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 buttonpnpm dlx shadcn@latest add input labelpnpm dlx shadcn@latest add card

Feature Components (install as needed)

# Formspnpm dlx shadcn@latest add form        # needs: react-hook-form, zod, @hookform/resolverspnpm dlx shadcn@latest add textarea select checkbox switch
# Feedbackpnpm dlx shadcn@latest add toast        # needs: sonnerpnpm dlx shadcn@latest add alert badge
# Overlaypnpm dlx shadcn@latest add dialog sheet popover dropdown-menu
# Data Displaypnpm dlx shadcn@latest add table        # for data tables, also: @tanstack/react-tablepnpm dlx shadcn@latest add tabs separator avatar
# Navigationpnpm dlx shadcn@latest add navigation-menu command

External Dependencies

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

Known Gotchas

These are documented corrections that prevent common bugs:

Radix Select — No Empty Strings

// Don't use empty string values<SelectItem value="">All</SelectItem>           // BREAKS
// Use sentinel value<SelectItem value="__any__">All</SelectItem>    // WORKSconst actual = value === "__any__" ? "" : value

React Hook Form — Null Values

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

Lucide Icons — Tree-Shaking

// Don't use dynamic import — icons get tree-shaken in productionimport * as LucideIcons from 'lucide-react'const Icon = LucideIcons[iconName]  // BREAKS in prod
// Use explicit mapimport { 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

// Default sm:max-w-lg won't be overridden by max-w-6xl<DialogContent className="max-w-6xl">       // DOESN'T WORK
// Use same breakpoint prefix<DialogContent className="sm:max-w-6xl">    // WORKS

Customising Components

shadcn components use semantic CSS tokens from your theme. To customise:

Variant extension

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

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

Colour overrides

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

// Don't use raw colours<Button className="bg-blue-500">             // WRONG
// Use semantic tokens<Button className="bg-primary">              // RIGHT<Card className="bg-card text-card-foreground">  // RIGHT

Workflow

Step 1: Assess Needs

Determine what UI patterns the project needs:

Step 2: Install Components

Install foundation first, then feature components for the identified needs. Use the commands above.

Step 3: Build Recipes

Combine components into working patterns. See references/recipes.md [blocked] for complete working 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 from the theme.

Reference Files