shadcn-ui/ui · error · Error

Unknown ${flag} target "${target}". Valid targets: ${valid}.

Error message

Unknown ${flag} target "${target}". Valid targets: ${valid}.\n\n${USAGE}

What it means

assertKnownTarget checks the value passed to --style or --registry against the set of known final style ids (legacy styles like new-york-v4 plus generated base-style combinations like base-nova, radix-nova). Only the literal string "all" bypasses the check. Any other value triggers the throw, appending USAGE so the developer sees the valid id list and flag semantics.

Source

Thrown at apps/v4/scripts/build-registry.mts:180

  --style <style|all>     Rebuild local generated style files under styles/<style>/ui.
  --registry <style|all>  Rebuild installable registry JSON under public/r/styles/<style>.

<style> must be "all" or a known final style id (e.g. base-nova, radix-nova, base-sera, new-york-v4).
Flags can be combined, e.g. --style base-nova --registry base-nova.`

function getKnownStyleNames() {
  return new Set(getStylesToBuild().map((style) => style.name))
}

function assertKnownTarget(flag: "--style" | "--registry", target: string) {
  if (target === "all") {
    return
  }

  const knownStyleNames = getKnownStyleNames()
  if (!knownStyleNames.has(target)) {
    const valid = ["all", ...Array.from(knownStyleNames)].join(", ")
    throw new Error(
      `Unknown ${flag} target "${target}". Valid targets: ${valid}.\n\n${USAGE}`
    )
  }
}

function parseBuildOptions(argv: string[]): BuildOptions {
  let values: {
    examples?: boolean
    indexes?: boolean
    style?: string
    registry?: string
  }

  try {
    ;({ values } = parseArgs({
      args: argv,
      options: {
        examples: { type: "boolean" },

View on GitHub (pinned to efac598707)

Solutions

1. Read the "Valid targets" list in the error and copy a correct id (e.g. base-nova, new-york-v4, or all).
2. Use --registry <id> for installable JSON or --style <id> for local generated ui files, per USAGE.
3. If you intended a brand-new style, register it in registry/styles + registry/config first, then target it.

Example fix

# before
pnpm registry:build --style nova

# after
pnpm registry:build --style base-nova

import { legacyStyles } from "@/registry/_legacy-styles"
import { BASES, STYLES } from "@/registry"
const known = new Set<string>([
  ...legacyStyles.map((s) => s.name),
  ...BASES.flatMap((b) => STYLES.map((s) => `${b.name}-${s.name}`)),
])
function assertTarget(flag: string, target: string) {
  if (target !== "all" && !known.has(target)) {
    throw new Error(`Unknown ${flag} target "${target}". Valid: all, ${[...known].join(", ")}`)
  }
}

function isKnownTarget(target: string, known: Set<string>): boolean {
  return target === "all" || known.has(target)
}

When it happens

Trigger: Passing --style nova instead of --style base-nova; passing a base name (radix, base) instead of a full style id; referencing a style id that was renamed or removed; passing a plural or typo'd flag value.

Common situations: After renaming/adding a style without updating muscle memory; stale docs; CI scripts that hard-code an outdated id; muscle-memory shadcn v3 names (default, new-york) used against v4 ids.

Related errors

• Invalid registry namespace: ${namespace}. Registry names mus
• --style ${target} is not supported because it is a legacy so
• Base color "${baseColorName}" or theme "${themeName}" not fo
• Unknown item: "${designSystemConfig.item}".
• Base color "${config.baseColor}" or theme "${config.theme}"

AI-assisted analysis of shadcn-ui/ui@efac598707 (2026-08-12). Data as JSON: /api/errors/f1d280bc14134fca. Report an issue: GitHub.