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shadcn-layouts▌

jwynia/agent-skills · updated Apr 8, 2026

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$npx skills add https://github.com/jwynia/agent-skills --skill shadcn-layouts
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summary

Help generate shadcn/Tailwind components that render correctly the first time. Most agent-generated UI fails due to missing mental models about how CSS layout works—not syntax errors, but assumption gaps.

skill.md

shadcn/Tailwind Layouts

Help generate shadcn/Tailwind components that render correctly the first time. Most agent-generated UI fails due to missing mental models about how CSS layout works—not syntax errors, but assumption gaps.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

  • Creating shadcn/Tailwind layouts
  • Debugging height/scroll issues
  • Fixing flex/grid problems
  • Setting up full-page app shells

Do NOT use this skill when:

  • Writing backend code
  • Working on non-Tailwind CSS projects
  • Designing (use frontend-design first)

Core Principle

CSS layout flows from constraints. Height flows down from explicit ancestors. Width flows up from content. Agents fail because they apply classes without understanding the constraint chain.

Critical Mental Models

Model 1: Height Inheritance Chain

h-full means height: 100%. 100% of what? 100% of the parent's computed height.

BROKEN (chain incomplete):
<html>                        <!-- no height -->
  <body>                      <!-- no height -->
    <div class="h-full">      <!-- 100% of nothing = 0 -->

WORKING (chain complete):
<html class="h-full">         <!-- 100% of viewport -->
  <body class="h-full">       <!-- 100% of html -->
    <div class="h-full">      <!-- 100% of body = works -->

Rule: Trace from element up to <html>. Every ancestor needs explicit height, OR use viewport units (h-screen) to break the chain.

Model 2: Flex Overflow Gotcha

Flex children have implicit min-height: auto, preventing shrinking below content size.

// BROKEN (won't scroll)
<div className="flex flex-col h-screen">
  <main className="flex-1 overflow-y-auto">  {/* Can't shrink! */}

// WORKING (scrolls correctly)
<div className="flex flex-col h-screen">
  <main className="flex-1 overflow-y-auto min-h-0">  {/* Can shrink */}

Rule: Flex children that scroll need min-h-0. Children that shouldn't shrink need shrink-0.

Model 3: Grid Parent/Child Separation

Grid is defined on the parent. Children just occupy cells.

// BROKEN
<div className="grid-cols-3">           {/* Missing 'grid'! */}

// WORKING
<div className="grid grid-cols-3">      {/* 'grid' enables grid-cols-* */}

Rule: flex or grid must be declared on parent before direction/template classes work.

Model 4: Scroll Container Dimensions

Scroll containers need explicit dimensions to know when to scroll.

// BROKEN (never scrolls)
<ScrollArea>  {/* No height constraint */}

// WORKING (flex-constrained)
<div className="flex flex-col h-screen">
  <ScrollArea className="flex-1 min-h-0">

Diagnostic States

SL1: Height Chain Broken

Symptoms: Elements collapse, h-full not working Fix: Trace to html, add heights or use h-screen

SL2: Flex Overflow Blocked

Symptoms: Scroll doesn't work, content overflows Fix: Add min-h-0 to flex children that scroll

SL3: Grid Structure Wrong

Symptoms: Items stack vertically instead of columns Fix: Ensure grid grid-cols-* on parent

SL4: Styles Not Applying

Symptoms: Unstyled components, colors wrong Fix: Check Tailwind content paths, CSS variables in globals.css

SL5: Component Dependencies Missing

Symptoms: "Module not found", functionality broken Fix: npx shadcn add [component], install peer deps

Common Layout Patterns

Full-Page App Shell

// layout.tsx
<html lang="en" className="h-full">
  <body className="h-full">{children}</body>
</html>

// page.tsx
<div className="flex h-full">
  <aside className="w-64 shrink-0 border-r overflow-y-auto">
    <nav>...</nav>
  </aside>
  <main className="flex-1 min-w-0 overflow-y-auto">
    {children}
  </main>
</div>

Dashboard with Header

<div className="flex flex-col h-screen">
  <header className="h-16 shrink-0 border-b">...</header>
  <div className="flex flex-1 min-h-0">
    <aside className="w-64 shrink-0 border-r overflow-y-auto">...</aside>
    <main className="flex-1 min-w-0 overflow-y-auto p-6">
      {children}
    </main>
  </div>
</div>

Card Grid

<div className="grid grid-cols-1 md:grid-cols-2 lg:grid-cols-3 gap-6">
  {items.map(item => (
    <Card key={item.id}>
      <CardHeader><CardTitle>{item.title}</CardTitle></CardHeader>
      <CardContent>{item.content}</CardContent>
    </Card>
  ))}
</div>

Anti-Patterns

The Height Assumption

Using h-full without verifying ancestor chain. Fix: Trace to html. Use h-screen to break chain.

The Overflow Ignorance

Adding overflow-y-auto without min-h-0 on flex children. Fix: Flex children need min-h-0 to shrink.

The Import Guess

Guessing import paths like shadcn/ui. Fix: Check components.json for alias. Usually @/components/ui/*.

The Flat Compound

Flattening compound components (Dialog without DialogTrigger/DialogContent). Fix: Maintain required nesting structure.

Pre-Generation Checklist

  • Import alias known (@/components/ui/*)
  • html has h-full
  • body has h-full or min-h-full
  • Scroll containers have explicit height
  • Flex scroll children have min-h-0
  • Fixed elements have shrink-0

Related Skills

  • frontend-design - Design decisions before implementation
how to use shadcn-layouts

How to use shadcn-layouts on Cursor

AI-first code editor with Composer

1

Prerequisites

Before installing skills in Cursor, ensure your development environment meets these requirements:

  • ›Cursor installed and configured on your development machine
  • ›Node.js version 16.0+ with npm package manager (verify with node --version)
  • ›Active project directory or workspace where you want to add shadcn-layouts
2

Execute installation command

Execute the skills CLI command in your project's root directory to begin installation:

$npx skills add https://github.com/jwynia/agent-skills --skill shadcn-layouts

The skills CLI fetches shadcn-layouts from GitHub repository jwynia/agent-skills and configures it for Cursor.

3

Select Cursor when prompted

The CLI will show a list of available agents. Use arrow keys to navigate and space to select Cursor:

◆ Which agents do you want to install to?
│
│ ── Universal (.agents/skills) ── always included ────
│ • Amp
│ • Antigravity
│ • Cline
│ • Codex
│ ●Cursor(selected)
│ • Cursor
│ • Windsurf
4

Verify installation

Confirm successful installation by checking the skill directory location:

.cursor/skills/shadcn-layouts

Reload or restart Cursor to activate shadcn-layouts. Access the skill through slash commands (e.g., /shadcn-layouts) or your agent's skill management interface.

⚠

Security & Verification Notice

We perform automated surface-level scans (Gen AI Scanner, Socket, Snyk) during installation. These checks detect common vulnerabilities but do not guarantee complete security. Always review skill source code and verify the publisher's reputation before production use.

Skills execute code in your development environment. Always verify the publisher's identity, review recent commits, and test in isolated environments before production deployment.

Additional Resources

›View source code on GitHub›Skills CLI documentation›Learn more about Cursor›What are agent skills?

List & Monetize Your Skill

Submit your Claude Code skill and start earning

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Use Cases▌

User Story & Requirements Generation

Create detailed user stories, acceptance criteria, and feature specs

Example

Generate user stories for 'password reset feature' with acceptance criteria, edge cases, and test scenarios

✓

Reduce spec writing time by 50%, ensure comprehensive coverage

Competitive Analysis

Research competitors, compare features, identify gaps

Example

Analyze 5 competitor products, create feature comparison matrix, suggest differentiation opportunities

✓

Complete competitive research in 2 hours instead of 2 days

Roadmap Prioritization

Evaluate features using frameworks (RICE, ICE, Kano) and create prioritized backlogs

Example

Score 20 feature ideas using RICE framework, generate prioritized roadmap with rationale

✓

Make data-driven prioritization decisions faster

Stakeholder Communication

Draft PRDs, status updates, and stakeholder presentations

Example

Create executive summary of Q3 roadmap, monthly progress report, feature launch announcement

✓

Save 3-5 hours/week on communication overhead

Implementation Guide▌

Prerequisites

  • ›Claude Desktop or compatible AI client
  • ›Access to product documentation and roadmap tools (Jira, Notion, etc.)
  • ›Understanding of product management frameworks (RICE, Jobs-to-be-Done, etc.)
  • ›Stakeholder contact information and communication channels

Time Estimate

30-60 minutes to see productivity improvements

Installation Steps

  1. 1.Install product management skill
  2. 2.Start with user story generation for known feature
  3. 3.Progress to competitive analysis: research 2-3 competitors
  4. 4.Use for roadmap prioritization: apply RICE/ICE scoring
  5. 5.Draft stakeholder communications and refine based on feedback
  6. 6.Build template library for recurring PM tasks
  7. 7.Share effective prompts with product team

Common Pitfalls

  • ⚠Not validating competitive research—verify facts before sharing
  • ⚠Accepting user stories without involving engineering team
  • ⚠Over-relying on frameworks without qualitative judgment
  • ⚠Not customizing outputs to company culture and communication style
  • ⚠Skipping stakeholder validation of generated requirements

Best Practices▌

✓ Do

  • +Validate research and competitive analysis with real data
  • +Collaborate with engineering when generating technical requirements
  • +Customize frameworks and templates to your company context
  • +Use skill for first drafts, refine with stakeholder input
  • +Document successful prompt patterns for PM tasks
  • +Combine AI efficiency with human judgment and intuition

✗ Don't

  • −Don't publish competitive analysis without fact-checking
  • −Don't finalize user stories without engineering review
  • −Don't make prioritization decisions solely on AI scoring
  • −Don't skip customer validation of generated requirements
  • −Don't ignore company-specific context and culture

💡 Pro Tips

  • ★Provide context: company goals, constraints, customer feedback
  • ★Ask for alternatives: 'Show 3 ways to prioritize this roadmap'
  • ★Request stakeholder-specific formatting: 'Executive summary vs. engineering spec'
  • ★Use skill for 70% generation + 30% customization to company needs

When to Use This▌

✓ Use When

Use for user story writing, competitive research, roadmap prioritization, stakeholder communication, and PRD drafting. Best for reducing repetitive documentation and research work.

✗ Avoid When

Avoid for strategic product vision (requires deep customer empathy), pricing decisions (needs market and financial expertise), or when face-to-face customer discovery is more valuable than speed.

Learning Path▌

  1. 1Basic: user stories, feature specs, status updates
  2. 2Intermediate: competitive analysis, prioritization frameworks, PRDs
  3. 3Advanced: product strategy, go-to-market planning, OKR setting
  4. 4Expert: product vision, market positioning, business model innovation

Discussion

Product Hunt–style comments (not star reviews)
  • No comments yet — start the thread.
general reviews

Ratings

4.4★★★★★47 reviews
  • ★★★★★Amina Kim· Dec 24, 2024

    Solid pick for teams standardizing on skills: shadcn-layouts is focused, and the summary matches what you get after install.

  • ★★★★★Pratham Ware· Dec 20, 2024

    Useful defaults in shadcn-layouts — fewer surprises than typical one-off scripts, and it plays nicely with `npx skills` flows.

  • ★★★★★Tariq Farah· Dec 8, 2024

    Useful defaults in shadcn-layouts — fewer surprises than typical one-off scripts, and it plays nicely with `npx skills` flows.

  • ★★★★★Isabella Chawla· Dec 8, 2024

    shadcn-layouts is among the better-maintained entries we tried; worth keeping pinned for repeat workflows.

  • ★★★★★Neel Park· Nov 27, 2024

    shadcn-layouts has been reliable in day-to-day use. Documentation quality is above average for community skills.

  • ★★★★★Naina Perez· Nov 27, 2024

    shadcn-layouts fits our agent workflows well — practical, well scoped, and easy to wire into existing repos.

  • ★★★★★Amina Mensah· Nov 15, 2024

    I recommend shadcn-layouts for anyone iterating fast on agent tooling; clear intent and a small, reviewable surface area.

  • ★★★★★Sakshi Patil· Nov 11, 2024

    shadcn-layouts has been reliable in day-to-day use. Documentation quality is above average for community skills.

  • ★★★★★Michael Gill· Oct 18, 2024

    Solid pick for teams standardizing on skills: shadcn-layouts is focused, and the summary matches what you get after install.

  • ★★★★★Olivia Iyer· Oct 18, 2024

    We added shadcn-layouts from the explainx registry; install was straightforward and the SKILL.md answered most questions upfront.

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