shadcn-vue Production Stack

Production-tested: Vue/Nuxt applications with accessible, customizable components Last Updated: 2025-12-09 Status: Production Ready ✅ Latest Version: shadcn-vue@latest (Reka UI v2) Dependencies: Tailwind CSS, Reka UI, Vue 3+ or Nuxt 3+

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Quick Start (3 Minutes)

For Vue Projects (Vite)

1. Initialize shadcn-vue

# Using Bun (recommended)
bunx shadcn-vue@latest init

# Using npm
npx shadcn-vue@latest init

During initialization:

• Style: New York or Default (cannot change later!)
• Base color: Slate (recommended)
• CSS variables: Yes (required for dark mode)

2. Configure TypeScript Path Aliases

// tsconfig.json
{
  "compilerOptions": {
    "baseUrl": ".",
    "paths": {
      "@/*": ["./src/*"]
    }
  }
}

3. Configure Vite

// vite.config.ts
import { defineConfig } from 'vite'
import vue from '@vitejs/plugin-vue'
import tailwindcss from '@tailwindcss/vite' // Tailwind v4
import path from 'path'

export default defineConfig({
  plugins: [vue(), tailwindcss()],
  resolve: {
    alias: {
      '@': path.resolve(__dirname, './src')
    }
  }
})

4. Add Your First Component

bunx shadcn-vue@latest add button
# or: npx shadcn-vue@latest add button

See Full Setup: templates/quick-setup.ts

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For Nuxt Projects

# Create project with Tailwind
bun create nuxt-app my-app
cd my-app
bun add -D @nuxtjs/tailwindcss

# Configure Nuxt
# nuxt.config.ts
export default defineNuxtConfig({
  modules: ['@nuxtjs/tailwindcss']
})

# Initialize shadcn-vue
bunx shadcn-vue@latest init
# or: npx shadcn-vue@latest init
# or: pnpm dlx shadcn-vue@latest init

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Component Library (50+ Components)

Navigation & Layout

• Accordion, Alert Dialog, Avatar, Badge, Breadcrumb, Card, Carousel, Collapsible, Dialog, Drawer, Dropdown Menu, Menu Bar, Navigation Menu, Pagination, Popover, Resizable, Scroll Area, Sheet, Sidebar, Tabs, Toast, Tooltip

Form Components

• Auto Form, Button, Calendar, Checkbox, Combobox, Command, Context Menu, Date Picker, Form, Input, Input OTP, Label, Number Field, PIN Input, Radio Group, Range Calendar, Select, Slider, Sonner, Switch, Textarea, Toggle, Toggle Group

Data Display

• Aspect Ratio, Data Table, Skeleton, Stepper, Splitter, Table, Tag Input

Advanced

• Charts (Unovis), Color Picker, Editable, File Upload, Sortable

Full Component Reference: https://shadcn-vue.com/docs/components

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Auto Form - Schema-Based Forms

Installation

bunx shadcn-vue@latest add auto-form
# or: npx shadcn-vue@latest add auto-form

bun add zod
# or: npm install zod

Basic Usage

<script setup lang="ts">
import { AutoForm } from '@/components/ui/auto-form'
import { z } from 'zod'

const schema = z.object({
  name: z.string().min(2, 'Name must be at least 2 characters'),
  email: z.email({ error: 'Invalid email' }),
  age: z.number().min(18, 'Must be 18 or older'),
  bio: z.string().optional(),
  subscribe: z.boolean().default(false)
})

function onSubmit(values: z.infer<typeof schema>) {
  console.log('Form submitted:', values)
}
</script>

<template>
  <AutoForm :schema="schema" @submit="onSubmit">
    <template #submit>
      <Button type="submit">Submit</Button>
    </template>
  </AutoForm>
</template>

Supported Field Types: string, number, boolean, date, enum, array, object

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Data Tables with TanStack Table

Installation

bunx shadcn-vue@latest add data-table
# or: npx shadcn-vue@latest add data-table

bun add @tanstack/vue-table
# or: npm install @tanstack/vue-table

Basic Setup

<script setup lang="ts">
import { DataTable } from '@/components/ui/data-table'
import { h } from 'vue'

const columns = [
  {
    accessorKey: 'id',
    header: 'ID',
  },
  {
    accessorKey: 'name',
    header: 'Name',
  },
  {
    accessorKey: 'email',
    header: 'Email',
  }
]

const data = [
  { id: 1, name: 'John Doe', email: 'john@example.com' },
  { id: 2, name: 'Jane Smith', email: 'jane@example.com' }
]
</script>

<template>
  <DataTable :columns="columns" :data="data" />
</template>

Features: Sorting, filtering, pagination, row selection, column visibility, expandable rows

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Dark Mode Implementation

Installation

bun add @vueuse/core
# or: npm install @vueuse/core

Setup Theme Provider

<!-- components/ThemeProvider.vue -->
<script setup lang="ts">
import { useColorMode } from '@vueuse/core'

const mode = useColorMode()
</script>

<template>
  <div :class="mode">
    <slot />
  </div>
</template>

Use in Components

<script setup>
import { useColorMode } from '@vueuse/core'

const mode = useColorMode()

function toggleTheme() {
  mode.value = mode.value === 'dark' ? 'light' : 'dark'
}
</script>

<template>
  <Button @click="toggleTheme">
    {{ mode === 'dark' ? '🌙' : '☀️' }}
  </Button>
</template>

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Critical Rules

Always Do

✅ Run init before adding components

• Creates required configuration and utilities
• Sets up path aliases

✅ Use CSS variables for theming (cssVariables: true)

• Enables dark mode support
• Flexible theme customization

✅ Configure TypeScript path aliases

• Required for component imports
• Must match components.json aliases

✅ Keep components.json in version control

• Team members need same configuration
• Documents project setup

✅ Use Bun for faster installs (recommended)

• 10-20x faster than npm

Never Do

❌ Don't change style after initialization

• Requires complete reinstall
• Reinitialize in new directory instead

❌ Don't mix Radix Vue and Reka UI v2

• Incompatible component APIs
• Use one or the other

❌ Don't skip TypeScript configuration

• Component imports will fail
• IDE autocomplete won't work

❌ Don't use without Tailwind CSS

• Components are styled with Tailwind
• Won't render correctly

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Top 7 Critical Issues

Issue #1: Missing TypeScript Path Aliases

Error: Cannot find module '@/components/ui/button'

Solution:

// tsconfig.json
{
  "compilerOptions": {
    "baseUrl": ".",
    "paths": {
      "@/*": ["./src/*"]
    }
  }
}

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Issue #2: Tailwind CSS Not Configured

Error: Components render without styles

Solution:

/* src/assets/index.css */
@import "tailwindcss";

// vite.config.ts (Tailwind v4)
import tailwindcss from '@tailwindcss/vite'

export default defineConfig({
  plugins: [vue(), tailwindcss()]
})

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Issue #3: CSS Variables Not Defined

Error: Theme colors not applying, gray/transparent components

Solution: Ensure all CSS variables are defined (run init command)

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Issue #4: Wrong Style Selected

Error: Components look different than expected

Solution: Choose carefully during init (New York or Default) - cannot change later without reinstall

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Issue #5: Mixing Radix Vue and Reka UI

Error: Type conflicts, duplicate components

Solution:

• Use bunx shadcn-vue@latest for Reka UI v2
• Use bunx shadcn-vue@radix for legacy Radix Vue
• Don't mix both

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Issue #6: Monorepo Path Issues

Error: Components installed in wrong directory

Solution: Use -c flag to specify workspace:

bunx shadcn-vue@latest init -c ./apps/web
bunx shadcn-vue@latest add button -c ./apps/web

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Issue #7: Component Import Fails After Manual Edit

Error: Import paths broken after editing components.json

Solution: Keep components.json and tsconfig.json aliases in sync. Test imports after any config changes.

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See All 7 Issues: references/error-catalog.md

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CLI Commands Reference

init Command

# Initialize in current directory
bunx shadcn-vue@latest init
# or: npx shadcn-vue@latest init

# Initialize in specific directory (monorepo)
bunx shadcn-vue@latest init -c ./apps/web
# or: npx shadcn-vue@latest init -c ./apps/web

add Command

# Add single component
bunx shadcn-vue@latest add button
# or: npx shadcn-vue@latest add button

# Add multiple components
bunx shadcn-vue@latest add button card dialog

# Add all components
bunx shadcn-vue@latest add --all
# or: npx shadcn-vue@latest add --all

diff Command

# Check for component updates
bunx shadcn-vue@latest diff button
# or: npx shadcn-vue@latest diff button

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Reka UI v2 Migration

shadcn-vue now uses Reka UI v2 (formerly Radix Vue) as its foundation. All new components use Reka UI primitives.

Migration: Existing projects should update to Reka UI v2. See official migration guide: shadcn-vue.com/docs/changelog#reka-ui

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Configuration

shadcn-vue uses components.json to configure:

• Component paths (@/components/ui)
• Utils location (@/lib/utils)
• Tailwind config paths
• TypeScript paths

Full example: See templates/components.json or generate via bunx shadcn-vue@latest init

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Utils Library

The @/lib/utils.ts file provides the cn() helper for merging Tailwind classes:

• Combines multiple className strings
• Uses clsx + tailwind-merge for conflict resolution

Auto-generated by shadcn-vue init - no manual setup needed.

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Bundled Resources

Templates (templates/):

• quick-setup.ts - Complete setup guide for Vue/Nuxt with examples (190 lines)

References (references/):

• error-catalog.md - All 7 documented issues with solutions (267 lines)

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When to Load References

Load these references based on the task:

1. Load references/error-catalog.md when:

   • User encounters "component not found" or import errors
   • Setup commands fail or configuration issues arise
   • Tailwind CSS variables or TypeScript paths broken
   • Trigger phrases: "not working", "error", "fails to", "broken"

2. Load references/component-examples.md when:

   • User asks "how do I implement [component]?"
   • Need copy-paste examples for specific components
   • Building forms, tables, navigation, or data display
   • Trigger phrases: "example", "how to use", "implement", "code sample"

3. Load references/dark-mode-setup.md when:

   • Implementing dark mode / theme switching
   • User mentions Vue 3 + Vite, Nuxt, or Astro setup
   • Need composable patterns for theme management
   • Trigger phrases: "dark mode", "theme", "light/dark", "color scheme"

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Integration with Other Skills

This skill composes well with:

• nuxt-v4 → Nuxt framework
• tailwind-v4-shadcn → Tailwind v4 with React shadcn/ui
• react-hook-form-zod → Form validation patterns (similar to Auto Form)
• tanstack-query → Data fetching for tables
• zustand-state-management → State management

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Resources

References (references/):

• component-examples.md - All 50+ component examples with code
• dark-mode-setup.md - Complete dark mode implementation guide
• error-catalog.md - Common errors and solutions

Templates (templates/):

• Component templates available in references/component-examples.md

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Secure Installation

When installing packages during setup, follow supply chain security best practices:

• Block post-install scripts — npm config set ignore-scripts true (or Bun: disabled by default)
• Cooldown period — Wait 7 days for new package versions to be vetted by the community
• Audit before installing — Run socket package score npm <pkg> or use socket npm install <pkg> to check packages

Load the dependency-upgrade skill for full security configuration including Socket CLI integration, cooldown setup, lockfile validation, and CI enforcement.

Additional Resources

Official Documentation:

• shadcn-vue Docs: https://shadcn-vue.com
• Reka UI Docs: https://reka-ui.com
• GitHub: https://github.com/radix-vue/shadcn-vue

Examples:

• Component Examples: https://shadcn-vue.com/examples
• Starter Templates: https://github.com/radix-vue/shadcn-vue/tree/main/templates

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Production Tested: Vue/Nuxt applications, admin dashboards, content management systems Last Updated: 2025-12-09 Token Savings: ~65% (reduces setup + component documentation)