shadcn-vue

shadcn-vue

A framework for building ui, components and design systems. Components are added as source code to the user's project via the CLI.

IMPORTANT: Run all CLI commands using the project's package runner: npx shadcn-vue@latest, pnpm dlx shadcn-vue@latest, or bunx --bun shadcn-vue@latest — based on the project's packageManager. Examples below use npx shadcn-vue@latest but substitute the correct runner for the project.

Current Project Context

!`npx shadcn-vue@latest info --json`

The JSON above contains the project config and installed components. Use npx shadcn-vue@latest docs <component> to get documentation and example URLs for any component.

Principles

1. Use existing components first. Use npx shadcn-vue@latest search to check registries before writing custom UI. Check community registries too.
2. Compose, don't reinvent. Settings page = Tabs + Card + form controls. Dashboard = Sidebar + Card + Chart + Table.
3. Use built-in variants before custom styles. variant="outline", size="sm", etc.
4. Use semantic colors. bg-primary, text-muted-foreground — never raw values like bg-blue-500.

Critical Rules

These rules are always enforced. Each links to a file with Incorrect/Correct code pairs.

Styling & Tailwind → rules/styling.md

• class for layout, not styling. Never override component colors or typography.
• No space-x-* or space-y-*. Use flex with gap-*. For vertical stacks, flex flex-col gap-*.
• Use size-* when width and height are equal. size-10 not w-10 h-10.
• Use truncate shorthand. Not overflow-hidden text-ellipsis whitespace-nowrap.
• No manual dark: color overrides. Use semantic tokens (bg-background, text-muted-foreground).
• Use cn() for conditional classes. Don't write manual template literal ternaries.
• No manual z-index on overlay components. Dialog, Sheet, Popover, etc. handle their own stacking.

Forms & Inputs → rules/forms.md

• Forms use FieldGroup + Field. Never use raw div with space-y-* or grid gap-* for form layout.
• InputGroup uses InputGroupInput/InputGroupTextarea. Never raw Input/Textarea inside InputGroup.
• Buttons inside inputs use InputGroup + InputGroupAddon.
• Option sets (2–7 choices) use ToggleGroup. Don't loop Button with manual active state.
• FieldSet + FieldLegend for grouping related checkboxes/radios. Don't use a div with a heading.
• Field validation uses data-invalid + aria-invalid. data-invalid on Field, aria-invalid on the control. For disabled: data-disabled on Field, disabled on the control.

Component Structure → rules/composition.md

• Items always inside their Group. SelectItem → SelectGroup. DropdownMenuItem → DropdownMenuGroup. CommandItem → CommandGroup.
• Dialog, Sheet, and Drawer always need a Title. DialogTitle, SheetTitle, DrawerTitle required for accessibility. Use class="sr-only" if visually hidden.
• Use full Card composition. CardHeader/CardTitle/CardDescription/CardContent/CardFooter. Don't dump everything in CardContent.
• Button has no isPending/isLoading. Compose with Spinner + data-icon + disabled.
• TabsTrigger must be inside TabsList. Never render triggers directly in Tabs.
• Avatar always needs AvatarFallback. For when the image fails to load.

Use Components, Not Custom Markup → rules/composition.md

• Use existing components before custom markup. Check if a component exists before writing a styled div.
• Callouts use Alert. Don't build custom styled divs.
• Empty states use Empty. Don't build custom empty state markup.
• Toast via vue-sonner. Use toast() from vue-sonner.
• Use Separator instead of <hr> or <div class="border-t">.
• Use Skeleton for loading placeholders. No custom animate-pulse divs.
• Use Badge instead of custom styled spans.

Icons → rules/icons.md

• Icons in Button use data-icon. data-icon="inline-start" or data-icon="inline-end" on the icon.
• No sizing classes on icons inside components. Components handle icon sizing via CSS. No size-4 or w-4 h-4.
• Pass icons as objects, not string keys. :icon="CheckIcon", not a string lookup.
• Use project's iconLibrary for imports. Check iconLibrary from project context. Never assume @lucide/vue.

CLI

• Apply preset codes directly with the CLI. Use npx shadcn-vue@latest apply <code> for existing projects, or npx shadcn-vue@latest init --preset <code> when initializing.

Key Patterns

These are the most common patterns that differentiate correct shadcn-vue code. For edge cases, see the linked rule files above.

<!-- Form layout: FieldGroup + Field, not div + Label. -->
<FieldGroup>

Component Selection

Key Fields

The injected project context contains these key fields:

• aliases → use the actual alias prefix for imports (e.g. @/, ~/), never hardcode.
• tailwindVersion → "v4" uses @theme inline blocks; "v3" uses tailwind.config.js.
• tailwindCssFile → the global CSS file where custom CSS variables are defined. Always edit this file, never create a new one.
• style → component visual treatment (e.g. nova, vega).
• base → primitive library (reka). Affects component APIs and available props.
• iconLibrary → determines icon imports. Use @lucide/vue for lucide, @tabler/icons-vue for tabler, etc. Never assume @lucide/vue.
• resolvedPaths → exact file-system destinations for components, utils, hooks, etc.
• framework → routing and file conventions (e.g. Nuxt vs Vite SPA).
• packageManager → use this for any non-shadcn-vue dependency installs (e.g. pnpm add date-fns vs npm install date-fns).

See cli.md — info command for the full field reference.

Component Docs, Examples, and Usage

Run npx shadcn-vue@latest docs <component> to get the URLs for a component's documentation, examples, and API reference. Fetch these URLs to get the actual content.

When creating, fixing, debugging, or using a component, always run npx shadcn-vue@latest docs and fetch the URLs first. This ensures you're working with the correct API and usage patterns rather than guessing.

For per-component documentation, see components/<component>.md in this skill (70 components auto-generated from the official repo).

Workflow

1. Get project context — already injected above. Run npx shadcn-vue@latest info again if you need to refresh.
2. Check installed components first — before running add, always check the components list from project context or list the resolvedPaths.ui directory. Don't import components that haven't been added, and don't re-add ones already installed.
3. Find components — npx shadcn-vue@latest search.
4. Get docs and examples — run npx shadcn-vue@latest docs <component> to get URLs, then fetch them. Use npx shadcn-vue@latest view to browse registry items you haven't installed. To preview changes to installed components, use npx shadcn-vue@latest add --diff.
5. Install or update — npx shadcn-vue@latest add. When updating existing components, use --dry-run and --diff to preview changes first (see Updating Components below).
6. Fix imports in third-party components — After adding components from community registries, check the added non-UI files for hardcoded import paths like @/components/ui/.... These won't match the project's actual aliases. Use npx shadcn-vue@latest info to get the correct ui alias (e.g. @workspace/ui/components) and rewrite the imports accordingly. The CLI rewrites imports for its own UI files, but third-party registry components may use default paths that don't match the project.
7. Review added components — After adding a component or block from any registry, always read the added files and verify they are correct. Check for missing sub-components (e.g. SelectItem without SelectGroup), missing imports, incorrect composition, or violations of the Critical Rules. Also replace any icon imports with the project's iconLibrary from the project context (e.g. if the registry item uses @lucide/vue but the project uses hugeicons, swap the imports and icon names accordingly). Fix all issues before moving on.
8. Registry must be explicit — When the user asks to add a block or component, do not guess the registry. If no registry is specified (e.g. user says "add a login block" without specifying @shadcn, etc.), ask which registry to use. Never default to a registry on behalf of the user.
9. Switching presets — Ask the user first: overwrite, merge, or skip?
   • Overwrite: npx shadcn-vue@latest apply <code>. Overwrites detected components, fonts, and CSS variables.
   • Merge: npx shadcn-vue@latest init --preset <code> --force --no-reinstall, then run npx shadcn-vue@latest info to list installed components, then for each installed component use --dry-run and --diff to smart merge it individually.
   • Skip: npx shadcn-vue@latest init --preset <code> --force --no-reinstall. Only updates config and CSS, leaves components as-is.
   • Important: Always run preset commands inside the user's project directory. apply only works in an existing project with a components.json file. The CLI automatically preserves the current base (reka) from components.json. If you must use a scratch/temp directory (e.g. for --dry-run comparisons), pass --base <current-base> explicitly — preset codes do not encode the base.

Updating Components

When the user asks to update a component from upstream while keeping their local changes, use --dry-run and --diff to intelligently merge. NEVER fetch raw files from GitHub manually — always use the CLI.

1. Run npx shadcn-vue@latest add <component> --dry-run to see all files that would be affected.
2. For each file, run npx shadcn-vue@latest add <component> --diff <file> to see what changed upstream vs local.
3. Decide per file based on the diff:
   • No local changes → safe to overwrite.
   • Has local changes → read the local file, analyze the diff, and apply upstream updates while preserving local modifications.
   • User says "just update everything" → use --overwrite, but confirm first.
4. Never use --overwrite without the user's explicit approval.

Quick Reference

Named presets: nova, vega, maia, lyra, mira, luma Templates: nuxt, vite, astro, laravel Preset codes: Version-prefixed base62 strings (e.g. a2r6bw), from shadcn-vue.com.

Quick Start (3 Minutes)

For Vue Projects (Vite)

1. Initialize shadcn-vue

During initialization:

• Style: New York or Default (cannot change later!)
• Base color: Slate (recommended)
• CSS variables: Yes (required for dark mode)

2. Configure TypeScript Path Aliases

3. Configure Vite

4. Add Your First Component

Bundled Resources

Templates (templates/):

• quick-setup.ts - Complete setup guide for Vue/Nuxt with examples (190 lines)

References (references/):

• cli.md - CLI commands, flags, presets, templates, smart merge
• theming.md - Theming and cssVariables
• error-catalog.md - All 7 documented issues with solutions (267 lines)
• component-examples.md - All 50+ component examples with code
• dark-mode-setup.md - Complete dark mode implementation guide
• data-tables.md - Data tables with TanStack Table

Rules (references/rules/):

• styling.md - Semantic colors, variants, class, spacing, size, truncate, dark mode, cn(), z-index
• forms.md - FieldGroup, Field, InputGroup, ToggleGroup, FieldSet, validation states
• composition.md - Groups, overlays, Card, Tabs, Avatar, Alert, Empty, Toast, Separator, Skeleton, Badge, Button loading
• icons.md - data-icon, icon sizing, passing icons as objects, iconLibrary

Component Documentation (components/):

• references/components.md - Index of all shadcn-vue components (70)
• components/<component>.md - Individual component documentation with installation, usage, and examples

Official Documentation:

• shadcn-vue Docs: https://shadcn-vue.com
• Reka UI Docs: https://reka-ui.com
• GitHub: https://github.com/unovue/shadcn-vue

When to Load References

Load these references based on the task:

1. Load references/rules/styling.md when:

   • Writing or reviewing component markup with Tailwind classes
   • User encounters styling issues or inconsistent appearance
   • Need to verify correct use of semantic tokens, spacing, sizing
   • Trigger phrases: "style", "color", "spacing", "gap", "dark mode", "class"

2. Load references/rules/forms.md when:

   • Building forms or working with form controls
   • User needs accessible form field patterns
   • Working with InputGroup, ToggleGroup, FieldSet, or validation states
   • Trigger phrases: "form", "input", "field", "validation", "toggle group"

3. Load references/rules/composition.md when:

   • Composing multiple components together
   • Building dialogs, cards, menus, tabs, or overlay components
   • User asks which component to use for a given UI pattern
   • Trigger phrases: "dialog", "card", "tabs", "menu", "overlay", "empty state", "alert"

4. Load references/rules/icons.md when:

   • Adding icons to buttons or other components
   • Troubleshooting icon sizing or alignment issues
   • Need to determine correct icon import package
   • Trigger phrases: "icon", "lucide", "tabler", "data-icon"

5. Load references/error-catalog.md when:

   • User encounters "component not found" or import errors
   • Setup commands fail or configuration issues arise
   • Tailwind CSS variables or TypeScript paths broken
   • Trigger phrases: "not working", "error", "fails to", "broken"

6. Load references/components.md when:

   • User asks what components are available (names, categories, status)
   • User needs to add/use a component and wants the correct install/import paths
   • You need to confirm a component exists before recommending a custom build

7. Load references/component-examples.md when:

   • User asks "how do I implement [component]?"
   • Need copy-paste examples for specific components
   • Building forms, tables, navigation, or data display
   • Trigger phrases: "example", "how to use", "implement", "code sample"

8. Load references/cli.md when:

   • User asks how to run the CLI (init, add, update, search, view, docs, info, apply) or what prompts mean
   • Need the exact command/flags for installing one or more components
   • Working with presets, templates, or switching presets
   • Troubleshooting CLI-related issues (registry, paths, overwrites)

9. Load references/dark-mode-setup.md when:

   • Implementing dark mode / theme switching
   • User mentions Vue 3 + Vite, Nuxt, or Astro setup
   • Need composable patterns for theme management
   • Trigger phrases: "dark mode", "theme", "light/dark", "color scheme"

10. Load references/theming.md when:

    • User wants to customize theme tokens via CSS variables (cssVariables, :root, .dark)
    • Need to wire Tailwind to CSS-variable-based colors and radii
    • Setting up/adjusting design tokens (colors, radius, typography) for shadcn-vue

11. Load references/data-tables.md when:

    • Building sortable/filterable/paginated tables
    • User mentions TanStack Table or DataTable
    • Trigger phrases: "data table", "table", "tanstack", "sorting", "pagination"

Critical Setup Rules

Always Do

✅ Run init before adding components

• Creates required configuration and utilities
• Sets up path aliases

✅ Use CSS variables for theming (cssVariables: true)

• Enables dark mode support
• Flexible theme customization

✅ Configure TypeScript path aliases

• Required for component imports
• Must match components.json aliases

✅ Keep components.json in version control

• Team members need same configuration
• Documents project setup

Never Do

❌ Don't change style after initialization

• Requires complete reinstall
• Reinitialize in new directory instead

❌ Don't mix Radix Vue and Reka UI v2

• Incompatible component APIs
• Use one or the other

❌ Don't skip TypeScript configuration

• Component imports will fail
• IDE autocomplete won't work

❌ Don't use without Tailwind CSS

• Components are styled with Tailwind
• Won't render correctly

Common Mistakes

• Running add before init and missing components.json.
• Using CSS variable classes without tailwind.cssVariables: true.
• Hardcoding @/ imports instead of reading aliases from project context.
• Fetching component files from GitHub manually instead of using the CLI.
• Using --overwrite without user confirmation.
• Guessing registry names instead of asking the user.

Configuration

shadcn-vue uses components.json to configure:

• Component paths (@/components/ui)
• Utils location (@/lib/utils)
• Tailwind config paths
• TypeScript paths
• Icon library
• Custom registries

Full example: See templates/components.json or generate via npx shadcn-vue@latest init

Utils Library

The @/lib/utils.ts file provides the cn() helper for merging Tailwind classes:

• Combines multiple className strings
• Uses clsx + tailwind-merge for conflict resolution

Auto-generated by shadcn-vue init - no manual setup needed.