Key Principle: OKLCH tokens remain the source of truth. shadcn CSS variables are aliases that reference OKLCH tokens, not hardcoded values.
This skill is auto-invoked when:
- •User runs
/init --tokens --shadcn - •User asks to add shadcn components to a project
- •Customizing shadcn theme colors or styles
- •Setting up Next.js with shadcn/ui
Benefits:
- •WCAG-compliant colors via OKLCH with perceptual uniformity
- •Full shadcn component library compatibility
- •8 customization options without manual CSS editing
- •Automatic dark mode support
- •Menu-specific theming with variants </objective>
<quick_start> <trigger_pattern> Auto-invoke when:
- •
/init --tokens --shadcncommand is run - •User asks to "add shadcn" or "setup shadcn"
- •User wants to customize theme colors
- •Setting up new Next.js project with components </trigger_pattern>
<basic_workflow> Step 1: Run the questionnaire (8 questions)
/init --tokens --shadcn
Step 2: Review generated files
- •
design/systems/shadcn-variables.css- CSS variables - •
components.json- shadcn CLI config - •
components/ui/menu-variants.ts- Menu styling
Step 3: Import in globals.css
@import '../design/systems/shadcn-variables.css';
Step 4: Add components
npx shadcn@latest add button card dropdown-menu
</basic_workflow>
<immediate_value> Before:
- •Manual theme.css editing with hardcoded HSL values
- •Inconsistent color contrast
- •No systematic menu theming
- •Dark mode requires manual CSS duplication
After:
- •8 questions → complete theme system
- •OKLCH ensures WCAG-compliant contrast
- •Menu variants via tailwind-variants
- •Automatic dark mode via CSS variables </immediate_value> </quick_start>
Use AskUserQuestion tool with these questions in sequence:
- •Style Preset → Determines shadcn style + density
- •Base Color → Generates OKLCH primary scale (11 shades)
- •Theme Mode → Configures light/dark/system preference
- •Icon Library → Sets package and components.json config
- •Font Family → Configures next/font
- •Border Radius → Sets --radius CSS variable
- •Menu Color → Generates menu background tokens
- •Menu Accent → Generates menu active state tokens </step>
Run the token generation script:
node .spec-flow/scripts/node/generate-shadcn-tokens.js --config answers.json
Generated files:
- •
design/systems/shadcn-variables.css- shadcn CSS variable aliases - •
design/systems/tokens.json- Full token definitions - •
components.json- shadcn CLI configuration - •
components/ui/menu-variants.ts- Menu styling with tailwind-variants </step>
Based on questionnaire answers:
# Icon library (based on choice) pnpm add lucide-react # or @heroicons/react or @phosphor-icons/react # shadcn dependencies pnpm add tailwindcss-animate class-variance-authority clsx tailwind-merge # For menu variants pnpm add tailwind-variants
Update app/layout.tsx with font configuration:
import { Inter } from 'next/font/google'
const fontSans = Inter({
subsets: ['latin'],
variable: '--font-sans',
})
export default function RootLayout({ children }) {
return (
<html lang="en" className={fontSans.variable}>
<body>{children}</body>
</html>
)
}
Now users can add components that automatically use the generated theme:
npx shadcn@latest add button npx shadcn@latest add card npx shadcn@latest add dropdown-menu npx shadcn@latest add dialog
Components will use CSS variables from shadcn-variables.css. </step> </workflow>
<reference> ## OKLCH → shadcn Variable Mapping| OKLCH Token | shadcn Variable | Usage |
|---|---|---|
--color-neutral-50 | --background | Page background |
--color-neutral-900 | --foreground | Primary text |
--color-primary-600 | --primary | Brand actions |
--color-neutral-50 | --primary-foreground | Text on primary |
--color-neutral-100 | --muted | Subtle backgrounds |
--color-neutral-500 | --muted-foreground | Secondary text |
--color-error-fg | --destructive | Delete actions |
--color-neutral-200 | --border | Dividers, inputs |
Menu Token System
Menu Color Options:
| Choice | Effect |
|---|---|
background | Uses page background |
surface | Elevated card with shadow |
primaryTint | 5% primary color wash |
glass | Transparent + blur |
Menu Accent Options:
| Choice | Effect |
|---|---|
border | 3px left border on active |
background | Full background highlight |
iconTint | Only icon changes color |
combined | Border + subtle background |
Border Radius Scale
| Choice | Value | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| None | 0 | Sharp corners |
| Small | 0.25rem | Minimal |
| Medium | 0.5rem | Modern (default) |
| Large | 0.75rem | Soft |
| Full | 9999px | Pills |
Icon Library Integration
| Choice | Package | Import |
|---|---|---|
| Lucide | lucide-react | import { Icon } from 'lucide-react' |
| Heroicons | @heroicons/react | import { Icon } from '@heroicons/react/24/outline' |
| Phosphor | @phosphor-icons/react | import { Icon } from '@phosphor-icons/react' |
<quality_gates> FAIL (block next phase):
- •
components.jsonmissing after --shadcn flag - •Icon library package not installed
- •shadcn CSS variable aliases missing from tokens.css
- •tailwindcss-animate not installed
WARN (non-blocking):
- •Font not configured in layout.tsx
- •Dark mode class not on html element
- •Menu variants file missing
Validation commands:
# Check components.json exists test -f components.json && echo "✓ components.json" # Check shadcn variables grep -q "shadcn/ui CSS Variable Aliases" design/systems/shadcn-variables.css && echo "✓ shadcn variables" # Check icon library pnpm list lucide-react 2>/dev/null || pnpm list @heroicons/react 2>/dev/null && echo "✓ icon library"
</quality_gates>
<examples> <example name="Full Integration Flow"> ```bash # 1. Run questionnaire /init --tokens --shadcnAnswer 8 questions...
Style: Default
Color: Blue
Theme: System preference
Icons: Lucide
Font: Inter
Radius: Medium
Menu Color: Background
Menu Accent: Left border
2. Files generated automatically
3. Import in globals.css
@import '../design/systems/shadcn-variables.css';
4. Install icon library
pnpm add lucide-react
5. Add components
npx shadcn@latest add button card dropdown-menu
6. Use in components
import { Button } from '@/components/ui/button' <Button variant="default">Click me</Button>
</example>
<example name="Custom Primary Color">
When user selects "Custom" for base color:
```typescript
// AskUserQuestion for custom hue
{
question: "Enter OKLCH hue value (0-360)",
header: "Custom Hue",
options: [
{ label: "Teal (175)", description: "Modern, tech-forward" },
{ label: "Coral (15)", description: "Warm, energetic" },
{ label: "Other", description: "Enter exact value" }
]
}
// Result: Full 11-shade scale generated from hue
// oklch(98% 0.045 175) → oklch(14% 0.045 175)
export function Sidebar() { const styles = menuStyles({ menuColor: 'background', menuAccent: 'border' })
return ( <nav className={styles.root()}> <a href="/" data-active={true} className={styles.item()}> <HomeIcon className={styles.icon()} /> <span className={styles.label()}>Home</span> </a> <a href="/settings" className={styles.item()}> <SettingsIcon className={styles.icon()} /> <span className={styles.label()}>Settings</span> </a> </nav> ) }
</example> </examples> <troubleshooting> ## Common Issues **Colors not applying**: - Verify `@import '../design/systems/shadcn-variables.css'` in globals.css - Check import order (shadcn-variables before @tailwind directives) - Ensure Tailwind config has `cssVariables: true` **Dark mode not working**: - Add `className="dark"` to html element for class-based dark mode - Or use `suppressHydrationWarning` with next-themes - Verify `.dark` CSS block exists in shadcn-variables.css **Menu variants not found**: - Install tailwind-variants: `pnpm add tailwind-variants` - Check `components/ui/menu-variants.ts` exists - Verify import path in your component **Icons not loading**: - Verify correct package installed based on questionnaire choice - Check import syntax matches package (lucide vs heroicons) - Ensure tree-shaking is enabled in bundler **Radius not applying**: - Check `--radius` variable in :root - Verify Tailwind config has borderRadius extension - Some components use `calc(var(--radius) - 2px)` for nested elements </troubleshooting> <related_skills> - `design-tokens` - Core OKLCH token system (this skill extends it) - `theme-consistency` - Enforces token usage in prototypes - `mockup-extraction` - Extracts component patterns from mockups - `frontend-dev` - Uses generated tokens in implementation </related_skills>