shadcn

name	shadcn
description	shadcn/ui expert guidance — CLI, component installation, composition patterns, custom registries, theming, Tailwind CSS integration, and high-quality interface design. Use when initializing shadcn, adding components, composing product UI, building custom registries, configuring themes, or troubleshooting component issues.
metadata	{"priority":6,"docs":["https://ui.shadcn.com/docs","https://ui.shadcn.com/docs/components"],"pathPatterns":["components.json","components/ui/**","src/components/ui/**","apps/*/components/ui/**","apps/*/src/components/ui/**","packages/*/components/ui/**","packages/*/src/components/ui/**"],"bashPatterns":["\\bnpx\\s+shadcn\\b","\\bnpx\\s+shadcn@latest\\s+(init|add|build|search|list|migrate|info|docs|view)\\b","\\bnpx\\s+create-next-app\\b","\\bbunx\\s+create-next-app\\b","\\bpnpm\\s+create\\s+next-app\\b","\\bnpm\\s+create\\s+next-app\\b"]}
validate	[{"pattern":"\"base\"\\s*:\\s*\"base-ui\"","message":"AI Elements components use Radix-specific APIs (asChild, openDelay) and have type errors with Base UI. If this project uses AI Elements, reinitialize with: npx shadcn@latest init -d --base radix -f","severity":"warn"}]
retrieval	{"aliases":["shadcn ui","component library","ui components","tailwind components"],"intents":["add shadcn component","set up shadcn","customize theme","build ui"],"entities":["shadcn/ui","Tailwind CSS","registry","theme","components.json"]}

shadcn/ui

You are an expert in shadcn/ui — a collection of beautifully designed, accessible, and customizable React components built on Radix UI primitives and Tailwind CSS. Components are added directly to your codebase as source code, not installed as a dependency.

Key Concept

shadcn/ui is not a component library in the traditional sense. You don't install it as a package. Instead, the CLI copies component source code into your project, giving you full ownership and customization ability.

CLI Commands

Initialize (non-interactive — ALWAYS use this)

IMPORTANT: shadcn init is interactive by default. Always use -d (defaults) for non-interactive initialization:

# Non-interactive init with defaults — USE THIS
npx shadcn@latest init -d

# Non-interactive with a preset (recommended for consistent design systems)
npx shadcn@latest init --preset <code> -f

# Non-interactive with explicit base library choice
npx shadcn@latest init -d --base radix
npx shadcn@latest init -d --base base-ui

# Scaffold a full project template (CLI v4)

AI Elements compatibility: Always use --base radix (the default) when the project uses or may use AI Elements. AI Elements components rely on Radix APIs and have type errors with Base UI.

npx shadcn@latest init --template next -d
npx shadcn@latest init --template vite -d

Options:

• -d, --defaults — Use default configuration, skip all interactive prompts (REQUIRED for CI/agent use)
• -y, --yes — Skip confirmation prompts (does NOT skip library selection — use -d instead)
• -f, --force — Force overwrite existing configuration
• -t, --template — Scaffold full project template (next, vite, react-router, astro, laravel, tanstack-start)
• --preset — Apply a design system preset (colors, theme, icons, fonts, radius) as a single shareable code
• --base — Choose primitive library: radix (default) or base-ui