ShadCN/UI Expert Skill

Overview

ShadCN/UI is a collection of beautifully-designed, accessible components built with TypeScript, Tailwind CSS, and headless UI primitives (Base UI or Radix UI). Unlike traditional component libraries, ShadCN uses a copy-paste model – components are copied into YOUR project, giving you full ownership and customization control.

Core Principle: You own the code. Components live in your project (typically src/components/ui/), not in node_modules. This fundamentally changes how you think about customization – edit the source directly.

When to Use

Choose ShadCN When:

• Building React apps needing accessible, polished components
• You want full control over component code (not locked to library updates)
• Using Tailwind CSS for styling
• Need consistent design system with customization flexibility
• Building forms with validation (React Hook Form + Zod integration)

Base Library Selection

During project creation (shadcn create), choose your base primitives:

Example preset with Base UI:

pnpm dlx shadcn@latest create --preset "https://ui.shadcn.com/init?base=base&style=nova&baseColor=stone" --template vite

Choose Alternatives When:

• Not using Tailwind – ShadCN is Tailwind-first
• Want batteries-included – Use Chakra UI, Mantine, or MUI
• Vue/Svelte project – Use shadcn-vue or shadcn-svelte ports
• Need zero styling opinions – Use Base UI or Radix primitives directly

Component Selection

Need user input?
  → Form & Input category (Input, Select, Checkbox, Form)

Need to show/hide content?
  → Triggered by click/hover? → Overlays (Dialog, Popover, Tooltip, Sheet)
  → User-controlled toggle? → Layout (Accordion, Tabs, Collapsible)

Need to display data?
  → Single item → Card
  → Multiple items → Table or Data Table

Need feedback?
  → Temporary → Toast (Sonner)
  → Persistent → Alert

Refer to llms.txt in this skill directory for the full component index with documentation links.

Core Patterns

The “Own Your Code” Model

ShadCN copies components into YOUR project. This means:

• Full customization – edit the source directly
• No version lock-in – you control updates
• Tree-shaking friendly – only what you use
• You maintain the code – breaking changes are your responsibility

Component Composition

ShadCN components are composable primitives, not monolithic widgets:

// Anti-pattern: Expecting a single "FormInput" component
<FormInput label="Email" error={errors.email} />

// ShadCN pattern: Compose primitives
<FormField>
  <FormLabel>Email</FormLabel>
  <FormControl>
    <Input {...field} />
  </FormControl>
  <FormMessage />
</FormField>

Form Pattern (React Hook Form + Zod)

import { useForm } from "react-hook-form"
import { zodResolver } from "@hookform/resolvers/zod"
import { z } from "zod"
import { Button } from "@/components/ui/button"
import { Input } from "@/components/ui/input"
import {
  Form,
  FormControl,
  FormField,
  FormItem,
  FormLabel,
  FormMessage,
} from "@/components/ui/form"

const schema = z.object({
  email: z.string().email("Invalid email address"),
  name: z.string().min(2, "Name must be at least 2 characters"),
})

type FormData = z.infer<typeof schema>

function ContactForm() {
  const form = useForm<FormData>({
    resolver: zodResolver(schema),
    defaultValues: { email: "", name: "" },
  })

  const onSubmit = (data: FormData) => {
    console.log(data)
  }

  return (
    <Form {...form}>
      <form onSubmit={form.handleSubmit(onSubmit)} className="space-y-4">
        <FormField
          control={form.control}
          name="name"
          render={({ field }) => (
            <FormItem>
              <FormLabel>Name</FormLabel>
              <FormControl>
                <Input placeholder="John Doe" {...field} />
              </FormControl>
              <FormMessage />
            </FormItem>
          )}
        />
        <FormField
          control={form.control}
          name="email"
          render={({ field }) => (
            <FormItem>
              <FormLabel>Email</FormLabel>
              <FormControl>
                <Input placeholder="john@example.com" {...field} />
              </FormControl>
              <FormMessage />
            </FormItem>
          )}
        />
        <Button type="submit">Submit</Button>
      </form>
    </Form>
  )
}

Dialog with Form Pattern

import {
  Dialog,
  DialogContent,
  DialogDescription,
  DialogHeader,
  DialogTitle,
  DialogTrigger,
} from "@/components/ui/dialog"
import { Button } from "@/components/ui/button"
import { useState } from "react"

function DialogWithForm() {
  const [open, setOpen] = useState(false)

  const handleSuccess = () => {
    setOpen(false) // Close dialog on successful submit
  }

  return (
    <Dialog open={open} onOpenChange={setOpen}>
      <DialogTrigger asChild>
        <Button>Open Form</Button>
      </DialogTrigger>
      <DialogContent>
        <DialogHeader>
          <DialogTitle>Contact Us</DialogTitle>
          <DialogDescription>
            Fill out the form below and we'll get back to you.
          </DialogDescription>
        </DialogHeader>
        <ContactForm onSuccess={handleSuccess} />
      </DialogContent>
    </Dialog>
  )
}

Toast Notifications (Sonner)

import { toast } from "sonner"
import { Button } from "@/components/ui/button"

function ToastExample() {
  return (
    <div className="space-x-2">
      <Button onClick={() => toast("Event created")}>
        Default
      </Button>
      <Button onClick={() => toast.success("Successfully saved!")}>
        Success
      </Button>
      <Button onClick={() => toast.error("Something went wrong")}>
        Error
      </Button>
      <Button
        onClick={() =>
          toast.promise(saveData(), {
            loading: "Saving...",
            success: "Data saved!",
            error: "Could not save",
          })
        }
      >
        With Promise
      </Button>
    </div>
  )
}

Data Table Pattern

import {
  Table,
  TableBody,
  TableCell,
  TableHead,
  TableHeader,
  TableRow,
} from "@/components/ui/table"

interface User {
  id: string
  name: string
  email: string
  role: string
}

function UsersTable({ users }: { users: User[] }) {
  return (
    <Table>
      <TableHeader>
        <TableRow>
          <TableHead>Name</TableHead>
          <TableHead>Email</TableHead>
          <TableHead>Role</TableHead>
        </TableRow>
      </TableHeader>
      <TableBody>
        {users.map((user) => (
          <TableRow key={user.id}>
            <TableCell className="font-medium">{user.name}</TableCell>
            <TableCell>{user.email}</TableCell>
            <TableCell>{user.role}</TableCell>
          </TableRow>
        ))}
      </TableBody>
    </Table>
  )
}

For advanced sorting, filtering, and pagination, use @tanstack/react-table with the Data Table component. See: https://ui.shadcn.com/docs/components/data-table

Command Palette Pattern (⌘K)

import {
  CommandDialog,
  CommandEmpty,
  CommandGroup,
  CommandInput,
  CommandItem,
  CommandList,
} from "@/components/ui/command"
import { useEffect, useState } from "react"

function CommandPalette() {
  const [open, setOpen] = useState(false)

  useEffect(() => {
    const down = (e: KeyboardEvent) => {
      if (e.key === "k" && (e.metaKey || e.ctrlKey)) {
        e.preventDefault()
        setOpen((open) => !open)
      }
    }
    document.addEventListener("keydown", down)
    return () => document.removeEventListener("keydown", down)
  }, [])

  return (
    <CommandDialog open={open} onOpenChange={setOpen}>
      <CommandInput placeholder="Type a command or search..." />
      <CommandList>
        <CommandEmpty>No results found.</CommandEmpty>
        <CommandGroup heading="Actions">
          <CommandItem>New File</CommandItem>
          <CommandItem>New Folder</CommandItem>
          <CommandItem>Settings</CommandItem>
        </CommandGroup>
      </CommandList>
    </CommandDialog>
  )
}

Dark Mode Toggle

import { Moon, Sun } from "lucide-react"
import { Button } from "@/components/ui/button"
import { useTheme } from "@/components/theme-provider"

function ModeToggle() {
  const { theme, setTheme } = useTheme()

  return (
    <Button
      variant="outline"
      size="icon"
      onClick={() => setTheme(theme === "dark" ? "light" : "dark")}
    >
      <Sun className="h-4 w-4 rotate-0 scale-100 transition-all dark:-rotate-90 dark:scale-0" />
      <Moon className="absolute h-4 w-4 rotate-90 scale-0 transition-all dark:rotate-0 dark:scale-100" />
      <span className="sr-only">Toggle theme</span>
    </Button>
  )
}

MCP Server Integration

Setup (Claude Code)

npx shadcn@latest mcp init --client claude

This creates .mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "shadcn": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["shadcn@latest", "mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Other Clients

npx shadcn@latest mcp init --client cursor   # Cursor
npx shadcn@latest mcp init --client vscode   # VS Code
npx shadcn@latest mcp init --client codex    # Codex

Available Tools

Once configured, MCP tools allow:

• Browse components – List all components in configured registries
• Search components – Find components by name or functionality
• Install components – Add components to the project

Natural Language Usage

The MCP server understands requests like:

• “Show me all available form components”
• “Add button, dialog, and card to my project”
• “What components are available for data display?”

Multiple Registries

Configure private/custom registries in components.json:

{
  "registries": {
    "@company": "https://registry.company.com/{name}.json"
  }
}

When to Use MCP vs llms.txt

Common Mistakes

Importing from node_modules

// Wrong - ShadCN components live in YOUR project
import { Button } from "@shadcn/ui"

// Correct - import from your components directory
import { Button } from "@/components/ui/button"

Over-customizing via props

// Wrong - expecting MUI-style prop customization
<Button colorScheme="purple" size="xl" leftIcon={<Icon />}>

// Correct - use Tailwind classes + composition
<Button className="bg-purple-600 text-lg">
  <Icon className="mr-2 h-4 w-4" />
  Click me
</Button>

Forgetting dependencies

Components may require peer dependencies. Common ones:

• Forms: react-hook-form, @hookform/resolvers, zod
• Data Table: @tanstack/react-table
• Date Picker: date-fns, react-day-picker
• Charts: recharts
• Toast: sonner

Not initializing first

# Must run init before adding components
npx shadcn@latest init
npx shadcn@latest add button dialog card

Troubleshooting

Quick Reference

Project Setup (Vite + React)

# Create new project with preset
pnpm dlx shadcn@latest create --template vite

# Or add to existing project
npx shadcn@latest init

Adding Components

npx shadcn@latest add button        # Single component
npx shadcn@latest add button card   # Multiple components
npx shadcn@latest add --all         # All components

File Structure

src/
  components/
    ui/           # ShadCN components live here
      button.tsx
      card.tsx
      dialog.tsx
      ...
  lib/
    utils.ts      # cn() utility for className merging

The cn() Utility

import { clsx, type ClassValue } from "clsx"
import { twMerge } from "tailwind-merge"

export function cn(...inputs: ClassValue[]) {
  return twMerge(clsx(inputs))
}

// Usage - merge classes safely
<Button className={cn("mt-4", isActive && "bg-primary")}>

Resources

• Documentation: https://ui.shadcn.com/docs
• Component Index: See llms.txt in this skill directory
• Themes: https://ui.shadcn.com/themes
• Examples: https://ui.shadcn.com/examples
• Blocks (page templates): https://ui.shadcn.com/blocks