Can I click things under the CRT effect?

Yes. Every CRT layer is pointer-transparent, so the content underneath stays fully interactive.

How do I install CRT Warp?

CRT Warp is part of Charcoal UI Pro. Add the @charcoal registry to components.json with your access token, then run npx shadcn@latest add @charcoal/crt-warp. It copies crt-warp.tsx into components/ui and installs motion, clsx, tailwind-merge.

Is CRT Warp free for commercial use?

CRT Warp needs a Charcoal UI Pro seat, monthly or a one-time lifetime price. A seat covers unlimited personal and commercial projects, including client work, and every future Pro component.

Does CRT Warp work with Next.js?

Yes. It is a client component for React 19 styled with Tailwind CSS 4, so it works in the Next.js App Router and Pages Router, Vite, Remix and Astro.

Can an AI coding agent install CRT Warp?

Yes. Connect the Charcoal UI MCP server (https://charcoalui.com/mcp) to Claude Code, Cursor or any MCP client; get_component returns CRT Warp's props and get_install_command returns the exact command.

CRT Warp

A CRT screen over anything: curved glass, phosphor scanlines, a rolling band, chromatic edges and a faint flicker, with the content underneath still interactive. CSS only.

Category: Backgrounds
Licence: Charcoal UI Pro
Built with: React 19, Tailwind CSS 4, Motion
Dependencies: motion, clsx, tailwind-merge

Examples

CRT Warp

API reference

Prop	Type	Default	Description
`children`	`ReactNode`	—
`curvature`	`number`	`0.5`
`scanlines`	`number`	`0.5`
`speed`	`number`	`6`	Seconds for the band to cross.
`color`	`string`	`"var(--ember)"`	Phosphor tint.
`flicker`	`number`	`0.2`
`className`	`string`	—

About CRT Warp

CRT Warp puts a CRT screen over anything: curved glass, phosphor scanlines, a rolling band, chromatic edges and a faint flicker, with the content underneath still interactive.

CRT Warp is an animated background for React 19, styled with Tailwind CSS 4 and animated with Motion. It drops into Next.js, Vite, Remix or Astro through the shadcn CLI as a single file you own.

When to use CRT Warp

Retro gaming sites.
Video and media embeds.
Music and synthwave brands.
Portfolio showcases.

How it works

Every layer is a pointer-transparent CSS overlay. It is pure CSS, so it costs almost nothing to keep running, and it stops under reduced motion.

The whole layer is decorative and aria-hidden, sits behind your content without taking pointer events it does not need, and pauses when scrolled off screen. With prefers-reduced-motion on, it holds still or settles instantly instead of animating.

Customizing CRT Warp

Every prop is documented in the API reference above with its type and default. The ones you will reach for first are listed here.

The Customize panel next to the preview lets you change curvature, scanlines, speed, flicker live, and the Code tab updates to match, so the snippet you copy already carries your values.

curvature (number, default 0.5).
scanlines (number, default 0.5).
speed (number, default 6): Seconds for the band to cross.
color (string, default "var(--ember)"): Phosphor tint.
flicker (number, default 0.2).

Goes well with CRT Warp

These backgrounds pieces share its tokens and motion language, so they sit together on one page without clashing.

Ember Field: An animated React ember background: glowing embers drift up and flicker as they cool
Smoke: A slow React smoke background: blurred plumes drifting over dark sections, CSS only
Aurora: An animated React aurora background: soft light bands drifting across a section
Grid Beams: A React grid background with beams of light running along its lines
Meteors: A React meteor shower background: streaks falling diagonally, CSS only

Install CRT Warp

npx shadcn@latest add @charcoal/crt-warp

CRT Warp is part of Charcoal UI Pro. One seat unlocks all 300 Pro components, 107 landing-page sections and 100 full templates, for every personal and client project, with updates included. Add the @charcoal registry once with your access token, then the command above copies crt-warp.tsx into components/ui and installs clsx, tailwind-merge.

You own the file you install: no runtime package, no lock-in, nothing to keep in sync. Change it however your product needs.

See Charcoal UI Pro pricing · Pro setup

Frequently asked questions

Can I click things under the CRT effect?: Yes. Every CRT layer is pointer-transparent, so the content underneath stays fully interactive.
How do I install CRT Warp?: CRT Warp is part of Charcoal UI Pro. Add the @charcoal registry to components.json with your access token, then run npx shadcn@latest add @charcoal/crt-warp. It copies crt-warp.tsx into components/ui and installs motion, clsx, tailwind-merge.
Is CRT Warp free for commercial use?: CRT Warp needs a Charcoal UI Pro seat, monthly or a one-time lifetime price. A seat covers unlimited personal and commercial projects, including client work, and every future Pro component.
Does CRT Warp work with Next.js?: Yes. It is a client component for React 19 styled with Tailwind CSS 4, so it works in the Next.js App Router and Pages Router, Vite, Remix and Astro.
Can an AI coding agent install CRT Warp?: Yes. Connect the Charcoal UI MCP server (https://charcoalui.com/mcp) to Claude Code, Cursor or any MCP client; get_component returns CRT Warp's props and get_install_command returns the exact command.

CRT Warp as Markdown · llms.txt