Move base.css rules into cascade layers so utility classes win

Unlayered CSS beats Tailwind's @layer utilities regardless of specificity,
so base.css (and consumer stylesheets) overrode classes passed to
components. Element defaults now live in @layer base and twui-* rules in
@layer components. Third-party TinyMCE/Ace overrides stay unlayered. README
documents wrapping consumer overrides in layers.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <[email protected]>

README.md

@@ -44,11 +44,31 @@ Import `base.css` once in your main stylesheet. It includes `@import "tailwindcs
     /* ...see base.css for the full list of tokens */
 }
 
+/* Element defaults */
+@layer base {
+    h1 {
+        @apply text-5xl font-bold;
+    }
+}
+
+/* Templates for twui components */
+@layer components {
     .twui-button-general {
         @apply rounded-full;
     }
+
+    .twui-section {
+        @apply py-20;
+    }
+}
 ```
 
+### Overriding with utility classes
+
+Put your own rules inside `@layer base` (element selectors like `h1`, `ul`) or `@layer components` (classes like `.twui-*`). Tailwind's utilities come in the later `utilities` layer, so a class passed to a component (`<Section className="py-4">`) overrides your stylesheet without `!important`.
+
+CSS outside any `@layer` beats every layered rule regardless of specificity. A bare `.twui-section { @apply py-44; }` would therefore override `className="py-4"` on every `Section`, which is why these rules belong in a layer.
+
 ## Usage
 
 Import from the root entry:

src/base.css

@@ -86,26 +86,37 @@
 
 @custom-variant dark (&:where(.dark, .dark *));
 
+/*
+ * Cascade layers: Tailwind v4 puts its utilities in `@layer utilities`, and
+ * any CSS outside a layer beats every layered rule regardless of specificity.
+ * Everything here that styles our own markup lives in `base` or `components`,
+ * so utility classes passed to (or written in) a component always win over
+ * it without `!important`. Consumers should do the same in their own
+ * stylesheet: wrap `.twui-*` overrides in `@layer components { ... }`.
+ */
+
+@layer base {
     body {
         @apply bg-background-light dark:bg-background-dark;
         @apply text-foreground-light dark:text-foreground-dark;
         font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
     }
 
-.tox-tinymce {
-    @apply w-full !rounded-default !border-slate-300 dark:!border-white/20;
-}
-
-/* .moving-object {
-    @apply !bg-green-500;
-} */
-
     option {
         @apply dark:bg-background-dark;
     }
 
-.mobile-paper-hidden {
+    ol {
-    @apply max-md:p-0 max-md:border-none max-md:bg-transparent;
+        list-style: decimal;
+    }
+
+    ul {
+        list-style: disc;
+    }
+
+    ul,
+    ol {
+        margin-left: 25px;
     }
 
     ::-webkit-scrollbar {
@@ -136,61 +147,17 @@ option {
             scrollbar-color: theme("colors.gray.500") theme("colors.gray.800");
         }
     }
-
-.ace_editor {
-    @apply dark:bg-background-dark;
 }
 
-.tox-editor-header,
+@layer components {
-.tox-toolbar-overlord,
+    .mobile-paper-hidden {
-.tox .tox-toolbar,
+        @apply max-md:p-0 max-md:border-none max-md:bg-transparent;
-.tox .tox-toolbar__overflow,
-.tox .tox-toolbar__primary,
-.tox .tox-tbtn,
-.tox .tox-sidebar,
-.tox .tox-statusbar,
-.tox .tox-view-wrap,
-.tox .tox-view-wrap__slot-container,
-.tox .tox-editor-container,
-.tox .tox-edit-area__iframe,
-.twui-tinymce {
-    @apply dark:!bg-background-dark;
-}
-
-.twui-tinymce *:focus {
-    @apply !outline-white/10;
-}
-
-.tox .tox-tbtn:hover {
-    @apply dark:!bg-white/10;
-}
-
-.ace_gutter {
-    @apply dark:!bg-background-dark;
-}
-
-.ace_active-line,
-.ace_gutter-active-line {
-    @apply dark:!bg-white/5;
     }
 
     .normal-text {
         @apply text-foreground-light dark:text-foreground-dark;
     }
 
-ol {
-    list-style: decimal;
-}
-
-ul {
-    list-style: disc;
-}
-
-ul,
-ol {
-    margin-left: 25px;
-}
-
     /* Assistant replies in `elements/ai/AIChat`. Scoped, since Tailwind's
        preflight strips the default styles of the elements markdown produces */
     .twui-ai-chat-markdown {
@@ -243,10 +210,6 @@ ol {
         @apply bg-slate-100 dark:bg-white/10;
     }
 
-.twui-ai-chat-markdown .twui-code-block-pre {
-    @apply text-sm text-white whitespace-pre px-3 pt-2 pb-3;
-}
-
     .twui-ai-chat-markdown-table {
         @apply w-full overflow-x-auto;
     }
@@ -263,3 +226,59 @@ ol {
     .twui-ai-chat-markdown th {
         @apply font-semibold bg-slate-50 dark:bg-white/5;
     }
+}
+
+@layer utilities {
+    /* Deliberately overrides CodeBlock's own utilities on its `<pre>` (e.g.
+       `whitespace-pre-wrap`) inside chat replies. It sits in the utilities
+       layer so its higher specificity beats those single-class utilities */
+    .twui-ai-chat-markdown .twui-code-block-pre {
+        @apply text-sm text-white whitespace-pre px-3 pt-2 pb-3;
+    }
+}
+
+/*
+ * Overrides for third-party widgets (TinyMCE, Ace). These stay unlayered on
+ * purpose: they have to beat the widgets' own unlayered stylesheets.
+ */
+
+.tox-tinymce {
+    @apply w-full !rounded-default !border-slate-300 dark:!border-white/20;
+}
+
+.ace_editor {
+    @apply dark:bg-background-dark;
+}
+
+.tox-editor-header,
+.tox-toolbar-overlord,
+.tox .tox-toolbar,
+.tox .tox-toolbar__overflow,
+.tox .tox-toolbar__primary,
+.tox .tox-tbtn,
+.tox .tox-sidebar,
+.tox .tox-statusbar,
+.tox .tox-view-wrap,
+.tox .tox-view-wrap__slot-container,
+.tox .tox-editor-container,
+.tox .tox-edit-area__iframe,
+.twui-tinymce {
+    @apply dark:!bg-background-dark;
+}
+
+.twui-tinymce *:focus {
+    @apply !outline-white/10;
+}
+
+.tox .tox-tbtn:hover {
+    @apply dark:!bg-white/10;
+}
+
+.ace_gutter {
+    @apply dark:!bg-background-dark;
+}
+
+.ace_active-line,
+.ace_gutter-active-line {
+    @apply dark:!bg-white/5;
+}