@chesapeake/stack

A reusable React component library and design system built on shadcn components & derived user experiences. the shadcn community seems to refer to these things as blocks, which we currently don't support. The npm package contains a tiny design system in the form of a tailwind preset & a single css import. The design system consists of:

• Reusable React components in components/ (UI components in ui/, UX components in ux/)
• styles/index.css that includes Tailwind CSS, design tokens, base styles, and component styles
• tailwind.preset.ts for use in tailwind.config.ts

Installation

To utilize the design system in your app:

1. Install Dependencies

Add the required peer dependencies to your app's package.json:

npm install react react-dom tailwindcss tw-animate-css
npm install react-day-picker vaul  # if using calendar or drawer components

2. Import Styles

Import the shared styles in your app's main CSS file (e.g., src/index.css). The package stylesheet declares its own @source directives for Tailwind v4 class detection, so you do not need to add a separate @source or content path pointing at node_modules/@chesapeake/stack.

/* Import Tailwind, third-party CSS, and shared styles */
@import "tailwindcss";
@import "tw-animate-css";
@import "react-day-picker/style.css"; /* if using calendar component */
@import "vaul/style.css"; /* if using drawer component */
@import "@chesapeake/stack/styles/index.css";

3. Import and Use Components

Import and use components in your React components:

import { Button } from "@chesapeake/stack/components/ui/button";
import { ThemeProvider } from "@chesapeake/stack/components/ux/theme-provider";

function App() {
  return (
    <ThemeProvider>
      <Button variant="default">Click me</Button>
    </ThemeProvider>
  );
}

Why peer dependencies?

The package declares peer dependencies instead of bundling them so that:

• CSS is correct: Third-party CSS (Tailwind, react-day-picker, vaul, etc.) is imported once in your app instead of via the package.
• Versions stay flexible: Your app installs and controls the versions that work with your build.
• Bundle size stays small: No duplicated CSS or runtime deps inside the package.

Install the peer dependencies listed in the package’s package.json in your app.

Installation troubleshooting

• CSS not loading: Ensure all peer dependencies are installed, CSS imports are in your main CSS file in the right order, and your bundler/TypeScript path mapping resolves @chesapeake/stack (or the package name) correctly.
• Version conflicts: Use npm ls to inspect installed versions; align with the peer dependency ranges required by the package.
• Build errors: Run the package’s validate script (e.g. make validate) if available, confirm required CSS files exist, and check import paths.

Types (optional)

The package exports shared TypeScript types for use in consuming apps (e.g. user and friend types). Import from the types/user subpath:

import type {
  BaseUser,
  Friend,
  toBaseUser,
} from "@chesapeake/stack/types/user";

Usage

Available Components

UI Components (components/ui/)

• Button - Various button variants and sizes
• Input - Form input component
• Label - Form label component
• Textarea - Multi-line text input
• Avatar - User avatar display
• Calendar - Date picker component
• Drawer - Slide-out drawer component
• Dropdown Menu - Dropdown menu component
• Location Input - Location search input
• Popover - Popover component
• Toast - Toast notification system

UX Components (components/ux/)

• Theme Provider - Dark/light theme context provider
• Gif Search - GIF search and selection component
• Image Upload - Image upload component
• Tutorial Carousel - Step-by-step tutorial component
• Page Layout - PageContent, PageHeader, PageLayout for consistent page structure

Theming

This section explains how the shared theme system works and how projects can customize themes.

Base Theme

The shared design system (@chesapeake/stack) includes a default theme defined in stack/styles/tokens.css. This theme includes:

• Color palette: Primary, secondary, muted, accent, destructive colors
• Light and dark mode: Automatic theme switching via .dark class
• Typography: Poppins (sans-serif), Lora (serif), Fira Code (monospace)
• Shadows: Custom shadow system with offset shadows
• Border radius: Consistent radius values
• Chart colors: Pre-defined chart color palette

This theme is automatically applied to any project that imports @chesapeake/stack/styles/index.css.

Using the Default Theme

Projects use the default theme automatically:

/* e.g. src/index.css */
@import "tailwindcss";
@import "tw-animate-css";
@import "react-day-picker/style.css";
@import "@chesapeake/stack/styles/index.css";
/* That's it! Default theme is now active */

Don't forget to load fonts in your index.html:

<link rel="preconnect" href="https://fonts.googleapis.com" />
<link rel="preconnect" href="https://fonts.gstatic.com" crossorigin />
<link
  href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Poppins:wght@400;500;600;700&family=Lora:wght@400;500;600&family=Fira+Code:wght@400;500;600&display=swap"
  rel="stylesheet"
/>

Overriding the Theme

Projects can override specific theme variables to create a different look and feel:

/* e.g. src/index.css */
@import "tailwindcss";
@import "tw-animate-css";
@import "react-day-picker/style.css";
@import "@chesapeake/stack/styles/index.css";

/* Override theme variables */
:root {
  /* Change primary color */
  --primary: oklch(0.723 0.219 149.579);

  /* Change background */
  --background: oklch(0.95 0.01 200);

  /* Use different fonts */
  --font-sans: "Inter", sans-serif;
  --font-serif: "Crimson Text", serif;
  --font-mono: "JetBrains Mono", monospace;
}

.dark {
  /* Override dark mode colors */
  --primary: oklch(0.8 0.2 150);
  --background: oklch(0.2 0.02 200);
}

/* Project-specific utility classes (e.g. brand gradient) */
.my-brand-gradient {
  background: linear-gradient(to right, var(--primary), var(--secondary));
}

CSS Variable Priority

CSS custom properties follow standard CSS cascade rules:

1. Shared theme (@chesapeake/stack/styles/tokens.css) - Base defaults
2. Project overrides (your index.css after @import "@chesapeake/stack/styles/index.css") - Your customizations
3. Inline styles (component-level) - Most specific

This means you only need to override the variables you want to change!

Available Theme Variables

Colors

• --background, --foreground
• --primary, --primary-foreground
• --secondary, --secondary-foreground
• --muted, --muted-foreground
• --accent, --accent-foreground
• --destructive, --destructive-foreground
• --card, --card-foreground
• --popover, --popover-foreground
• --border, --input, --ring
• --chart-1 through --chart-5
• --sidebar-* variants

Typography

• --font-sans (default: Poppins)
• --font-serif (default: Lora)
• --font-mono (default: Fira Code)

Spacing & Layout

• --radius (default: 0.4rem)
• --spacing (default: 0.25rem)
• --tracking-normal (default: 0em)

Shadows

• --shadow-2xs, --shadow-xs, --shadow-sm, --shadow, --shadow-md, --shadow-lg, --shadow-xl, --shadow-2xl
• --shadow-x, --shadow-y, --shadow-blur, --shadow-spread, --shadow-opacity, --shadow-color

Example: Creating a Custom Brand Theme

/* e.g. src/index.css */
@import "tailwindcss";
@import "tw-animate-css";
@import "@chesapeake/stack/styles/index.css";

:root {
  /* Brand colors */
  --primary: oklch(0.65 0.25 250); /* Purple brand */
  --secondary: oklch(0.75 0.15 180); /* Teal accent */
  --accent: oklch(0.85 0.1 300); /* Pink accent */

  /* Custom background */
  --background: oklch(0.98 0.005 260); /* Very light purple tint */

  /* Custom fonts */
  --font-sans: "Inter", "system-ui", sans-serif;
  --font-serif: "Crimson Text", serif;
  --font-mono: "SF Mono", "Monaco", monospace;

  /* Larger border radius for softer look */
  --radius: 0.75rem;
}

.dark {
  /* Dark mode adjustments */
  --primary: oklch(0.75 0.25 250);
  --background: oklch(0.15 0.02 260);
  --secondary: oklch(0.65 0.15 180);
}

/* Custom utility classes for this app */
.my-app-gradient {
  background: linear-gradient(135deg, var(--primary), var(--secondary));
}

Theming Tips

1. Always import shared styles first, then override
2. Use OKLCH color space for better color interpolation and consistency
3. Test both light and dark modes when customizing
4. Keep shadow values unless you want a completely different shadow system
5. Override fonts if your brand requires different typography
6. Use Tailwind's color utilities - they automatically use your custom variables

Further Reading

• MDN: CSS Custom Properties - Comprehensive guide with examples
• CSS Tricks: Custom Properties - In-depth tutorial and best practices
• Can I Use: CSS Custom Properties - Browser support information

Examples

The GitHub repository includes an examples/ folder with copy-pasteable React examples covering common patterns. Each example is a self-contained .tsx file you can drop into any app that has the stack installed and configured.

Example	What it covers
basic-form.tsx	Input, Label, Textarea, Select, and Button composed into a working form
auth-setup.tsx	Multi-provider authentication with Google and GitHub using MultiAuthProvider
page-layout.tsx	App shell with StandardLayout, PageLayout, PageHeader, and PageContent
theme-customization.tsx	ThemeProvider, useTheme toggle, and a companion .css showing token overrides
feedback-and-notifications.tsx	FeedbackDrawer, toast variants (success / error / promise), confirmation Dialog
data-display.tsx	Cards, badges, avatars, tooltips, dropdown menus, and EmptyState
user-management.tsx	UserSelector multi-select search, FriendList with presence indicators

Package Contents

When installed via npm you get:

@chesapeake/stack/
├── components/
│   ├── ui/              # Primitive UI components (Button, Input, Card, …)
│   └── ux/              # Higher-level UX components (auth, layout, feedback)
├── styles/
│   ├── index.css        # Main stylesheet entry point
│   ├── tokens.css       # Design tokens (CSS custom properties)
│   ├── base.css         # Base styles and utilities
│   └── components.css   # Component-specific styles
├── lib/
│   └── utils.ts         # Utility functions (cn, etc.)
├── types/               # Shared TypeScript types (BaseUser, Friend, …)
├── tailwind.preset.ts   # Tailwind configuration preset
├── eslint.config.js     # Shared ESLint config
└── prettier.config.js   # Shared Prettier config

Contributing

See the CONTRIBUTING.md on GitHub for development setup, adding shadcn components, and opening PRs.