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

<quick_start> <trigger_pattern> Auto-invoke when:

/init --tokens --shadcn command 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

css

@import '../design/systems/shadcn-variables.css';

Step 4: Add components

bash

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

Run the token generation script:

bash

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

Based on questionnaire answers:

bash

# 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:

typescript

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:

bash

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.

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.json missing 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:

bash

# 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>

Answer 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 <a href="/settings" className={styles.item()}> <SettingsIcon className={styles.icon()} /> <span className={styles.label()}>Settings ) }

</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>

Search AI Tools

shadcn-integration

Install this agent skill to your Project

SKILL.md

Menu Token System

Border Radius Scale

Icon Library Integration

Answer 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

5. Add components

6. Use in components