aceternity-ui
A copy-paste library for adding animated, high-performance UI effects like 3D cards and spotlight effects.
Install
mkdir -p .claude/skills/aceternity-ui && curl -L -o skill.zip "https://agentskills.codes/api/skills/download/11462" && unzip -o skill.zip -d .claude/skills/aceternity-ui && rm skill.zipInstalls to .claude/skills/aceternity-ui
Activation
This is the description your AI agent reads to decide when to run this skill — the better it matches your request, the more reliably it fires.
Add premium animated UI components built with Framer Motion and Tailwind CSS using Aceternity UI. Use when: adding animated effects (3D cards, glowing backgrounds, spotlight effects, moving borders), building visually stunning UIs, creating impressive hero sections and feature showcases in React/Next.js.Key capabilities
- →Add animated effects like 3D cards and glowing backgrounds
- →Build visually engaging user interfaces
- →Create impressive hero sections in React/Next.js applications
- →Showcase features with animated elements
- →Integrate interactive UI components using Framer Motion and Tailwind CSS
How it works
The skill provides copy-pasteable React components built with Framer Motion for animations and Tailwind CSS for styling, which are integrated directly into the user's project.
Inputs & outputs
When to use aceternity-ui
- →Create 3D tilt card effects
- →Add spotlight cursor tracking to hero sections
- →Build animated grid background patterns
- →Add glowing border effects to UI elements
About this skill
Aceternity UI
Overview
Aceternity UI is a copy-paste component library — not an npm package. You copy the component code directly into your project, giving you full ownership and customization power. Components are built with Framer Motion and Tailwind CSS.
Key traits:
- Copy-paste approach (no runtime dependency)
- Framer Motion for physics-based animations
- Tailwind CSS for styling
- Next.js / React compatible
- TypeScript source included
Setup
Install dependencies
npm install framer-motion clsx tailwind-merge
Add the cn utility
// lib/utils.ts
import { type ClassValue, clsx } from "clsx";
import { twMerge } from "tailwind-merge";
export function cn(...inputs: ClassValue[]) {
return twMerge(clsx(inputs));
}
Configure Tailwind
// tailwind.config.ts — add animations
module.exports = {
content: ["./src/**/*.{ts,tsx}"],
theme: {
extend: {
animation: {
spotlight: "spotlight 2s ease .75s 1 forwards",
shimmer: "shimmer 2s linear infinite",
"move-to-right": "move-to-right 2s linear infinite",
},
keyframes: {
spotlight: {
"0%": { opacity: "0", transform: "translate(-72%, -62%) scale(0.5)" },
"100%": { opacity: "1", transform: "translate(-50%, -40%) scale(1)" },
},
shimmer: {
from: { backgroundPosition: "0 0" },
to: { backgroundPosition: "-200% 0" },
},
},
},
},
};
Top 5 Components with Code
1. 3D Card Effect — tilt on hover
// components/ui/3d-card.tsx
"use client";
import { useRef, useState } from "react";
import { motion } from "framer-motion";
import { cn } from "@/lib/utils";
export const CardContainer = ({ children, className }: { children: React.ReactNode; className?: string }) => {
const containerRef = useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null);
const [rotateX, setRotateX] = useState(0);
const [rotateY, setRotateY] = useState(0);
const handleMouseMove = (e: React.MouseEvent<HTMLDivElement>) => {
if (!containerRef.current) return;
const { left, top, width, height } = containerRef.current.getBoundingClientRect();
const x = (e.clientX - left - width / 2) / 25;
const y = (e.clientY - top - height / 2) / 25;
setRotateX(-y);
setRotateY(x);
};
return (
<div
ref={containerRef}
onMouseMove={handleMouseMove}
onMouseLeave={() => { setRotateX(0); setRotateY(0); }}
className={cn("group/card perspective-1000", className)}
style={{ perspective: "1000px" }}
>
<motion.div
animate={{ rotateX, rotateY }}
transition={{ type: "spring", stiffness: 300, damping: 30 }}
style={{ transformStyle: "preserve-3d" }}
>
{children}
</motion.div>
</div>
);
};
export const CardBody = ({ children, className }: { children: React.ReactNode; className?: string }) => (
<div className={cn("h-96 w-96 rounded-xl border border-white/10 bg-gray-900 p-6", className)}>
{children}
</div>
);
// Usage
export function PricingCard() {
return (
<CardContainer>
<CardBody className="flex flex-col justify-between p-8">
<h3 className="text-2xl font-bold text-white">Pro Plan</h3>
<p className="text-4xl font-bold text-white">$29<span className="text-lg text-gray-400">/mo</span></p>
<button className="rounded-lg bg-white px-6 py-3 font-semibold text-black">Get Started</button>
</CardBody>
</CardContainer>
);
}
2. Background Beams — animated gradient beams
// components/ui/background-beams.tsx
"use client";
import { cn } from "@/lib/utils";
export function BackgroundBeams({ className }: { className?: string }) {
return (
<div className={cn("absolute inset-0 overflow-hidden", className)}>
<svg
className="absolute h-full w-full"
xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"
>
<defs>
<radialGradient id="beam1" cx="50%" cy="0%" r="50%">
<stop offset="0%" stopColor="#6366f1" stopOpacity="0.3" />
<stop offset="100%" stopColor="transparent" stopOpacity="0" />
</radialGradient>
<radialGradient id="beam2" cx="20%" cy="50%" r="40%">
<stop offset="0%" stopColor="#8b5cf6" stopOpacity="0.2" />
<stop offset="100%" stopColor="transparent" stopOpacity="0" />
</radialGradient>
</defs>
<rect width="100%" height="100%" fill="url(#beam1)" />
<rect width="100%" height="100%" fill="url(#beam2)" />
{/* Animated lines */}
{[...Array(6)].map((_, i) => (
<line
key={i}
x1={`${(i + 1) * 15}%`}
y1="0%"
x2={`${(i + 1) * 15 + 10}%`}
y2="100%"
stroke={`hsl(${240 + i * 20}, 70%, 60%)`}
strokeWidth="1"
strokeOpacity="0.15"
/>
))}
</svg>
</div>
);
}
// Usage
export function HeroSection() {
return (
<div className="relative flex h-screen flex-col items-center justify-center bg-black">
<BackgroundBeams />
<h1 className="relative z-10 text-6xl font-bold text-white">
Build the Future
</h1>
<p className="relative z-10 mt-4 text-xl text-gray-400">
The platform for modern teams
</p>
</div>
);
}
3. Spotlight — cursor-following light effect
// components/ui/spotlight.tsx
"use client";
import { useRef, useState, useCallback } from "react";
import { motion } from "framer-motion";
import { cn } from "@/lib/utils";
export function Spotlight({ className }: { className?: string }) {
const divRef = useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null);
const [position, setPosition] = useState({ x: 0, y: 0 });
const [opacity, setOpacity] = useState(0);
const handleMouseMove = useCallback((e: React.MouseEvent<HTMLDivElement>) => {
if (!divRef.current) return;
const { left, top } = divRef.current.getBoundingClientRect();
setPosition({ x: e.clientX - left, y: e.clientY - top });
}, []);
return (
<div
ref={divRef}
onMouseMove={handleMouseMove}
onMouseEnter={() => setOpacity(1)}
onMouseLeave={() => setOpacity(0)}
className={cn("relative overflow-hidden", className)}
>
<motion.div
animate={{ opacity }}
transition={{ duration: 0.3 }}
className="pointer-events-none absolute -inset-px rounded-xl"
style={{
background: `radial-gradient(600px circle at ${position.x}px ${position.y}px, rgba(99, 102, 241, 0.15), transparent 40%)`,
}}
/>
</div>
);
}
// Usage on a card
export function SpotlightCard({ title, desc }: { title: string; desc: string }) {
return (
<Spotlight className="rounded-xl border border-white/10 bg-gray-900 p-8">
<h3 className="text-xl font-bold text-white">{title}</h3>
<p className="mt-2 text-gray-400">{desc}</p>
</Spotlight>
);
}
4. Moving Border — animated gradient border
// components/ui/moving-border.tsx
"use client";
import { useRef } from "react";
import { motion, useAnimationFrame, useMotionTemplate, useMotionValue, useTransform } from "framer-motion";
import { cn } from "@/lib/utils";
export function MovingBorder({
children,
duration = 2000,
className,
}: {
children: React.ReactNode;
duration?: number;
className?: string;
}) {
const pathRef = useRef<SVGRectElement>(null);
const progress = useMotionValue(0);
useAnimationFrame((time) => {
const length = pathRef.current?.getTotalLength();
if (length) {
const pxPerMs = length / duration;
progress.set((time * pxPerMs) % length);
}
});
const x = useTransform(progress, (val) => pathRef.current?.getPointAtLength(val).x ?? 0);
const y = useTransform(progress, (val) => pathRef.current?.getPointAtLength(val).y ?? 0);
const transform = useMotionTemplate`translateX(${x}px) translateY(${y}px) translateX(-50%) translateY(-50%)`;
return (
<div className={cn("relative", className)}>
<svg className="absolute inset-0 h-full w-full" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg">
<rect
fill="none"
width="100%"
height="100%"
rx="16"
ry="16"
ref={pathRef as React.RefObject<SVGRectElement>}
/>
<motion.circle cx="0" cy="0" r="6" fill="#6366f1" style={{ transform }} />
</svg>
<div className="relative rounded-2xl border border-white/10 bg-gray-900 p-px">
<div className="rounded-2xl bg-gray-950 p-6">{children}</div>
</div>
</div>
);
}
// Usage
export function FeatureCard() {
return (
<MovingBorder duration={3000} className="w-72">
<h3 className="text-xl font-bold text-white">Feature Name</h3>
<p className="mt-2 text-gray-400">Description of the feature goes here.</p>
</MovingBorder>
);
}
5. Wavy Background — animated wave effect
// components/ui/wavy-background.tsx
"use client";
import { useEffect, useRef } from "react";
import { cn } from "@/lib/utils";
import { createNoise3D } from "simplex-noise";
export function WavyBackground({
children,
className,
backgroundFill = "#0f0f0f",
colors = ["#38bdf8", "#818cf8", "#c084fc"],
speed = 0.001,
}: {
children?: React.ReactNode;
className?: string;
backgroundFill?: string;
colors?: string[];
speed?: number;
}) {
const canvasRef = useRef<HTMLCanvasElement>(null);
const noise = createNoise3D();
useEffect(() => {
const canvas = canvasRef.current;
if (!canvas) return;
const ctx = canvas.getContext("2d")!;
let frame = 0;
const resize = () => {
canvas.width = canvas.offsetWidth;
canvas.height = canvas.offsetHeight;
};
resize();
window.addEventListener("resize", resize);
const draw = () => {
ctx.fillStyle = backgroundFill;
ctx.fillRect(0, 0, canvas.width, canvas.height);
colors.forEach((color, i) => {
ctx.beginPath
---
*Content truncated.*
When not to use it
- →When building applications without React or Next.js
- →When a project does not use Tailwind CSS
- →When avoiding additional bundle size from Framer Motion
Prerequisites
Limitations
- →Components are dark-mode first and require specific Tailwind configuration.
- →Canvas-heavy components may require lazy-loading for performance.
- →Framer Motion adds approximately 30KB to the bundle size.
How it compares
This workflow involves directly copying component code into a project for full ownership and customization, rather than installing a package dependency.
Compared to similar skills
aceternity-ui side by side with the closest alternatives in the catalog.
| Skill | Installs | Updated | Safety | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| aceternity-ui (this skill) | 0 | 3mo | Review | Intermediate |
| frontend-enhancer | 3 | 9mo | Review | Beginner |
| ui-styling | 12 | 9mo | Review | Beginner |
| web-design-reviewer | 7 | 7mo | No flags | Intermediate |
Try saying
Example prompts that trigger this skill in your AI assistant.
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