shadcn-ui

$2a

# 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

Component

Requires

Form

react-hook-form, zod, @hookform/resolvers

Toast

sonner

Data Table

@tanstack/react-table

Command

cmdk

Date Picker

date-fns (optional)

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>    // WORKS

const 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 production

import * as LucideIcons from 'lucide-react'

const Icon = LucideIcons[iconName]  // BREAKS in prod

// Use 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

// 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" variant

const 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:

Need

Components

Forms with validation

Form, Input, Label, Select, Textarea, Button, Toast

Data display with sorting

Table, Badge, Pagination

Admin CRUD interface

Dialog, Form, Table, Button, Toast

Marketing/landing page

Card, Button, Badge, Separator

Settings/preferences

Tabs, Form, Switch, Select, Toast

Navigation

NavigationMenu (desktop), Sheet (mobile), ModeToggle

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 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

When

Read

Choosing components, install commands, props

references/component-catalogue.md

Building complete UI patterns

references/recipes.md