Shadcn ui

shadcn/ui Component Patterns

Expert guide for building accessible, customizable UI components with shadcn/ui.

Installation

OpenClaw / Moltbot / Clawbot

npx clawhub@latest install shadcn-ui

WHEN

• Setting up a new project with shadcn/ui
• Installing or configuring individual components
• Building forms with React Hook Form and Zod validation
• Creating accessible UI components (buttons, dialogs, dropdowns, sheets)
• Customizing component styling with Tailwind CSS
• Implementing design systems with shadcn/ui
• Building Next.js applications with TypeScript

What is shadcn/ui?

A collection of reusable components you copy into your project — not an npm package. You own the code. Built on Radix UI (accessibility) and Tailwind CSS (styling).

Quick Start

# New Next.js project
npx create-next-app@latest my-app --typescript --tailwind --eslint --app
cd my-app
npx shadcn@latest init

# Install components
npx shadcn@latest add button input form card dialog select toast
npx shadcn@latest add --all  # or install everything

Core Concepts

The cn Utility

Merges Tailwind classes with conflict resolution — used in every component:

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

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

Class Variance Authority (CVA)

Manages component variants — the pattern behind every shadcn/ui component:

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

const buttonVariants = cva(
  "inline-flex items-center justify-center rounded-md text-sm font-medium transition-colors",
  {
    variants: {
      variant: {
        default: "bg-primary text-primary-foreground hover:bg-primary/90",
        destructive: "bg-destructive text-destructive-foreground hover:bg-destructive/90",
        outline: "border border-input bg-background hover:bg-accent",
        secondary: "bg-secondary text-secondary-foreground hover:bg-secondary/90",
        ghost: "hover:bg-accent hover:text-accent-foreground",
        link: "text-primary underline-offset-4 hover:underline",
      },
      size: {
        default: "h-10 px-4 py-2",
        sm: "h-9 rounded-md px-3",
        lg: "h-11 rounded-md px-8",
        icon: "h-10 w-10",
      },
    },
    defaultVariants: { variant: "default", size: "default" },
  }
)

Essential Components

Button

import { Button } from "@/components/ui/button"
import { Loader2 } from "lucide-react"

// Variants: default | destructive | outline | secondary | ghost | link
// Sizes: default | sm | lg | icon
<Button variant="outline" size="sm">Click me</Button>

// Loading state
<Button disabled>
  <Loader2 className="mr-2 h-4 w-4 animate-spin" />
  Please wait
</Button>

// As link (uses Radix Slot)
<Button asChild>
  <a href="/dashboard">Go to Dashboard</a>
</Button>

Forms with Validation

The standard pattern: Zod schema + React Hook Form + shadcn Form components.

npx shadcn@latest add form input select checkbox textarea

"use client"

import { zodResolver } from "@hookform/resolvers/zod"
import { useForm } from "react-hook-form"
import * as z from "zod"
import { Button } from "@/components/ui/button"
import {
  Form, FormControl, FormDescription,
  FormField, FormItem, FormLabel, FormMessage,
} from "@/components/ui/form"
import { Input } from "@/components/ui/input"
import { Select, SelectContent, SelectItem, SelectTrigger, SelectValue } from "@/components/ui/select"

const formSchema = z.object({
  username: z.string().min(2, "Username must be at least 2 characters."),
  email: z.string().email("Please enter a valid email."),
  role: z.enum(["admin", "user", "guest"]),
})

export function ProfileForm() {
  const form = useForm<z.infer<typeof formSchema>>({
    resolver: zodResolver(formSchema),
    defaultValues: { username: "", email: "", role: "user" },
  })

  function onSubmit(values: z.infer<typeof formSchema>) {
    console.log(values)
  }

  return (
    <Form {...form}>
      <form onSubmit={form.handleSubmit(onSubmit)} className="space-y-6">
        <FormField control={form.control} name="username" render={({ field }) => (
          <FormItem>
            <FormLabel>Username</FormLabel>
            <FormControl><Input placeholder="shadcn" {...field} /></FormControl>
            <FormDescription>Your public display name.</FormDescription>
            <FormMessage />
          </FormItem>
        )} />

        <FormField control={form.control} name="email" render={({ field }) => (
          <FormItem>
            <FormLabel>Email</FormLabel>
            <FormControl><Input type="email" {...field} /></FormControl>
            <FormMessage />
          </FormItem>
        )} />

        <FormField control={form.control} name="role" render={({ field }) => (
          <FormItem>
            <FormLabel>Role</FormLabel>
            <Select onValueChange={field.onChange} defaultValue={field.value}>
              <FormControl>
                <SelectTrigger><SelectValue placeholder="Select a role" /></SelectTrigger>
              </FormControl>
              <SelectContent>
                <SelectItem value="admin">Admin</SelectItem>
                <SelectItem value="user">User</SelectItem>
                <SelectItem value="guest">Guest</SelectItem>
              </SelectContent>
            </Select>
            <FormMessage />
          </FormItem>
        )} />

        <Button type="submit">Submit</Button>
      </form>
    </Form>
  )
}

Dialog & Sheet

import {
  Dialog, DialogContent, DialogDescription,
  DialogFooter, DialogHeader, DialogTitle, DialogTrigger,
} from "@/components/ui/dialog"
import {
  Sheet, SheetContent, SheetHeader, SheetTitle, SheetTrigger,
} from "@/components/ui/sheet"

// Modal dialog
<Dialog>
  <DialogTrigger asChild><Button variant="outline">Edit profile</Button></DialogTrigger>
  <DialogContent className="sm:max-w-[425px]">
    <DialogHeader>
      <DialogTitle>Edit profile</DialogTitle>
      <DialogDescription>Make changes here. Click save when done.</DialogDescription>
    </DialogHeader>
    <div className="grid gap-4 py-4">{/* form fields */}</div>
    <DialogFooter><Button type="submit">Save changes</Button></DialogFooter>
  </DialogContent>
</Dialog>

// Slide-over panel (side: "left" | "right" | "top" | "bottom")
<Sheet>
  <SheetTrigger asChild><Button variant="outline">Open</Button></SheetTrigger>
  <SheetContent side="right">
    <SheetHeader><SheetTitle>Settings</SheetTitle></SheetHeader>
    {/* content */}
  </SheetContent>
</Sheet>

Card

import {
  Card, CardContent, CardDescription,
  CardFooter, CardHeader, CardTitle,
} from "@/components/ui/card"

<Card className="w-[350px]">
  <CardHeader>
    <CardTitle>Create project</CardTitle>
    <CardDescription>Deploy your new project in one-click.</CardDescription>
  </CardHeader>
  <CardContent>
    <div className="grid w-full items-center gap-4">
      <div className="flex flex-col space-y-1.5">
        <Label htmlFor="name">Name</Label>
        <Input id="name" placeholder="Project name" />
      </div>
    </div>
  </CardContent>
  <CardFooter className="flex justify-between">
    <Button variant="outline">Cancel</Button>
    <Button>Deploy</Button>
  </CardFooter>
</Card>

Toast Notifications

// 1. Add Toaster to root layout
import { Toaster } from "@/components/ui/toaster"

export default function RootLayout({ children }) {
  return (
    <html lang="en">
      <body>{children}<Toaster /></body>
    </html>
  )
}

// 2. Use toast in components
import { useToast } from "@/components/ui/use-toast"
import { ToastAction } from "@/components/ui/toast"

const { toast } = useToast()

toast({ title: "Success", description: "Changes saved." })

toast({
  variant: "destructive",
  title: "Error",
  description: "Something went wrong.",
  action: <ToastAction altText="Try again">Try again</ToastAction>,
})

Table

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

const invoices = [
  { invoice: "INV001", status: "Paid", method: "Credit Card", amount: "$250.00" },
  { invoice: "INV002", status: "Pending", method: "PayPal", amount: "$150.00" },
]

<Table>
  <TableCaption>A list of your recent invoices.</TableCaption>
  <TableHeader>
    <TableRow>
      <TableHead>Invoice</TableHead>
      <TableHead>Status</TableHead>
      <TableHead>Method</TableHead>
      <TableHead className="text-right">Amount</TableHead>
    </TableRow>
  </TableHeader>
  <TableBody>
    {invoices.map((invoice) => (
      <TableRow key={invoice.invoice}>
        <TableCell className="font-medium">{invoice.invoice}</TableCell>
        <TableCell>{invoice.status}</TableCell>
        <TableCell>{invoice.method}</TableCell>
        <TableCell className="text-right">{invoice.amount}</TableCell>
      </TableRow>
    ))}
  </TableBody>
</Table>

Theming

shadcn/ui uses CSS variables in HSL format. Configure in globals.css:

@layer base {
  :root {
    --background: 0 0% 100%;
    --foreground: 222.2 84% 4.9%;
    --primary: 222.2 47.4% 11.2%;
    --primary-foreground: 210 40% 98%;
    --secondary: 210 40% 96.1%;
    --muted: 210 40% 96.1%;
    --muted-foreground: 215.4 16.3% 46.9%;
    --destructive: 0 84.2% 60.2%;
    --border: 214.3 31.8% 91.4%;
    --ring: 222.2 84% 4.9%;
    --radius: 0.5rem;
  }

  .dark {
    --background: 222.2 84% 4.9%;
    --foreground: 210 40% 98%;
    --primary: 210 40% 98%;
    --primary-foreground: 222.2 47.4% 11.2%;
    /* ... mirror all variables for dark mode */
  }
}

Colors reference as hsl(var(--primary)) in Tailwind config. Change the CSS variables to retheme the entire app.

Customizing Components

Since you own the code, modify components directly:

// Add a custom variant to button.tsx
const buttonVariants = cva("...", {
  variants: {
    variant: {
      // ... existing variants
      gradient: "bg-gradient-to-r from-purple-500 to-pink-500 text-white",
    },
    size: {
      // ... existing sizes
      xl: "h-14 rounded-md px-10 text-lg",
    },
  },
})

Component Reference

Component	Install	Key Props
Button	add button	variant, size, asChild
Input	add input	Standard HTML input props
Form	add form	React Hook Form + Zod integration
Card	add card	Header, Content, Footer composition
Dialog	add dialog	Modal with trigger pattern
Sheet	add sheet	Slide-over panel, side prop
Select	add select	Accessible dropdown
Toast	add toast	variant: "default" | "destructive"
Table	add table	Header, Body, Row, Cell composition
Tabs	add tabs	defaultValue, trigger/content pairs
Accordion	add accordion	type: "single" | "multiple"
Command	add command	Command palette / search
Dropdown Menu	add dropdown-menu	Context menus, action menus
Menubar	add menubar	Application menus with shortcuts

Next.js Integration

App Router Setup

For Next.js 13+ with App Router, ensure interactive components use "use client":

// src/components/ui/button.tsx
"use client"

import * as React from "react"
import { Slot } from "@radix-ui/react-slot"
// ... rest of component

Layout Integration

Add the Toaster to your root layout:

// app/layout.tsx
import { Toaster } from "@/components/ui/toaster"
import "./globals.css"

export default function RootLayout({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) {
  return (
    <html lang="en" suppressHydrationWarning>
      <body className="min-h-screen bg-background font-sans antialiased">
        {children}
        <Toaster />
      </body>
    </html>
  )
}

Server Components

Most shadcn/ui components need "use client". For Server Components, wrap them in a client component or use them in client component children.

CLI Reference

npx shadcn@latest init              # Initialize project
npx shadcn@latest add [component]   # Add specific component
npx shadcn@latest add --all         # Add all components
npx shadcn@latest diff              # Show upstream changes

Best Practices

Practice	Details
Use TypeScript	All components ship with full type definitions
Zod for validation	Pair with React Hook Form for type-safe forms
asChild pattern	Use Radix Slot to render as different elements
Server Components	Most shadcn/ui components need "use client"
Consistent structure	Follow the existing component patterns when customizing
Accessibility	Radix primitives handle ARIA; don't override without reason
CSS variables	Theme via variables, not by editing component classes
Tree-shaking	Only install components you need — they're independent

NEVER Do

Never	Why	Instead
Install shadcn as npm package	It's not a package — it's source code you own	Use CLI: npx shadcn@latest add
Override ARIA attributes	Radix handles accessibility correctly	Trust the primitives
Use inline styles for theming	Defeats the design system	Modify CSS variables
Copy components from docs manually	May miss dependencies	Use CLI for proper installation
Mix component styles	Creates inconsistency	Follow CVA variant pattern

References

• Learning Guide — progression from basics to advanced patterns
• Extended Components — Terminal, Dock, Charts, animations, custom hooks
• Official Docs | Radix UI | React Hook Form | Zod