Webflow Code Component:local Dev Setup

Local Dev Setup

Set up a new Webflow Code Components project from scratch.

When to Use This Skill

Use when:

• Starting a brand new code components project
• User asks to set up, initialize, or create a new project
• Adding code components to an existing React project
• Setting up the development environment for the first time

Do NOT use when:

• Project already exists and is configured (just answer questions directly)
• Creating individual components (use component-scaffold instead)
• Deploying components (use deploy-guide instead)

Instructions

Phase 1: Assess Current State

1. Check if project exists:

   • Is there an existing package.json?
   • Is there an existing webflow.json?
   • What’s the current project structure?

2. Determine setup type:

   • New project from scratch
   • Add to existing React project
   • Add to existing Next.js/Vite project

Phase 2: Project Initialization

3. Create project structure (if new):

   • Initialize npm project
   • Set up TypeScript
   • Create folder structure

4. Install dependencies:

   • Core: React, TypeScript
   • Webflow: CLI, data-types, react utils
   • Optional: Styling libraries

Phase 3: Configuration

5. Create webflow.json:

   • Set library name
   • Configure component glob pattern
   • Set up globals if needed

6. Configure TypeScript:

   • Set up tsconfig.json
   • Enable JSX support

Phase 4: Create Starter Files

7. Create example component:

   • Simple Button component
   • Definition file
   • Basic styling

8. Create globals file (optional):

   • For shared styles
   • For decorators

Phase 5: Verify Setup

9. Verify bundle compiles:

   • Run npx webflow library bundle --public-path http://localhost:4000/ to catch build errors locally
   • This verifies your components, imports, and configuration are correct
   • Full testing in the Webflow Designer requires deploying with npx webflow library share

10. Provide next steps:

    • How to create more components
    • How to deploy
    • Development workflow

Examples

For detailed step-by-step examples, see references/EXAMPLES.md (opens in a new tab).

Available examples:

1. New Project from Scratch - Complete setup with React, TypeScript, and CSS Modules
2. Add to Existing React Project - Integrate code components into an existing codebase
3. With Tailwind CSS - Setup with Tailwind CSS support

Quick Start (New Project):

# 1. Create project
mkdir my-webflow-components && cd my-webflow-components
npm init -y

# 2. Install dependencies
npm install react react-dom
npm install -D typescript @types/react @types/react-dom
npm install -D @webflow/webflow-cli @webflow/data-types @webflow/react

# 3. Create webflow.json
echo '{"library":{"name":"My Library","components":["./src/**/*.webflow.tsx"]}}' > webflow.json

# 4. Create component directory
mkdir -p src/components/Button

Then create your component files (.tsx, .webflow.tsx, .module.css). See Example 1 in references/EXAMPLES.md (opens in a new tab) for complete file contents including component, definition, and CSS files.

Deploy with:

npx webflow library share

Validation

After setup, verify the project is correctly configured:

Guidelines

Minimum Requirements

Every code components project needs:

1. package.json with dependencies
2. webflow.json with library config
3. tsconfig.json (for TypeScript)
4. At least one .webflow.tsx file

Recommended Structure

project/
├── src/
│   ├── components/
│   │   └── [ComponentName]/
│   │       ├── [ComponentName].tsx
│   │       ├── [ComponentName].webflow.tsx
│   │       └── [ComponentName].module.css
│   ├── hooks/           # Custom hooks
│   ├── utils/           # Utilities
│   ├── declarations.d.ts # CSS module types
│   ├── globals.ts       # Decorators/global imports
│   └── globals.css      # Global styles
├── package.json
├── tsconfig.json
├── webflow.json
└── .gitignore

Development Workflow

1. Create component: Use component-scaffold skill
2. Develop locally: Run React project to iterate (e.g., npm run dev)
3. Validate: Use pre-deploy-check skill
4. Deploy: Use deploy-guide skill or run npx webflow library share
5. Test in Webflow: Add component to page in Designer