| name | design-system |
| description | Use when building, refactoring, or styling any UI in the ethereum.org Next.js site (`src/components/`, `app/`, `src/styles/`, `public/content/`, or any `.tsx`/`.mdx`/`.css` change that affects the rendered UI). Provides canonical component choices, design tokens, RTL/i18n rules, server/client guidance, and the "use a variant, not a new component" pattern for the project's Tailwind v4 + Radix + shadcn-style design system. |
ethereum.org Design System
Tailwind v4 (CSS-first config, no tailwind.config.ts) + React 18 / Next.js App Router + Radix UI primitives + shadcn-style component layer. Tokens live in CSS. Read this file fully on activation; pull from references/ only when the listed trigger applies.
The Core Habit: Reuse Over Reinvent
The single highest-leverage habit for keeping this codebase consistent: when you need new UI, look for a primitive or variant first, only invent if nothing fits. Most "new component" instincts are actually "new variant" instincts in disguise.
Before you write any UI code, ask:
- Is there a primitive that already does this? (
Card, Button, Alert, Tag, Hero/*)
- Is the difference small enough to express as a variant on an existing primitive?
- Can I compose existing primitives instead of inlining a long Tailwind class chain?
If you find yourself writing flex items-center gap-X rounded-Y border bg-... p-Z for a card-like thing, you're reinventing <Card>. If you write <p className="text-4xl font-bold">N</p> for a stat, you're reinventing <BigNumber>. If you write <div className="text-5xl font-bold">Title</div>, you're reinventing <h1> (which is already styled by base.css). Compose, don't inline.
When the existing primitive doesn't quite fit, the answer is usually "add a variant," not "create a new file." See references/variant-vs-new.md.
Top Rules
- No raw
<a> or <button>. Use <Button>/<ButtonLink> from @/components/ui/buttons/Button and InlineLink/BaseLink/LinkWithArrow from @/components/ui/Link. These primitives handle event tracking, external-link safety, locale routing, and focus rings.
- No raw color values. Use semantic tokens (
text-body, bg-background, border-border, text-primary). Hex literals and rgb() calls bypass dark mode.
- Prefer adding a variant to an existing primitive over creating a new component. Card, Button, Alert, Tag are the most common targets.
- Server Components by default. Only
"use client" when you need state, effects, browser APIs, or inline event handlers.
- All text is translatable.
getTranslations (server) or useTranslations (client) from next-intl. Never hard-code user-facing English.
- Logical CSS for direction. Use
ms-/me-/ps-/pe-/inset-s-/inset-e-/border-s/border-e/text-start/text-end. The site supports Arabic and Urdu (RTL). Hard-coded left-/right-/ml-/mr-/pl-/pr- breaks RTL.
- Locale-aware formatters.
numberFormat() from @/lib/utils/numbers, dateTimeFormat() from @/lib/utils/date. Never toLocaleString / Intl.NumberFormat directly.
useRtlFlip() for directional icons (right-pointing arrows/chevrons). Or use ChevronNext/ChevronPrev from @/components/Chevron.- Markdown content goes through
MdComponents. The <Card> markdown shortcode is backed by @/components/MarkdownCard (a thin wrapper around the ui/card primitives with an MDX-friendly prop shape). For app code, compose the primitives directly from @/components/ui/card.
- Storybook stories ship with new UI components. No automated unit tests; Storybook + Chromatic + types are the verification layer.
- Don't add new layouts. There are six canonical layouts (
TopicLayout, StaticLayout, DocsLayout, TutorialLayout, ContentLayout, BaseLayout). New sectioned content goes in src/data/topics/<key>.ts as a TopicLayout config -- not a new layout component. See references/layouts.md.
Highest-Value Gotchas (read these now)
These are landmines where the code looks reasonable but the pattern is wrong. The full set is in references/gotchas.md; these are the ones that come up most often.
Imports that look right but aren't
- Cards:
import { Card } from "@/components/ui/card" is canonical for app code. The <Card> markdown shortcode is backed by @/components/MarkdownCard — that wrapper is rarely imported from app code, since composing the ui/card parts directly is more flexible.
- Tooltips:
import Tooltip from "@/components/Tooltip" (mobile-aware, Matomo-tracked, scroll-close). Not import { Tooltip } from "@/components/ui/tooltip" (that's the bare Radix primitive used internally).
- Modals:
import Modal from "@/components/ui/dialog-modal" (default export, the high-level convenience) for typical modal needs. @/components/ui/dialog is the vanilla shadcn-style primitive for fine-grained Radix control. Same names exported from both files; do not mix sources within a feature.
- Heroes: import from
@/components/Hero (ContentHero, SimpleHero, HubHero, MdxHero, HomeHero). Not @/components/PageHero (deprecation track).
Stale shadcn token names that don't resolve
bg-popover, text-popover-foreground, bg-accent, text-accent-foreground, bg-muted, text-muted-foreground, focus:ring-ring, ring-offset-background appear in ui/select.tsx, ui/dialog.tsx, ui/dropdown-menu.tsx, ui/tabs.tsx but are NOT defined in this project's tokens. They render incorrectly. If you touch these files, replace with project semantic tokens (bg-background-highlight, text-body, bg-accent-a, text-body-medium, etc.). Don't introduce new uses.
useColorModeValue is a Chakra leftover
Used in 5 places. Don't introduce new uses. Use Tailwind dark: variant + semantic tokens.
Subtle component behaviors
<Button isSecondary> only takes effect on outline and ghost variants. Silent no-op on solid/link.Card is variant-driven, not className-driven. Padding, spacing, background, border-radius, and text color are owned by the variant / size variants and the CSS vars they set (--card-pad, --content-space, --banner-radius). Adjusting any of those via className on Card/CardContent/CardHeader/CardFooter is the wrong escape hatch — add a variant case in card.tsx instead. See references/card-walkthrough.md.<CardBanner fit="contain"> with a single <Image> child auto-clones it as a blurred backdrop. Pass two children and you lose this magic.LinkBox requires a LinkOverlay somewhere inside; without it, the whole-card-clickable pattern doesn't work.commonControlClasses in ui/checkbox.tsx is shared by Switch. Editing it changes both.
No Heading primitive -- use semantic tags
base.css styles <h1>-<h6> with the right sizes and font-bold. Just write <h1>Title</h1>. Override the size class on the heading element when really needed (<h2 className="text-4xl">). Reinventing with <div className="text-5xl font-bold"> loses semantics and screen-reader navigation.
One stray toLocaleString in ui/chart.tsx:241
Don't add more. Use numberFormat().
Quick "Where Do I Import From?" Cheatsheet
| I need... | Import |
|---|
| Card | import { Card, CardBanner, CardContent, CardTitle, CardParagraph } from "@/components/ui/card" |
| Modal/Dialog (typical) | import Modal from "@/components/ui/dialog-modal" (default export) |
| Side sheet | import { Sheet, ... } from "@/components/ui/sheet" |
| Tooltip | import Tooltip from "@/components/Tooltip" (NOT @/components/ui/tooltip) |
| Button | import { Button, ButtonLink } from "@/components/ui/buttons/Button" |
| Anchor (in prose) | import InlineLink from "@/components/ui/Link" (default) |
| Anchor (CTA with arrow) | import { LinkWithArrow } from "@/components/ui/Link" |
| Page hero | import { ContentHero, SimpleHero, HubHero, MdxHero } from "@/components/Hero" |
| Inline alert | import { Alert, AlertContent, AlertDescription } from "@/components/ui/alert" |
| Top-of-page banner | import { Alert } from "@/components/ui/alert" then <Alert variant="banner"> |
| Big numeric display | import BigNumber from "@/components/BigNumber" |
| Layout | import { Stack, HStack, VStack, Flex, Center } from "@/components/ui/flex" |
| Number formatting | import { numberFormat } from "@/lib/utils/numbers" |
| Date formatting | import { dateTimeFormat } from "@/lib/utils/date" |
| RTL flip helper | import { useRtlFlip } from "@/hooks/useRtlFlip" |
For full decision trees with all the look-alike landmines, see references/canonical-imports.md.
When to Load Each Reference
Pull these in only when the trigger applies. Don't read them all upfront.
references/canonical-imports.md -- Load when you're about to import a component and aren't sure which file is canonical (Card, Modal, Tooltip, Hero, Tabs all have multiple plausible imports).references/components.md -- Load when you need the full inventory: what each component is for, its variants, its canonical usage example.references/tokens.md -- Load when you need to add a new token, define a gradient, choose a z-index, or are unsure which semantic token applies. Also: when working in src/styles/.references/spacing-typography.md -- Load when laying out a page or section, deciding heading sizes, choosing spacing rhythms, or working with text density.references/gotchas.md -- Load when you hit unexpected behavior in a primitive (auto-blur backdrop, slot-prop coupling, hidden client boundary, etc.) or want the long-tail confusion patterns beyond what's inline above.references/variant-vs-new.md -- Load when you're tempted to create a new component file. Read this first to confirm whether a variant is the right answer.references/cleanup-playbook.md -- Load when refactoring existing code that has anti-patterns (one-off styling, raw <a>/<button>, hex colors, hard-coded English, etc.). The "old pattern -> new pattern" map.references/i18n-rtl.md -- Load when adding user-facing text, formatting numbers/dates, working with directional spacing, or writing translation keys.references/server-vs-client.md -- Load when deciding whether to mark a component "use client", structuring a page that mixes static and interactive parts, or refactoring across the SSR boundary.references/a11y.md -- Load when adding interactive elements (modals, dropdowns, custom click targets), building forms, or working with images and headings.references/card-walkthrough.md -- Load when starting any card-shaped UI work; an end-to-end worked example.references/callout-walkthrough.md -- Load when adding or modifying an in-content Callout (image/emoji + title + description + CTA); covers banner shape, side-by-side equalization, variants, and the CSS variable hooks.references/page-hero-walkthrough.md -- Load when starting a new page that needs a hero; an end-to-end worked example.references/layouts.md -- Load when you're tempted to create a new layout, when adding a new topic-hub section, or when refactoring a one-off src/layouts/md/<Section>Layout file. The canonical inventory plus the rule that new layouts are very rare.references/new-component-checklist.md -- Load before opening a PR for a new component. The pre-merge checklist.
Other Project Skills That May Apply
data-layer -- For data fetching/sources. UI work that needs data should compose with this.
Pre-Merge Smoke Test
Before opening a PR for any UI work:
