Tailwind-like ergonomics without the Tailwind dependency.

Product Decision

Sealion owns a small component styling system. It is Tailwind-inspired, but not Tailwind-compatible by default. Tailwind remains optional for apps that choose it.

Authoring Model

sl_component("button")
  .style("inline-flex items-center gap-2 rounded-md px-4 py-2 text-sm font-medium bg-primary text-on-primary hover:bg-primary-strong")
  .render(ctx);

Compilation Model

component source -> utility parser -> token resolver -> generated CSS artifact

The generated CSS is a build artifact. Component source and theme tokens are the source of truth.

Regression Requirements

• Valid utilities compile and unknown utilities fail CI.
• Generated CSS is deterministic.
• Missing tokens produce actionable errors.
• Components compile without Tailwind, Node, npm, or PostCSS.
• Plain CSS remains an escape hatch, not the primary authoring path.