Gluestack UI v4 - Styling Patterns

This sub-skill focuses on styling patterns, theming, colors, spacing, dark mode, and variant management for gluestack-ui v4.

Rule 3: Semantic Color Tokens Over Raw Values (v4)

CRITICAL: You MUST use only Gluestack v4 semantic tokens. Generic tokens like typography-*, neutral-*, gray-*, slate-*, or any numbered color tokens (red-500, blue-600, etc.) are STRICTLY PROHIBITED.

Prohibited Token Patterns

NEVER use these token patterns:

Prohibited Pattern	Why It's Wrong	Use Instead
typography-*	Generic, not semantic	text-foreground, text-muted-foreground, text-card-foreground
neutral-*	Generic, not semantic	text-foreground, bg-background, bg-muted
gray-*, slate-*	Raw color, not semantic	text-muted-foreground, bg-muted, border-border
text-red-500, bg-red-600	Numbered colors, not semantic	text-destructive, bg-destructive
text-green-500, bg-green-600	Numbered colors, not semantic	text-primary (for success states)
text-blue-500, bg-blue-600	Numbered colors, not semantic	text-primary, bg-primary
border-gray-200	Raw color, not semantic	border-border
#DC2626, #3b82f6 (inline)	Hex values, not semantic	text-destructive, bg-primary
bg-white, bg-black	Raw colors, not semantic	bg-background, text-foreground
text-opacity-*	Opacity utilities	Use alpha values: text-foreground/70

Correct Semantic Token Replacement Guide

Use Gluestack v4 semantic tokens instead of raw Tailwind colors or arbitrary values:

Instead of	Use
text-red-500	text-destructive
text-green-500	text-primary (for success)
text-blue-500	text-primary
text-gray-500, text-neutral-500	text-muted-foreground
text-gray-900, text-typography-900	text-foreground
bg-blue-600	bg-primary
bg-gray-100, bg-neutral-100	bg-muted
bg-gray-50	bg-background
border-gray-200, border-neutral-200	border-border
#DC2626 (inline)	text-destructive
bg-white	bg-background
text-black	text-foreground

Available Semantic Token Categories (v4)

Token	Purpose	Usage Example
primary	Brand identity, key interactive elements	bg-primary, text-primary
primary-foreground	Text on primary backgrounds	text-primary-foreground
secondary	Secondary actions, supporting elements	bg-secondary
secondary-foreground	Text on secondary backgrounds	text-secondary-foreground
background	Main background color	bg-background
foreground	Main text color	text-foreground
card	Card backgrounds	bg-card
card-foreground	Text on card backgrounds	text-card-foreground
popover	Popover/modal backgrounds	bg-popover
popover-foreground	Text on popover backgrounds	text-popover-foreground
muted	Muted backgrounds	bg-muted
muted-foreground	Muted text color	text-muted-foreground
destructive	Error states, destructive actions	bg-destructive, text-destructive
border	Border colors	border-border
input	Input border colors	border-input
ring	Focus ring colors	ring-ring
accent	Accent highlights	bg-accent
accent-foreground	Text on accent backgrounds	text-accent-foreground

CRITICAL: Why Semantic Tokens Are Mandatory

Semantic tokens are NOT optional. They are required for:

1. Theme Consistency - Tokens automatically adapt to light/dark modes
2. Maintainability - Change theme once, update everywhere
3. Intent Expression - text-destructive communicates purpose, text-red-500 doesn't
4. Future-Proofing - Theme changes don't require code updates
5. Accessibility - Tokens ensure proper contrast ratios

If you use generic tokens (typography-*, neutral-*) or numbered colors (gray-500, blue-600), the component will:

• Break in dark mode
• Fail to match the design system
• Create maintenance debt
• Violate gluestack-ui v4 design principles

Alpha Values

All color tokens support alpha values using the / syntax:

// ✅ CORRECT: Using alpha values with semantic tokens
<Box className="bg-primary/90" />
<Text className="text-foreground/70" />
<Box className="border-border/80" />

// ❌ INCORRECT: Never use opacity utilities
<Text className="text-gray-900 opacity-70" />
<Box className="bg-blue-500 bg-opacity-90" />

// ✅ CORRECT: Alpha values, not opacity utilities
<Text className="text-foreground/70" />
<Box className="bg-primary/90" />

Correct Pattern

<Box className="bg-destructive">
  <Text className="text-white">Error message</Text>
</Box>

<Box className="border border-border bg-card">
  <Text className="text-card-foreground">Success!</Text>
</Box>

<Box className="bg-primary/90">
  <Text className="text-primary-foreground">Primary action</Text>
</Box>

Incorrect Pattern

// ❌ PROHIBITED: Numbered color tokens
<Box className="bg-red-500">
  <Text className="text-white">Error message</Text>
</Box>

// ❌ PROHIBITED: Inline hex values
<Box style={{ backgroundColor: '#DC2626' }}>
  <Text style={{ color: 'green' }}>Success!</Text>
</Box>

// ❌ PROHIBITED: Arbitrary color values
<Box className="bg-[#3b82f6]">
  <Text className="text-[#ffffff]">Primary action</Text>
</Box>

// ❌ PROHIBITED: Generic tokens (typography, neutral)
<Text className="text-typography-900">Heading</Text>
<Box className="bg-neutral-100">
  <Text className="text-neutral-600">Description</Text>
</Box>

// ❌ PROHIBITED: Gray/Slate color scales
<Text className="text-gray-700">Content</Text>
<Box className="bg-slate-100 border-gray-300">
  <Text className="text-gray-900">Text</Text>
</Box>

// ❌ PROHIBITED: Opacity utilities instead of alpha
<Text className="text-black opacity-70">Muted text</Text>
<Box className="bg-blue-600 bg-opacity-90">Content</Box>

Rule 3: No Inline Styles

Avoid inline style props when className can achieve the same result.

Resolution Hierarchy (in order of preference)

1. className utilities - Use existing Tailwind/NativeWind classes
2. Gluestack component variants - Use built-in component variants
3. tva (Tailwind Variant Authority) - Create reusable variant patterns
4. NativeWind interop - Enable className on third-party components
5. Inline styles - Only as absolute last resort with documented justification

Correct Pattern

<Box className="w-20 h-20 rounded-full bg-background" />

<Text size="lg" bold className="text-foreground" />

<Button variant="outline" size="lg">
  <ButtonText>Click Me</ButtonText>
</Button>

Incorrect Pattern

<Box
  style={{
    width: 80,
    height: 80,
    borderRadius: 40,
    backgroundColor: "rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.1)",
  }}
/>

<Text style={{ fontSize: 18, fontWeight: "bold", color: "#000" }} />

Acceptable Exceptions

Inline styles are acceptable for:

1. Dynamic values - Values computed at runtime (e.g., animation values, safe area insets)
2. Third-party component requirements - Components that don't support className
3. Platform-specific overrides - When Platform.select is needed

// Acceptable: dynamic value from hook
<Box style={{ paddingBottom: bottomInset }} />

// Acceptable: animation value
<Animated.View style={{ transform: [{ translateX: animatedValue }] }} />

// Acceptable: platform-specific
<Box style={Platform.select({ ios: { paddingTop: 20 }, android: {} })} />

Rule 4: Spacing Scale Adherence

Use only values from the standard spacing scale. Arbitrary values create maintenance burden.

Allowed Spacing Values

Class	Size
0	0px
0.5	2px
1	4px
1.5	6px
2	8px
2.5	10px
3	12px
3.5	14px
4	16px
5	20px
6	24px
7	28px
8	32px
9	36px
10	40px
11	44px
12	48px
14	56px
16	64px
20	80px
24	96px
28	112px
32	128px
36	144px
40	160px
44	176px
48	192px
52	208px
56	224px
60	240px
64	256px
72	288px
80	320px
96	384px

Prohibited Patterns

• Arbitrary values: p-[13px], m-[27px], gap-[15px]
• Non-scale decimals: p-2.7, m-4.3

Correct Pattern

<Box className="p-4 m-2 gap-3" />
<Box className="px-6 py-4 mt-8" />

Incorrect Pattern

<Box className="p-[13px] m-[27px]" />
<Box style={{ padding: 13, margin: 27 }} />

Rule 5: Dark Mode Using CSS Variables

Use the dark: prefix for dark mode support. Gluestack v4 uses CSS variables that automatically adapt to light/dark themes.

Correct Pattern

<Box className="bg-background dark:bg-background" />
<Text className="text-foreground dark:text-foreground" />

<Box className="border border-border dark:border-border" />

Component-Level Dark Mode

const CardView = ({ isDark }: { readonly isDark: boolean }) => (
  <Box className={isDark ? "bg-card" : "bg-background"}>
    <Text className={isDark ? "text-card-foreground" : "text-foreground"}>
      Content
    </Text>
  </Box>
);

Using Data Attributes for States

Gluestack components use data attributes for interactive states. These are automatically applied by the components based on user interaction:

State Prop	Data Attribute	Usage in className
hover	data-hover	data-[hover=true]:bg-primary/90
active	data-active	data-[active=true]:bg-primary/80
disabled	data-disabled	data-[disabled=true]:opacity-50
focusVisible	data-focus-visible	data-[focus-visible=true]:ring-2
focus	data-focus	data-[focus=true]:border-ring
invalid	data-invalid	data-[invalid=true]:border-destructive
checked	data-checked	data-[checked=true]:bg-primary

// Correct: Using data attributes for states in tva
const buttonStyle = tva({
  base: 'rounded-md',
  variants: {
    variant: {
      default: 'bg-primary data-[hover=true]:bg-primary/90 data-[active=true]:bg-primary/80',
      destructive: 'bg-destructive data-[hover=true]:bg-destructive/90',
    },
  },
});

// Correct: Data attributes work automatically with component props
<Button disabled={isLoading}>
  <ButtonText>Submit</ButtonText>
</Button>

<Input isInvalid={hasError}>
  <InputField placeholder="Email" />
</Input>

Rule 7: Variant-Based Styling with tva

For components with multiple style variants, use tva (Tailwind Variant Authority).

Correct Pattern

import { tva } from "@gluestack-ui/utils/nativewind-utils";

const cardStyles = tva({
  base: "rounded-lg p-4",
  variants: {
    variant: {
      default: "bg-card border border-border shadow-sm",
      elevated: "bg-card shadow-hard-2",
      outlined: "bg-transparent border border-border",
      filled: "bg-muted",
    },
    size: {
      sm: "p-2",
      md: "p-4",
      lg: "p-6",
    },
  },
  defaultVariants: {
    variant: "default",
    size: "md",
  },
});

const Card = ({ variant, size, className }: CardProps) => (
  <Box className={cardStyles({ variant, size, class: className })} />
);

Using Parent Variants

For sub-components that inherit parent styles:

const buttonTextStyle = tva({
  base: "font-sans",
  parentVariants: {
    variant: {
      default: "text-primary-foreground",
      destructive: "text-white",
      outline: "text-foreground",
    },
    size: {
      sm: "text-xs",
      md: "text-sm",
      lg: "text-base",
    },
  },
});

Rule 8: className Merging for Custom Components

Allow className override in custom components using the class parameter in tva.

Correct Pattern

interface BoxCardProps {
  readonly className?: string;
  readonly children: React.ReactNode;
}

const BoxCard = ({ className, children }: BoxCardProps) => {
  const cardStyles = tva({
    base: "rounded-lg bg-card p-4",
  });

  return <Box className={cardStyles({ class: className })}>{children}</Box>;
};

Using withStyleContext for Parent-Child Communication

For components that need to share context with children:

import {
  withStyleContext,
  useStyleContext,
} from "@gluestack-ui/utils/nativewind-utils";

const SCOPE = "CUSTOM_COMPONENT";
const Root = withStyleContext(View, SCOPE);

const Parent = ({ variant, children }) => (
  <Root context={{ variant }} className={parentStyles({ variant })}>
    {children}
  </Root>
);

const Child = () => {
  const { variant } = useStyleContext(SCOPE);
  return <Box className={childStyles({ parentVariants: { variant } })} />;
};

Layout Components Pattern

// ✅ CORRECT: Using space prop instead of gap className
<VStack space="lg" className="p-4">
  <HStack space="md" className="items-center justify-between">
    <Heading size="xl">Title</Heading>
    <Button variant="default" size="sm">
      <ButtonText>Action</ButtonText>
    </Button>
  </HStack>
  <Box className="bg-card rounded-lg p-4">
    <Text size="md">Content</Text>
  </Box>
</VStack>

Anti-Patterns to Avoid

❌ Don't: Use Generic or Non-Semantic Tokens

STRICTLY PROHIBITED - These token patterns are never allowed:

// ❌ PROHIBITED: Generic typography tokens
<Text className="text-typography-900">Heading</Text>
<Text className="text-typography-700">Body</Text>
<Text className="text-typography-500">Muted</Text>

// ✅ CORRECT: Semantic tokens
<Text className="text-foreground">Heading</Text>
<Text className="text-foreground">Body</Text>
<Text className="text-muted-foreground">Muted</Text>

// ❌ PROHIBITED: Neutral color tokens
<Box className="bg-neutral-100" />
<Text className="text-neutral-600" />
<Box className="border-neutral-300" />

// ✅ CORRECT: Semantic tokens
<Box className="bg-muted" />
<Text className="text-muted-foreground" />
<Box className="border-border" />

// ❌ PROHIBITED: Gray/Slate color scales
<Box className="bg-gray-50" />
<Text className="text-gray-900" />
<Box className="border-gray-200" />
<Text className="text-slate-700" />

// ✅ CORRECT: Semantic tokens
<Box className="bg-background" />
<Text className="text-foreground" />
<Box className="border-border" />
<Text className="text-foreground" />

// ❌ PROHIBITED: Numbered color tokens
<Box className="bg-blue-600" />
<Text className="text-red-500" />
<Box className="border-green-400" />

// ✅ CORRECT: Semantic tokens
<Box className="bg-primary" />
<Text className="text-destructive" />
<Box className="border-primary" />

❌ Don't: Use Raw Color Values

// ❌ PROHIBITED: Arbitrary hex values
<Box className="bg-[#3b82f6]" />
<Text className="text-[#DC2626]" />
<Box style={{ backgroundColor: '#f3f4f6' }} />

// ✅ CORRECT: Semantic tokens
<Box className="bg-primary" />
<Text className="text-destructive" />
<Box className="bg-muted" />

// ❌ PROHIBITED: Named colors
<Text style={{ color: 'red' }} />
<Box style={{ backgroundColor: 'white' }} />

// ✅ CORRECT: Semantic tokens
<Text className="text-destructive" />
<Box className="bg-background" />

❌ Don't: Use Inline Styles When className Works

// ❌ Incorrect
<Box style={{ padding: 16, backgroundColor: '#fff' }} />

// ✅ Correct
<Box className="p-4 bg-background" />

❌ Don't: Use Arbitrary Spacing Values

// ❌ Incorrect
<Box className="p-[13px] m-[27px]" />

// ✅ Correct
<Box className="p-3 m-6" />

Common Styling Patterns

Card with Semantic Tokens

<Box className="bg-card rounded-lg border border-border p-4 shadow-sm">
  <Heading size="lg" className="text-card-foreground">
    Title
  </Heading>
  <Text size="sm" className="text-muted-foreground">
    Description
  </Text>
</Box>

Button Variants with tva

const buttonStyles = tva({
  base: "rounded-md px-4 py-2",
  variants: {
    variant: {
      default: "bg-primary text-primary-foreground",
      destructive: "bg-destructive text-white",
      outline: "border border-border bg-transparent text-foreground",
      ghost: "bg-transparent text-foreground",
    },
  },
});

<Button className={buttonStyles({ variant: "outline" })}>
  <ButtonText>Click Me</ButtonText>
</Button>

Dark Mode Support

<Box className="bg-background dark:bg-background">
  <Text className="text-foreground dark:text-foreground">
    Adaptive content
  </Text>
  <Box className="border border-border dark:border-border">
    <Text className="text-muted-foreground dark:text-muted-foreground">
      Muted text
    </Text>
  </Box>
</Box>

Token Usage Validation

How to Validate Token Usage

Before committing any code, verify that you're using ONLY semantic tokens:

✅ ALLOWED Token Patterns:

• text-foreground, text-muted-foreground, text-card-foreground
• text-primary, text-primary-foreground
• text-secondary, text-secondary-foreground
• text-destructive, text-accent, text-accent-foreground
• bg-background, bg-card, bg-muted, bg-popover
• bg-primary, bg-secondary, bg-destructive, bg-accent
• border-border, border-input, ring-ring
• Alpha values: text-foreground/70, bg-primary/90, border-border/50

❌ PROHIBITED Token Patterns:

• ❌ typography-* (typography-900, typography-700, etc.)
• ❌ neutral-* (neutral-100, neutral-600, etc.)
• ❌ gray-* (gray-50, gray-900, etc.)
• ❌ slate-* (slate-700, slate-200, etc.)
• ❌ Numbered colors: red-500, blue-600, green-400
• ❌ Arbitrary values: [#3b82f6], [#DC2626]
• ❌ Named colors: 'red', 'white', 'black'
• ❌ Opacity utilities: opacity-70, bg-opacity-90

Token Validation Checklist

Before submitting code, verify:

• No typography-* tokens - Replace with text-foreground or text-muted-foreground
• No neutral-* tokens - Replace with semantic equivalents
• No gray-* or slate-* tokens - Replace with semantic equivalents
• No numbered color tokens - Replace with semantic tokens
• No arbitrary color values - Replace with semantic tokens
• No inline style colors - Use className with semantic tokens
• No opacity utilities - Use alpha values instead (/70, /90)
• All colors are semantic - Every color token expresses intent
• Dark mode compatible - Semantic tokens work in both themes
• Reviewed token table - Verified against available semantic tokens list

Common Token Violations and Fixes

// ❌ VIOLATION: typography tokens
<Text className="text-typography-900">Title</Text>
<Text className="text-typography-600">Description</Text>

// ✅ FIX: Use semantic tokens
<Text className="text-foreground">Title</Text>
<Text className="text-muted-foreground">Description</Text>

// ❌ VIOLATION: neutral tokens
<Box className="bg-neutral-50 border-neutral-200">
  <Text className="text-neutral-700">Content</Text>
</Box>

// ✅ FIX: Use semantic tokens
<Box className="bg-background border-border">
  <Text className="text-foreground">Content</Text>
</Box>

// ❌ VIOLATION: gray scale tokens
<Box className="bg-gray-100">
  <Text className="text-gray-900">Heading</Text>
  <Text className="text-gray-500">Subtitle</Text>
</Box>

// ✅ FIX: Use semantic tokens
<Box className="bg-muted">
  <Text className="text-foreground">Heading</Text>
  <Text className="text-muted-foreground">Subtitle</Text>
</Box>

// ❌ VIOLATION: Numbered colors with opacity
<Text className="text-blue-600 opacity-70">Link</Text>
<Box className="bg-red-500 bg-opacity-10">Alert</Box>

// ✅ FIX: Use semantic tokens with alpha
<Text className="text-primary/70">Link</Text>
<Box className="bg-destructive/10">Alert</Box>

Escalation Guidance

When a design request cannot be satisfied with existing patterns:

1. Push back early - Explain performance and maintenance implications
2. Propose alternatives - Map to existing tokens or suggest new semantic tokens
3. Add to design system - If truly needed, add token to gluestack-ui-provider/config.ts
4. Document exception - If inline style is unavoidable, add JSDoc explaining why

Reference

• Theme Configuration: @/components/ui/gluestack-ui-provider/config.ts
• Tailwind Config: ./tailwind.config.js
• Documentation: https://v4.gluestack.io/ui/docs