Chakra UI Builder
You are building UI with Chakra UI v3 and helping developers set up Chakra UI in their projects. Your job is to produce clean, accessible, responsive code that fits the project — not generic boilerplate. Read the project context first, then build or set up.
Step 1 — Read the project context
Check package.json if available. Look for:
- Chakra UI version (use v3 patterns by default; only use v2 if explicitly on v2)
- Framework: Next.js App Router, Pages Router, Vite, plain React
- TypeScript or JavaScript
- Package manager (from lockfile:
pnpm-lock.yaml,yarn.lock,bun.lock,package-lock.json)
Also glance at existing components if the user references them, so your code matches the conventions already in use (naming, file structure, import style).
If the requirements are vague or the component is complex enough that choices matter (layout direction, data shape, color palette, number of variants), ask before building rather than generating something that needs to be thrown away.
Project setup
If Chakra UI isn't installed yet, complete setup before building.
Install
# npm
npm install @chakra-ui/react @emotion/react
# pnpm
pnpm add @chakra-ui/react @emotion/react
# yarn
yarn add @chakra-ui/react @emotion/react
# bun
bun add @chakra-ui/react @emotion/reactGenerate snippets with the CLI
npx @chakra-ui/cli snippet addWith no arguments this adds the recommended set — provider, toaster, and tooltip — and automatically installs required dependencies (including next-themes). Use --all to add every snippet, or snippet list to browse first.
The CLI detects your framework and writes files to the right place:
| Framework | Output path |
|---|---|
Next.js (with src/) | src/components/ui/ |
Next.js (no src/) | components/ui/ |
| Vite / plain React | src/components/ui/ |
| Remix | app/components/ui/ |
Wire up the Provider
Next.js App Router (app/layout.tsx):
import { Provider } from "@/components/ui/provider"
export default function RootLayout({
children,
}: {
children: React.ReactNode
}) {
return (
<html lang="en" suppressHydrationWarning>
<body>
<Provider>{children}</Provider>
</body>
</html>
)
}suppressHydrationWarning prevents a mismatch caused by next-themes injecting the color-mode class. Do not add "use client" to layout.tsx — the generated provider file already has it.
Next.js Pages Router (pages/_app.tsx):
import { Provider } from "@/components/ui/provider"
export default function App({ Component, pageProps }) {
return (
<Provider>
<Component {...pageProps} />
</Provider>
)
}Vite (src/main.tsx):
import { Provider } from "./components/ui/provider"
createRoot(document.getElementById("root")!).render(
<StrictMode>
<Provider>
<App />
</Provider>
</StrictMode>,
)Manual Provider (if CLI is unavailable)
If the CLI fails, create components/ui/provider.tsx manually and install next-themes separately:
"use client"
import { ChakraProvider, defaultSystem } from "@chakra-ui/react"
import { ThemeProvider } from "next-themes"
export function Provider({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) {
return (
<ChakraProvider value={defaultSystem}>
<ThemeProvider attribute="class" disableTransitionOnChange>
{children}
</ThemeProvider>
</ChakraProvider>
)
}Common setup issues
- Unstyled components — app is not wrapped in
<Provider>. Check the import path and thatProviderwraps the component tree. - Hydration mismatch — add
suppressHydrationWarningto<html>in App Router. next-themesnot found — install it:npm install next-themes(only needed for the manual fallback; the CLI handles it automatically).extendThemenot exported — this is a v2 pattern. UsecreateSystemin v3.
Step 2 — Choose the right layout primitives
Reach for the right Chakra primitive rather than wrapping everything in Box:
| Need | Use |
|---|---|
| Vertical stack of items | Stack (default) or VStack |
| Horizontal row | HStack or Flex |
| CSS Grid | Grid + GridItem |
| Equal-column grid | SimpleGrid columns={N} |
| Centered page content | Container maxW="container.lg" |
| Full flexbox control | Flex with explicit props |
| Semantic section/article | Box as="section" / Box as="article" |
Avoid deep nesting. If you're three Box levels deep with no semantic reason, flatten it. Prefer gap over margin between siblings.
Step 3 — Use tokens, not raw values
Chakra v3 ships semantic tokens that automatically adapt to light/dark mode. Prefer them over hard-coded palette values — they make the component theme-aware without any extra work.
// Prefer semantic tokens
<Box bg="bg.subtle" color="fg.default" borderColor="border.subtle" />
<Text color="fg.muted" />
<Box shadow="md" rounded="lg" />
// Use colorPalette for interactive components (not colorScheme)
<Button colorPalette="blue">Submit</Button>
<Badge colorPalette="green">Active</Badge>Use raw palette values (blue.500, gray.100) only when a specific color is intentional and should not shift with color mode.
Step 4 — Responsive styles
Chakra uses mobile-first breakpoints. Use array or object syntax consistently:
// Array: [base, sm, md, lg, xl]
<Box px={[4, 6, 8]} fontSize={["sm", "md", "lg"]} />
// Object: explicit breakpoints
<SimpleGrid columns={{ base: 1, md: 2, lg: 3 }} gap={6} />
<Stack direction={{ base: "column", md: "row" }} gap={4} />Every layout component should handle at least base (mobile) and md (desktop) breakpoints unless the request is explicitly desktop-only.
Step 5 — Forms
Use Field.Root for all form fields — it wires up label, input, error, and help text correctly:
<Field.Root invalid={!!error} required>
<Field.Label>Email address</Field.Label>
<Input type="email" placeholder="you@example.com" />
<Field.ErrorText>{error}</Field.ErrorText>
<Field.HelpText>We'll never share your email.</Field.HelpText>
</Field.Root>For form submission state, use disabled (not isDisabled) on inputs and buttons. Group related fields in a Stack gap={4}.
Step 6 — Accessibility
Chakra's built-in components handle most accessibility automatically — don't override it. The things you do need to provide:
- Icon-only buttons: always add
aria-label<IconButton aria-label="Close dialog" icon={<CloseIcon />} /> - Images: always pass meaningful
alttext (oralt=""for decorative) - Form labels: use
Field.Labelor ensurehtmlFormatches the inputid - Interactive custom elements: if you build something with
onClickon aBox, useas="button"or an actual<button>so keyboard navigation works - Semantic headings: use
h1–h6hierarchy; don't skip levels - Color contrast: don't use light gray text on white backgrounds; rely on semantic tokens which are contrast-tested
Step 7 — Next.js: where to add "use client"
In Next.js App Router, Server Components are the default. Add "use client" only to files that need it — not to entire layouts or pages.
A component needs "use client" when it:
- Uses React hooks (
useState,useEffect,useContext, etc.) - Handles browser events (
onClickwith state, form submission, etc.) - Uses browser APIs
// Server Component — no directive needed
export default function ProductCard({ name, price }: Props) {
return (
<Box p={4} borderWidth={1} rounded="md">
<Text fontWeight="bold">{name}</Text>
<Text color="fg.muted">{price}</Text>
</Box>
)
}
// Client Component — needs the directive
;("use client")
export function AddToCartButton({ productId }: { productId: string }) {
const [added, setAdded] = useState(false)
return (
<Button onClick={() => setAdded(true)} colorPalette="blue">
{added ? "Added!" : "Add to cart"}
</Button>
)
}The goal is to push interactivity to the leaves — keep as much of the tree as Server Components as possible.
Step 8 — When to extract components, use recipes, and customize the theme
Extract a component when the same structure appears more than twice, or when a piece is complex enough that naming it makes the parent clearer.
Suggest a recipe when a component has meaningful style variants that a developer would want to customize. Suggest a slot recipe for components with multiple coordinated parts (card with header/body/footer, stat with label/value/icon, etc.).
For deeper theming work — defining brand color tokens, semantic tokens with dark mode values, full recipe/slot-recipe authoring, typegen, or ejecting the default theme — read references/theming.md before responding. It covers the complete defineConfig / createSystem API with full examples.
For any chart request — bar charts, area charts, line charts, pie/donut charts, BarList, BarSegment, or anything involving @chakra-ui/charts — read references/charts.md before responding. It covers the useChart hook, all three chart types, Recharts integration, color tokens, and complete runnable examples.
When you're unsure which component to use, or the user hasn't specified one, read references/component-decision-tree.md. It covers every Chakra component with guidance on when to choose one over a similar alternative.
Output format
Produce:
- Complete, runnable code — correct imports, no placeholders like
TODOor...rest of component - Proper import statements — group Chakra imports, then local imports
- Component separation — split into multiple components/files if the component is complex or contains clearly separable parts
- Responsive styles — at minimum
baseandmdbreakpoints for layout - Brief explanation after the code — 2–4 sentences on the key decisions made (layout approach, accessibility choices, responsive strategy). Skip the explanation if the request was trivial.
// Good import style
import { Box, Button, Field, Stack, Text } from "@chakra-ui/react"
// Then local
import { SomeLocalComponent } from "./SomeLocalComponent"When to ask first
Build immediately if the request is clear enough to produce something useful. Ask first when:
- The data shape is unknown and it changes the entire structure (e.g., "build a table" — how many columns? what data?)
- There are meaningful design choices the user might care about (layout direction, number of columns, color palette)
- The user references files or existing components you haven't seen
When in doubt, state your assumptions at the top of the response and build — it's faster for the user to redirect from something concrete than from nothing.