mui-theming
MUI theming system — createTheme, palette, typography, dark mode, component overrides, TypeScript augmentation, and design tokens
What this skill does
# MUI Theming Skill
## createTheme() API
The `createTheme` function is the entry point for all MUI customization. It accepts a deeply partial theme object and merges it with the defaults.
```tsx
import { createTheme } from '@mui/material/styles';
const theme = createTheme({
palette: { ... },
typography: { ... },
spacing: 8, // base spacing unit in px (default: 8)
shape: { borderRadius: 8 },
breakpoints: { ... },
shadows: [...],
transitions: { ... },
zIndex: { ... },
});
```
---
## Palette
### Standard palette colors
```tsx
const theme = createTheme({
palette: {
primary: {
light: '#757ce8',
main: '#3f50b5',
dark: '#002884',
contrastText: '#fff',
},
secondary: {
light: '#ff7961',
main: '#f44336',
dark: '#ba000d',
contrastText: '#000',
},
error: { main: '#d32f2f' },
warning: { main: '#ed6c02' },
info: { main: '#0288d1' },
success: { main: '#2e7d32' },
},
});
```
MUI auto-generates `light`, `dark`, and `contrastText` from `main` if you omit them.
### Custom palette colors with augmentColor
```tsx
const theme = createTheme({
palette: {
// augmentColor adds light/dark/contrastText automatically
neutral: theme.palette.augmentColor({
color: { main: '#64748b' },
name: 'neutral',
}),
brand: theme.palette.augmentColor({
color: { main: '#6366f1', light: '#818cf8', dark: '#4f46e5' },
name: 'brand',
}),
},
});
```
Use a two-step createTheme call when augmentColor needs the base theme:
```tsx
let theme = createTheme();
theme = createTheme(theme, {
palette: {
salmon: theme.palette.augmentColor({
color: { main: '#FF5733' },
name: 'salmon',
}),
},
});
```
### Background and text
```tsx
palette: {
background: {
default: '#f5f5f5',
paper: '#ffffff',
},
text: {
primary: 'rgba(0,0,0,0.87)',
secondary: 'rgba(0,0,0,0.6)',
disabled: 'rgba(0,0,0,0.38)',
},
divider: 'rgba(0,0,0,0.12)',
action: {
active: 'rgba(0,0,0,0.54)',
hover: 'rgba(0,0,0,0.04)',
selected: 'rgba(0,0,0,0.08)',
disabled: 'rgba(0,0,0,0.26)',
disabledBackground: 'rgba(0,0,0,0.12)',
focus: 'rgba(0,0,0,0.12)',
},
},
```
---
## Typography
```tsx
const theme = createTheme({
typography: {
fontFamily: '"Inter", "Roboto", "Helvetica", "Arial", sans-serif',
fontSize: 14, // base font size (rem calculation root)
htmlFontSize: 16, // <html> font size for rem calculations
fontWeightLight: 300,
fontWeightRegular: 400,
fontWeightMedium: 500,
fontWeightBold: 700,
h1: { fontSize: '2.5rem', fontWeight: 700, lineHeight: 1.2, letterSpacing: '-0.01562em' },
h2: { fontSize: '2rem', fontWeight: 700, lineHeight: 1.3 },
h3: { fontSize: '1.75rem', fontWeight: 600, lineHeight: 1.3 },
h4: { fontSize: '1.5rem', fontWeight: 600, lineHeight: 1.4 },
h5: { fontSize: '1.25rem', fontWeight: 600, lineHeight: 1.5 },
h6: { fontSize: '1rem', fontWeight: 600, lineHeight: 1.6 },
subtitle1: { fontSize: '1rem', fontWeight: 400, lineHeight: 1.75 },
subtitle2: { fontSize: '0.875rem', fontWeight: 500, lineHeight: 1.57 },
body1: { fontSize: '1rem', fontWeight: 400, lineHeight: 1.5 },
body2: { fontSize: '0.875rem', fontWeight: 400, lineHeight: 1.43 },
button: { fontSize: '0.875rem', fontWeight: 600, textTransform: 'none' }, // disable ALL_CAPS
caption: { fontSize: '0.75rem', fontWeight: 400, lineHeight: 1.66 },
overline: { fontSize: '0.75rem', fontWeight: 400, textTransform: 'uppercase', letterSpacing: '0.08333em' },
},
});
```
### Responsive typography
```tsx
typography: {
h1: {
fontSize: '2rem',
[theme.breakpoints.up('md')]: { fontSize: '3rem' },
[theme.breakpoints.up('lg')]: { fontSize: '4rem' },
},
},
```
---
## Spacing
The spacing scale is factor-based. Default unit is 8px.
```tsx
const theme = createTheme({ spacing: 8 }); // default
theme.spacing(1) // '8px'
theme.spacing(2) // '16px'
theme.spacing(0.5) // '4px'
theme.spacing(1, 2) // '8px 16px'
theme.spacing(1, 2, 3, 4) // '8px 16px 24px 32px'
// Custom spacing function
const theme = createTheme({
spacing: (factor: number) => `${0.25 * factor}rem`,
});
```
---
## Breakpoints
```tsx
const theme = createTheme({
breakpoints: {
values: {
xs: 0,
sm: 600,
md: 900,
lg: 1200,
xl: 1536,
// Add custom breakpoints:
mobile: 0,
tablet: 640,
laptop: 1024,
desktop: 1200,
},
},
});
// Usage in sx
<Box sx={{ fontSize: { xs: '1rem', md: '1.5rem', lg: '2rem' } }} />
// Usage in styles
theme.breakpoints.up('md') // '@media (min-width:900px)'
theme.breakpoints.down('md') // '@media (max-width:899.95px)'
theme.breakpoints.between('sm', 'md') // '@media (min-width:600px) and (max-width:899.95px)'
theme.breakpoints.only('md') // '@media (min-width:900px) and (max-width:1199.95px)'
```
---
## Shape, Shadows, Transitions, zIndex
```tsx
const theme = createTheme({
shape: {
borderRadius: 8, // default: 4
},
// shadows[0] = 'none', shadows[1-24] = elevation levels
shadows: [
'none',
'0px 2px 1px -1px rgba(0,0,0,0.2),0px 1px 1px 0px rgba(0,0,0,0.14),0px 1px 3px 0px rgba(0,0,0,0.12)',
// ... (24 levels total — override individual elevations selectively)
...Array(23).fill('none'),
],
transitions: {
duration: {
shortest: 150,
shorter: 200,
short: 250,
standard: 300,
complex: 375,
enteringScreen: 225,
leavingScreen: 195,
},
easing: {
easeInOut: 'cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1)',
easeOut: 'cubic-bezier(0.0, 0, 0.2, 1)',
easeIn: 'cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 1, 1)',
sharp: 'cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.6, 1)',
},
},
zIndex: {
mobileStepper: 1000,
fab: 1050,
speedDial: 1050,
appBar: 1100,
drawer: 1200,
modal: 1300,
snackbar: 1400,
tooltip: 1500,
},
});
```
---
## ThemeProvider and CssBaseline
```tsx
import { ThemeProvider, CssBaseline } from '@mui/material';
import { createTheme } from '@mui/material/styles';
const theme = createTheme({ ... });
function App() {
return (
<ThemeProvider theme={theme}>
{/* CssBaseline normalizes browser styles and sets body background */}
<CssBaseline />
<YourApp />
</ThemeProvider>
);
}
```
---
## Dark Mode
### Static dark mode
```tsx
const darkTheme = createTheme({
palette: {
mode: 'dark',
// MUI auto-adjusts all palette colors for dark mode
// Override as needed:
primary: { main: '#90caf9' },
background: {
default: '#121212',
paper: '#1e1e1e',
},
},
});
```
### Dynamic dark mode with ColorModeContext
```tsx
import React, { createContext, useContext, useMemo, useState } from 'react';
import { ThemeProvider, createTheme } from '@mui/material/styles';
import CssBaseline from '@mui/material/CssBaseline';
// Create context
const ColorModeContext = createContext({ toggleColorMode: () => {} });
export function useColorMode() {
return useContext(ColorModeContext);
}
export function ColorModeProvider({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) {
const [mode, setMode] = useState<'light' | 'dark'>('light');
const colorMode = useMemo(
() => ({
toggleColorMode: () =>
setMode((prev) => (prev === 'light' ? 'dark' : 'light')),
}),
[]
);
const theme = useMemo(
() =>
createTheme({
palette: { mode },
}),
[mode]
);
return (
<ColorModeContext.Provider value={colorMode}>
<ThemeProvider theme={theme}>
<CssBaseline />
{children}
</ThemeProvider>
</ColorModeContext.Provider>
);
}
// In a component:
function DarkModeToggle() {
const { toggleColorMode } = useColorMode();
return <IconButton onClick={toggleColorMode}><Brightness4Icon /></IconButton>;
}
```
### System preference detection
```tsx
imporRelated in Design
contribute
IncludedLocal-only OSS contribution command center. Auto-refreshes the user's in-flight PR and issue state on invoke so conversations start with full context — no need to brief Claude on what's in flight. Helps the user find issues to contribute to on GitHub, builds per-repo dossiers of what each upstream expects (CLA, DCO, branch convention, AI policy, draft-first, review bots, issue templates), runs deterministic gates before any external action so AI-assisted contributions don't reach maintainers as slop. State is markdown-only: candidate files at ~/.contribute-system/candidates/, repo dossiers at ~/.contribute-system/research/, append-only event log at ~/.contribute-system/log.jsonl. No database, no cloud calls. Use when the user asks about their PRs / issues / contributions, wants to find new work to take on, claim an issue, build/refresh a repo's dossier, or draft a Design Issue or PR. Trigger with "/contribute", "what's my PR status", "find a contribution", "claim issue X", "draft a Design Issue for Y", "refresh dossier for Z".
architectural-analysis
IncludedUser-triggered deep architectural analysis of a codebase or scoped subtree across eight modes — information architecture, data flow, integration points, UI surfaces, interaction patterns, data model, control flow, and failure modes. This skill should be used when the user asks to "diagram this codebase," "map the architecture," "show the data flow," "give me an ERD," "trace control flow," "find the integration points," "verify the layout pattern," "audit the UX architecture," or any similar request whose primary deliverable is mermaid diagrams plus cited reports under docs/architecture/. Dispatches haiku/sonnet sub-agents in parallel for per-mode exploration, then verifies every citation mechanically before any node lands in a diagram. Not for one-off prose explanations of code (use code-explanation) or for high-level system design from scratch (use system-design).
mcp
IncludedModel Context Protocol (MCP) server development and tool management. Languages: Python, TypeScript. Capabilities: build MCP servers, integrate external APIs, discover/execute MCP tools, manage multi-server configs, design agent-centric tools. Actions: create, build, integrate, discover, execute, configure MCP servers/tools. Keywords: MCP, Model Context Protocol, MCP server, MCP tool, stdio transport, SSE transport, tool discovery, resource provider, prompt template, external API integration, Gemini CLI MCP, Claude MCP, agent tools, tool execution, server config. Use when: building MCP servers, integrating external APIs as MCP tools, discovering available MCP tools, executing MCP capabilities, configuring multi-server setups, designing tools for AI agents.
react-native-skia
IncludedDesign, build, debug, and optimise high-polish animated graphics in React Native or Expo using @shopify/react-native-skia, Reanimated, and Gesture Handler. Use when the user wants canvas-driven UI, shaders, paths, rich text, image filters, sprite fields, Skottie, video frames, snapshots, web CanvasKit setup, or performance tuning for custom motion-heavy elements such as loaders, hero art, cards, charts, progress indicators, particle systems, or gesture-driven surfaces. Also use when the user asks for fluid, glow, glass, blob, parallax, 60fps/120fps, or GPU-friendly animated effects in React Native, even if they do not explicitly say "Skia". Do not use for ordinary form/layout work with standard views.
plaid
IncludedProduct Led AI Development — guides founders from idea to launched product. Six capabilities: Idea (discover a product idea), Validate (pressure-test the idea against fatal flaws, problem reality, competition, and 2-week MVP feasibility), Plan (vision intake + document generation), Design (translate image references into a design.md spec), Launch (go-to-market strategy), and Build (roadmap execution). Use when someone says "PLAID", "plaid idea", "help me find an idea", "product idea", "idea from my business", "idea from my expertise", "plaid validate", "validate my idea", "pressure-test", "is this idea good", "find fatal flaws", "validate the problem", "plan a product", "define my vision", "generate a PRD", "product strategy", "plaid design", "design from image", "translate image to design", "create design.md", "extract design tokens", "plaid launch", "go-to-market", "launch plan", "GTM strategy", "launch playbook", "plaid build", "build the app", "start building", or "execute the roadmap".
nextjs-framer-motion-animations
IncludedAdds production-safe Motion for React or Framer Motion animations to Next.js apps, including reveal, hover and tap micro-interactions, whileInView, stagger, AnimatePresence, layout and layoutId transitions, reorder, scroll-linked UI, and lightweight route-content transitions. Use when the user asks to add, refactor, or debug Motion or Framer Motion in App Router or Pages Router codebases, especially around server/client boundaries, reduced motion, LazyMotion, bundle size, hydration, or route transitions. Avoid for GSAP-style timelines, WebGL or 3D scenes, heavy scroll storytelling, or CSS-only effects unless Motion is explicitly requested.