- name
- ui-development
- description
- Build UI with Redpanda Registry components, Tailwind v4, and accessibility best practices.
# UI Development
Build user interfaces with the Redpanda UI Registry.
## Activation Conditions
- Building/creating UI components or pages
- Keywords: "design system", "ui", "frontend", "registry", "component"
- Modifying existing registry components
## Quick Reference
| Action | Rule |
|--------|------|
| Use components | `use-ui-registry.md` |
| Add spacing | `style-no-margin-on-registry.md` |
| Customize look | `style-use-variants.md` |
| Pick a colour or text size | `style-use-tokens.md` |
| Pull a new registry version | `registry-upgrade.md` |
| Use icons | `icon-system.md` |
## Workflow
### 1. Fetch Documentation
```
FIRST: Use MCP tool mcp__redpanda-ui__search-docs or mcp__redpanda-ui__get_component
```
### 2. Check Existing Components
```bash
ls src/components/redpanda-ui/
```
## Critical Rules
### ALWAYS
- Use Registry components from `src/components/redpanda-ui/`
- Call `mcp__redpanda-ui__get_component` as first action before writing UI code
- Install components via CLI
### NEVER
- Copy/paste registry source (install via CLI)
- Install external UI libraries without user request
- Use inline `style` prop on registry components
- Add margin `className` directly to registry components
### NEVER (styling)
- Raw palette classes (`bg-gray-100`, `text-red-600`) or raw hex/`bg-[#…]` — use theme tokens
- Stock text sizes (`text-sm`, `text-lg`) — use `text-body-*` / `text-heading-*`
- Retired v2 token names (`text-error`, `bg-surface-default`, `outline-*`, `*-subtle` on a tone) —
they compile to nothing. See `style-use-tokens.md`
### WHEN MODIFYING REGISTRY COMPONENTS
Only with explicit sign-off — that directory is synced, so a local edit is lost on the next pull
unless someone re-applies it. If you do:
1. Mark it `[upstream]` in a comment on the block, saying what it adds and why it isn't upstream yet.
`git grep '\[upstream\]'` is how the next upgrade finds these — an unmarked change is a silent
regression waiting for the next sync.
2. Keep it minimal and backwards-compatible.
3. Cover it with a test in the app, so a dropped local change fails a test rather than a screenshot.
4. Track it for contribution upstream.
See `registry-upgrade.md` for the pull-and-migrate procedure.
## Rules
See `rules/` directory for detailed guidance.
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