shellui-dev · Shewart · Jun 18, 2026 · Jun 18, 2026 · Jun 18, 2026 · Jun 18, 2026
diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -45,16 +45,15 @@ jobs:
     - name: Pack NuGet packages
       run: dotnet pack ShellUI.sln --no-build --configuration Release -p:ContinuousIntegrationBuild=true
 
+    # ShellUI.Core and ShellUI.Templates are internal-only — they have no public API
+    # surface that consumers reference. Only the CLI tool and the Components runtime
+    # library are pushed to NuGet.
     - name: Publish to NuGet
       run: |
         dotnet nuget push src/ShellUI.CLI/bin/Release/*.nupkg --api-key ${{ secrets.NUGET_API_KEY }} --source https://api.nuget.org/v3/index.json --skip-duplicate
         if ls src/ShellUI.CLI/bin/Release/*.snupkg 1> /dev/null 2>&1; then
           dotnet nuget push src/ShellUI.CLI/bin/Release/*.snupkg --api-key ${{ secrets.NUGET_API_KEY }} --source https://api.nuget.org/v3/index.json --skip-duplicate
         fi
-        dotnet nuget push src/ShellUI.Core/bin/Release/*.nupkg --api-key ${{ secrets.NUGET_API_KEY }} --source https://api.nuget.org/v3/index.json --skip-duplicate
-        if ls src/ShellUI.Core/bin/Release/*.snupkg 1> /dev/null 2>&1; then
-          dotnet nuget push src/ShellUI.Core/bin/Release/*.snupkg --api-key ${{ secrets.NUGET_API_KEY }} --source https://api.nuget.org/v3/index.json --skip-duplicate
-        fi
         dotnet nuget push src/ShellUI.Components/bin/Release/*.nupkg --api-key ${{ secrets.NUGET_API_KEY }} --source https://api.nuget.org/v3/index.json --skip-duplicate
         if ls src/ShellUI.Components/bin/Release/*.snupkg 1> /dev/null 2>&1; then
           dotnet nuget push src/ShellUI.Components/bin/Release/*.snupkg --api-key ${{ secrets.NUGET_API_KEY }} --source https://api.nuget.org/v3/index.json --skip-duplicate
@@ -73,7 +72,6 @@ jobs:
         prerelease: ${{ contains(github.ref, '-') }}
         files: |
           src/ShellUI.CLI/bin/Release/*.nupkg
-          src/ShellUI.Core/bin/Release/*.nupkg
           src/ShellUI.Components/bin/Release/*.nupkg
       env:
         GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
diff --git a/Directory.Build.props b/Directory.Build.props
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
   <!-- Centralized ShellUI Version - Update this single file to version all components -->
   <PropertyGroup>
     <ShellUIVersion>0.3.0</ShellUIVersion>
-    <ShellUIVersionSuffix>alpha.3</ShellUIVersionSuffix>
+    <ShellUIVersionSuffix>rc.1</ShellUIVersionSuffix>
   </PropertyGroup>
 
   <!-- Common properties for all ShellUI projects -->

diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
@@ -304,67 +304,43 @@ Simply edit the component file in `Components/UI/` - it's yours to modify!
 
 ## 📦 Package Overview
 
-ShellUI consists of 2 packages:
+ShellUI ships two NuGet packages — the CLI is the primary install path; the runtime DLL is optional.
 
-| Package | Type | Purpose | When to Use |
-|---------|------|---------|-------------|
-| `ShellUI.CLI` | Global Tool | Command-line tool for component installation | Development tool, install globally |
-| `ShellUI.Components` | NuGet Package | Blazor components and variants | Runtime dependency for your app |
+| Package | Type | Required? | Purpose |
+|---------|------|-----------|---------|
+| `ShellUI.CLI` | .NET global tool | ✅ Yes — primary install path | Sets up Tailwind, theme CSS, patches `App.razor`, and copies component source so Tailwind can scan it |
+| `ShellUI.Components` | Razor class library | Optional | Runtime DLL with the same components + `shellui.js` interop + `Shell.Cn` helper. Useful when you want to reference component types from your own code or build a library on top of ShellUI |
 
-**For Users:**
-- Install `ShellUI.CLI` as a global tool: `dotnet tool install -g ShellUI.CLI`
-- Install `ShellUI.Components` in your project: `dotnet add package ShellUI.Components`
+`ShellUI.Core` and `ShellUI.Templates` are internal to the CLI and not published to NuGet — consumers never reference them directly.
 
-## Installation Options
+## Installation
+
+ShellUI is a **CLI-first** library. The CLI is what wires up Tailwind, drops the theme into `wwwroot/input.css`, patches `App.razor` with the render mode and theme bootstrap, and copies component source into your project so Tailwind can scan it.
 
-### Option 1: CLI Tool (Recommended)
 ```bash
 dotnet tool install -g ShellUI.CLI
-shellui init  # Choose your Tailwind method
-shellui add button input card dialog
-# Note: CLI tool must be installed first with 'dotnet tool install -g ShellUI.CLI'
+shellui init                          # one-time setup
+shellui add button card dialog        # any time you want more components
 ```
 
-### Option 2: NuGet Package
-```bash
-# Add the component package
-dotnet add package ShellUI.Components
+That's it. Components render styled out of the box. Re-run `shellui add` whenever you want more.
 
-# Manual setup required - detailed steps below
-```
+### Where does `ShellUI.Components` (the NuGet package) fit?
 
-**📋 NuGet Package Setup Guide:**
+The NuGet package ships the same component DLLs, the JS interop (`shellui.js`), and helpers like `Shell.Cn`. It's useful when you want the runtime types referenced directly — e.g. consuming `Shell.Cn` from your own code, or shipping a library that re-exports ShellUI components.
 
-#### 1. **Install Tailwind CSS v4.1.18**
-```bash
-# Download the standalone Tailwind CLI
-curl -L https://github.com/tailwindlabs/tailwindcss/releases/download/v4.1.18/tailwindcss-linux-x64 -o tailwindcss
-chmod +x tailwindcss
-sudo mv tailwindcss /usr/local/bin/
-```
+**The NuGet package alone does not produce styled components.** Tailwind v4 builds the CSS at compile time by scanning `.razor` source files. The component source lives inside the DLL, so Tailwind never sees the utility classes used inside ShellUI components and emits no rules for them. The result: components render with the right HTML structure but with most styling missing.
 
-#### 2. **Remove Bootstrap Files**
-Delete these files/folders from your `wwwroot` directory:
-```bash
-# Remove Bootstrap CSS/JS
-rm -rf wwwroot/lib/bootstrap/
-rm wwwroot/css/bootstrap*.css
-rm wwwroot/css/bootstrap*.min.css
-```
+The supported way to get styled components is:
 
-#### 3. **Include ShellUI Theme CSS**
-Add this link to your main layout file (usually `Shared/MainLayout.razor` or similar):
-```html
-<link rel="stylesheet" href="_content/ShellUI.Components/shellui-theme.css" />
-```
+1. `dotnet tool install -g ShellUI.CLI`
+2. `shellui init` — sets up Tailwind, theme CSS, and patches `App.razor`
+3. `shellui add <component-name>` for every component you want styled — this copies the `.razor` source into your project so Tailwind can scan it
+4. *(Optional)* `dotnet add package ShellUI.Components --prerelease` if you also want the runtime DLL on hand (most projects don't need both — pick one)
 
-#### 4. **Update _Imports.razor**
-Add this line to your `Pages/_Imports.razor` or `Components/_Imports.razor`:
-```razor
-@using ShellUI.Components
-```
+We're tracking a proper "NuGet-only with auto-CSS" path for a future release (`v0.4.x`). Until then, run the CLI.
 
-#### 5. **Configure Tailwind CSS**
+### Configure Tailwind CSS manually (advanced)
 Create/update `wwwroot/tailwind.config.js`:
 ```javascript
 /** @type {import('tailwindcss').Config} */
@@ -554,27 +530,15 @@ Update `wwwroot/app.css` (or create it):
 @import "./input.css";
 ```
 
-#### 5. **Update _Layout.cshtml or MainLayout.razor**
-Add Tailwind CSS to your layout:
+#### 5. **Reference the compiled CSS**
+Add the link to your layout (`_Layout.cshtml` or `MainLayout.razor`):
 ```html
-<!-- In _Layout.cshtml -->
-<link href="~/app.css" rel="stylesheet" />
-
-<!-- Or in MainLayout.razor -->
 <link href="app.css" rel="stylesheet" />
 ```
 
-**📋 NuGet Package Checklist:**
-- ✅ Install package: `dotnet add package ShellUI.Components`
-- ✅ **Remove Bootstrap**: Delete `wwwroot/lib/bootstrap/` folder and `wwwroot/css/bootstrap*.css` files
-- ✅ **Install Tailwind**: Download Tailwind CLI v4.1.18
-- ✅ **Include theme CSS**: Add ShellUI theme CSS link to your main layout
-- ✅ **Add using**: `@using ShellUI.Components` in `_Imports.razor`
-- ✅ **Create config**: `wwwroot/tailwind.config.js`
-- ✅ **Create CSS**: `wwwroot/input.css` and `wwwroot/app.css`
-- ✅ **Update layout**: Add CSS link to your main layout file
-
-**⚠️ Important:** ShellUI components require Tailwind CSS. The NuGet package includes components only - you'll need to set up Tailwind separately.
+This is what `shellui init` does for you automatically; documented here for the manual path.
+
+**⚠️ Reminder:** even with all the manual setup above, you still need to copy each component's `.razor` source into your project (`shellui add <name>`) so Tailwind sees the classes it uses. There's no way around this for Tailwind v4 short of pre-compiling a complete CSS bundle and shipping it with the package — which is what the [v0.4.x NuGet-only path](https://github.com/shellui-dev/shellui/issues) will deliver.
 
 ## Contributing
 

diff --git a/docs/RELEASE_NOTES.md b/docs/RELEASE_NOTES.md
@@ -1,3 +1,114 @@
+# ShellUI v0.3.0-rc.1 🚦
+
+> Release candidate for v0.3.0. Five branches of integration-tested fixes against the alpha series, surfaced from real-world Blazor Server consumer use. If no critical reports come in during the soak window, this code ships as `v0.3.0` stable with the suffix dropped — no further code changes. Report issues via [GitHub Issues](https://github.com/shellui-dev/shellui/issues).
+
+## TL;DR
+
+`shellui init` + `shellui add` now produce a project that compiles and runs end-to-end without manual host patching. Every alpha.3 install-time papercut documented in the integration notes is fixed and guarded by tests + CI:
+
+- Three chart/dashboard templates no longer ship uncompilable C# verbatim strings
+- `SidebarTrigger` mobile hamburger renders (was an invisible FontAwesome class)
+- `ThemeToggle` no longer uses `eval` and no longer crashes during Blazor Server prerender
+- `shellui init` patches `App.razor` with `@rendermode`, theme bootstrap script, and `shellui.js` link tag — and writes the full default theme to `input.css` instead of just `@import "tailwindcss";`
+- `shellui add data-table` actually installs `DataTableModels.cs` and auto-runs `dotnet add package System.Linq.Dynamic.Core`
+- `shellui add chart` auto-runs `dotnet add package Blazor-ApexCharts` and the chart tooltip CSS finally renders readable text instead of invisible white-on-white
+- New `did you mean …?` typo suggestion (`shellui add datatable` → `Did you mean 'data-table'?`)
+
+Component count corrected across docs: **68 installable** top-level components (not the 100 previously claimed; sub-components and variants ship as auto-installed dependencies).
+
+## 🐛 Critical fixes
+
+### Templates that shipped uncompilable C#
+- **`ChartVariants`** — every JS-attribute quote inside the tooltip `Custom = @"..."` block now escapes as `""x""` (the verbatim-string form) instead of bare `"x"` (which terminated the outer string)
+- **`PieChart`** — same class of bug but using `\"x\"` (which decoded to literal backslashes in rendered HTML); fixed to `""x""`
+- **`DashboardLayout02`** — unterminated empty-string literal in `BuildBreadcrumb` (`segments[0] == ""))` → `segments[0] == """"))`)
+- Live `PieChart.razor` in the library had the same backslash bug; fixed to remove visible `\"` from rendered tooltip HTML
+
+### SidebarTrigger + ThemeToggle runtime
+- **`SidebarTrigger`** — `<i class="fa-solid fa-bars-staggered">` swapped for inline SVG hamburger. FontAwesome is not a ShellUI dependency, so mobile users on a fresh install previously saw an invisible toggle button
+- **`ThemeToggle`** — `JSRuntime.InvokeVoidAsync("eval", …)` dropped in favor of the `ShellUI.addClassToDocument` / `ShellUI.removeClassFromDocument` helpers already shipped in `shellui.js`. No more CSP-blockable `eval`, no new JS surface area
+- **`ThemeToggle`** — localStorage read moved from `OnInitializedAsync` (where `IJSRuntime` is unavailable during Blazor Server prerender) to `OnAfterRenderAsync(firstRender)`
+- **`InputOTP`** — same `eval` removal applied; now uses `ShellUI.focusElement` for digit-to-digit focus
+- **`ThemeService`** — same `eval` cleanup as `ThemeToggle`
+
+### `shellui init` produces a working host
+- **App.razor patching** — `<HeadOutlet />` → `<HeadOutlet @rendermode="InteractiveServer" />`, same for `<Routes />`. Existing `@rendermode` values are preserved (won't overwrite `InteractiveAuto`/`InteractiveWebAssembly`)
+- **Theme bootstrap `<script>` injected into `<head>`** — reads `localStorage.theme` and applies the `dark` class before paint to avoid the light-flash on dark pages
+- **`<script src="shellui.js">` injected** before `_framework/blazor.web.js` (handles both the modern `@Assets[...]` wrapper and the bare form)
+- **`wwwroot/index.html` patched** for Blazor WebAssembly standalone projects (theme bootstrap + `shellui.js` only — no render-mode pattern in WASM)
+- **`input.css` ships the full default theme** — `:root` light vars, `.dark` dark vars, `@theme inline` mapping for Tailwind v4, `@custom-variant dark`, `@layer base` defaults, and Loading-component animation keyframes. Previously emitted only `@import "tailwindcss";`, so any component using theme variables rendered unstyled
+- **`tailwind.config.js` (npm)** — dropped the redundant `hsl(var(--x))` color block; Tailwind v4 reads the palette from `@theme inline` in `input.css`
+- **All patching is idempotent** — running `shellui init` twice produces no duplicate scripts or tags
+
+### `shellui add data-table` is no longer a half-install
+- **`data-table-models` registered** — the template existed on disk but was missing from `ComponentRegistry`, so the CLI reported `Component 'data-table-models' not found` and left the consumer project unable to compile
+- **NuGet auto-install** — new `NuGetDependencies` field on `ComponentMetadata`. `data-table` declares `System.Linq.Dynamic.Core 1.7.1`, `chart` declares `Blazor-ApexCharts 6.0.2`. The CLI walks the dep graph and runs `dotnet add package` once per unique package after all source files are written
+- **Did-you-mean suggestions** — Levenshtein-based hint surfaces close matches when a user mistypes a component name. `shellui add datatable` → `Did you mean 'data-table'?` Hidden sub-components are excluded from suggestions
+
+### `shellui add chart` tooltip is finally readable
+- **`chart-styles` registered** — the CSS template existed but, like `data-table-models`, was never wired into the registry. Hovering a chart point previously showed an invisible white-on-white tooltip because nothing styled the `.custom-tooltip-*` classes the chart HTML emits
+- **`chart` depends on `chart-styles`** — the recursive install walk transitively pulls the CSS in for every chart-family component
+- **CSS lands in the right place** — `FilePath` corrected from a path that would have buried the file in `Components/UI/wwwroot/css/` (unreachable) to `../../wwwroot/css/charts.css` (project root)
+- **`<link>` auto-injected into App.razor** — same idempotent rewriter pattern used for `shellui.js`. Generic by design: any future `wwwroot/`-targeting CSS asset gets the same treatment
+
+## 🔧 Improvements
+
+- **`docs/RELEASE_NOTES.md`** is now the source of truth that `release.yml` uses as the GitHub Release body — no more drift between the tag description and the file
+- **Component count audit** — README, ARCHITECTURE, COMPONENT_ROADMAP, PROJECT_STATUS, COMPARISON, FAQ, QUICKSTART, CLI_SYNTAX, VERSIONING_STRATEGY, and the three package READMEs all now report **68 installable components**, with category breakdowns rederived from `ComponentRegistry` (Form 17, Layout 12, Navigation 7, Overlay 8, Data Display 13, Feedback 9, Utility 2)
+- **Preview pipeline restored** — `actions/configure-pages@v4` now passes `enablement: true` so the GitHub Pages site is created on first run instead of erroring with `HttpError: Not Found`
+
+## 🧪 Tests + CI
+
+This release adds three independent layers of regression coverage. The previous alpha shipped with zero of these:
+
+- **`TemplateCompileTests`** (8 tests) — Roslyn `CSharpSyntaxTree.ParseText` over every fixed template's generated content. Pure-C# templates parse whole content; Razor templates extract the `@code` block via a quote/comment-aware brace-balancing tokenizer. When extraction fails (unterminated string), falls back to a class-wrapped parse filtered to literal-related diagnostic IDs (`CS1010`, etc.) so the failure message points at the offending line
+- **`TemplateSyncTests`** (3 tests) — for every component that has both a live `.razor` in `src/ShellUI.Components/Components/` and a CLI template, compares the `@code` blocks after normalization (strip comments, blank lines, whitespace). Catches the class of bug that shipped in alpha.3 where someone added a parameter to the live `ThemeToggle.razor` but forgot to mirror it in the template. `AllowedDrift` exception list exists but is empty
+- **`InitBootstrapTests`** (8 tests) — direct tests of the App.razor / index.html rewriter. Covers render-mode injection, theme bootstrap placement, script-tag ordering, idempotency, existing-render-mode preservation, and both the modern `@Assets[...]` and bare `<script src="…">` forms
+- **`NuGetDepsAndSuggestionsTests`** (15 tests) — Levenshtein matcher, `did-you-mean` exclusions, NuGet metadata, chart-family transitive dependency proofs, namespace convention
+- **`ChartStylesTests`** (10 tests) — registry wiring, `FilePath` targets wwwroot, CSS content covers both `.custom-tooltip-*` and `.apexcharts-*` classes with theme variables, link injector + `ResolveHostStylesheetHref` semantics, idempotency
+- **CI smoke step** — packs the CLI, installs as a global tool, `dotnet new blazor` → `shellui init` → `shellui add chart pie-chart dashboard-02 data-table` → `dotnet build`. Asserts the auto-injected pieces (`@rendermode`, theme bootstrap, `shellui.js` script, `charts.css` link, NuGet refs, `DataTableModels.cs` presence, full theme in `input.css`) all appear in the produced files. The previous CI did neither tests-on-PR nor end-to-end scaffolding
+
+**Test total:** 53 unit tests (was 0). All pass in Release. Drift canary verified by stashing a fix, observing the precise line-level diff in the test output, and restoring.
+
+## 📦 Installation
+
+```bash
+# CLI (prerelease channel — the suffix is intentional)
+dotnet tool install -g ShellUI.CLI --version 0.3.0-rc.1
+
+# or upgrade from any alpha
+dotnet tool update -g ShellUI.CLI --version 0.3.0-rc.1
+
+shellui init
+shellui add button card dialog
+```
+
+```bash
+# NuGet packages (prerelease channel)
+dotnet add package ShellUI.Core --version 0.3.0-rc.1 --prerelease
+dotnet add package ShellUI.Components --version 0.3.0-rc.1 --prerelease
+```
+
+If `shellui init` runs cleanly and `dotnet build` succeeds on a fresh `dotnet new blazor`, you have everything. There are no manual `<script>` / `<link>` / `@rendermode` patches to make.
+
+## ⏭ What's next
+
+- **`v0.3.0`** stable — same code as rc.1 with the suffix dropped, after a soak window. No further alphas planned for the 0.3 line
+- **`v0.4.0-alpha.1`** — .NET 10 upgrade. Begins after 0.3.0 ships. TFM bump, package updates, CI matrix
+- **`v0.4.0` and beyond** — generic `DataPicker<TItem, TKey>` (Fix 11 from integration notes), Preview app rewrite, ApexCharts chrome restyle (default legend / axis text Tailwind-styled to match shadcn polish)
+
+See [docs/COMPONENT_ROADMAP.md](COMPONENT_ROADMAP.md) for the longer view.
+
+## 🔗 Links
+
+- **Documentation**: https://shellui.dev
+- **GitHub**: https://github.com/shellui-dev/shellui
+- **NuGet**: https://www.nuget.org/packages/ShellUI.Components
+
+**Full Changelog**: https://github.com/shellui-dev/shellui/compare/v0.3.0-alpha.3...v0.3.0-rc.1
+
+---
+
 # ShellUI v0.3.0-alpha.3 🚧
 
 > Third alpha of v0.3.0 — dashboard sidebar blocks, JS install fixes, and NuGet Core packaging. Report issues via [GitHub Issues](https://github.com/shellui-dev/shellui/issues).