# AGENTS.md
This file provides guidance for AI agents working with code in this repository.
## Package Manager
**Only pnpm is supported** (yarn/npm will fail). Use the `-F` flag for workspace operations:
```bash
pnpm -F @mui/material add some-package # Add dependency to a package
pnpm -F @mui/material build # Build a specific package
```
Never use `cd` to navigate into package directories for commands.
## Common Commands
### Development
```bash
pnpm install # Install deps if necessary
pnpm docs:dev # Start docs dev server only
```
### Building
```bash
pnpm release:build # Build all packages (except docs)
pnpm docs:build # Build documentation site
```
### Testing
```bash
pnpm test:unit # Run all unit tests (jsdom)
pnpm test:unit ComponentName # Run tests matching pattern
pnpm test:unit -t "test name" # Grep for specific test name
pnpm test:browser # Run tests in real browsers (Chrome, Firefox, WebKit)
pnpm test:e2e # End-to-end tests
pnpm test:regressions # Visual regression tests
```
### Code Quality
```bash
pnpm prettier # Format staged changes
pnpm eslint # Lint with cache
pnpm typescript # Type check all packages
```
### API Documentation
After changing component props or TypeScript declarations:
```bash
pnpm proptypes && pnpm docs:api
```
### Docs demos
Always author the TypeScript version of the demos. To generate the JavaScript variant, run:
```bash
pnpm docs:typescript:formatted
```
## Architecture
This is a monorepo managed by Lerna with Nx for caching. Key packages:
- `@mui/material` - Core Material UI components
- `@mui/system` - Styling system (sx prop, styled, theme)
- `@mui/lab` - Experimental components (new components go here first)
- `@mui/icons-material` - Material Design icons
- `@mui/utils` - Internal utilities
- `@mui/styled-engine` - CSS-in-JS abstraction (Emotion by default)
Internal packages (not published): `@mui-internal/*`, `@mui/internal-*`
## Code Conventions
### TypeScript
- Use `interface` (not `type`) for component props
- Export `{ComponentName}Props` interface from component files
- Path aliases available: `@mui/material` → `./packages/mui-material/src`
### Errors
These guidelines only apply for errors thrown from public packages.
Every error message must:
1. **Say what happened** - Describe the problem clearly
2. **Say why it's a problem** - Explain the consequence
3. **Point toward how to solve it** - Give actionable guidance
Format:
- Prefix with `MUI: `
- Use string concatenation for readability
- Include a documentation link when applicable (`https://mui.com/r/...`)
#### Error Minifier
Use the `/* minify-error */` comment to activate the babel plugin:
```tsx
throw /* minify-error */ new Error(
'MUI: Expected valid input target. ' +
'Did you use a custom `inputComponent` and forget to forward refs? ' +
'See https://mui.com/r/input-component-ref-interface for more info.',
);
```
The minifier works with both `Error` and `TypeError` constructors.
#### After Adding/Updating Errors
Run `pnpm extract-error-codes` to update `docs/public/static/error-codes.json`.
**Important:** If the update created a new error code, but the new and original message have the same number of arguments and semantics haven't changed, update the original error in `error-codes.json` instead of creating a new code.
### Component Structure
```text
packages/mui-material/src/Button/
├── Button.tsx # Component implementation
├── Button.d.ts # TypeScript declarations (for JSDoc API docs)
├── Button.test.js # Unit tests
├── buttonClasses.ts # CSS classes
└── index.ts # Public exports
```
### Testing
- Use `createRenderer()` from `@mui/internal-test-utils`
- Use Chai BDD-style assertions (`expect(x).to.equal(y)`)
- Custom matchers: `toErrorDev()`, `toWarnDev()` for console assertions
- Prefer testing components with full interactions using `user.*` methods. Avoid `fireEvent` and `setProps` if possible.
- If tests require the browser because, for example, they require layout measurements, restrict it to the Chromium env by using `it.skipIf(isJsdom())` or `describe.skipIf(isJsdom())` (search other tests for example usage if unsure).
```js
import { createRenderer } from '@mui/internal-test-utils';
describe('Button', () => {
const { render } = createRenderer();
it('renders children', async () => {
const handleClick = vi.fn();
const { getByRole, user } = render();
const button = getByRole('button');
expect(button).to.have.text('Hello');
await user.click(button);
expect(handleClick).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
});
});
```
### Accessibility Testing
axe-core runs inside the visual-regression Playwright loop (`test/regressions/index.test.js`) — no separate browser session. Screenshots and a11y are independent: a demo can opt out of one and still run the other.
Key files:
- `test/regressions/demoMeta.ts` — `SCREENSHOT_RULES` and `A11Y_RULES` arrays, matched last-wins (no inheritance: overrides restate every field) against `docs/data/material/components/{slug}/{Demo}` (minimatch globs).
- `test/regressions/a11y/axe.ts` — asserts `color-contrast` and `link-in-text-block` unless listed in `skipAssertions`.
- `test/regressions/a11y/a11yReporter.ts` — writes one file per slug at `docs/data/material/components/{slug}/{slug}.a11y.json`. Each file is keyed by demo name, then by axe rule ID. Each rule records a `status` (`pass`, `fail`, or `incomplete`) and WCAG tags.
Enroll a component (slug-wide, or narrow with brace-glob):
```ts
// test/regressions/demoMeta.ts
{ test: 'docs/data/material/components/alert/*', enabled: true, skipAssertions: ['color-contrast'] },
{ test: 'docs/data/material/components/buttons/{BasicButtons,ColorButtons}', enabled: true },
```
Override a specific demo: append a per-demo rule _after_ the slug-wide rule (last-match-wins; the override must restate every field it wants):
```ts
{ test: 'docs/data/material/components/popover/AnchorPlayground', enabled: false }, // Redux isolation
```
Run `pnpm test:regressions` to refresh the `*.a11y.json` files. CI fails if any are stale.
For local iteration, scope the run with vitest's `-t` test-name filter (matched against the `it()` strings, which contain the route). Non-matching tests are skipped — their bodies don't execute, so the browser never navigates to those routes.
```bash
# in one terminal
pnpm test:regressions:server
# in another — note no `--`, pnpm forwards args directly
pnpm test:regressions:run -t '/docs-components-buttons/' # one slug
pnpm test:regressions:run -t '/docs-components-buttons/BasicButtons$' # one demo
pnpm test:regressions:run -t '/docs-components-(buttons|chips)/' # multiple slugs
```
Filtered runs only refresh the matched slugs' `*.a11y.json`. Run the unfiltered `pnpm test:regressions` before pushing.
### Imports
Use one-level deep imports to avoid bundling entire packages:
```js
import Button from '@mui/material/Button'; // Good
import { Button } from '@mui/material'; // Avoid in packages
```
## Agent Skills
Packaged guidance for common integration topics lives under `skills/`. Each skill is a self-contained directory:
| Skill | Focus |
| :--------------------------------------------------------------------- | :---------------------------------------------------------- |
| [skills/material-ui-styling](./skills/material-ui-styling/AGENTS.md) | `sx`, `styled()`, theme overrides, slots, global CSS |
| [skills/material-ui-theming](./skills/material-ui-theming/AGENTS.md) | `createTheme`, design tokens, `colorSchemes`, CSS variables |
| [skills/material-ui-nextjs](./skills/material-ui-nextjs/AGENTS.md) | App/Pages Router, Emotion cache, `next/font`, `Link`, SSR |
| [skills/material-ui-tailwind](./skills/material-ui-tailwind/AGENTS.md) | Tailwind v4 `@layer`, `enableCssLayer`, v3 interop |
Read the relevant `AGENTS.md` when helping users with those topics.
## Pre-PR Checklist
1. `pnpm prettier` - Format code
2. `pnpm eslint` - Pass linting
3. `pnpm typescript` - Pass type checking
4. `pnpm test:unit` - Pass unit tests
5. If API changed: `pnpm proptypes && pnpm docs:api`
6. If demos changed: `pnpm docs:typescript:formatted`
7. If `.md` files changed: `pnpm vale ...` - Check prose style and grammar
## PR Title Format
`[component] Imperative description`
Examples:
- `[button] Add loading state`
- `[docs] Fix typo in Grid documentation`