Artifacts: Build Interactive Prototypes Without a Dev Environment

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Official Anthropic skill on GitHub

Artifacts Builder

Summary

You want to show someone an interactive prototype. But setting up React, installing dependencies, configuring Tailwind—that's an hour before you write a single line of UI code.

Instead, describe what you want. Claude builds a working React component you can share instantly—no setup, no npm install, no configuration files.

Stop wrestling with build tools when you just need a quick demo. Start describing what you want and getting something you can share.

Describe, don't configure

Tell Claude what you need—a dashboard, a form, an interactive chart. Get a complete React component with Tailwind styling, ready to run.

Real components, not mockups

These aren't screenshots. They're working React code with state, interactivity, and proper component structure. Click buttons. Fill forms. See data update.

Share in seconds

Copy the artifact link or the code. No "clone this repo and run npm install" instructions. Your stakeholder sees a working prototype immediately.

Pros

  • Build working React prototypes by describing what you want
  • No local setup—no Node, no npm install, no configuration
  • Real interactivity: state, events, animations all work
  • Uses Tailwind CSS and shadcn/ui for professional styling
  • Share artifacts instantly via link or copy the code
  • Iterate rapidly—modify components with follow-up requests

Cons

  • Artifacts run in a sandboxed environment—no external API calls or backend connections
  • Best for UI prototypes and demos, not production deployment
  • Complex animations or custom canvas work may need refinement
  • Code is React-focused—other frameworks require manual conversion

How to Use Artifacts Builder Skill

Skill command:
1

Install the Skill

Install via the plugin marketplace, or download the skill file directly. Skills auto-activate when relevant—no manual invocation needed.

Option 1: Plugin Marketplace
/plugin marketplace add anthropics/skills
/plugin install example-skills@anthropic-agent-skills
Option 2: Direct Download
curl -o .claude/skills/artifacts-builder.md https://raw.githubusercontent.com/anthropics/skills/main/skills/artifacts-builder/SKILL.md
2

Describe What You Need

Be specific about the UI. "A dashboard with three metric cards" beats "make something cool." Include data structure, interactions, and visual style.

Example Prompt
Build a task manager with drag-and-drop columns: To Do, In Progress, Done. Each task shows title, assignee avatar, and due date. Add a button to create new tasks.
3

Iterate Fast

Don't like the colors? Want to add a feature? Just ask. Claude remembers the component and modifies it.

Example Prompt
Add a dark mode toggle. Also make the cards show a red border when the due date is past.
4

Copy the Code

When you're happy, grab the code. It's clean React with Tailwind classes—paste it into your actual project or share the artifact directly.

Example Prompt
Export this as a single file I can drop into my Next.js project. Include the TypeScript types.
5

Go Complex When Needed

Start simple, add complexity. Build multi-step wizards, data visualizations, or entire page layouts one piece at a time.

Example Prompt
Now add a sidebar with navigation. When I click "Analytics", show a line chart of completed tasks per week.

Example Prompts

Real-world scenarios showing how to use Artifacts Builder effectively

Scenario: Quick prototype for a stakeholder meeting

Your Prompt

/artifacts-builder Build a pricing page with three tiers: Free, Pro ($29/mo), and Enterprise (contact sales). Each card shows features, a CTA button, and the Pro tier should be highlighted as "Most Popular". Modern, clean design.

Expected Outcome

Claude generates a complete pricing page component with styled cards, feature lists, and responsive layout. Share the artifact link in your meeting—stakeholders see exactly what you're proposing.

Scenario: Interactive form with validation

Your Prompt

/artifacts-builder Create a multi-step signup form: Step 1 collects email and password, Step 2 asks for company info, Step 3 shows a summary and confirm button. Include validation—email format, password strength indicator, required fields.

Expected Outcome

Claude builds a wizard-style form with state management, validation feedback, and smooth transitions between steps. Test the entire flow in the artifact.

Scenario: Dashboard with live data visualization

Your Prompt

/artifacts-builder Build a sales dashboard. Show: total revenue (big number), revenue trend (line chart, last 7 days), top 5 products (bar chart), recent orders (table with status badges). Use placeholder data that looks realistic.

Expected Outcome

Claude creates a dashboard layout with charts, tables, and metric cards. All components render with realistic sample data. Copy the structure into your real app and wire up actual data.

Scenario: UI component library starter

Your Prompt

/artifacts-builder Create a component showcase page. Include: button variants (primary, secondary, outline, ghost), input fields with labels and error states, a modal dialog, and a dropdown menu. Show each in light and dark mode.

Expected Outcome

Claude generates a living style guide with interactive components. Use it as a reference or copy individual components into your design system.

Scenario: Explain a complex concept visually

Your Prompt

/artifacts-builder Build an interactive visualization of how OAuth 2.0 authorization code flow works. Show the user, app, auth server, and resource server as boxes. Animate the flow step by step when I click "Next". Label each request and response.

Expected Outcome

Claude creates an educational diagram with clickable step-through animation. Share it with your team to explain the concept without slides.

Frequently Asked Questions

Claude generates React components with Tailwind CSS for styling and shadcn/ui for pre-built components like buttons, dialogs, and form elements. The code uses modern React patterns including hooks and functional components.
Yes. The code is clean, well-structured React. Copy it directly into any React project (Next.js, Vite, Create React App). You may need to install Tailwind and shadcn/ui if your project doesn't have them.
Claude Code's artifacts builder runs in your terminal workflow. You can iterate conversationally, reference other files in your project for context, and get code that matches your existing patterns. It's built into your development flow, not a separate tool.
Artifacts run in a sandboxed environment for security—they can't make external network requests. Use placeholder data to prototype the UI, then wire up real APIs when you move the code to your project.
Claude uses Tailwind's responsive utilities by default. Ask for specific breakpoint behavior: "On mobile, stack the cards vertically. On desktop, show them in a 3-column grid." The artifact preview shows both layouts.
Each artifact is a single component, but you can build complex single-page interactions with tabs, modals, and conditional rendering. For true multi-page apps, generate each page as a separate artifact and integrate them in your project.

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