tailwind-design-system

name	tailwind-design-system
description	CSS-first design system framework for Tailwind v4 with tokens, components, and responsive patterns.
license	MIT
metadata	{"source":"wshobson/agents"}

Tailwind Design System (v4)

Build production-ready design systems with Tailwind CSS v4, including CSS-first configuration, design tokens, component variants, responsive patterns, and accessibility.

Note: This skill targets Tailwind CSS v4 (2024+). For v3 projects, refer to the upgrade guide.

When to Use This Skill

• Creating a component library with Tailwind v4
• Implementing design tokens and theming with CSS-first configuration
• Building responsive and accessible components
• Standardizing UI patterns across a codebase
• Migrating from Tailwind v3 to v4
• Setting up dark mode with native CSS features

Key v4 Changes

v3 Pattern	v4 Pattern
tailwind.config.ts	@theme in CSS
@tailwind base/components/utilities	@import "tailwindcss"
darkMode: "class"	@custom-variant dark (&:where(.dark, .dark *))
theme.extend.colors	@theme { --color-*: value }
require("tailwindcss-animate")	CSS @keyframes in @theme + @starting-style for entry animations

Quick Start

/* app.css - Tailwind v4 CSS-first configuration */
@import "tailwindcss";

/* Define your theme with @theme */
@theme {
  /* Semantic color tokens using OKLCH for better color perception */
  --color-background: oklch(100% 0 0);
  --color-foreground: oklch(14.5% 0.025 264);

  --color-primary: oklch(14.5% 0.025 264);
  --color-primary-foreground: oklch(98% 0.01 264);

  --color-secondary: oklch(96% 0.01 264);
  --color-secondary-foreground: oklch(14.5% 0.025 264);

  --color-muted: oklch(96% 0.01 264);
  --color-muted-foreground: oklch(46% 0.02 264);

  --color-accent: oklch(96% 0.01 264);
  --color-accent-foreground: oklch(14.5% 0.025 264);

  --color-destructive: oklch(53% 0.22 27);
  --color-destructive-foreground: oklch(98% 0.01 264);

  --color-border: oklch(91% 0.01 264);
  --color-ring: oklch(14.5% 0.025 264);

  --color-card: oklch(100% 0 0);
  --color-card-foreground: oklch(14.5% 0.025 264);

  /* Ring offset for focus states */
  --color-ring-offset: oklch(100% 0 0);

  /* Radius tokens */
  --radius-sm: 0.25rem;
  --radius-md: 0.375rem;
  --radius-lg: 0.5rem;
  --radius-xl: 0.75rem;

  /* Animation tokens */
  --animate-fade-in: fade-in 0.2s ease-out;
  --animate-fade-out: fade-out 0.2s ease-in;
  --animate-slide-in: slide-in 0.3s ease-out;
  --animate-slide-out: slide-out 0.3s ease-in;

  @keyframes fade-in {
    from { opacity: 0; }
    to { opacity: 1; }
  }

  @keyframes fade-out {
    from { opacity: 1; }
    to { opacity: 0; }
  }

  @keyframes slide-in {
    from { transform: translateY(-0.5rem); opacity: 0; }
    to { transform: translateY(0); opacity: 1; }
  }

  @keyframes slide-out {
    from { transform: translateY(0); opacity: 1; }
    to { transform: translateY(-0.5rem); opacity: 0; }
  }
}

/* Dark mode variant */
@custom-variant dark (&:where(.dark, .dark *));

/* Dark mode theme overrides */
.dark {
  --color-background: oklch(14.5% 0.025 264);
  --color-foreground: oklch(98% 0.01 264);

  --color-primary: oklch(98% 0.01 264);
  --color-primary-foreground: oklch(14.5% 0.025 264);

  --color-secondary: oklch(22% 0.02 264);
  --color-secondary-foreground: oklch(98% 0.01 264);

  --color-muted: oklch(22% 0.02 264);
  --color-muted-foreground: oklch(65% 0.02 264);

  --color-accent: oklch(22% 0.02 264);
  --color-accent-foreground: oklch(98% 0.01 264);

  --color-destructive: oklch(42% 0.15 27);
  --color-destructive-foreground: oklch(98% 0.01 264);

  --color-border: oklch(22% 0.02 264);
  --color-ring: oklch(83% 0.02 264);

  --color-card: oklch(14.5% 0.025 264);
  --color-card-foreground: oklch(98% 0.01 264);

  --color-ring-offset: oklch(14.5% 0.025 264);
}

/* Base styles */
@layer base {
  * {
    @apply border-border;
  }

  body {
    @apply bg-background text-foreground antialiased;
  }
}

Core Concepts

1. Design Token Hierarchy

Brand Tokens (abstract)
    └── Semantic Tokens (purpose)
        └── Component Tokens (specific)

Example:
    oklch(45% 0.2 260) → --color-primary → bg-primary

2. Component Architecture

Base styles → Variants → Sizes → States → Overrides

Patterns

Pattern 1: CVA (Class Variance Authority) Components

import { Slot } from '@radix-ui/react-slot'
import { cva, type VariantProps } from 'class-variance-authority'
import { cn } from '@/lib/utils'

const buttonVariants = cva(
  'inline-flex items-center justify-center whitespace-nowrap rounded-md text-sm font-medium transition-colors focus-visible:outline-none focus-visible:ring-2 focus-visible:ring-ring focus-visible:ring-offset-2 disabled:pointer-events-none disabled:opacity-50',
  {
    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-border bg-background hover:bg-accent hover:text-accent-foreground',
        secondary: 'bg-secondary text-secondary-foreground hover:bg-secondary/80',
        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: 'size-10',
      },
    },
    defaultVariants: {
      variant: 'default',
      size: 'default',
    },
  }
)

export interface ButtonProps
  extends React.ButtonHTMLAttributes<HTMLButtonElement>,
    VariantProps<typeof buttonVariants> {
  asChild?: boolean
}

// React 19: No forwardRef needed
export function Button({
  className,
  variant,
  size,
  asChild = false,
  ref,
  ...props
}: ButtonProps & { ref?: React.Ref<HTMLButtonElement> }) {
  const Comp = asChild ? Slot : 'button'
  return (
    <Comp
      className={cn(buttonVariants({ variant, size, className }))}
      ref={ref}
      {...props}
    />
  )
}

Pattern 2: Compound Components (React 19)

import { cn } from '@/lib/utils'

// React 19: ref is a regular prop, no forwardRef
export function Card({
  className,
  ref,
  ...props
}: React.HTMLAttributes<HTMLDivElement> & { ref?: React.Ref<HTMLDivElement> }) {
  return (
    <div
      ref={ref}
      className={cn(
        'rounded-lg border border-border bg-card text-card-foreground shadow-sm',
        className
      )}
      {...props}
    />
  )
}

export function CardHeader({ className, ref, ...props }: React.HTMLAttributes<HTMLDivElement> & { ref?: React.Ref<HTMLDivElement> }) {
  return <div ref={ref} className={cn('flex flex-col space-y-1.5 p-6', className)} {...props} />
}

export function CardTitle({ className, ref, ...props }: React.HTMLAttributes<HTMLHeadingElement> & { ref?: React.Ref<HTMLHeadingElement> }) {
  return <h3 ref={ref} className={cn('text-2xl font-semibold leading-none tracking-tight', className)} {...props} />
}

export function CardContent({ className, ref, ...props }: React.HTMLAttributes<HTMLDivElement> & { ref?: React.Ref<HTMLDivElement> }) {
  return <div ref={ref} className={cn('p-6 pt-0', className)} {...props} />
}

export function CardFooter({ className, ref, ...props }: React.HTMLAttributes<HTMLDivElement> & { ref?: React.Ref<HTMLDivElement> }) {
  return <div ref={ref} className={cn('flex items-center p-6 pt-0', className)} {...props} />
}

Pattern 3: Responsive Grid System

import { cn } from '@/lib/utils'
import { cva, type VariantProps } from 'class-variance-authority'

const gridVariants = cva('grid', {
  variants: {
    cols: {
      1: 'grid-cols-1',
      2: 'grid-cols-1 sm:grid-cols-2',
      3: 'grid-cols-1 sm:grid-cols-2 lg:grid-cols-3',
      4: 'grid-cols-1 sm:grid-cols-2 lg:grid-cols-4',
    },
    gap: {
      none: 'gap-0',
      sm: 'gap-2',
      md: 'gap-4',
      lg: 'gap-6',
      xl: 'gap-8',
    },
  },
  defaultVariants: {
    cols: 3,
    gap: 'md',
  },
})

interface GridProps
  extends React.HTMLAttributes<HTMLDivElement>,
    VariantProps<typeof gridVariants> {}

export function Grid({ className, cols, gap, ...props }: GridProps) {
  return <div className={cn(gridVariants({ cols, gap, className }))} {...props} />
}

Utility Functions

// lib/utils.ts
import { type ClassValue, clsx } from "clsx";
import { twMerge } from "tailwind-merge";

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

// Focus ring utility
export const focusRing = cn(
  "focus-visible:outline-none focus-visible:ring-2",
  "focus-visible:ring-ring focus-visible:ring-offset-2",
);

// Disabled utility
export const disabled = "disabled:pointer-events-none disabled:opacity-50";

v3 → v4 Migration Checklist

1. Replace tailwind.config.ts with @theme block in CSS
2. Replace @tailwind directives with @import "tailwindcss"
3. Move color definitions to CSS variables with OKLCH
4. Replace darkMode: "class" with @custom-variant dark
5. Move animation keyframes into @theme block
6. Replace tailwindcss-animate plugin with native CSS animations
7. Use @starting-style for entry animations
8. Update React components to remove forwardRef (React 19)
9. Use size-* shorthand for equal dimensions
10. Replace space-x-*/space-y-* with gap-*

Best Practices

Do:

• Use semantic color tokens (bg-primary, not bg-blue-500)
• Define all tokens in @theme blocks
• Use OKLCH for perceptually uniform colors
• Use size-* for equal width/height
• Use gap-* instead of space-*
• Use cn() for conditional classes
• Use CVA for component variants
• Use CSS variables for theming

Don't:

• Use raw color values in components
• Create tailwind.config.js (use CSS-first config)
• Use space-x-* or space-y-*
• Use separate w-* and h-* for equal dimensions
• Override dark mode manually with dark: prefix
• Add z-index to overlay components manually