Next Loading Skeleton

When to Use

Trigger this skill when:

• Creating Next.js App Router pages with data fetching
• User mentions "loading", "skeleton", "placeholder", "Suspense"
• Building dashboards, tables, lists, or profile pages
• Pages with slow API calls or database queries
• Any layout that needs instant visual feedback

Installation Reminder

Always install shadcn/​ui skeleton first:

npx shadcn@latest add skeleton

Install additional components as needed:

npx shadcn@latest add card table avatar badge

Standard Patterns

Basic Structure

• Create loading.tsx in same folder as page.tsx
• Export default function Loading()
• Import { Skeleton } from "@/​components/​ui/​skeleton"
• Use animate-pulse on wrapper elements

Common Skeleton Patterns

// Text line
<Skeleton className="h-4 w-[250px] rounded-full" />

// Card
<Skeleton className="h-[125px] w-full rounded-lg" />

// Avatar
<Skeleton className="h-10 w-10 rounded-full" />

// Table row
<div className="flex gap-4">
  <Skeleton className="h-4 w-[100px]" />
  <Skeleton className="h-4 w-[200px]" />
  <Skeleton className="h-4 w-[150px]" />
</​div>

Generation via Script

For complex layouts, use the Python script to save tokens:

python scripts/​generate-loading.py "dashboard with 4 stat cards and recent users table"

The script outputs a complete loading.tsx string that matches your description.

Examples

Simple Card List

import { Skeleton } from "@/​components/​ui/​skeleton"

export default function Loading() {
  return (
    <div className="space-y-4 animate-pulse">
      <div className="grid gap-4 md:grid-cols-2 lg:grid-cols-4">
        {Array.from({ length: 4 }).map((_, i) => (
          <Skeleton key={i} className="h-[125px] w-full rounded-lg" />
        ))}
      </​div>
      <div className="space-y-2">
        {Array.from({ length: 3 }).map((_, i) => (
          <Skeleton key={i} className="h-20 w-full rounded-lg" />
        ))}
      </​div>
    </​div>
  )
}

Profile Page

import { Skeleton } from "@/​components/​ui/​skeleton"

export default function Loading() {
  return (
    <div className="space-y-6 animate-pulse">
      <div className="flex items-center gap-4">
        <Skeleton className="h-20 w-20 rounded-full" />
        <div className="space-y-2">
          <Skeleton className="h-6 w-[200px]" />
          <Skeleton className="h-4 w-[150px]" />
        </​div>
      </​div>
      <div className="grid gap-4 md:grid-cols-2">
        <Skeleton className="h-[200px] w-full rounded-lg" />
        <Skeleton className="h-[200px] w-full rounded-lg" />
      </​div>
    </​div>
  )
}

Table with Search

import { Skeleton } from "@/​components/​ui/​skeleton"

export default function Loading() {
  return (
    <div className="space-y-4 animate-pulse">
      <div className="flex gap-4">
        <Skeleton className="h-10 w-[300px]" />
        <Skeleton className="h-10 w-[100px]" />
      </​div>
      <div className="space-y-2">
        {Array.from({ length: 8 }).map((_, i) => (
          <div key={i} className="flex gap-4">
            <Skeleton className="h-4 w-[100px]" />
            <Skeleton className="h-4 w-[200px]" />
            <Skeleton className="h-4 w-[150px]" />
            <Skeleton className="h-4 w-[100px]" />
          </​div>
        ))}
      </​div>
    </​div>
  )
}

Key Principles

1. Match real layout - Skeleton should mirror actual page structure
2. Use animate-pulse - Add to wrapper containers for smooth animation
3. Vary skeleton sizes - Different widths/​heights for realistic feel
4. Keep it simple - Focus on main content areas, ignore minor details