ui-architecture

name	ui-architecture
description	UI component patterns for the Scoundrel game client — Radix primitives, elements, containers, theming, Storybook conventions. Use when creating or modifying UI components, adding storybook stories, or working with the design system.
allowed-tools	Read, Write, Edit, Glob, Grep, Bash

UI Architecture

React/TypeScript frontend in client/src/ using Tailwind CSS, Radix UI, CVA (class-variance-authority), and Storybook.

Component Hierarchy

client/src/components/
├── icons/          # SVG icon components (see ui-architecture-icon skill)
├── ui/             # Radix UI primitives (Button, Select, Tabs, etc.)
├── elements/       # Game-specific UI elements (Stat, Balance, PowerUp, etc.)
├── containers/     # Page-level compositions (Header, Games, Leaderboard, etc.)
├── animations/     # Motion components (Countup, Countdown)
└── layouts/        # Layout wrappers

Shared Utilities

• cn() from @/lib/utils — merges Tailwind classes safely (clsx + tailwind-merge)
• iconVariants() from @/components/icons — CVA variants for icon sizing
• useAudio() from @/context/audio — sound effects for interactive components

---

Git Hygiene (MANDATORY)

Always pull before branching

Before creating a new feature branch, always pull and rebase the base branch to ensure you start from the latest state. Stale branches cause merge conflicts and wasted effort.

# CORRECT: Always do this before creating a feature branch
git checkout main && git pull --rebase origin main && git checkout -b feat/my-feature

# WRONG: Creating a branch from a stale main
git checkout -b feat/my-feature  # main might be behind origin

---

Barrel Export Rule (MANDATORY)

Every new component MUST be exported from its directory's index.ts

Every component directory has a barrel index.ts file that re-exports all components. When creating a new component, always add an export line to the directory's index.ts. A component that isn't exported is invisible to the rest of the app.

Export pattern

// client/src/components/elements/index.ts
export * from "./my-new-component";

Where to export

Component tier	Barrel file
elements	client/src/components/elements/index.ts
containers	client/src/components/containers/index.ts
icons	client/src/components/icons/<category>/index.ts
animations	client/src/components/animations/index.ts
ui	client/src/components/ui/ (individual imports)

Checklist (BLOCKING — component is NOT done without these)

• Component file created (my-component.tsx)
• Export added to directory index.ts (export * from "./my-component")
• Storybook file created (my-component.stories.tsx)
• pnpm format and pnpm lint:check pass (see Validation section)

---

Validation Rules (MANDATORY)

Always format and lint after every change

After every modification to client/ files, run:

pnpm format
pnpm lint:check

• pnpm format — auto-fixes formatting (Prettier). Run first.
• pnpm lint:check — reports lint errors (ESLint). Fix any errors before moving on.

This applies to ALL client changes: new components, prop updates, import changes, storybook files — everything. No exceptions. Do NOT batch these to the end; run them after each logical change.

---

Storybook Rules (MANDATORY)

Every component MUST have a storybook

When creating a new component, always create a .stories.tsx file alongside it. When modifying a component (new props, new variants, changed behavior), always update its storybook to cover the changes.

Match existing storybook style

Before writing a storybook, read 2-3 existing .stories.tsx files in the same directory to match the exact code style. The patterns vary by component tier:

Element storybook pattern

File: client/src/components/elements/<component>.stories.tsx

import type { Meta, StoryObj } from "@storybook/react-vite";
import { MyComponent } from "./my-component";

const meta = {
  title: "Elements/My Component",
  component: MyComponent,
  parameters: {
    layout: "centered",
  },
  globals: {
    backgrounds: {
      value: "dark",
    },
  },
  argTypes: {
    myProp: {
      control: "text",
      description: "Description of the prop",
    },
    variant: {
      control: "select",
      options: ["default", "secondary"],
      description: "The visual variant",
    },
  },
} satisfies Meta<typeof MyComponent>;

export default meta;
type Story = StoryObj<typeof meta>;

// Keep it minimal — one Default story with representative data is enough
export const Default: Story = {
  args: {
    myProp: "value",
  },
};

Container storybook pattern

Containers often need mock data or providers. Follow existing container stories for the wrapping pattern.

Key conventions

• satisfies Meta<typeof Component> — always use satisfies, not as
• globals.backgrounds.value: "dark" — always dark background
• parameters.layout: "centered" — always centered layout
• argTypes — document every controllable prop with control and description
• Keep stories minimal — one Default story with representative mixed data is usually sufficient. Storybook controls (argTypes) let users explore other states interactively. Only add extra stories for distinct CVA variants (e.g. variant: "secondary"), not for different data permutations.
• Use fn() from storybook/test for callback props (onClick, onChange, etc.)
• Title format: "Tier/Component Name" — use spaces for compound names (e.g., "Elements/Game Icon", "Containers/Game Over", "Elements/Staking Reward")

When to update storybooks

Change	Storybook Action
New component	Create .stories.tsx with one Default story
New CVA variant added	Add one story for the new variant
New prop added	Add argTypes entry (no new story needed — controls cover it)
Prop renamed/removed	Update argTypes and affected stories
Behavior change	Verify existing stories still make sense
Visual change only (CSS)	No storybook change needed (visual regression is automatic)

---

Component Patterns

Universal CVA Pattern (MANDATORY for all tiers)

Every component across elements, containers, animations, and covers MUST use cva + VariantProps + cn(). This is the universal pattern — no exceptions, even with a single default variant. Consistency and extensibility are non-negotiable.

Standard pattern (elements, containers)

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

export interface MyComponentProps
  extends
    React.HTMLAttributes<HTMLDivElement>,
    VariantProps<typeof myComponentVariants> {
  // custom props
}

const myComponentVariants = cva("base-classes", {
  variants: {
    variant: {
      default: "default-classes",
    },
  },
  defaultVariants: {
    variant: "default",
  },
});

export const MyComponent = ({
  variant,
  className,
  ...props
}: MyComponentProps) => {
  return (
    <div className={cn(myComponentVariants({ variant, className }))} {...props}>
      {/* content */}
    </div>
  );
};

ForwardRef pattern (ui primitives only)

ui/ components additionally use forwardRef and named exports:

import * as React from "react";
import { cva, type VariantProps } from "class-variance-authority";
import { cn } from "@/lib/utils";

const myComponentVariants = cva("base-classes", {
  variants: {
    variant: {
      default: "default-classes",
      secondary: "secondary-classes",
    },
    size: {
      md: "size-md-classes",
      lg: "size-lg-classes",
    },
  },
  defaultVariants: {
    variant: "default",
    size: "md",
  },
});

export interface MyComponentProps
  extends
    React.HTMLAttributes<HTMLDivElement>,
    VariantProps<typeof myComponentVariants> {}

const MyComponent = React.forwardRef<HTMLDivElement, MyComponentProps>(
  ({ className, variant, size, ...props }, ref) => (
    <div
      className={cn(myComponentVariants({ variant, size, className }))}
      ref={ref}
      {...props}
    />
  ),
);
MyComponent.displayName = "MyComponent";

export { MyComponent, myComponentVariants };

Exceptions (do NOT use as precedent)

These components intentionally skip CVA because they are not styled components:

Component	Reason
ui/ Radix wrappers (select, tabs, dropdown, etc.)	Thin forwardRef wrappers around Radix primitives, no custom variants
og/*	OG image generation — uses inline React.CSSProperties, not Tailwind
elements/toaster.tsx	Sonner config wrapper, not a styled component
elements/sound-controls.tsx	Logic-only utility, no styled output

Audio Integration

Interactive components integrate sound via useAudio():

import { useAudio } from "@/context/audio";

const MyButton = () => {
  const { playClick } = useAudio();
  return (
    <button
      onClick={() => {
        playClick(); /* action */
      }}
    >
      Click
    </button>
  );
};

---

Theming

Design Tokens

CSS variables in client/src/themes/default.css — 30+ color families with 9-level opacity scales (100-900).

Game-specific colors: purple, mauve, yellow, red, green, pink, blue, brown, black, gray, white. Power colors: double, down, reroll, wildcard, swap, halve, up, low, foresight, high. Trap colors: ribbon, gem, magnet, windy, lucky, slots, bomb, ufo, glitchbomb.

All mapped to Tailwind utilities via client/src/themes/preset.ts:

bg-purple-100, text-yellow-200, border-red-500, etc.

Fonts

Font	CSS Class	Use
PixelGame	font-pixelgame	Primary retro aesthetic
PPNeueBit	font-ppneuebit	Bold secondary
DMMono	font-dmmono	Monospace data
Circular-LL	font-circular	Modern sans-serif

Custom Animations

Defined in client/src/index.css:

• reward-diff — floating text (2s)
• shimmer-reflect — shiny text effect (6s)
• multiplier-fire — fire effect (1.75s)
• pulse-border — pulsing outline (3s)
• toast-progress — progress bar (4s)

---

UI Primitives (Radix)

All in client/src/components/ui/. Use CVA for variants, forwardRef pattern, and integrate useAudio() for click sounds.

Component	File	Variants
Button	button.tsx	default, destructive, outline, secondary, muted, ghost, link × sm, lg, icon, sound, balance
Select	select.tsx	Radix Select with audio
Tabs	tabs.tsx	Radix Tabs
Carousel	carousel.tsx	Embla-based
Slider	slider.tsx	Radix Slider
Toggle	toggle.tsx	Radix Toggle
Dropdown	dropdown-menu.tsx	Radix DropdownMenu
Tooltip	tooltip.tsx	Radix Tooltip

---

Dependencies

Package	Purpose
@radix-ui/*	Accessible UI primitives
class-variance-authority	Type-safe variant management
tailwind-merge	Smart class merging
clsx	Conditional classes
framer-motion	Animations
embla-carousel-react	Carousel
lucide-react	Fallback icons
sonner	Toast notifications
recharts	Charts
@storybook/react-vite	Component documentation