What is the pick-ui-library skill?
pick-ui-library is a lookup skill in Emil Kowalski's skills repository. You describe a frontend task, such as toasts, charts or drag and drop, and it matches the task to one library from a curated list. It only runs when you invoke it, and it checks your package.json first.
pick-ui-library is a lookup skill in Emil Kowalski's skills repository. Given a task such as "I need toasts", it matches the task to a curated list and recommends one library, rather than letting the agent hand-roll a component or install an abandoned package.
Its frontmatter sets disable-model-invocation, so it only runs when you invoke it. The list is described as deliberate, taste-driven picks, and the skill does not substitute alternatives unless you ask or the task is not covered.
What the curated list covers
- UI primitives: base-ui for unstyled accessible components, cmdk for command menus, Sonner for toasts and input-otp for verification codes.
- Motion and visuals: motion for springs and layout animation, NumberFlow for animated numbers, plus torph, Cobe, Satori and shiki.
- Charts: Liveline for real-time charts that scroll with time, and recharts for everything else.
- Interaction: dnd kit for drag and drop and Virtuoso for long lists.
- State and styling: zustand, clsx, cva and next-themes.
How the skill decides
- It identifies the task, not the library you named, so a dropdown request is a UI-primitives task.
- It reads package.json first and keeps an installed listed library, flagging but not swapping a competitor.
- It recommends one library with a one-sentence reason, and says plainly when the task is outside the list.
Who the pick-ui-library skill is for
Best for
- Projects where agents keep building toasts, dropdowns or counters by hand.
- Developers who want one opinionated answer instead of a menu of options.
- Teams that already use libraries on the list and want agents to stay consistent.
Not for
- Component rules inside a shadcn/ui project. The shadcn skill covers that.
- Visual direction. Pair it with design-taste-frontend for taste.
- Tasks the list does not cover, where the skill falls back to the model's own knowledge.
Use it with UiChemy
The libraries on this list are for front ends you ship as code. For a WordPress site, UiChemy builds there instead: AI to WordPress imports an AI-built page and Composer edits it in Elementor or Gutenberg. Click Get Started on uichemy.com.
How to install Pick UI Library Skill: Curated Frontend Library Picks
git clone https://github.com/emilkowalski/skillsClone the repository
Run
git clone https://github.com/emilkowalski/skills. The skill is the skills/pick-ui-library folder.Copy the skill folder
Copy skills/pick-ui-library into the folder your AI coding agent loads skills from. The README does not name an agent folder, so check your agent's documentation.
Invoke it explicitly
The skill does not trigger on its own. Name it in your request, for example: use pick-ui-library, I need toasts for this app.
Check that it loaded
Invoke the skill with a task such as drag and drop. It should recommend dnd kit with a one-sentence reason, after checking whether package.json already lists a library.
Key features
- Task-first matchingThe skill identifies what the task is before looking at which library was named, so a dropdown request maps to UI primitives.
- Package check firstIt reads package.json before recommending. An installed library from the list is used, and a competitor is flagged without churning the dependency.
- One recommendationIt states the pick and its job in one sentence and installs or wires it up if the request includes that, instead of presenting a menu.
- UI primitives listbase-ui, cmdk, Sonner and input-otp cover accessible components, command menus, toasts and one-time code inputs.
- Motion and visuals listmotion, NumberFlow, torph, Cobe, Satori and shiki cover animation, animated numbers and text, 3D globes, OG images and syntax highlighting.
- Chart splitLiveline is for live data that scrolls with time. recharts handles every other chart.
- Interaction and performancednd kit handles drag and drop, and Virtuoso handles long lists and large tables.
- State and styling pickszustand for state, clsx for conditional classes, cva for typed variants and next-themes for flash-free dark mode.
- Common mismatch catchesIt flags hand-built toasts, div-based dropdowns with manual focus handling, numbers animated by re-rendering text, and 1,000-row lists rendered directly.
Frequently asked questions
What is the pick-ui-library skill?
It is a lookup skill in the emilkowalski/skills repository. You describe a frontend task and it recommends one library from Emil Kowalski's curated list, covering UI primitives, motion, charts, interaction, state and styling. It runs only when you invoke it.
How do I install pick-ui-library?
Clone github.com/emilkowalski/skills and copy skills/pick-ui-library into the folder your agent loads skills from. The README also shows a skills-CLI command for the whole repository, but copying the folder installs only this skill.
Which libraries does pick-ui-library recommend?
Examples from the list: Sonner for toasts, cmdk for command menus, base-ui for primitives, recharts and Liveline for charts, dnd kit for drag and drop, Virtuoso for long lists, zustand for state and cva for variants. The full list is in SKILL.md.
Will pick-ui-library replace libraries I already use?
No. It reads package.json first. If a listed library is already installed it uses it, and if you use a competitor it flags the recommendation without changing the dependency unless you ask.
Does it run automatically?
No. The frontmatter sets disable-model-invocation, so the skill runs only when you explicitly invoke it by name. Invoked without a question, it responds with a short ready message and nothing else, then waits for your task.
Does it work with shadcn/ui projects?
The two cover different jobs. pick-ui-library chooses libraries for a task, while the shadcn skill teaches component rules inside a shadcn/ui project. The shadcn MCP server searches and installs registry items.
What license does pick-ui-library use?
The emilkowalski/skills repository uses the MIT license, as GitHub shows. The 130.3K install figure on this page comes from a third-party skills listing, not from the repository, so treat it as a popularity signal only.