5 Things AI Can't Do, Even in ShadcnUI

Shadcn/UI is an open-source design system using Radix UI components and Tailwind classes. Though it positions itself with the goal of being AI-Ready where LLMs can read and understand the code, in the real world when working with Shadcn/UI components, AI-assisted tools can skip many critical details. This report examines five fundamental limitations specific to Shadcn/UI: component composition and semantics, style system nuances including class-based and Tailwind integration with variants, responsive layout and breakpoint examples, accessibility and ARIA integration, and build toolchain and scalability. For each topic, relevant technical detail is provided, concrete failure modes AI encounters are exemplified with code errors and deficiencies, real case examples from GitHub issues and blog posts are shown, and solution strategies are presented. For instance, Shadcn/UI components like Sheet and Dialog with Radix-based structures require correct semantic titles and descriptions. When AI