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shadcn/ui Production Troubleshooting - AI Knowledge Base

Critical Production Failures

Calendar Component TypeScript Errors

Failure Mode: Type error: Object literal may only specify known properties, and 'IconLeft' does not exist in type 'Partial<CustomComponents>'

  • Frequency: Random occurrence with high impact
  • Root Cause: react-day-picker type definitions break on version updates (particularly v8.10+)
  • Consequence: Complete build failure preventing deployment
  • Time Investment: Can destroy production deploys if not caught

Resolution:

rm -rf components/ui/calendar.tsx
npx shadcn@latest add calendar

Prevention Configuration:

{
  "dependencies": {
    "react-day-picker": "8.10.1"
  }
}

Next.js 15 + React 19 Compatibility Failures

Breaking Components:

  • Dialog components → hydration errors
  • Form components → focus management loss
  • Toast notifications → immediate disappearance
  • Theme providers → SSR mismatches

Working Configuration:

// next.config.js
module.exports = {
  reactStrictMode: false,
  experimental: {
    ppr: false
  }
}

Decision Criteria: Use Next 15 + React 19 only if you need bleeding-edge features; stick with Next 14 for production stability

Build System Failures

ESLint Version Incompatibility

Failure Point: ESLint 9+ breaks shadcn/ui CLI

  • Error: Module not found: Can't resolve '@typescript-eslint/parser'
  • Production Impact: Build pipeline failures
  • Safe Version: ESLint 8.x (do not upgrade to v9 until compatibility confirmed)

TypeScript Module Resolution

Configuration Requirements:

{
  "compilerOptions": {
    "baseUrl": ".",
    "paths": {
      "@/*": ["./src/*"],
      "@/components/*": ["./src/components/*"],
      "@/lib/*": ["./src/lib/*"]
    },
    "moduleResolution": "node"
  }
}

Failure Consequence: Complete inability to import components with @/ aliases

Bundle Size Explosion Thresholds

Critical Warning: shadcn/ui + Tailwind can reach 2MB+ bundle size

  • Primary Cause: Full icon library imports
  • Performance Impact: Significant load time degradation

Bundle Optimization:

// next.config.js
module.exports = {
  experimental: {
    optimizePackageImports: ['lucide-react', '@radix-ui/react-icons']
  }
}

Hydration Error Resolution

Theme Provider SSR Mismatch

Root Cause: next-themes attempts localStorage access during SSR
Consequence: Complete UI hydration failure

Working Fix:

<html lang="en" suppressHydrationWarning>
  <body>
    <ThemeProvider
      attribute="class"
      defaultTheme="system"
      enableSystem
      disableTransitionOnChange
    >
      {children}
    </ThemeProvider>
  </body>
</html>

Dialog Component Client-Side Only Solution

When to Use: When dialog state persistence causes hydration failures

const Dialog = dynamic(
  () => import('@/components/ui/dialog').then(mod => mod.Dialog),
  {
    ssr: false,
    loading: () => <div className="animate-pulse h-10 bg-gray-200" />
  }
)

Trade-off: Lose SEO benefits but gain functional components

Form Focus Management Recovery

Problem: Input fields lose focus post-hydration
Solution: Use React's useId() for stable server/client ID matching

import { useId } from 'react'

export function FormField({ children }) {
  const id = useId()
  return (
    <div>
      <label htmlFor={id}>Name</label>
      <input id={id} name="name" />
    </div>
  )
}

CSS Production Failures

Tailwind Purge Configuration

Critical Setting: Prevent Tailwind from stripping dynamic classes

module.exports = {
  content: [
    './src/**/*.{js,ts,jsx,tsx,mdx}',
    './components/**/*.{js,ts,jsx,tsx,mdx}',
  ],
  safelist: [
    'data-[state=open]:animate-in',
    'data-[state=closed]:animate-out',
  ]
}

Failure Mode: Components render without styling in production builds

Environment-Specific Issues

Node.js Version Compatibility Matrix

  • Recommended: Node.js 18.x
  • Problematic: Node.js 20+ with npm 10+
  • CI/CD Impact: Build failures in Docker/GitHub Actions using newer Node versions

Docker Configuration:

FROM node:18-alpine

GitHub Actions Configuration:

- uses: actions/setup-node@v4
  with:
    node-version: '18.x'

CLI Certificate Failures

Workaround for Node 20+ SSL issues:

npm config set strict-ssl false
npx shadcn@latest add button
npm config set strict-ssl true

Performance Optimization Thresholds

Bundle Analysis Requirements

npx @next/bundle-analyzer

Icon Import Optimization

Performance Impact: 500KB+ reduction possible

// Inefficient - imports entire library
import * as Icons from '@radix-ui/react-icons'

// Efficient - imports single icon (~2KB)
import { CheckIcon } from '@radix-ui/react-icons'

Critical Decision Points

When to Disable SSR

Criteria:

  • Hydration errors persist after configuration fixes
  • Deployment deadlines require immediate functionality
  • Component state complexity exceeds SSR compatibility

Implementation:

const ClientOnly = dynamic(() => Promise.resolve(({ children }) => <>{children}</>), {
  ssr: false
})

Version Pinning Strategy

High-Risk Dependencies:

  • react-day-picker (pin to working version)
  • ESLint (stay on v8.x)
  • Next.js (evaluate 15.x carefully)

Framework Migration Considerations

Next.js 14 → 15 Migration Risks:

  • React 19 compatibility issues
  • Stricter hydration validation
  • Changed Suspense boundary behavior
  • Concurrent rendering timing changes

Emergency Debugging Workflow

  1. Build Failure: Check Calendar component TypeScript errors first
  2. Hydration Error: Verify ThemeProvider configuration
  3. Styling Missing: Confirm Tailwind safelist includes dynamic classes
  4. Bundle Size: Analyze icon imports with bundle analyzer
  5. CI/CD Failure: Verify Node.js version consistency

Resource Requirements

Time Investment Estimates

  • Calendar TypeScript Fix: 15-30 minutes
  • Hydration Error Resolution: 1-3 hours depending on complexity
  • Bundle Optimization: 2-4 hours for comprehensive analysis
  • Next.js 15 Migration: 1-2 days with potential breaking changes

Expertise Requirements

  • Essential: Understanding of SSR/hydration concepts
  • Helpful: Experience with Tailwind CSS purging
  • Advanced: Knowledge of React 19 concurrent features for Next.15 migration

Operational Intelligence

Most Common Production Breaks (in order of frequency)

  1. Calendar component TypeScript errors
  2. Theme provider hydration mismatches
  3. Tailwind CSS class purging
  4. Bundle size from icon imports
  5. Next.js version compatibility

Hidden Costs

  • Bundle analysis time: Often overlooked until performance issues surface
  • SSR debugging complexity: Can require significant React knowledge
  • CI/CD environment differences: Node version mismatches cause deployment failures

Community Support Quality

  • GitHub Issues: High quality, most production errors already documented
  • Official Docs: Good for basic setup, insufficient for production troubleshooting
  • Community Discussions: Essential for edge cases and real-world solutions

Useful Links for Further Investigation

Essential Debugging Resources

LinkDescription
shadcn/ui GitHub IssuesSearch existing issues before creating new ones. Most production errors are already reported.
shadcn/ui DiscussionsCommunity troubleshooting and solutions. Good for edge cases not covered in docs.
React 19 Compatibility GuideEssential reading if you're upgrading to Next.js 15. Shows what's broken and what works.
shadcn/ui CLI DocumentationCLI commands and configuration options. Useful when npx shadcn@latest add fails.
Next.js Hydration TroubleshootingOfficial Next.js guide to fixing hydration mismatches. Essential for SSR issues.
Vite + shadcn/ui Path Configuration IssuesCommon Vite path configuration problems and solutions.
Laravel + Inertia.js IntegrationSetup guide for Laravel projects using shadcn/ui.
Radix UI GitHub IssuesUnderlying component issues. Check here if shadcn/ui components behave unexpectedly.
Tailwind CSS Purging DocumentationHow to prevent Tailwind from breaking your component styles in production.
next-themes Hydration IssuesTheme provider problems and server/client mismatches.
@next/bundle-analyzerShows exactly what's bloating your Next.js bundle.
webpack-bundle-analyzerFor non-Next.js projects. Visualizes bundle composition.
Bundle PhobiaCheck the real size impact of shadcn/ui dependencies before adding them.
shadcn/ui Community ExamplesReal developers sharing shadcn/ui production issues and solutions.
Stack Overflow shadcn-ui TagSpecific error messages and their solutions.
Cursor Rules for shadcn/uiBest practices and common patterns to avoid issues.

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