// ❌
import { useColorMode } from "@chakra-ui/react"
// ❌ (use next-themes)
import { useColorModeValue } from "@chakra-ui/react"
// ❌ (use CSS tokens)
import { DarkMode, LightMode } from "@chakra-ui/react"
// ❌
// Also remove from _document.tsx:
;<ColorModeScript initialColorMode={theme.config.initialColorMode} /> // ❌
v3 color mode approach
Color mode is handled by next-themes via the generated Provider. Use
semantic tokens that automatically respond to the active color mode:
// Use Chakra semantic tokens — they flip automatically in dark mode
<Box color="fg.default" bg="bg.subtle">
...
</Box>
For a color mode toggle, use the generated components/ui/color-mode.tsx
snippet or useColorMode from next-themes directly.
Step 6 — Prop renames
These boolean and style props were renamed in v3 for consistency with HTML and modern React conventions. The codemod catches most of these, but verify manually afterward.
Boolean props
| v2 | v3 |
|---|---|
isOpen |
open |
defaultIsOpen |
defaultOpen |
isDisabled |
disabled |
isInvalid |
invalid |
isRequired |
required |
isReadOnly |
readOnly |
isChecked |
checked |
isLoaded |
loaded |
isIndeterminate |
indeterminate |
Style and layout props
| v2 | v3 |
|---|---|
colorScheme |
colorPalette |
noOfLines |
lineClamp |
truncated |
truncate |
spacing (Stack) |
gap |
apply |
textStyle or layerStyle |
Nested style props
// v2 — sx with nested pseudo-selectors
<Box sx={{ "&:hover": { color: "blue.500" } }} />
// v3 — css prop with "&" selectors
<Box css={{ "&:hover": { color: "blue.500" } }} />
Step 7 — Component migrations
Renamed components
| v2 | v3 |
|---|---|
Modal |
Dialog |
FormControl |
Field |
Select |
NativeSelect |
AlertDialog |
AlertDialog (compound, see below) |
Modal is the most common rename — every <Modal>, <ModalOverlay>,
<ModalContent>, <ModalHeader>, <ModalBody>, <ModalFooter>, and
<ModalCloseButton> becomes a Dialog.* compound part:
// v2
<Modal isOpen={open}
<ModalOverlay />
<ModalContent>
<ModalHeader>Title</ModalHeader>
<ModalBody>Body</ModalBody>
<ModalFooter><Button
</ModalContent>
</Modal>
// v3
<Dialog.Root open={open} open }) => setOpen(open)}>
<Dialog.Backdrop />
<Dialog.Positioner>
<Dialog.Content>
<Dialog.Header><Dialog.Title>Title</Dialog.Title></Dialog.Header>
<Dialog.Body>Body</Dialog.Body>
<Dialog.Footer><Button => setOpen(false)}>Close</Button></Dialog.Footer>
<Dialog.CloseTrigger />
</Dialog.Content>
</Dialog.Positioner>
</Dialog.Root>
Compound component rewrites
v3 adopts a consistent compound component API. The codemod handles many of these, but complex custom usage needs manual review.
Checkbox
// v2
<Checkbox isChecked={val}
// v3
<Checkbox.Root checked={val}
<Checkbox.Control><Checkbox.Indicator /></Checkbox.Control>
<Checkbox.Label>Label</Checkbox.Label>
</Checkbox.Root>
Progress
// v2
<Progress value={60} colorScheme="blue" />
// v3
<Progress.Root value={60} colorPalette="blue">
<Progress.Track><Progress.Range /></Progress.Track>
</Progress.Root>
Accordion
// v2
<Accordion><AccordionItem><AccordionButton /><AccordionPanel /></AccordionItem></Accordion>
// v3
<Accordion.Root>
<Accordion.Item value="item-1">
<Accordion.ItemTrigger />
<Accordion.ItemContent />
</Accordion.Item>
</Accordion.Root>
FormControl → Field
// v2
<FormControl isInvalid={!!error} isRequired>
<FormLabel>Email</FormLabel>
<Input type="email" />
<FormErrorMessage>{error}</FormErrorMessage>
<FormHelperText>We'll never share your email.</FormHelperText>
</FormControl>
// v3
<Field.Root invalid={!!error} required>
<Field.Label>Email</Field.Label>
<Input type="email" />
<Field.ErrorText>{error}</Field.ErrorText>
<Field.HelpText>We'll never share your email.</Field.HelpText>
</Field.Root>
All FormControl sub-parts map to Field.*:
FormLabel→Field.LabelFormErrorMessage→Field.ErrorTextFormHelperText→Field.HelpTextFormControlpropsisInvalid,isRequired,isDisabled→invalid,required,disabled
Dialog / Drawer / Menu / Tabs follow the same compound pattern: use
ComponentName.Root, .Trigger, .Content, .Item, etc. Check the Chakra UI
v3 docs for the specific compound API for each.
Next.js Image and Link (replacing @chakra-ui/next-js)
// v2 — @chakra-ui/next-js
import { LinkOverlay } from "@chakra-ui/next-js"
// v3 — asChild pattern
import NextLink from "next/link"
<ChakraLink asChild><NextLink href="/about">About</NextLink></ChakraLink>
import NextImage from "next/image"
<ChakraImage asChild><NextImage src="..." alt="..." /></ChakraImage>
Step 8 — Theming migration
styleConfig and multiStyleConfig → recipes
// v3 — single component (recipe)
import { defineRecipe } from "@chakra-ui/react"
// v2
const buttonStyle = {
baseStyle: { fontWeight: "bold" },
variants: { solid: { bg: "blue.500" } },
defaultProps: { variant: "solid" },
}
const buttonRecipe = defineRecipe({
base: { fontWeight: "bold" },
variants: { variant: { solid: { bg: "blue.500" } } },
defaultVariants: { variant: "solid" },
})
// v3 — slot recipe
import { defineSlotRecipe } from "@chakra-ui/react"
// v2 — multiStyleConfig (multi-part component)
const cardStyle = multiStyleConfig({
parts: ["root", "header"],
baseStyle: { root: { bg: "white" }, header: { fontWeight: "bold" } },
})
const cardSlotRecipe = defineSlotRecipe({
slots: ["root", "header"],
base: { root: { bg: "white" }, header: { fontWeight: "bold" } },
})
Typegen for custom tokens
After adding custom tokens, semantic tokens, recipes, or slot recipes, run typegen to keep TypeScript types in sync:
npx @chakra-ui/cli typegen ./theme.ts
Complex theme migrations — if you're moving a large v2 theme with many custom tokens, semantic tokens, or multi-part component styles, use the
chakra-ui-themingskill. It covers the full token/recipe/slot-recipe API in depth and is a better guide than this section alone.
Step 9 — Next.js specifics
App Router
- Place
<Provider>inapp/layout.tsx(Server Component — no"use client") - The generated
components/ui/provider.tsxalready has"use client" - Add
suppressHydrationWarningto<html>to prevent color mode flicker - Do not wrap the entire app or layout in
"use client"
Pages Router
// pages/_app.js
import { Provider } from "@/components/ui/provider"
export default function App({ Component, pageProps }) {
return (
<Provider>
<Component {...pageProps} />
</Provider>
)
}
Remove any ColorModeScript from pages/_document.tsx — it is not used in v3.
Step 10 — Validation checklist
Work through this after the migration is complete:
- Reinstall dependencies:
npm install/pnpm install - TypeScript:
npx tsc --noEmit— resolve all type errors - Lint:
npm run lint - Build:
npm run build - Visually verify color mode toggle (light ↔ dark)
- Test interactive components: Dialog, Drawer, Menu, Tabs, Accordion
- Test form components: Checkbox, Select/NativeSelect, Input, Radio
- Check for visual regressions across key pages
- Search codebase for leftover v2 imports:
grep -r "ColorModeScript\|useColorModeValue\|extendTheme\|styleConfig\|@chakra-ui/icons\|@chakra-ui/next-js" src/
Clarifying questions (when context is unclear)
If the user's version, framework, or scope is ambiguous, ask:
- "What version of
@chakra-ui/reactare you on right now?" - "Are you using Next.js App Router, Pages Router, Vite, or plain React?"
- "Are you migrating the full codebase or just specific components?"
State assumptions clearly if you proceed without asking.
Source: chakra-ui/chakra-ui — distributed by TomeVault.