heroui-native

SKILL.md

HeroUI Native Development Guide

HeroUI Native is a component library built on Uniwind (Tailwind CSS for React Native) and React Native, providing accessible, customizable UI components for mobile applications.

Installation

curl -fsSL https://heroui.com/install | bash -s heroui-native

CRITICAL: Native Only - Do Not Use Web Patterns

This guide is for HeroUI Native ONLY. Do NOT apply HeroUI React (web) patterns — the package, styling engine, and color format all differ:

Feature
React (Web)
Native (Mobile)

Styling
Tailwind CSS v4
Uniwind (Tailwind for React Native)

Colors
oklch format
HSL format

Package
@heroui/react
heroui-native

Platform
Web browsers
iOS & Android

// CORRECT — Native pattern
import { Button } from "heroui-native";

<Button variant="primary" onPress={() => console.log("Pressed!")}>
	Click me
</Button>;

Always fetch Native docs before implementing.

Core Principles

Semantic variants (primary, secondary, tertiary) over visual descriptions

Composition over configuration (compound components)

Theme variables with HSL color format

React Native StyleSheet patterns with Uniwind utilities

Accessing Documentation & Component Information

For component details, examples, props, and implementation patterns, always fetch documentation:

Using Scripts

# List all available components
node scripts/list_components.mjs

# Get component documentation (MDX)
node scripts/get_component_docs.mjs Button
node scripts/get_component_docs.mjs Button Card TextField

# Get theme variables
node scripts/get_theme.mjs

# Get non-component docs (guides, releases)
node scripts/get_docs.mjs /docs/native/getting-started/theming

Direct MDX URLs

Component docs: https://heroui.com/docs/native/components/{component-name}.mdx

Examples:

Button: https://heroui.com/docs/native/components/button.mdx

Dialog: https://heroui.com/docs/native/components/dialog.mdx

TextField: https://heroui.com/docs/native/components/text-field.mdx

Getting started guides: https://heroui.com/docs/native/getting-started/{topic}.mdx

Important: Always fetch component docs before implementing. The MDX docs include complete examples, props, anatomy, and API references.

Installation Essentials

Quick Install

npm i heroui-native react-native-reanimated react-native-gesture-handler react-native-safe-area-context @gorhom/bottom-sheet react-native-svg react-native-worklets tailwind-merge tailwind-variants

Framework Setup (Expo - Recommended)

Install dependencies:

npx create-expo-app MyApp
cd MyApp
npm i heroui-native uniwind tailwindcss
npm i react-native-reanimated react-native-gesture-handler react-native-safe-area-context @gorhom/bottom-sheet react-native-svg react-native-worklets tailwind-merge tailwind-variants

Create global.css:

@import "tailwindcss";
@import "uniwind";
@import "heroui-native/styles";

@source "./node_modules/heroui-native/lib";

Wrap app with providers:

import { GestureHandlerRootView } from "react-native-gesture-handler";
import { HeroUINativeProvider } from "heroui-native";
import "./global.css";

export default function Layout() {
	return (
		<GestureHandlerRootView style={{ flex: 1 }}>
			<HeroUINativeProvider>
				<App />
			</HeroUINativeProvider>
		</GestureHandlerRootView>
	);
}

Critical Setup Requirements

Uniwind is Required - HeroUI Native uses Uniwind (Tailwind CSS for React Native)

HeroUINativeProvider Required - Wrap your app with HeroUINativeProvider

GestureHandlerRootView Required - Wrap with GestureHandlerRootView from react-native-gesture-handler

Use Compound Components - Components use compound structure (e.g., Card.Header, Card.Body)

Use onPress, not onClick - React Native uses onPress event handlers

Platform-Specific Code - Use Platform.OS for iOS/Android differences

Component Patterns

HeroUI Native uses compound component patterns. Each component has subcomponents accessed via dot notation.

Example - Card:

<Card>
	<Card.Header>{/* Icons, badges */}</Card.Header>
	<Card.Body>
		<Card.Title>Title</Card.Title>
		<Card.Description>Description</Card.Description>
	</Card.Body>
	<Card.Footer>{/* Actions */}</Card.Footer>
</Card>

Key Points:

Always use compound structure - don't flatten to props

Subcomponents are accessed via dot notation (e.g., Card.Header)

Native Card uses Card.Body (not Card.Content); Title and Description go inside Body

Fetch component docs for complete anatomy and examples

Semantic Variants

HeroUI uses semantic naming to communicate functional intent:

Variant
Purpose
Usage

primary
Main action to move forward
1 per context

secondary
Alternative actions
Multiple

tertiary
Dismissive actions (cancel, skip)
Sparingly

danger
Destructive actions
When needed

danger-soft
Soft destructive actions
Less prominent

ghost
Low-emphasis actions
Minimal weight

outline
Secondary actions
Bordered style

Don't use raw colors - semantic variants adapt to themes and accessibility.

Theming

HeroUI Native uses CSS variables via Tailwind/Uniwind for theming. Theme colors are defined in global.css:

@theme {
	--color-accent: hsl(260, 100%, 70%);
	--color-accent-foreground: hsl(0, 0%, 100%);
}

Get current theme variables:

node scripts/get_theme.mjs

Access theme colors programmatically:

import { useThemeColor } from "heroui-native";

const accentColor = useThemeColor("accent");

Theme switching (Light/Dark Mode):

import { Uniwind, useUniwind } from "uniwind";

const { theme } = useUniwind();
Uniwind.setTheme(theme === "light" ? "dark" : "light");

For detailed theming, fetch: https://heroui.com/docs/native/getting-started/theming.mdx
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