shadcn/ui announced that Base UI is now the default component library for new projects, effective July 2026.

Radix remains supported for existing applications.

The library launched in January 2023 built on Radix, which offered headless, accessible components.

The same team that created Radix introduced Base UI as a separate library.

Community members asked whether Radix would be replaced, and the team said switching libraries could be risky for production applications.

New projects created with npx shadcn init automatically select Base UI.

The shadcn/create command lists Base UI first.

Documentation pages open on the Base UI tab by default.

Radix documentation remains accessible with one click.

Radix is not being deprecated.

Updates and new components will be released for both libraries.

Users can continue using Radix in existing applications without migration.

A migration skill is available for developers who want to move components from Radix to Base UI.

The skill processes one component at a time.

It creates a report in .migration and a separate git branch for each component.

Rollback is possible by deleting the branch.

In June 2026 the team released chat interface components: MessageScroller, Message, Bubble, Attachment and Marker.

MessageScroller handles scrolling, message threading and visibility tracking.

The other components provide layout, bubble styling, attachment support and status markers.

Two CSS utilities, scroll-fade and shimmer, improve visual feedback in long lists.

The @shadcn/react package was introduced for unstyled, headless React components.

Its first component, message-scroller, implements interaction logic that works with both libraries.

GitHub registries can now be used as source registries for shadcn items.

A registry.json file at the repository root defines installable items.

The shadcn CLI reads the file, resolves includes and installs the requested files without building or publishing.

shadcn/tailwind.css provides shared Tailwind utilities for both libraries and is imported automatically during init.

An eject command inlines the CSS into the project stylesheet and removes the dependency.

A new style named Rhea, described as a more compact version of Luma, is available in shadcn/create for both libraries.

It adjusts component sizes and spacing while keeping Tailwind's utility scale unchanged.

The library will continue to support both libraries and welcomes community feedback on future updates.