metabuilder/MUI_ELIMINATION_PLAN.md

MUI Dependency Elimination Plan

Status: Planning Phase Created: 2025-12-30 Goal: Remove @mui/material dependency completely from the codebase

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Executive Summary

Total Files Using MUI: 160+ Total MUI Imports: 24,273+ import statements Migration Strategy: 6 phases over 8 weeks Key Approach: Lua packages for editors, fakemui for basic UI

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Phase Overview

Phase 1: Foundation (Weeks 1-2)          ✅ Complete
Phase 2: Atomic Components (Weeks 2-3)   🔜 Ready to start
Phase 3: Basic UI (Weeks 3-4)            ⏳ Pending
Phase 4: Complex UI (Weeks 4-6)          ⏳ Pending
Phase 5: Lua Packages (Weeks 6-8)        ⏳ Pending
Phase 6: Cleanup (Week 8+)               ⏳ Pending

Recent Progress (2025-12-30)

✅ Completed:

• Created fakemui icon system (27 icons - full Phase 2!)
• Migrated LuaBlocksEditor to fakemui (8 files)
• Enhanced fakemui CSS reset to replace CssBaseline
• Documented all 160+ MUI files for migration
• Created DEPENDENCY_CLEANUP.md plan
• Audited package.json dependencies
• Phase 1 fakemui foundation 100% complete - All atoms, feedback, navigation, and data display components implemented:
  • Slider, Toggle/Switch, Rating ✅
  • Toast/Snackbar, Dialog, Progress ✅
  • Menu, Pagination ✅
  • Table, List, Chip ✅

✅ Additional Progress (Latest Session):

• Expanded fakemui icons to 70+ icons including:
  • Media controls: Pause, Stop, Maximize, Minimize, Volume, VolumeOff
  • Media: Camera, Video, Screen, Broadcast, Image
  • Security: Lock, LockOpen, Key, Shield
  • Utility: Terminal, Cloud, Globe, Archive, Clipboard, Package, Layers, Tag, Bookmark
  • Communication: Chat, Send
  • Plus: Refresh, File, Grid, List
• Added LuaCATS type annotations to packages:
  • dbal_demo (5 files with full types)
  • screenshot_analyzer, social_hub, stream_cast (already typed)
• Verified lua_test and package_validator have comprehensive types
• Verified all ui_* packages have comprehensive types

✅ Additional Progress (Session 2 - 2025-12-30):

• Added 11 more icons to fakemui:
  • DragIndicator, DragHandle (for sortable items)
  • Print, Schedule, Tune (utilities)
  • ThumbUp, ThumbDown (feedback)
  • Notifications, NotificationsOff (alerts)
  • ContentCopy, ContentPaste (clipboard operations)
• Added missing fakemui input components:
  • ButtonGroup (grouped buttons with shared styling)
  • FormControl with useFormControl hook (form state context)
  • RadioGroup with useRadioGroup hook (grouped radios)
  • NativeSelect (browser-native select with styling)
• Created SCSS styles for all new components:
  • ButtonGroup.module.scss
  • FormControl.module.scss
  • RadioGroup.module.scss
  • NativeSelect.module.scss
• Created shared UI types package:
  • packages/shared/types/ui_types.lua (comprehensive type definitions)
  • UIComponent, ButtonProps, InputProps, CardProps, etc.
  • UserInfo, TenantInfo, RenderContext, ActionResult types
• Added parameterized tests to ui_level3:
  • moderation.test.lua with permission level tests
  • moderation.cases.json with test data
• Total fakemui icons now: 80+ (up from 70+)

✅ Additional Progress (Session 3 - 2025-12-31):

• @mui/icons-material completely eliminated from source code!
  • Migrated 40+ component files to fakemui icons
  • Created 50+ new fakemui icons including:
    • Component icons: Article, Checkbox, CropFree, CropPortrait, GridView, etc.
    • Navigation: FirstPage, LastPage, ViewColumn, ViewStream
    • Interaction: ToggleOn, TouchApp, FormatAlignLeft
    • Display: AccountCircle, Verified, LocalOffer, LooksOne, TextFields, TableChart, Minus
  • Updated atoms/display/Icon.tsx to use fakemui icons dynamically
  • Migrated get-component-icon.tsx to fakemui
  • Updated all test files (NavLink.test.tsx, NavItem.test.tsx, NavGroup.test.tsx)
• Total fakemui icons now: 130+ (up from 80+)
• Icon mappings complete for all common MUI icon names

✅ Additional Progress (Session 4 - 2025-12-31):

• Added 32 new fakemui icons for media center:
  • Media controls: FastForward, FastRewind, SkipPrevious, SkipNext, Shuffle, Repeat, RepeatOne
  • Video: FilmSlate, Tv, Fullscreen, FullscreenExit, AspectRatio, HighQuality, Subtitles, ClosedCaption
  • Audio: Headphones, Mic, MicOff, Radio, Volume, VolumeOff
  • Gaming: SportsEsports, Gamepad, Joystick
  • Utilities: Queue, Transform, PictureAsPdf, Article, MenuBook, People, ArrowUpDown, Timer, Speed, CameraAlt
• Added new fakemui components:
  • CardTitle, CardDescription, CardFooter (Card subcomponents)
  • Heading (Typography alias for headings)
  • FormField (Form input wrapper with label/error)
  • Iframe (Embedded content)
  • Markdown (Markdown renderer)
  • Separator (Divider alias)
• Created github_tools Lua package (Phase 5):
  • Full components.json with GitHubViewer, RunList, RunDetails, AnalysisPanel, RunFilters
  • Lua scripts: init.lua, fetch_runs.lua, analyze.lua, filter.lua, status.lua
  • Complete LuaCATS type annotations
  • Parameterized test suite with github_tools.test.lua
• Added tests to media_center package:
  • helpers.test.lua with parameterized tests
  • helpers.cases.json with 30+ test cases
• Total fakemui icons now: 162+ (up from 130+)

✅ Additional Progress (Session 5 - 2025-12-31):

• Added 12 new admin/storage/security icons:
  • Admin: AccountTree, AdminPanelSettings, ManageAccounts
  • Storage: Backup, Restore, Storage
  • Security: Domain, SecurityUpdate, VerifiedUser, VpnKey
  • Utility: Policy, Help
• Added parameterized tests to 4 packages:
  • forum_forge: permissions.test.lua + permissions.cases.json (21 test cases)
    • can_post, can_moderate, flag_post, rank_thread functions
  • irc_webchat: chat.test.lua + chat.cases.json (20+ test cases)
    • help/users/clear/me commands, time formatting, message creation
  • arcade_lobby: arcade.test.lua + arcade.cases.json (15+ test cases)
    • matchmaking buckets, tournament permissions, queue metrics
  • notification_center: notifications.test.lua + notifications.cases.json (20+ test cases)
    • calculate_total, severity classes, toast variants, summary preparation
• Created github_tools Lua package scaffold
• Total fakemui icons now: 266+ (up from 162+)
• Test coverage expanded to 8+ packages with parameterized tests

✅ Additional Progress (Session 6 - 2025-12-30):

• Added 22 new fakemui icons for rich text editing and UI:
  • Rich Text: FormatBold, FormatItalic, FormatUnderline, FormatStrikethrough
  • Lists: FormatListBulleted, FormatListNumbered, FormatQuote
  • Insert: InsertLink, InsertPhoto, AttachFile
  • Date/Time: DateRange, AccessTime
  • Color: ColorPicker
  • Devices: Smartphone, Tablet, Desktop
  • i18n: Language, QrCode
  • Image: RotateLeft, RotateRight
  • Theme: DarkMode, LightMode
• Added 4 new fakemui input components:
  • DatePicker (HTML5 date/datetime/month/week inputs)
  • TimePicker (HTML5 time input with step support)
  • ColorPicker (with presets, alpha support, text input)
  • FileUpload (drag & drop, validation, preview)
• Added SCSS styles: Pickers.module.scss for all new picker components
• Added parameterized test cases to code_editor:
  • editor.cases.json with 50+ test cases for theme, color picker, JSON, Lua, editor modes
• Updated code_editor metadata.json with all test files
• Total fakemui icons now: 288+ (up from 266+)
• Total fakemui input components now: 28 (up from 24)

📋 Ready to Execute:

• ✅ Icon strategy: Full fakemui custom icons (no Phosphor) - 288+ icons!
• ✅ Phase 1: Complete - all foundation components ready
• ✅ Phase 2: ButtonGroup, FormControl, RadioGroup, NativeSelect, DatePicker, TimePicker, ColorPicker, FileUpload added
• ✅ @mui/icons-material: ELIMINATED from source code
• ✅ Phase 5: github_tools package created
• ✅ Parameterized tests added to forum_forge, irc_webchat, arcade_lobby, notification_center, code_editor
• Phase 3: Continue MUI core component elimination

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Category Breakdown

🎯 Category 1: Lua Packages (12 files)

Components that should become dedicated Lua packages

1.1 Workflow Editor Suite (8 files)

• Path: frontends/nextjs/src/components/workflow/
• Package Name: @packages/workflow_editor
• Files:
  • WorkflowEditor.tsx
  • WorkflowRunCard.tsx
  • WorkflowRunStatus.tsx
  • editor/WorkflowNodeCard.tsx
  • editor/WorkflowSidebar.tsx
  • editor/WorkflowTester.tsx
  • editor/WorkflowNodesPanel.tsx
  • editor/constants.tsx

Complexity: Medium-High MUI Usage: Icons (PlayArrow, CheckCircle, Delete), Layout (Card, Stack, Box) Recommendation: Convert to Lua package with JSON-based node system

1.2 GitHub Actions Viewer (10 files)

• Path: frontends/nextjs/src/components/misc/github/
• Package Name: @packages/github_actions_viewer
• Files:
  • GitHubActionsFetcher.tsx
  • views/AnalysisPanel.tsx
  • views/RunList.tsx
  • views/RunDetails.tsx
  • views/run-list/* (6 files)

Complexity: Medium MUI Usage: Tables, Chips, Alerts, Typography Recommendation: Convert to Lua package with data table component

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🔧 Category 2: Fakemui Migration (66 files)

Basic UI components that should migrate to fakemui

2.1 Atomic Components (20 files)

Path: frontends/nextjs/src/components/atoms/

Controls (7 files):

• Button.tsx → fakemui/inputs/Button
• Checkbox.tsx → fakemui/inputs/Checkbox
• Radio.tsx → fakemui/inputs/Radio
• Switch.tsx → fakemui/inputs/Switch
• Slider.tsx → fakemui/inputs/Slider
• Toggle.tsx → fakemui/inputs/ToggleButton

Display (8 files):

• Avatar.tsx → fakemui/data-display/Avatar
• Badge.tsx → fakemui/data-display/Badge
• Icon.tsx → fakemui/icons/* (custom system)
• IconButton.tsx → fakemui/inputs/IconButton
• Label.tsx → fakemui/atoms/Label
• Link.tsx → fakemui/navigation/Link
• Text.tsx → fakemui/atoms/Text

Feedback (5 files):

• ErrorBoundary.tsx → Keep as-is (React boundary)
• Separator.tsx → fakemui/data-display/Divider
• Skeleton.tsx → fakemui/feedback/Skeleton
• ScrollArea.tsx → Custom CSS implementation
• Tooltip.tsx → fakemui/data-display/Tooltip
• Spinner.tsx → fakemui/feedback/CircularProgress
• Progress.tsx → fakemui/feedback/LinearProgress

Inputs (3 files):

• Input.tsx → fakemui/inputs/Input
• TextArea.tsx → fakemui/inputs/Textarea
• Select.tsx → fakemui/inputs/Select

2.2 UI Molecules (15+ files)

Path: frontends/nextjs/src/components/ui/molecules/

Display:

• Accordion.tsx → fakemui/surfaces/Accordion
• Alert.tsx → fakemui/feedback/Alert
• Card.tsx → fakemui/surfaces/Card

Navigation:

• Breadcrumb.tsx → fakemui/navigation/Breadcrumbs
• NavGroup.tsx → Custom with fakemui primitives
• NavItem.tsx → fakemui/navigation/ListItem
• NavLink.tsx → fakemui/navigation/Link

Overlay:

• Dialog.tsx → fakemui/utils/Dialog
• DropdownMenu.tsx → fakemui/navigation/Menu
• Popover.tsx → fakemui/utils/Popover
• Tooltip.tsx → fakemui/data-display/Tooltip

Selection:

• RadioGroup.tsx → fakemui/inputs/Radio with FormGroup
• Select.tsx → fakemui/inputs/Select
• ToggleGroup.tsx → fakemui/inputs/ToggleButtonGroup

Tabs:

• Tabs.tsx → fakemui/navigation/Tabs
• TabsContent.tsx → fakemui/navigation/Tab (panel)
• TabsList.tsx → fakemui/navigation/Tabs (container)
• TabsTrigger.tsx → fakemui/navigation/Tab (trigger)

2.3 UI Organisms (15+ files)

Path: frontends/nextjs/src/components/ui/organisms/

Dialogs:

• AlertDialog → fakemui/utils/Dialog with Alert
• Command → Custom with fakemui primitives
• Sheet → fakemui/surfaces/Drawer

Navigation:

• Navigation.tsx → Custom with fakemui/surfaces/AppBar
• Sidebar → Custom with fakemui/surfaces/Drawer
• Pagination → fakemui/navigation/Pagination

Data:

• Form → Custom with fakemui/inputs
• Table → fakemui/data-display/Table

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🎨 Category 3: Theme & Providers (19 files)

Configuration files to be cleaned up after migration

3.1 Theme Files

Path: frontends/nextjs/src/theme/

Files to Remove:

• components.ts (MUI component overrides)
• light-theme.ts (MUI theme)
• dark-theme.ts (MUI theme)
• mui-theme.ts (theme creation)
• modes/light-theme.ts
• modes/dark-theme.ts
• modes/components.ts

Files to Keep/Convert:

• colors.ts → CSS variables
• fonts.ts → CSS font definitions
• typography.ts → CSS typography scale
• layout.ts → CSS layout tokens
• tokens.ts → CSS custom properties

3.2 Provider Files

Path: frontends/nextjs/src/app/providers/

Updates Needed:

• providers-component.tsx
  • Remove: MuiThemeProvider, CssBaseline
  • Keep: ThemeContext for dark/light mode
  • Add: CSS variables injection

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🧪 Category 4: Test Files (3 files)

Update alongside component migrations

• NavLink.test.tsx
• NavItem.test.tsx
• NavGroup.test.tsx

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Detailed Phase Plan

✅ Phase 1: Foundation (Weeks 1-2)

Status: Partially Complete

Completed:

• ✅ Created fakemui icon system (Plus, Trash, Copy, Arrows, etc.)
• ✅ Migrated LuaBlocksEditor to fakemui
• ✅ Created fakemui barrel export

Remaining:

1. Choose icon library (Recommendation: Lucide React)
2. Create CSS reset (replace CssBaseline)
3. Create CSS variable theme system
4. Update providers to use new theme

Deliverables:

• Icon system decision + implementation
• fakemui basic structure
• CSS reset file
• Theme CSS variables
• Updated provider component

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Phase 2: Atomic Components (Weeks 2-3)

Priority: High - Foundation for everything else

Week 2: Controls & Inputs

Files: 10 files

1. Day 1-2: Button Components

   • atoms/controls/Button.tsx
   • atoms/display/IconButton.tsx
   • Reference: fakemui/inputs/Button.tsx

2. Day 3-4: Form Inputs

   • atoms/inputs/Input.tsx
   • atoms/inputs/TextArea.tsx
   • atoms/inputs/Select.tsx
   • Reference: fakemui/inputs/Input.tsx, Textarea.tsx, Select.tsx

3. Day 5: Form Controls

   • atoms/controls/Checkbox.tsx
   • atoms/controls/Radio.tsx
   • atoms/controls/Switch.tsx
   • Reference: fakemui/inputs/Checkbox.tsx, Radio.tsx, Switch.tsx

Week 3: Display & Feedback

Files: 13 files

1. Day 1-2: Display Components

   • atoms/display/Avatar.tsx
   • atoms/display/Badge.tsx
   • atoms/display/Icon.tsx (critical - replaces all MUI icons)
   • atoms/display/Label.tsx
   • atoms/display/Link.tsx
   • atoms/display/Text.tsx

2. Day 3-4: Feedback Components

   • atoms/feedback/Skeleton.tsx
   • atoms/feedback/Spinner.tsx
   • atoms/feedback/Progress.tsx
   • atoms/feedback/Tooltip.tsx
   • atoms/feedback/Separator.tsx

3. Day 5: Testing & Verification

   • Update all atom tests
   • Visual regression testing
   • Component demo page

Deliverables:

• 20 atom components migrated to fakemui
• Icon replacement complete
• All atom tests passing
• Component showcase page

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Phase 3: Basic UI Components (Weeks 3-4)

Priority: High - User-facing components

Week 3: Display & Navigation Molecules

Files: 10 files

1. Day 1-2: Display Components

   • molecules/display/Card.tsx
   • molecules/display/Alert.tsx
   • molecules/display/Accordion.tsx

2. Day 3-4: Navigation Components

   • molecules/navigation/Breadcrumb.tsx
   • molecules/navigation/NavGroup.tsx
   • molecules/navigation/NavItem.tsx
   • molecules/navigation/NavLink.tsx

3. Day 5: Tabs

   • molecules/tabs/Tabs.tsx
   • molecules/tabs/TabsContent.tsx
   • molecules/tabs/TabsList.tsx
   • molecules/tabs/TabsTrigger.tsx

Week 4: Overlay & Selection

Files: 8 files

1. Day 1-2: Overlay Components

   • molecules/overlay/Dialog.tsx
   • molecules/overlay/DropdownMenu.tsx
   • molecules/overlay/Popover.tsx
   • molecules/overlay/Tooltip.tsx

2. Day 3-4: Selection Components

   • molecules/selection/RadioGroup.tsx
   • molecules/selection/Select.tsx
   • molecules/selection/ToggleGroup.tsx

3. Day 5: Testing

   • Update molecule tests
   • Integration testing

Deliverables:

• 18 molecule components migrated
• Navigation components working
• All overlay components functional
• Tests passing

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Phase 4: Complex UI Components (Weeks 4-6)

Priority: Medium - Advanced features

Week 5: Navigation Organisms

Files: 12 files

1. Day 1-3: Main Navigation

   • organisms/navigation/Navigation.tsx
   • organisms/navigation/NavigationMenuItems.tsx
   • organisms/navigation/NavigationResponsive.tsx
   • organisms/navigation/Sidebar (6 files)

2. Day 4-5: Pagination

   • organisms/navigation/pagination/* (5 files)

Week 6: Dialogs & Data

Files: 10 files

1. Day 1-2: Dialog System

   • organisms/dialogs/AlertDialog
   • organisms/dialogs/Command
   • organisms/dialogs/Sheet

2. Day 3-4: Data Components

   • organisms/data/Form.tsx
   • organisms/data/Table.tsx
   • data/table/* (Body, Header, EmptyState)

3. Day 5: Testing & Polish

   • Full UI testing
   • Responsive testing

Deliverables:

• 22 organism components migrated
• Navigation system complete
• Data components functional
• Full regression testing

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Phase 5: Lua Packages (Weeks 6-8)

Priority: Medium - Specialized editors

Week 7: Workflow Editor Package

Package: @packages/workflow_editor Files: 8 files

1. Day 1-2: Package Structure

   • Create package directory structure
   • Create components.json
   • Define metadata schema

2. Day 3-4: Component Migration

   • Migrate WorkflowEditor components
   • Replace MUI with fakemui
   • Implement node system with JSON

3. Day 5: Testing

   • Package integration tests
   • Visual workflow testing

Week 8: GitHub Viewer Package

Package: @packages/github_actions_viewer Files: 10 files

1. Day 1-2: Package Structure

   • Create package structure
   • Define data schemas

2. Day 3-4: Component Migration

   • Migrate GitHub viewer components
   • Implement custom table with fakemui
   • Replace MUI icons

3. Day 5: Integration

   • Package testing
   • Integration with main app

Deliverables:

• workflow_editor package created
• github_actions_viewer package created
• Both packages tested and documented

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Phase 6: Final Cleanup (Week 8+)

Priority: High - Complete removal

Cleanup Tasks

1. Theme System Removal

   • Remove theme/components.ts
   • Remove theme/*-theme.ts files
   • Remove MUI theme imports

2. Provider Updates

   • Remove MuiThemeProvider from providers
   • Remove CssBaseline import
   • Update theme context to use CSS variables

3. Package.json

   • Remove @mui/material
   • Remove @mui/icons-material
   • Remove @mui/system
   • Verify no residual MUI dependencies

4. Testing

   • Full application smoke test
   • Visual regression testing
   • Performance benchmarking
   • Bundle size analysis

5. Documentation

   • Update component documentation
   • Create migration guide for future devs
   • Document new icon system
   • Document theme CSS variables

Deliverables:

• Zero MUI imports remaining
• All tests passing
• Bundle size reduced by 15-25%
• Documentation complete

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Icon System Migration

Current System

• atoms/display/Icon.tsx dynamically imports from @mui/icons-material
• Used across entire codebase
• Supports 100+ icon names

Replacement Options

Option	Icons	Size	Pros	Cons
Lucide React	1000+	~50KB	Tree-shakeable, modern, well-maintained	Learning curve
Feather Icons	286	~30KB	Minimal, beautiful	Limited selection
Custom SVG	Custom	~5KB	Full control, zero deps	Manual maintenance
Radix Icons	300+	~25KB	Radix-aligned	Smaller set

✅ DECISION: Custom SVG System (fakemui/icons)

• Why: Full control, zero dependencies, already started
• Approach: Add icons as needed from Heroicons/Lucide/Phosphor
• Benefit: Zero dependencies, full control, tiny bundle (~1KB per icon)
• Process: Copy SVG paths when needed, create TSX components
• Status: APPROVED - Moving forward with this approach

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Migration Metrics

Success Criteria

• ✅ Zero imports from @mui/material
• ✅ Zero imports from @mui/icons-material
• ✅ Zero imports from @mui/system
• ✅ All theme tests passing
• ✅ All UI component tests passing
• ✅ No visual regressions
• ✅ Bundle size reduced 15-25%
• ✅ Performance improvements

Current Progress

• Phase 1: 40% complete (icon system started, LuaBlocksEditor migrated)
• Phase 2: 0% complete
• Phase 3: 0% complete
• Phase 4: 0% complete
• Phase 5: 0% complete
• Phase 6: 0% complete

Overall: ~7% complete (11/160 files migrated)

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Key Files Reference

Fakemui Examples

• Button.tsx - Reference implementation
• Card.tsx - Compound component pattern
• Table.tsx - Complex data display
• Alert.tsx - Feedback component
• index.ts - Barrel export pattern

Migration Examples

• LuaBlocksEditor.tsx - MUI → fakemui complete
• BlockItem.tsx - Icon migration example

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Risk Assessment

Low Risk

• Atomic component migration (well-isolated)
• Icon system replacement (centralized)
• CSS variable theme (progressive enhancement)

Medium Risk

• Complex organism components (navigation, dialogs)
• Form components (validation, error handling)
• Table components (sorting, filtering)

High Risk

• Workflow editor (complex state, D&D)
• Package creation (new architecture)
• Provider changes (affects entire app)

Mitigation Strategies

1. Parallel Development: Keep MUI versions until replacement tested
2. Feature Flags: Toggle between old/new components
3. Incremental Rollout: Migrate page-by-page if needed
4. Testing: Comprehensive visual regression testing
5. Rollback Plan: Git branches for easy reversion

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Next Steps

Immediate (This Week)

1. ✅ Complete MUI elimination plan
2. Choose icon replacement strategy
3. Create CSS reset file
4. Start Phase 2: Migrate Button component

Short Term (Next 2 Weeks)

1. Complete Phase 2: All atomic components
2. Start Phase 3: Molecule components
3. Set up visual regression testing

Medium Term (Weeks 3-6)

1. Complete Phase 3 & 4: All UI components
2. Begin Lua package creation
3. Theme cleanup

Long Term (Weeks 6-8)

1. Complete Lua packages
2. Final MUI removal
3. Documentation and cleanup

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Questions & Decisions Needed

1. Icon System: Custom SVG vs Lucide React?

   • Recommendation: Custom SVG (already started)

2. CSS Framework: Pure CSS vs Tailwind utilities?

   • Current: Mix of SCSS modules and Tailwind
   • Recommendation: Keep current approach

3. Component Library: Continue fakemui or use Radix?

   • Current: Fakemui + Radix for complex interactions
   • Recommendation: Use both (fakemui for display, Radix for behavior)

4. Lua Packages: Which components become packages?

   • Confirmed: Workflow editor, GitHub viewer
   • TBD: Nerd mode IDE, other specialized editors

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Last Updated: 2025-12-30 Next Review: After Phase 2 completion