Shadcn UI

shadcn-ui Components

Add shadcn/ui components to a themed React project. This skill runs AFTER tailwind-theme-builder has set up CSS variables, ThemeProvider, and dark mode. It handles component installation, customisation, and combining components into working patterns.

Prerequisite: Theme infrastructure must exist (CSS variables, components.json, cn() utility). Use tailwind-theme-builder first if not set up.

Installation Order

Install components in dependency order. Foundation components first, then feature components:

Foundation (install first)

pnpm dlx shadcn@latest add button
pnpm dlx shadcn@latest add input label
pnpm dlx shadcn@latest add card

Feature Components (install as needed)

# Forms
pnpm dlx shadcn@latest add form        # needs: react-hook-form, zod, @hookform/resolvers
pnpm dlx shadcn@latest add textarea select checkbox switch

# Feedback
pnpm dlx shadcn@latest add toast        # needs: sonner
pnpm dlx shadcn@latest add alert badge

# Overlay
pnpm dlx shadcn@latest add dialog sheet popover dropdown-menu

# Data Display
pnpm dlx shadcn@latest add table        # for data tables, also: @tanstack/react-table
pnpm dlx shadcn@latest add tabs separator avatar

# Navigation
pnpm dlx shadcn@latest add navigation-menu command

External Dependencies

Install external deps separately: pnpm add react-hook-form zod @hookform/resolvers

Known Gotchas

Radix Select — No Empty Strings

// BREAKS
<SelectItem value="">All</SelectItem>

// WORKS — use sentinel value
<SelectItem value="__any__">All</SelectItem>
const actual = value === "__any__" ? "" : value

React Hook Form — Null Values

// Don't spread {...field} — it passes null which Input rejects
<Input
  value={field.value ?? ''}
 
 
  name={field.name}
  ref={field.ref}
/>

Lucide Icons — Tree-Shaking

// BREAKS in prod — dynamic import gets tree-shaken
import * as LucideIcons from 'lucide-react'
const Icon = LucideIcons[iconName]

// WORKS — explicit map
import { Home, Users, Settings, type LucideIcon } from 'lucide-react'
const ICON_MAP: Record<string, LucideIcon> = { Home, Users, Settings }
const Icon = ICON_MAP[iconName]

Dialog Width Override

// DOESN'T WORK — default sm:max-w-lg wins
<DialogContent className="max-w-6xl">

// WORKS — use same breakpoint prefix
<DialogContent className="sm:max-w-6xl">

Customising Components

Variant Extension

Add custom variants by editing the component file in src/components/ui/:

// button.tsx — add a "brand" variant
const buttonVariants = cva("...", {
  variants: {
    variant: {
      default: "bg-primary text-primary-foreground",
      brand: "bg-brand text-brand-foreground hover:bg-brand/90",
    },
  },
})

Colour Overrides

Use semantic tokens from your theme — never raw Tailwind colours:

// WRONG
<Button className="bg-blue-500">

// RIGHT
<Button className="bg-primary">
<Card className="bg-card text-card-foreground">

Workflow

Step 1: Assess Needs

Step 2: Install Components

Foundation first, then feature components for identified needs.

Step 3: Build Recipes

Combine components into working patterns. See references/recipes.md for complete examples:

• Contact Form — Form + Input + Textarea + Button + Toast
• Data Table — Table + Column sorting + Pagination + Search
• Modal CRUD — Dialog + Form + Button
• Navigation — Sheet + NavigationMenu + ModeToggle
• Settings Page — Tabs + Form + Switch + Select + Toast

Step 4: Customise

Apply project-specific colours and variants using semantic tokens.

Reference Files