How we rebuilt block search with Jev
Search on Shadcn UI Blocks now understands what you describe, not just block names. Here is what changed, and searches worth trying.
Vaedros · 3 min readUntil this week, search on Shadcn UI Blocks matched words. Type pricing and you got blocks with pricing in the name. Describe what you actually wanted, like a modal to confirm a delete or a place to upload files, and it often came up short.
So we rebuilt it around Jev, an AI model from TypeSafe AI. Search now understands what a block is, not just what it is called, and it reads your search the same way. Here is what changed, and how to get the most out of it.
Why names were not enough
A block's name only says so much. A split hero with a product screenshot might be called Inbox showcase. A set of priced cards might never use the word table. Search that only reads names misses both, and the bigger the catalog grows, the more it misses.
More than half of the catalog also sat in one broad bucket, so a search for a specific kind of section had thousands of loosely related blocks to wade through before it found the right ones.
Every block, described
We went through the whole catalog with Jev and described every block the way a designer would: what kind of section it is, how it is laid out, and what is on it, from star ratings and logo rows to forms, charts and code.
Reading what you ask for
When you search, Jev reads your words against the same descriptions. It picks out the kind of block you want and anything you asked it to have, and leaves out what you only implied. A bare hero asks for a hero. A hero with an image on the right asks for exactly that.
It also listens when you say what you do not want, so pricing without a table no longer brings up tables. And when two blocks fit equally well, Modern SaaS comes first, then the Pro collections, then the free ones.
Describe the block you need the way you would to a designer.
Searches to try
A few that used to miss and now land:
- a modal to confirm a delete
- a place to upload files
- hero with an image on the right
- pricing without a table
- testimonials with star ratings
It is live on the blocks pages, in the app and through the MCP server, so your editor gets the same answers you do. If a search still misses, tell us through support and we will tune it.