SCSS Best Practices

You are an expert in SCSS (Sassy CSS), CSS architecture, and maintainable stylesheet development.

Key Principles

• Write modular, reusable SCSS that scales with project complexity
• Follow the DRY (Don't Repeat Yourself) principle using variables, mixins, and functions
• Maintain clear separation between structure, skin, and state styles
• Prioritize readability and maintainability over clever abstractions

File Organization

Architecture Pattern (7-1 Pattern)

scss/
├── abstracts/
│   ├── _variables.scss    # Global variables
│   ├── _functions.scss    # SCSS functions
│   ├── _mixins.scss       # Reusable mixins
│   └── _placeholders.scss # Extendable placeholders
├── base/
│   ├── _reset.scss        # CSS reset/normalize
│   ├── _typography.scss   # Typography rules
│   └── _base.scss         # Base element styles
├── components/
│   ├── _buttons.scss      # Button components
│   ├── _cards.scss        # Card components
│   └── _forms.scss        # Form components
├── layout/
│   ├── _header.scss       # Header layout
│   ├── _footer.scss       # Footer layout
│   ├── _grid.scss         # Grid system
│   └── _navigation.scss   # Navigation layout
├── pages/
│   ├── _home.scss         # Home page specific
│   └── _contact.scss      # Contact page specific
├── themes/
│   └── _default.scss      # Default theme
├── vendors/
│   └── _bootstrap.scss    # Third-party overrides
└── main.scss              # Main manifest file

Import Order

// main.scss
@use 'abstracts/variables';
@use 'abstracts/functions';
@use 'abstracts/mixins';
@use 'abstracts/placeholders';

@use 'vendors/normalize';

@use 'base/reset';
@use 'base/typography';
@use 'base/base';

@use 'layout/grid';
@use 'layout/header';
@use 'layout/navigation';
@use 'layout/footer';

@use 'components/buttons';
@use 'components/cards';
@use 'components/forms';

@use 'pages/home';

@use 'themes/default';

Variables

Naming Convention

// Use semantic, descriptive names
// Format: $category-property-variant

// Colors
$color-primary: #3498db;
$color-primary-light: lighten($color-primary, 15%);
$color-primary-dark: darken($color-primary, 15%);
$color-secondary: #2ecc71;
$color-text: #333333;
$color-text-muted: #666666;
$color-background: #ffffff;
$color-border: #e0e0e0;
$color-error: #e74c3c;
$color-success: #27ae60;
$color-warning: #f39c12;

// Typography
$font-family-base: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif;
$font-family-heading: 'Georgia', serif;
$font-size-base: 1rem;
$font-size-small: 0.875rem;
$font-size-large: 1.25rem;
$font-weight-normal: 400;
$font-weight-bold: 700;
$line-height-base: 1.5;

// Spacing (use consistent scale)
$spacing-unit: 8px;
$spacing-xs: $spacing-unit * 0.5;  // 4px
$spacing-sm: $spacing-unit;        // 8px
$spacing-md: $spacing-unit * 2;    // 16px
$spacing-lg: $spacing-unit * 3;    // 24px
$spacing-xl: $spacing-unit * 4;    // 32px
$spacing-xxl: $spacing-unit * 6;   // 48px

// Breakpoints
$breakpoint-sm: 576px;
$breakpoint-md: 768px;
$breakpoint-lg: 992px;
$breakpoint-xl: 1200px;
$breakpoint-xxl: 1400px;

// Z-index scale
$z-index-dropdown: 1000;
$z-index-sticky: 1020;
$z-index-fixed: 1030;
$z-index-modal-backdrop: 1040;
$z-index-modal: 1050;
$z-index-popover: 1060;
$z-index-tooltip: 1070;

// Transitions
$transition-base: 0.3s ease;
$transition-fast: 0.15s ease;
$transition-slow: 0.5s ease;

// Border radius
$border-radius-sm: 2px;
$border-radius-md: 4px;
$border-radius-lg: 8px;
$border-radius-pill: 50px;
$border-radius-circle: 50%;

// Shadows
$shadow-sm: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.05);
$shadow-md: 0 4px 6px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1);
$shadow-lg: 0 10px 15px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1);
$shadow-xl: 0 20px 25px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15);

Maps for Related Values

// Use maps for grouped values
$colors: (
  'primary': #3498db,
  'secondary': #2ecc71,
  'danger': #e74c3c,
  'warning': #f39c12,
  'info': #17a2b8,
  'success': #27ae60
);

$breakpoints: (
  'sm': 576px,
  'md': 768px,
  'lg': 992px,
  'xl': 1200px,
  'xxl': 1400px
);

// Access with map-get
.element {
  color: map-get($colors, 'primary');
}

Mixins

Responsive Breakpoints

@mixin respond-to($breakpoint) {
  @if map-has-key($breakpoints, $breakpoint) {
    @media (min-width: map-get($breakpoints, $breakpoint
how to use scss-best-practices
CursorClaude CodeClineCodexWindsurfGooseGitHub CopilotVS CodeGemini CLIKiloOpencodeKimi CLIRoo ClineAiderContinueZedBolt.newLovablev0Replit AgentSweepSmol DeveloperDevinCavemanAmpAntigravity
How to use scss-best-practices 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 scss-best-practices
2
Execute installation command
Execute the skills CLI command in your project's root directory to begin installation:
$npx skills add https://github.com/mindrally/skills --skill scss-best-practicescopy
The skills CLI fetches scss-best-practices from GitHub repository mindrally/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/scss-best-practices
Reload or restart Cursor to activate scss-best-practices. Access the skill through slash commands (e.g., /scss-best-practices) 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?