shadcn/ui for Inertia Rails
shadcn/ui patterns adapted for Inertia.js + Rails + React. NOT Next.js.
Before using a shadcn example, ask:
- Does it use
react-hook-form+zod? → Replace with Inertia<Form>+nameattributes. Inertia handles CSRF, errors, redirects, processing state — react-hook-form would fight all of this. - Does it use
'use client'? → Remove it. Inertia has no RSC — all components are client components. - Does it use
next/link,next/head,useRouter()? → Replace with Inertia<Link>,<Head>,router.
Key Differences from Next.js Defaults
| shadcn default (Next.js) | Inertia equivalent |
|---|---|
'use client' directive | Remove — not needed (no RSC) |
react-hook-form + zod | Inertia <Form> component |
FormField, FormItem, FormMessage | Plain <Input name="..."> + errors.field |
next-themes | CSS class strategy + @custom-variant |
useRouter() (Next) | router from @inertiajs/react |
next/link | <Link> from @inertiajs/react |
next/head | <Head> from @inertiajs/react |
NEVER use shadcn's FormField, FormItem, FormLabel, FormMessage components —
they depend on react-hook-form's useFormContext internally and will crash without it.
Use plain shadcn Input/Label/Select with name attributes inside Inertia <Form>,
and render errors from the render function's errors object (see examples below).
Setup
npx shadcn@latest init. add @/ resolve aliases to tsconfig.json if not present,
Do NOT add @/ resolve aliases to vite.config.ts — vite-plugin-ruby already provides them.
shadcn Inputs in Inertia <Form>
Use plain shadcn Input/Label/Button with name attributes inside Inertia <Form>.
See inertia-rails-forms skill for full <Form> API — this section covers shadcn-specific adaptation only.
The key pattern: Replace shadcn's FormField/FormItem/FormMessage with plain
components + manual error display:
tsx// shadcn error display pattern (replaces FormMessage): <Label htmlFor="name">Name</Label> <Input id="name" name="name" /> {errors.name && <p className="text-sm text-destructive">{errors.name}</p>}
<Select> requires name prop for Inertia <Form> integration — shadcn examples
omit it because react-hook-form manages values differently:
tsx<Select name="role" defaultValue="member"> <SelectTrigger><SelectValue placeholder="Select role" /></SelectTrigger> <SelectContent> <SelectItem value="admin">Admin</SelectItem> <SelectItem value="member">Member</SelectItem> </SelectContent> </Select>
Dialog with Inertia Navigation
tsximport { Dialog, DialogContent, DialogHeader, DialogTitle } from '@/components/ui/dialog' import { router } from '@inertiajs/react' function UserDialog({ open, user }: { open: boolean; user: User }) { return ( <Dialog open={open} onOpenChange={(isOpen) => { if (!isOpen) { router.replaceProp('show_dialog', false) } }} > <DialogContent> <DialogHeader> <DialogTitle>{user.name}</DialogTitle> </DialogHeader> {/* content */} </DialogContent> </Dialog> ) }
Table with Server-Side Sorting
shadcn <Table> renders normally. The Inertia-specific part is sorting via router.get:
tsxconst handleSort = (column: string) => { router.get('/users', { sort: column }, { preserveState: true }) } <TableHead onClick={() => handleSort('name')} className="cursor-pointer"> Name {sort === 'name' && '↑'} </TableHead>
Use <Link> (not <a>) for row links to preserve SPA navigation.
Toast with Flash Messages
Flash config (flash_keys) is in inertia-rails-controllers. Flash access
(usePage().flash) is in inertia-rails-pages. This section covers toast UI wiring only.
MANDATORY — READ ENTIRE FILE when implementing flash-based toasts with Sonner:
references/flash-toast.md (~80 lines) — full useFlash
hook and Sonner toast provider. Do NOT load if only reading flash values without toast UI.
Key gotcha: flash_keys in the Rails initializer MUST match your FlashData
TypeScript type — do NOT use success/error unless you also update both.
Dark Mode (No next-themes)
npx shadcn@latest init generates CSS variables for light/dark and
@custom-variant dark (&:is(.dark *)); in your CSS (Tailwind v4). No extra
setup needed for the variables themselves.
CRITICAL — prevent flash of wrong theme (FOUC): Next.js handles this
automatically; Inertia does NOT. Add an inline script in <head> (before React
hydrates) and call initializeTheme() in your Inertia entrypoint:
erb<%# app/views/layouts/application.html.erb — in <head>, before any stylesheets %> <script> document.documentElement.classList.toggle( "dark", localStorage.appearance === "dark" || (!("appearance" in localStorage) && window.matchMedia("(prefers-color-scheme: dark)").matches), ); </script>
tsx// app/frontend/entrypoints/inertia.tsx import { initializeTheme } from '@/hooks/use-appearance' initializeTheme() // must run before createInertiaApp
Use a useAppearance hook (light/dark/system modes, localStorage persistence,
matchMedia listener) instead of next-themes. Toggle via .dark class on
<html> — no provider needed.
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
FormField/FormMessage crash | Using shadcn form components that depend on react-hook-form | Replace with plain Input/Label + errors.field display |
Select value not submitted | Missing name prop | Add name="field" to <Select> — shadcn examples omit it |
| Dialog closes unexpectedly | Missing or wrong onOpenChange handler | Use onOpenChange={(open) => { if (!open) closeHandler() }} |
| Flash of wrong theme (FOUC) | Missing inline <script> in <head> | Add dark mode script before stylesheets (see Dark Mode section) |
Related Skills
- Form component →
inertia-rails-forms(<Form>render function, useForm) - Flash config →
inertia-rails-controllers(flash_keys initializer) - Flash access →
inertia-rails-pages(usePage().flash) - URL-driven dialogs →
inertia-rails-pages(router.get pattern)
References
Load references/components.md (~300 lines) when building
shadcn components beyond those shown above (Accordion, Sheet, Tabs, DropdownMenu,
AlertDialog with Inertia patterns).
Do NOT load components.md for basic Form, Select, Dialog, or Table usage —
the examples above are sufficient.
