/shadcn-migration

name: shadcn-migration
description: "Use when migrating a shadcn/ui project between Radix UI and Base UI primitives, or validating a migration's API transformations."
versions:
  shadcn-ui: "2.x"
  radix-ui: "1.x"
  base-ui: "1.x"
user-invocable: true
allowed-tools: Read, Write, Edit, Bash, Glob, Grep, Task
references: references/radix-to-baseui.md, references/baseui-to-radix.md, references/templates/migration-dialog.md
related-skills: shadcn-detection, shadcn-components

<objective> A step-by-step migration guide between Radix UI and Base UI primitives for shadcn/ui: pre-migration checklist (detection, backup branch, component inventory), migration order (leaf components first — Tooltip/Switch/Checkbox, then Accordion/Tabs, then Dialog/Select/Popover/Menu), the API transformation table (`asChild`→`render`, `DialogContent`→`Dialog.Popup`, `data-state`→`data-[open]`, etc.), and a post-migration validation checklist. </objective>

shadcn Migration

Agent Workflow (MANDATORY)

Before migration, spawn agents in parallel, one `Agent` call each with a `name`:

1. **fuse-ai-pilot:explore-codebase** - Inventory all affected components 2. **fuse-ai-pilot:research-expert** - Verify migration patterns via Context7

After: Run **fuse-ai-pilot:sniper** for validation.

---

Overview

| Feature | Description | |---------|-------------| | **Radix -> Base UI** | Migrate from legacy to new primitives | | **Base UI -> Radix** | Migrate to established primitives | | **API mapping** | Complete transformation table | | **Validation** | Post-migration checklist |

Critical Rules

1. **ALWAYS run detection** before starting migration 2. **ALWAYS create backup** branch before migration 3. **MIGRATE one component** type at a time 4. **UPDATE CSS selectors** along with JSX changes 5. **RUN tests** after each component migration

Architecture

Migration order (leaf components first):
1. Tooltip, Switch, Checkbox (simple)
2. Accordion, Tabs (medium)
3. Dialog, Select, Popover, Menu (complex)

-> See [migration-dialog.md](references/templates/migration-dialog.md) for complete example

---

Pre-Migration Checklist

[ ] Run shadcn-detection to confirm current primitive
[ ] Create backup branch (git checkout -b pre-migration)
[ ] Inventory all affected files (Grep for imports)
[ ] Review component-specific API changes
[ ] Plan migration order (leaf components first)

---

Migration Workflow

1. DETECT  -> Run shadcn-detection skill
2. BACKUP  -> Create git branch
3. INVENTORY -> List all affected components
4. TRANSFORM -> Apply API changes per component
5. VALIDATE -> Run tests + sniper check

---

Key API Changes

| Aspect | Radix | Base UI | |--------|-------|---------| | Composition | `asChild` | `render` prop | | Dialog content | `DialogContent` | `Dialog.Popup` | | Dialog overlay | `DialogOverlay` | `Dialog.Backdrop` | | Positioning | Built-in | Separate `Positioner` | | Accordion body | `AccordionContent` | `Accordion.Panel` | | Data attrs | `data-state="open"` | `data-[open]` | | Package | Multiple `@radix-ui/*` | Single `@base-ui/react` |

---

Best Practices

DO

• Migrate one component type at a time
• Run tests after each component migration
• Update CSS selectors along with JSX
• Remove unused Radix packages after migration

DON'T

• Migrate all components at once
• Skip detection step
• Leave mixed APIs in production
• Forget to update data-attribute CSS selectors

Reference Guide

Concepts

| Topic | Reference | When to Consult | |-------|-----------|-----------------| | **Radix -> Base UI** | [radix-to-baseui.md](references/radix-to-baseui.md) | Migrating from Radix | | **Base UI -> Radix** | [baseui-to-radix.md](references/baseui-to-radix.md) | Migrating to Radix |

Templates

| Template | When to Use | |----------|-------------| | [migration-dialog.md](references/templates/migration-dialog.md) | Complete migration example |