shadcn/ui: accessible components you own.
shadcn/ui is not a component library — it's a component registry. Components are copied into your codebase and customized there. No version lock-in, no dependency conflicts, full control. Setting it up correctly and extending it well requires knowing how it's designed.
Need to set up or extend shadcn/ui for a Next.js application — initial setup, custom theming, or component customization
shadcn/ui provides accessible, customizable components built on Radix UI primitives. The common implementation issues:
CSS variable misconfiguration: shadcn/ui uses CSS variables for theming. If the variable names don't match between globals.css and tailwind.config.ts, styles break in production.
Dark mode setup: shadcn/ui's dark mode requires the correct Tailwind dark mode strategy ("class" in tailwind config). Components use dark: variants that depend on this configuration.
Component customization: The components are meant to be customized. Developers who treat them as immutable dependencies miss the design flexibility that shadcn/ui provides.
Form components with React Hook Form: shadcn/ui's Form component wraps Radix form primitives with React Hook Form and Zod. The integration has specific patterns — not following them creates validation and accessibility issues.
Component composition: Building application-specific components from shadcn/ui primitives. The right abstraction level for each component.
shadcn/ui integrated with a consistent design token system, customized components, and a component structure that scales
Initial setup
with correct CSS variable configuration
Design token
customization (brand colors, radius, fonts)
Dark mode
configuration
Form components
with React Hook Form and Zod validation
Custom component
extensions built on shadcn primitives
One honest number to start.
Fixed-scope, fixed-price. The number below is the starting point — final scope is built from your brief.
shadcn/ui integrated with a consistent design token system, customized components, and a component structure that scales
Three steps, every time.
The same repeatable engagement on every project. No surprises, no mystery, no billable ambiguity.
Brief & discovery.
We send you questions, then get on a call. Output: a written scope with every step, feature, and integration listed.
Build & ship.
Fixed schedule, weekly reviews. No scope creep unless you change the scope — and if you do, we reprice it transparently.
Warranty & retainer.
30-day warranty on every launch. Most clients stay on a monthly retainer for ongoing features and maintenance.
Why Fixed-Price Matters Here
shadcn/ui setup is a defined engagement: install, configure, theme, extend. Fixed-price.
Questions, answered.
Yes, shadcn/ui has updated for Tailwind v4. The configuration approach changes (CSS-first config), but the component model is the same.
Run `npx shadcn@latest add [component]` to update individual components. Because components live in your codebase, updates require a manual decision — you review the diff and apply it.
Tell Ryel about your project.
Describe what you’re building and what outcome you need. You’ll have a written, fixed-price scope within the week.