MUI (Material UI) Patterns

Quick Guide: MUI provides pre-styled React components implementing Material Design. Use createTheme + ThemeProvider for global theming, sx prop for one-off styles, styled() for reusable styled components, and slots/slotProps for deep component customization. Prefer path imports in development for faster builds. Current: v7.x (March 2025) -- CSS layers support, standardized slot pattern, Grid v2 promoted, React 19 compatible. MUI X v8 for DataGrid, DatePicker, Charts.

---

<critical_requirements>

CRITICAL: Before Using This Skill

All code must follow project conventions in CLAUDE.md (kebab-case, named exports, import ordering, import type, named constants)

(You MUST wrap the app in ThemeProvider with a createTheme() instance -- never use MUI components without a theme)

(You MUST use path imports (@mui/material/Button) in development for faster startup -- barrel imports (@mui/material) cause 6x slower dev builds)

(You MUST use slots/slotProps for component inner-element customization -- componentsProps is deprecated in v7)

(You MUST use theme.applyStyles('dark', {...}) for dark mode conditional styles -- never use theme.palette.mode === 'dark' which causes flickering)

</critical_requirements>

---

Auto-detection: MUI, Material UI, @mui/material, @mui/system, @mui/icons-material, @mui/x-data-grid, @mui/x-date-pickers, createTheme, ThemeProvider, sx prop, styled, CssBaseline, useTheme, useMediaQuery, DataGrid, DatePicker, AppBar, Drawer, Dialog, Snackbar, TextField, Autocomplete, slotProps

When to use:

• Building React applications with pre-styled Material Design components
• Creating themed UIs with consistent design tokens (palette, typography, spacing)
• Implementing complex data views with DataGrid, DatePicker, or Charts (MUI X)
• Building admin dashboards, forms, and CRUD interfaces rapidly

When NOT to use:

• Headless/unstyled components needed (use a headless component library instead)
• Minimal bundle size is critical (MUI adds significant weight)
• Non-Material Design aesthetic required without heavy theme customization
• Server Components needed as primary rendering strategy (MUI components are client-only)

Key patterns covered:

• Theme setup, color schemes, and dark mode
• sx prop styling (theme-aware, responsive, callbacks)
• styled() API for reusable components
• Slots/slotProps for component customization (v7)
• Layout components (Grid, Stack, Box, Container)
• TypeScript theme augmentation

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Detailed Resources:

• examples/core.md -- ThemeProvider, createTheme, CssBaseline, color schemes, dark mode toggle, TypeScript augmentation, Next.js integration, CSS layers
• examples/form-inputs.md -- TextField, Select, Autocomplete, slots/slotProps customization
• examples/layout.md -- Grid, Stack, Box, Container, responsive card grid
• examples/data-grid.md -- @mui/x-data-grid columns, pagination, custom rendering
• examples/feedback.md -- Dialog, Snackbar, Alert, Skeleton, CircularProgress
• examples/navigation.md -- AppBar, Drawer, Tabs, responsive dashboard layout
• examples/styling.md -- styled() API, sx prop patterns, dark mode styling, custom props
• reference.md -- Decision frameworks, anti-patterns, quick reference tables

---

<philosophy>

Philosophy

MUI implements Material Design as a comprehensive React component library. It provides:

• Design System: Complete palette, typography, spacing, shadows, and breakpoint tokens
• Pre-styled Components: 50+ components with consistent visual language
• Customization Layers: From simple sx overrides to deep theme-level component restyling
• Accessibility: Built-in ARIA attributes, keyboard navigation, and focus management

Core Principle: Theme drives everything. Define your design tokens in createTheme(), and all components inherit consistent styling. Override at the component level with sx, styled(), or slots/slotProps.

MUI v7 Key Changes (March 2025):

• CSS layers support via enableCssLayer (integrates with utility-first CSS frameworks)
• Standardized slots/slotProps across all components (replaces components/componentsProps)
• Grid v2 promoted to Grid (old Grid renamed to GridLegacy)
• Lab components graduated to @mui/material (Alert, Skeleton, Autocomplete, etc.)
• Package layout updated for ESM/CJS dual support (no deep imports beyond one level)
• React 19 full compatibility

Pigment CSS Status: MUI's zero-runtime CSS-in-JS engine is currently on hold / alpha. Production apps should continue using the default Emotion-based styling engine.

</philosophy>

---

<patterns>

Core Patterns

Pattern 1: Theme Setup and Configuration

Every MUI app starts with createTheme() and ThemeProvider. The theme defines all design tokens.

import { createTheme, ThemeProvider, CssBaseline } from "@mui/material";

const theme = createTheme({
  palette: {
    primary: { main: "#1976d2" },
    secondary: { main: "#9c27b0" },
  },
  typography: {
    fontFamily: '"Inter", "Roboto", "Helvetica", "Arial", sans-serif',
    button: { textTransform: "none" },
  },
  shape: { borderRadius: 8 },
  spacing: 8,
});

function App({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) {
  return (
    <ThemeProvider theme={theme}>
      <CssBaseline />
      {children}
    </ThemeProvider>
  );
}

export { App };

Why good: Centralized design tokens, CssBaseline normalizes cross-browser styles, all children inherit theme

For production-ready theme with color schemes, dark mode, component overrides, and TypeScript augmentation, see examples/core.md.

---

Pattern 2: CSS Variables and Dark Mode

MUI v7 supports CSS variables natively. Use colorSchemes for flicker-free light/dark mode.

const theme = createTheme({
  cssVariables: { colorSchemeSelector: "data" },
  colorSchemes: {
    light: { palette: { primary: { main: "#1976d2" } } },
    dark: { palette: { primary: { main: "#90caf9" } } },
  },
});

Toggle with the useColorScheme hook:

import { useColorScheme } from "@mui/material/styles";
const { mode, setMode } = useColorScheme();
setMode(mode === "light" ? "dark" : "light");

Why good: CSS variables prevent flash of wrong theme on SSR, persists preference to localStorage

// BAD: Causes SSR flicker
backgroundColor: theme.palette.mode === "dark" ? "#333" : "#fff";
// GOOD: Use applyStyles in styled()
...theme.applyStyles("dark", { backgroundColor: "#1a1a2e" });

For full dark mode toggle component, see examples/core.md.

---

Pattern 3: The sx Prop

The sx prop is MUI's primary styling escape hatch. It accesses theme values, supports responsive breakpoints, and handles pseudo-selectors.

<Box
  sx={{
    p: 3,                         // theme.spacing(3) = 24px
    bgcolor: "background.paper",  // theme.palette.background.paper
    borderRadius: 1,              // theme.shape.borderRadius * 1
    boxShadow: 3,                 // theme.shadows[3]
    width: { xs: "100%", md: "50%" }, // Responsive
    "&:hover": { boxShadow: 6 },
  }}
/>

Why good: Theme-aware shorthand properties, responsive without media queries

// BAD: Inline styles bypass theme
<Box style={{ padding: 24, backgroundColor: "#1976d2" }}>

Why bad: Hardcoded values, no theme consistency, no responsive support, no dark mode awareness

For callback syntax and advanced sx patterns, see examples/styling.md.

---

Pattern 4: styled() API for Reusable Components

Use styled() when you need a reusable component with theme-aware styles. Prefer sx for one-off styles.

import { styled } from "@mui/material/styles";
import Card from "@mui/material/Card";

const HOVER_ELEVATION = 8;

const StyledCard = styled(Card)(({ theme }) => ({
  padding: theme.spacing(3),
  borderRadius: theme.shape.borderRadius * 2,
  "&:hover": { boxShadow: theme.shadows[HOVER_ELEVATION] },
  ...theme.applyStyles("dark", {
    backgroundColor: theme.palette.grey[900],
  }),
}));

export { StyledCard };

Why good: Reusable, theme-aware, dark mode handled with applyStyles

For styled with custom props (shouldForwardProp), gradient buttons, and more, see examples/styling.md.

---

Pattern 5: Slots and SlotProps (v7 Standard)

In MUI v7, slots and slotProps are the standardized API for customizing component inner elements. The older components/componentsProps API is deprecated.

<Autocomplete
  slots={{ paper: Paper }}
  slotProps={{
    paper: { elevation: 8, sx: { borderRadius: 2 } },
    listbox: { sx: { maxHeight: 300 } },
  }}
  renderInput={(params) => <TextField {...params} label="Framework" />}
/>

Why good: Standardized API across all MUI components, replaces deprecated patterns

// BAD: Deprecated in v7
<Autocomplete componentsProps={{ paper: { elevation: 8 } }} />

For callback slotProps and advanced customization, see examples/form-inputs.md.

---

Pattern 6: Layout Components

MUI provides Box, Stack, Grid, and Container for layout. In v7, Grid is the former Grid2.

// Grid: 12-column responsive layout (v7 uses size prop)
const SIDEBAR_COLUMNS = 4;
const MAIN_COLUMNS = 8;

<Grid container spacing={3}>
  <Grid size={{ xs: 12, md: SIDEBAR_COLUMNS }}><Sidebar /></Grid>
  <Grid size={{ xs: 12, md: MAIN_COLUMNS }}><MainContent /></Grid>
</Grid>

// Stack: single-axis layout with consistent spacing
<Stack direction={{ xs: "column", sm: "row" }} spacing={2}>
  <Button variant="contained">Save</Button>
  <Button variant="outlined">Cancel</Button>
</Stack>

// Container: centered content with maxWidth
<Container maxWidth="lg" sx={{ py: 4 }}>{children}</Container>

When to use each: Box (flex/sx wrapper), Stack (single axis), Grid (12-column), Container (page centering)

For product card grids, dashboard layouts, and more, see examples/layout.md.

---

Pattern 7: TypeScript Theme Augmentation

Extend MUI's theme type system when adding custom palette colors or typography variants.

// theme-augmentation.d.ts
declare module "@mui/material/styles" {
  interface Palette {
    neutral: Palette["primary"];
  }
  interface PaletteOptions {
    neutral?: PaletteOptions["primary"];
  }
}
declare module "@mui/material/Button" {
  interface ButtonPropsColorOverrides {
    neutral: true;
  }
}

Then use in theme and components:

const theme = createTheme({
  palette: { neutral: { main: "#64748b", contrastText: "#fff" } },
});
<Button color="neutral" variant="contained">Neutral</Button>

Why good: Full type safety, IDE autocomplete for custom colors/variants

For complete augmentation with typography variants, see examples/core.md.

---

Pattern 8: Next.js App Router Integration

MUI requires AppRouterCacheProvider from @mui/material-nextjs for proper SSR style injection.

// app/layout.tsx
import { AppRouterCacheProvider } from "@mui/material-nextjs/v15-appRouter";
import { ThemeProvider } from "@mui/material/styles";
import CssBaseline from "@mui/material/CssBaseline";

function RootLayout({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) {
  return (
    <html lang="en">
      <body>
        <AppRouterCacheProvider>
          <ThemeProvider theme={theme}>
            <CssBaseline />
            {children}
          </ThemeProvider>
        </AppRouterCacheProvider>
      </body>
    </html>
  );
}

export default RootLayout; // Next.js requires default export for layouts

Why good: Prevents style hydration mismatches, CSS layers enable predictable specificity with utility-first CSS

For CSS layers integration and Vite setup, see examples/core.md.

</patterns>

---

<performance>

Performance Optimization

Import Optimization

// GOOD: Path imports -- fast in development
import Button from "@mui/material/Button";
import DeleteIcon from "@mui/icons-material/Delete";

// BAD: Barrel imports -- 6x slower dev startup
import { Button } from "@mui/material";
import { Delete } from "@mui/icons-material";

Path imports skip barrel file parsing. @mui/icons-material has 2000+ modules -- barrel imports force parsing all of them.

Exception: Next.js 13.5+ auto-optimizes via optimizePackageImports.

Memoize Expensive Props

// GOOD: Columns outside component (stable reference)
const columns: GridColDef[] = [
  { field: "id", headerName: "ID", width: 90 },
];
function Table({ rows }: { rows: User[] }) {
  return <DataGrid rows={rows} columns={columns} />;
}

// BAD: Inline columns cause re-render every parent render

Stable Slot References

// GOOD: Defined outside render
const CustomPaper = (props: PaperProps) => <Paper {...props} elevation={8} />;
<Autocomplete slots={{ paper: CustomPaper }} />

// BAD: Inline function causes remount every render
<Autocomplete slots={{ paper: (props) => <Paper {...props} /> }} />

ESLint Rule for Import Enforcement

{
  "rules": {
    "no-restricted-imports": [
      "error",
      {
        "patterns": [
          {
            "regex": "^@mui/[^/]+$",
            "message": "Use path imports: import Button from '@mui/material/Button'"
          }
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
}

</performance>

---

<decision_framework>

Decision Framework

Styling Approach

How many places will this style be used?
+-- One place --> sx prop (inline, theme-aware)
+-- Multiple places (same type) --> styled() (reusable, typed)
+-- All instances of a component --> theme.components (global override)
+-- Customize inner elements --> slots/slotProps

Layout Component Selection

What kind of layout?
+-- Single axis (row or column) --> Stack
+-- 12-column grid --> Grid
+-- Centered page content --> Container
+-- Flexible box with sx --> Box
+-- Both axes + complex --> Grid (nested)

Component vs Custom Build

Does MUI have this component?
+-- YES --> Use it
|   +-- Minor style changes --> sx prop
|   +-- Structural changes --> slots/slotProps
|   +-- Completely different behavior --> Build custom
+-- NO --> Build custom
    +-- Simple interaction --> Base HTML + sx
    +-- Complex interaction --> Consider a headless component library

Color Scheme Strategy

Do you need dark mode?
+-- YES --> Use colorSchemes in createTheme
|   +-- System preference only --> cssVariables: true
|   +-- Manual toggle --> useColorScheme hook
|   +-- Both --> colorSchemeSelector: "data" + useColorScheme
+-- NO --> Single palette in createTheme

MUI X Component Selection

What data display do you need?
+-- Tabular data
|   +-- Simple (< 100 rows, no editing) --> Table component
|   +-- Complex (sorting, filtering, pagination) --> DataGrid
|   +-- Large dataset (100K+ rows) --> DataGridPro (virtualized)
+-- Date/time input --> DatePicker / DateTimePicker
+-- Charts --> MUI X Charts
+-- Tree structure --> TreeView

</decision_framework>

---

<integration>

Integration Notes

React 19: Full compatibility in MUI v7.

SSR Frameworks: Use @mui/material-nextjs with AppRouterCacheProvider for Next.js App Router. See examples/core.md for setup.

CSS Layers: Enable with enableCssLayer to integrate with utility-first CSS frameworks. Allows predictable specificity ordering.

Form Libraries: MUI TextField works with any form library via inputRef for registration or controlled value/onChange props. Map validation errors to helperText and error props.

Styling Engine: Emotion is the default and only production-ready engine. @emotion/react and @emotion/styled are required peer dependencies.

Package Ecosystem:

Package	Purpose	Version
@mui/material	Core components (Button, TextField, etc.)	v7.x
@mui/system	sx prop, styled(), ThemeProvider	v7.x
@mui/icons-material	2000+ Material Design icons	v7.x
@mui/x-data-grid	DataGrid (free tier)	v8.x
@mui/x-data-grid-pro	DataGrid Pro (sorting, filtering, etc.)	v8.x
@mui/x-date-pickers	DatePicker, TimePicker	v8.x
@mui/x-charts	Bar, Line, Pie, Scatter charts	v8.x
@mui/x-tree-view	TreeView component	v8.x
@mui/material-nextjs	Next.js SSR integration	v7.x
@emotion/react	Required peer dependency	v11.x
@emotion/styled	Required peer dependency	v11.x

</integration>

---

<red_flags>

RED FLAGS

High Priority Issues:

• Using theme.palette.mode === 'dark' for conditional styles (causes SSR flicker -- use theme.applyStyles('dark', {...}))
• Missing ThemeProvider wrapper (components render with MUI defaults instead of your design tokens)
• Using barrel imports from @mui/material or @mui/icons-material (6x slower dev builds)
• Inline object/function definitions in slots prop (causes component remount every render)

Medium Priority Issues:

• Using deprecated components/componentsProps instead of slots/slotProps (removed in future versions)
• Using GridLegacy instead of the new Grid component with size prop
• Hardcoding colors/spacing instead of using theme tokens (#1976d2 vs primary.main)
• Using style prop instead of sx (bypasses theme, no responsive support)
• Deep importing beyond one level: @mui/material/styles/createTheme (broken in v7 ESM)

Common Mistakes:

• Forgetting CssBaseline (inconsistent cross-browser baseline styles)
• Not memoizing DataGrid columns array (causes unnecessary re-renders)
• Using @mui/lab for graduated components (Alert, Skeleton, etc. are now in @mui/material)
• Missing TypeScript augmentation for custom palette colors (no autocomplete, type errors at usage)
• Setting zIndex manually on MUI components (conflicts with MUI's z-index scale)

Gotchas & Edge Cases:

• MUI components are client-only -- they require 'use client' in Next.js App Router pages, not just layout
• sx prop arrays merge styles left-to-right; later items override earlier ones (useful for conditional styles)
• spacing theme value is a multiplier, not pixels: spacing(2) = 2 * 8px = 16px by default
• Grid size prop in v7 replaces xs/sm/md/lg/xl individual props from Grid2
• TextField is a composed component (Input + InputLabel + FormHelperText) -- use slotProps.input to target the actual input element
• Dialog TransitionProps must not remount the Transition component -- keep it stable between renders
• useMediaQuery returns false during SSR -- design for mobile-first and handle the hydration mismatch
• createTheme is not tree-shakeable -- a large theme config doesn't increase bundle, but unused components still need tree shaking via path imports

</red_flags>

---

<critical_reminders>

CRITICAL REMINDERS

All code must follow project conventions in CLAUDE.md (kebab-case, named exports, import ordering, import type, named constants)

(You MUST wrap the app in ThemeProvider with a createTheme() instance -- never use MUI components without a theme)

(You MUST use path imports (@mui/material/Button) in development for faster startup -- barrel imports (@mui/material) cause 6x slower dev builds)

(You MUST use slots/slotProps for component inner-element customization -- componentsProps is deprecated in v7)

(You MUST use theme.applyStyles('dark', {...}) for dark mode conditional styles -- never use theme.palette.mode === 'dark' which causes flickering)

Failure to follow these rules will cause SSR flickering, degraded dev performance, and deprecated API usage.

</critical_reminders>