shadcn ui : Core Architecture

Foundational mental model for shadcn ui. Misreading shadcn as "another component library" produces every common failure documented in references/anti-patterns.md. ALWAYS internalise this skill before any other.

Quick Reference

shadcn in one sentence

ALWAYS describe shadcn as : a code-distribution platform that copies React component source files into the consumer project via a CLI, so the consumer owns the source outright and customises it freely. It is NOT a runtime dependency, NOT an npm package, NOT a traditional component library.

The official tagline (verified verbatim at https://ui.shadcn.com/docs) :

"This is not a component library. It is how you build your component library."

Four invariants