Use when creating, modifying, or reviewing web UI components. Triggers include "new component", "add component", "create UI", "build a widget", "update component", working with files in src/presentation/web/components/, or when the user asks to build any React component for the web UI. Part of the Shep autonomous SDLC platform — https://shep.bot
Scanned 5/27/2026
Install via CLI
openskills install shep-ai/shep---
name: shep:ui-component
description: Use when creating, modifying, or reviewing web UI components. Triggers include "new component", "add component", "create UI", "build a widget", "update component", working with files in src/presentation/web/components/, or when the user asks to build any React component for the web UI. Part of the Shep autonomous SDLC platform — https://shep.bot
metadata:
version: '1.0.0'
author: Shep AI (https://shep.bot)
homepage: https://shep.bot
repository: https://github.com/shep-ai/shep
---
# Web UI Component Development
Build React components following the four-tier architecture, with mandatory Storybook stories, `data-testid` attributes, and unit tests.
## Four-Tier Hierarchy
```
Tier 0: ui/ -> shadcn/ui primitives (managed by CLI, rarely hand-edited)
Tier 1: common/ -> Reusable composed components (combine ui/ primitives)
Tier 2: layouts/ -> Page shells, structural wrappers (use ui/ + common/)
Tier 3: features/ -> Domain-specific views bound to routes (use all tiers)
```
**Import rule:** A tier may only import from lower tiers, never upward.
```
features/ -> layouts/, common/, ui/
layouts/ -> common/, ui/
common/ -> ui/
ui/ -> external packages only
```
## File Structure
### Tier 0 (ui/) — flat files, no subfolder
```
components/ui/
button.tsx
button.stories.tsx
```
### Tier 1-3 — subfolder per component
```
components/common/feature-list-item/
feature-list-item.tsx # Implementation
feature-list-item.stories.tsx # Storybook stories (MANDATORY)
index.ts # Barrel export
```
**Barrel export template:**
```typescript
export { FeatureListItem } from './feature-list-item';
export type { FeatureListItemProps } from './feature-list-item';
```
After creating any Tier 1-3 component, add it to the tier-level barrel:
- `components/common/index.ts`
- `components/layouts/index.ts`
- `components/features/index.ts`
## Component Template
```typescript
'use client'; // Only if the component uses hooks, event handlers, or browser APIs
import { cn } from '@/lib/utils';
export interface MyComponentProps {
/** Brief prop description. */
label: string;
className?: string;
}
export function MyComponent({ label, className }: MyComponentProps) {
return (
<div
data-testid="my-component"
className={cn('base-classes', className)}
>
{label}
</div>
);
}
```
### Rules
1. **Named exports only** — no default exports for components.
2. **`'use client'`** — add only when the component uses hooks, event handlers, or browser APIs. Omit for pure render components.
3. **`className` prop** — accept and merge via `cn()` for composability.
4. **Props interface** — always export the interface alongside the component.
## data-testid Convention
Every component MUST include `data-testid` on its root element for test targeting.
### Naming scheme: `kebab-case`, scoped to the component
| Component | data-testid |
| ----------------------- | ------------------------- |
| `FeatureListItem` | `feature-list-item` |
| `FeatureStatusGroup` | `feature-status-group` |
| `SidebarCollapseToggle` | `sidebar-collapse-toggle` |
| `PageHeader` | `page-header` |
### Sub-elements: append a suffix
```typescript
<div data-testid="feature-list-item">
<span data-testid="feature-list-item-label">{name}</span>
<span data-testid="feature-list-item-meta">{duration}</span>
</div>
```
### When to add data-testid
- Root element of every component: **always**
- Sub-elements: only when tests need to target them specifically (labels, meta, actions)
- Primitives in `ui/`: use `data-slot` instead (shadcn convention)
### In tests, prefer data-testid queries
```typescript
screen.getByTestId('feature-list-item');
screen.getByTestId('feature-list-item-meta');
```
Fall back to role/text queries when `data-testid` is not set:
```typescript
screen.getByRole('button', { name: /submit/i });
screen.getByText('Auth Module');
```
## Storybook Stories (MANDATORY)
Every component MUST have a colocated `.stories.tsx` file. This is non-negotiable.
### Story template
```typescript
import type { Meta, StoryObj } from '@storybook/react';
import { MyComponent } from './my-component';
// IMPORTANT: Use explicit type annotation, NOT `satisfies Meta<>`
const meta: Meta<typeof MyComponent> = {
title: 'Composed/MyComponent', // See title prefixes below
component: MyComponent,
parameters: {
layout: 'padded', // 'centered' | 'padded' | 'fullscreen'
},
tags: ['autodocs'],
};
export default meta;
type Story = StoryObj<typeof meta>;
export const Default: Story = {
args: {
label: 'Example',
},
};
```
### Title prefixes by tier
| Tier | Prefix | Example |
| ----------- | ------------- | -------------------------- |
| `ui/` | `Primitives/` | `Primitives/Button` |
| `common/` | `Composed/` | `Composed/FeatureListItem` |
| `layouts/` | `Layout/` | `Layout/AppSidebar` |
| `features/` | `Features/` | `Features/VersionPage` |
### Decorators for context-dependent components
If the component requires a React context (e.g. `SidebarProvider`), wrap it:
```typescript
const meta: Meta<typeof SidebarNavItem> = {
// ...
decorators: [
(Story) => (
<SidebarProvider>
<SidebarMenu>
<Story />
</SidebarMenu>
</SidebarProvider>
),
],
};
```
Story-level decorator overrides (e.g. for alternate states):
```typescript
export const Collapsed: Story = {
args: { /* ... */ },
decorators: [
(Story) => (
<SidebarProvider defaultOpen={false}>
<Story />
</SidebarProvider>
),
],
};
```
### Args and Controls (CRITICAL)
Storybook controls only appear when stories define `args`. **Never use hardcoded render-only stories** — always define `args` so the Controls panel works.
**Standard components (flat props):** Use `component` in meta and `args` in stories. Controls are auto-generated.
```typescript
const meta: Meta<typeof MyComponent> = {
component: MyComponent,
args: {
label: 'Default label',
variant: 'primary',
},
};
export const Default: Story = {
args: {
label: 'Example',
},
};
```
**Wrapped/nested-data components (e.g. React Flow nodes):** When a component receives data through a nested object (like `{ data }`) or requires wrapper context that prevents using `component` directly, use the **existing data interface** as the args type. Storybook auto-infers controls from the `args` values — no `argTypes` needed. Do NOT create a duplicate args interface.
```typescript
import type { FeatureNodeData } from './feature-node-state-config';
// 1. Use the component's own data interface — controls auto-inferred from args
const meta: Meta<FeatureNodeData> = {
title: 'Composed/FeatureNode',
args: { name: 'Auth Module', state: 'running', progress: 45, featureId: '#f1', lifecycle: 'requirements' },
};
type Story = StoryObj<FeatureNodeData>;
// 2. Pass args directly as data — no mapping function needed
export const Default: Story = {
render: (args) => <FeatureNode id="n1" data={args} type="featureNode" />,
};
// 3. Stories needing callbacks pass them via story-level args
export const WithAction: Story = {
args: { onAction: () => undefined, onSettings: () => undefined },
render: (args) => <FeatureNode id="n1" data={args} type="featureNode" />,
};
```
Only add `argTypes` when you need to **override** defaults (e.g. `select` dropdown instead of free text, `range` slider instead of number input, or `{ table: { disable: true } }` to hide a field).
**Gallery/showcase stories** (AllStates, AllLifecycles) may use hardcoded render without args — controls are not useful when showing all variants at once. But the **Default** story must always have args.
### Story coverage requirements
Stories must cover:
- **Default state** — component with typical props
- **All meaningful variants** — each status, size, or visual variant
- **Edge cases** — empty content, long text, missing optional props
- **Interactive states** — with click handlers (use `() => alert('Clicked!')` or `fn()` from `@storybook/test`)
### Layout parameter guidelines
| Layout | When to use |
| ------------ | --------------------------------------------------- |
| `centered` | Small, standalone primitives (Button, Badge, Input) |
| `padded` | Medium composed components (ListItem, Card, Header) |
| `fullscreen` | Full-width layouts (Sidebar, Dashboard, Page) |
## Unit Tests
### File location
Mirror the component tier structure under `tests/unit/presentation/web/`:
```
tests/unit/presentation/web/
button.test.tsx # ui/ tier
common/feature-list-item.test.tsx # common/ tier
layouts/app-sidebar.test.tsx # layouts/ tier
features/version-page-client.test.tsx # features/ tier
```
### Test template
```typescript
import { describe, it, expect, vi } from 'vitest';
import { render, screen } from '@testing-library/react';
import userEvent from '@testing-library/user-event';
import { MyComponent } from '@/components/common/my-component';
describe('MyComponent', () => {
it('renders label text', () => {
render(<MyComponent label="Hello" />);
expect(screen.getByTestId('my-component')).toBeInTheDocument();
expect(screen.getByText('Hello')).toBeInTheDocument();
});
it('fires onClick when clicked', async () => {
const handleClick = vi.fn();
const user = userEvent.setup();
render(<MyComponent label="Click me" onClick={handleClick} />);
await user.click(screen.getByTestId('my-component'));
expect(handleClick).toHaveBeenCalledOnce();
});
it('applies custom className', () => {
render(<MyComponent label="Styled" className="custom-class" />);
expect(screen.getByTestId('my-component')).toHaveClass('custom-class');
});
});
```
### Context-dependent component helper
```typescript
import { SidebarProvider } from '@/components/ui/sidebar';
function renderWithSidebar(ui: React.ReactElement) {
return render(<SidebarProvider>{ui}</SidebarProvider>);
}
```
### Timer/interval testing
```typescript
beforeEach(() => vi.useFakeTimers());
afterEach(() => vi.useRealTimers());
it('updates after 1 second', () => {
vi.setSystemTime(Date.now());
render(<ElapsedTime startedAt={Date.now()} />);
act(() => vi.advanceTimersByTime(1000));
expect(screen.getByText('00:01')).toBeInTheDocument();
});
```
## Styling Patterns
### Tailwind + cn() for conditional classes
```typescript
import { cn } from '@/lib/utils';
<div className={cn(
'flex items-center gap-2 rounded-md px-2',
isActive && 'bg-sidebar-accent text-sidebar-accent-foreground',
className
)} />
```
### CVA for variant-driven components
```typescript
import { cva, type VariantProps } from 'class-variance-authority';
const myVariants = cva('base-classes', {
variants: {
variant: {
default: 'bg-primary text-primary-foreground',
outline: 'border bg-background',
},
size: {
default: 'h-9 px-4',
sm: 'h-7 px-3 text-xs',
},
},
defaultVariants: {
variant: 'default',
size: 'default',
},
});
```
### Design tokens — use semantic color names
```
bg-background, text-foreground # Page-level
bg-primary, text-primary-foreground # Brand actions
bg-muted, text-muted-foreground # De-emphasized
bg-sidebar-accent # Sidebar hover/active
text-destructive # Errors
border, bg-input # Form elements
```
### Numeric display: always use `tabular-nums`
```typescript
<span className="tabular-nums">05:30</span>
```
### Icons: lucide-react
```typescript
import { Home, CircleAlert, Loader2 } from 'lucide-react';
import type { LucideIcon } from 'lucide-react';
// As prop type
interface Props {
icon: LucideIcon;
}
// Semantic icon coloring
<CircleAlert className="text-amber-500" />
<Loader2 className="text-blue-500 animate-spin" />
<CircleCheck className="text-emerald-500" />
```
## Checklist
Before considering a component done, verify:
- [ ] Component file created with proper structure
- [ ] `data-testid` on root element (and sub-elements where needed)
- [ ] Props interface exported
- [ ] `className` prop accepted and merged via `cn()`
- [ ] Barrel export (`index.ts`) created
- [ ] Tier-level barrel updated (`common/index.ts`, etc.)
- [ ] Storybook stories colocated with all variants covered
- [ ] Default story has `args` defined (controls must work)
- [ ] Stories use explicit `Meta<typeof X>` type annotation (not `satisfies`)
- [ ] Story title uses correct tier prefix (`Primitives/`, `Composed/`, `Layout/`, `Features/`)
- [ ] Unit test created in `tests/unit/presentation/web/[tier]/`
- [ ] `pnpm typecheck:web` passes
- [ ] `pnpm test:single tests/unit/presentation/web` passes
- [ ] `pnpm build:storybook` passes
## Common Mistakes
- **`satisfies Meta<>`** — causes TS2742 error. Use explicit type annotation instead.
- **Missing `'use client'`** — required when using `useState`, `useEffect`, event handlers.
- **Forgetting barrel exports** — both component-level `index.ts` and tier-level barrel.
- **Inline meta in stories** — no default exports, always `export const Default: Story`.
- **Missing `data-testid`** — every component root must have one.
- **Magic numbers in styles** — use design tokens and Tailwind spacing scale.
- **Uppercase in commit subjects** — commitlint rejects it; use all-lowercase.
- **Render-only stories without `args`** — controls panel will be empty. Always define `args`. For nested-data components, reuse the component's data interface as args type (don't create a duplicate), add `argTypes` for control customization, and pass `args` directly as data.
No comments yet. Be the first to comment!