beautiful-shadows — Claude Code skill: layered Tailwind shadows
A skill that hands your agent three exact Tailwind arbitrary shadow classes for cards, panels and popovers. Useful when default shadow-sm and shadow-lg look blunt.
npx skills add MengTo/Skills --skill beautiful-shadows -a claude-codeWhat beautiful-shadows does
The skill ships three presets: Beautiful sm, Beautiful md and Beautiful lg. Each one is a long Tailwind arbitrary value with several layers at different offsets and opacities. All neutral, no colored glow. Your agent picks the level by surface type — sm for compact cards, form controls and pills, md for cards, panels and popovers, lg for hero media, modal-like containers and feature callouts.
There is one file, SKILL.md, holding the descriptions, the classes and a markup example. No scripts, no build step. The agent drops the class into your JSX or HTML next to the fill and radius.
A few rules come with it. Don't mix these with the default Tailwind shadow scale on the same component, and don't stack several shadow utilities on one element. Beautiful lg on dense lists or tiny controls reads as too heavy. In low-contrast layouts a shadow is not a border — if separation rests on the shadow alone, that's worth checking.
What it helps with
- replace blunt default Tailwind shadows with layered ones
- pick a shadow for a card, panel or popover
- get neutral depth without colored tinting
- keep shadow levels consistent across surfaces
- lift a hero block or modal with a softer shadow
Example prompts for the agent
- apply Beautiful md to the product card
- use Beautiful sm on the button and the input
- put Beautiful lg on the modal container
How to install beautiful-shadows
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add MengTo/Skills --skill beautiful-shadows -a claude-code2Manually: put the files in place
~/.claude/skills/beautiful-shadows/SKILL.mdCopy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/beautiful-shadows/
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add MengTo/Skills --skill beautiful-shadows -a codex2Manually: put the files in place
.agents/skills/beautiful-shadows/SKILL.mdFor all projects use ~/.agents/skills/
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add MengTo/Skills --skill beautiful-shadows -a cursor2Manually: put the files in place
.cursor/skills/beautiful-shadows/SKILL.mdCursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/
1GitHub CLI
gh skill install MengTo/Skills beautiful-shadows2Manually: put the files in place
.github/skills/beautiful-shadows/SKILL.md1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add MengTo/Skills --skill beautiful-shadows -a gemini-cli2Platform CLI
gemini skills install https://github.com/MengTo/Skills --path agent-skills/web-design/beautiful-shadowsManually: put the files in place
.devin/skills/beautiful-shadows/SKILL.mdThe legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works
Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add MengTo/Skills --skill beautiful-shadows -a opencodeClaude.ai
Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills
Step by step, with commands for each platform: How to install skills in Claude Code: five ways
Questions about beautiful-shadows
How do I install beautiful-shadows in Claude?
Run npx skills add MengTo/Skills --skill beautiful-shadows -a claude-code. The skill lands at ~/.claude/skills/beautiful-shadows/SKILL.md.
What does beautiful-shadows do?
It gives the agent three exact Tailwind arbitrary shadow classes plus rules for when to use each. The shadows are layered and neutral, with no color tint.
Can I mix these shadows with the default Tailwind scale?
Not on the same component. Stacking multiple shadow utilities on one element is also off the table.
Source text
SKILL.md · MIT
--- name: beautiful-shadows description: Apply exact Tailwind arbitrary shadow utilities for polished, layered neutral elevation. Use when compact cards, controls, panels, popovers, hero media, feature callouts, or modal-like containers need refined shadows without default Tailwind shadow scales or colored tinting. --- # Beautiful Shadows ## Use When - A surface needs polished, layered elevation. - Default Tailwind shadows feel too generic or blunt. - The design needs neutral, refined depth without colored glow. ## Shadow Utilities Use these exact Tailwind classes. ### Beautiful sm Use for compact cards, form controls, pills, and quieter surfaces. ```txt shadow-[0px_2px_3px_-1px_rgba(0,0,0,0.1),0px_1px_0px_0px_rgba(25,28,33,0.02),0px_0px_0px_1px_rgba(25,28,33,0.08)] ``` ### Beautiful md Use for cards, panels, popovers, and the default elevated surface style. ```txt shadow-[0px_0px_0px_1px_rgba(0,0,0,0.06),0px_1px_1px_-0.5px_rgba(0,0,0,0.06),0px_3px_3px_-1.5px_rgba(0,0,0,0.06),_0px_6px_6px_-3px_rgba(0,0,0,0.06),0px_12px_12px_-6px_rgba(0,0,0,0.06),0px_24px_24px_-12px_rgba(0,0,0,0.06)] ``` ### Beautiful lg Use for hero media, feature callouts, modal-like containers, and the strongest lift. ```txt shadow-[0_2.8px_2.2px_rgba(0,_0,_0,_0.034),_0_6.7px_5.3px_rgba(0,_0,_0,_0.048),_0_12.5px_10px_rgba(0,_0,_0,_0.06),_0_22.3px_17.9px_rgba(0,_0,_0,_0.072),_0_41.8px_33.4px_rgba(0,_0,_0,_0.086),_0_100px_80px_rgba(0,_0,_0,_0.12)] ``` ## Examples ```html <div class="rounded-xl bg-white shadow-[0px_0px_0px_1px_rgba(0,0,0,0.06),0px_1px_1px_-0.5px_rgba(0,0,0,0.06),0px_3px_3px_-1.5px_rgba(0,0,0,0.06),_0px_6px_6px_-3px_rgba(0,0,0,0.06),0px_12px_12px_-6px_rgba(0,0,0,0.06),0px_24px_24px_-12px_rgba(0,0,0,0.06)]"> ... </div> ``` ## Usage Rules - Use `Beautiful sm` for compact cards, form controls, pills, and quieter surfaces. - Use `Beautiful md` for cards, panels, popovers, and the default elevated surface style. - Use `Beautiful lg` for hero media, feature callouts, modal-like containers, and the strongest lift. - Pair with a clean surface fill and a consistent radius. - Use one shadow strength per component state unless an interaction clearly changes elevation. ## Avoid - Mixing these with default Tailwind shadow scales on the same component. - Tinting these shadows with strong colors; keep them neutral and refined. - Applying `Beautiful lg` to dense lists or tiny controls. - Stacking multiple shadow utilities on one element. - Using these as a substitute for clear borders in very low-contrast layouts.
© MengTo · MIT · MengTo/Skills