shadcn/ui

Copy-paste component library built on Radix UI + Tailwind CSS. Components are NOT imported from a package—they’re copied into your project for full ownership.

Quick Reference

# Initialize project
npx shadcn@latest init

# Add components
npx shadcn@latest add button card dialog

# Add all components
npx shadcn@latest add -a

# View component source before adding
npx shadcn@latest view button

CLI Commands

init

npx shadcn@latest init [options]

Options:
  -t, --template <template>    # next, vite, start, next-monorepo
  -b, --base-color <color>     # neutral, gray, zinc, stone, slate
  --css-variables              # Use CSS variables (default)
  --no-css-variables           # Inline Tailwind classes
  -y, --yes                    # Skip prompts

add

npx shadcn@latest add [components...]

Options:
  -y, --yes          # Skip confirmation
  -o, --overwrite    # Overwrite existing
  -a, --all          # Add all components
  -p, --path <path>  # Custom install path

Theming System

shadcn/ui uses CSS variables with OKLCH color format for perceptual uniformity.

CSS Variables Structure

/* app/globals.css */
:root {
  --radius: 0.625rem;
  
  /* Semantic colors */
  --background: oklch(1 0 0);
  --foreground: oklch(0.145 0 0);
  --primary: oklch(0.205 0 0);
  --primary-foreground: oklch(0.985 0 0);
  --secondary: oklch(0.97 0 0);
  --secondary-foreground: oklch(0.205 0 0);
  --accent: oklch(0.97 0 0);
  --accent-foreground: oklch(0.205 0 0);
  --destructive: oklch(0.577 0.245 27.325);
  --muted: oklch(0.97 0 0);
  --muted-foreground: oklch(0.556 0 0);
  --card: oklch(1 0 0);
  --card-foreground: oklch(0.145 0 0);
  --border: oklch(0.922 0 0);
  --input: oklch(0.922 0 0);
  --ring: oklch(0.708 0 0);
}

.dark {
  --background: oklch(0.145 0 0);
  --foreground: oklch(0.985 0 0);
  --primary: oklch(0.985 0 0);
  --primary-foreground: oklch(0.205 0 0);
  /* ... inverted values */
}

/* Map to Tailwind */
@theme inline {
  --color-background: var(--background);
  --color-foreground: var(--foreground);
  --color-primary: var(--primary);
  --color-primary-foreground: var(--primary-foreground);
  /* ... all semantic colors */
}

OKLCH Format

oklch(lightness chroma hue)
     0-1       0-0.4   0-360°

• Lightness: 0 = black, 1 = white
• Chroma: 0 = gray, higher = more saturated
• Hue: Color angle (0=red, 120=green, 240=blue)

Adding Custom Colors

:root {
  --warning: oklch(0.84 0.16 84);
  --warning-foreground: oklch(0.28 0.07 46);
}

.dark {
  --warning: oklch(0.41 0.11 46);
  --warning-foreground: oklch(0.99 0.02 95);
}

@theme inline {
  --color-warning: var(--warning);
  --color-warning-foreground: var(--warning-foreground);
}

Usage: className="bg-warning text-warning-foreground"

Base Color Palettes

Choose in components.json:

• neutral: Pure achromatic
• stone: Warm grayscale
• zinc: Cool grayscale
• gray: Balanced with slight tint
• slate: Blue-tinted gray

Configuration

components.json

{
  "$schema": "https://ui.shadcn.com/schema.json",
  "style": "new-york",
  "rsc": true,
  "tsx": true,
  "tailwind": {
    "config": "",
    "css": "app/globals.css",
    "baseColor": "neutral",
    "cssVariables": true,
    "prefix": ""
  },
  "aliases": {
    "components": "@/components",
    "utils": "@/lib/utils",
    "ui": "@/components/ui",
    "lib": "@/lib",
    "hooks": "@/hooks"
  },
  "iconLibrary": "lucide"
}

Component Patterns

CVA Variants

Components use class-variance-authority for variant management:

import { cva, type VariantProps } from "class-variance-authority"

const buttonVariants = cva(
  "inline-flex items-center justify-center rounded-md text-sm font-medium transition-all disabled:opacity-50",
  {
    variants: {
      variant: {
        default: "bg-primary text-primary-foreground hover:bg-primary/90",
        destructive: "bg-destructive text-white hover:bg-destructive/90",
        outline: "border bg-background hover:bg-accent",
        ghost: "hover:bg-accent hover:text-accent-foreground",
        link: "text-primary underline-offset-4 hover:underline",
      },
      size: {
        default: "h-9 px-4 py-2",
        sm: "h-8 px-3 text-xs",
        lg: "h-10 px-6",
        icon: "h-9 w-9",
      },
    },
    defaultVariants: {
      variant: "default",
      size: "default",
    },
  }
)

cn Utility

Merges classes intelligently, resolving Tailwind conflicts:

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

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

Compound Components

<Card>
  <CardHeader>
    <CardTitle>Title</CardTitle>
    <CardDescription>Description</CardDescription>
  </CardHeader>
  <CardContent>Content here</CardContent>
  <CardFooter>Footer actions</CardFooter>
</Card>

Data Attributes

Components include data-slot for semantic styling:

<div data-slot="card" className={cn(...)}>
<button data-slot="button" data-variant="default">

Customization

Override Component Styles

// The className prop merges with defaults
<Button className="w-full rounded-full" />

Extend Variants

Edit the component file directly:

const buttonVariants = cva(baseClasses, {
  variants: {
    variant: {
      // existing...
      success: "bg-green-600 text-white hover:bg-green-700",
    },
  },
})

Dark Mode

Uses class strategy. Toggle .dark on html/body:

// Toggle dark mode
document.documentElement.classList.toggle('dark')

Dependencies

Required packages (installed by init):

• class-variance-authority – Variant management
• clsx – Class concatenation
• tailwind-merge – Conflict resolution
• lucide-react – Icons
• tw-animate-css – Animations
• @radix-ui/* – Accessible primitives (per component)

Common Tasks

Change Theme Colors

1. Edit CSS variables in globals.css
2. Both :root (light) and .dark (dark) selectors
3. Use OKLCH values for best results

Add New Semantic Color

1. Define CSS variable in :root and .dark
2. Map in @theme inline block
3. Use with Tailwind: bg-{name} text-{name}-foreground

Switch Base Palette

Update components.json:

"tailwind": {
  "baseColor": "zinc"
}

Then re-run npx shadcn@latest init or manually update CSS variables.

Attribution

Based on shadcn/ui by shadcn.