Front Components

Front components are React components that render directly inside Clara’s UI. They run in an isolated Web Worker using Remote DOM — your code is sandboxed but renders natively in the page, not in an iframe.

Where front components can be used

Front components can render in two locations within Clara:

Side panel — Non-headless front components open in the right-hand side panel. This is the default behavior when a front component is triggered from the command menu.
Widgets (dashboards and record pages) — Front components can be embedded as widgets inside page layouts. When configuring a dashboard or a record page layout, users can add a front component widget.

Basic example

The quickest way to see a front component in action is to register it as a command. Adding a command field with isPinned: true makes it appear as a quick-action button in the top-right corner of the page — no page layout needed:

src/front-components/hello-world.tsx

import { defineFrontComponent } from 'twenty-sdk/define';

const HelloWorld = () => {
  return (
    <div style={{ padding: '20px', fontFamily: 'sans-serif' }}>
      <h1>Hello from my app!</h1>
      <p>This component renders inside Clara.</p>
    </div>
  );
};

export default defineFrontComponent({
  universalIdentifier: '74c526eb-cb68-4cf7-b05c-0dd8c288d948',
  name: 'hello-world',
  description: 'A simple front component',
  component: HelloWorld,
  command: {
    universalIdentifier: 'd4e5f6a7-b8c9-0123-defa-456789012345',
    shortLabel: 'Hello',
    label: 'Hello World',
    icon: 'IconBolt',
    isPinned: true,
    availabilityType: 'GLOBAL',
  },
});

After syncing with yarn twenty dev (or running a one-shot yarn twenty dev --once), the quick action appears in the top-right corner of the page:

Quick action button in the top-right corner

Click it to render the component inline.

Configuration fields

Field	Required	Description
`universalIdentifier`	Yes	Stable unique ID for this component
`component`	Yes	A React component function
`name`	No	Display name
`description`	No	Description of what the component does
`isHeadless`	No	Set to `true` if the component has no visible UI (see below)
`command`	No	Register the component as a command (see command options below)

Placing a front component on a page

Beyond commands, you can embed a front component directly into a record page by adding it as a widget in a page layout. See the definePageLayout section for details.

Headless vs non-headless

Front components come in two rendering modes controlled by the isHeadless option: Non-headless (default) — The component renders a visible UI. When triggered from the command menu it opens in the side panel. This is the default behavior when isHeadless is false or omitted. Headless (isHeadless: true) — The component mounts invisibly in the background. It does not open the side panel. Headless components are designed for actions that execute logic and then unmount themselves — for example, running an async task, navigating to a page, or showing a confirmation modal. They pair naturally with the SDK Command components described below.

src/front-components/sync-tracker.tsx

import { defineFrontComponent } from 'twenty-sdk/define';
import { useRecordId, enqueueSnackbar } from 'twenty-sdk/front-component';
import { useEffect } from 'react';

const SyncTracker = () => {
  const recordId = useRecordId();

  useEffect(() => {
    enqueueSnackbar({ message: `Tracking record ${recordId}`, variant: 'info' });
  }, [recordId]);

  return null;
};

export default defineFrontComponent({
  universalIdentifier: '...',
  name: 'sync-tracker',
  description: 'Tracks record views silently',
  isHeadless: true,
  component: SyncTracker,
});

Because the component returns null, Clara skips rendering a container for it — no empty space appears in the layout. The component still has access to all hooks and the host communication API.

SDK Command components

The twenty-sdk package provides four Command helper components designed for headless front components. Each component executes an action on mount, handles errors by showing a snackbar notification, and automatically unmounts the front component when done. Import them from twenty-sdk/command:

Command — Runs an async callback via the execute prop.
CommandLink — Navigates to an app path. Props: to, params, queryParams, options.
CommandModal — Opens a confirmation modal. If the user confirms, executes the execute callback. Props: title, subtitle, execute, confirmButtonText, confirmButtonAccent.
CommandOpenSidePanelPage — Opens a specific side panel page. Props: page, pageTitle, pageIcon.

Here is a full example of a headless front component using Command to run an action from the command menu:

src/front-components/run-action.tsx

import { defineFrontComponent } from 'twenty-sdk/define';
import { Command } from 'twenty-sdk/command';
import { CoreApiClient } from 'twenty-sdk/clients';

const RunAction = () => {
  const execute = async () => {
    const client = new CoreApiClient();

    await client.mutation({
      createTask: {
        __args: { data: { title: 'Created by my app' } },
        id: true,
      },
    });
  };

  return <Command execute={execute} />;
};

export default defineFrontComponent({
  universalIdentifier: 'e5f6a7b8-c9d0-1234-efab-345678901234',
  name: 'run-action',
  description: 'Creates a task from the command menu',
  component: RunAction,
  isHeadless: true,
  command: {
    universalIdentifier: 'f6a7b8c9-d0e1-2345-fabc-456789012345',
    label: 'Run my action',
    icon: 'IconPlayerPlay',
  },
});

And an example using CommandModal to ask for confirmation before executing:

src/front-components/delete-draft.tsx

import { defineFrontComponent } from 'twenty-sdk/define';
import { CommandModal } from 'twenty-sdk/command';

const DeleteDraft = () => {
  const execute = async () => {
    // perform the deletion
  };

  return (
    <CommandModal
      title="Delete draft?"
      subtitle="This action cannot be undone."
      execute={execute}
      confirmButtonText="Delete"
      confirmButtonAccent="danger"
    />
  );
};

export default defineFrontComponent({
  universalIdentifier: 'a7b8c9d0-e1f2-3456-abcd-567890123456',
  name: 'delete-draft',
  description: 'Deletes a draft with confirmation',
  component: DeleteDraft,
  isHeadless: true,
  command: {
    universalIdentifier: 'b8c9d0e1-f2a3-4567-bcde-678901234567',
    label: 'Delete draft',
    icon: 'IconTrash',
  },
});

Accessing runtime context

Inside your component, use SDK hooks to access the current user, record, and component instance:

src/front-components/record-info.tsx

import { defineFrontComponent } from 'twenty-sdk/define';
import {
  useUserId,
  useRecordId,
  useFrontComponentId,
} from 'twenty-sdk/front-component';

const RecordInfo = () => {
  const userId = useUserId();
  const recordId = useRecordId();
  const componentId = useFrontComponentId();

  return (
    <div>
      <p>User: {userId}</p>
      <p>Record: {recordId ?? 'No record context'}</p>
      <p>Component: {componentId}</p>
    </div>
  );
};

export default defineFrontComponent({
  universalIdentifier: 'b2c3d4e5-f6a7-8901-bcde-f23456789012',
  name: 'record-info',
  component: RecordInfo,
});

Available hooks:

Hook	Returns	Description
`useUserId()`	`string` or `null`	The current user’s ID
`useRecordId()`	`string` or `null`	The current record’s ID (when placed on a record page)
`useFrontComponentId()`	`string`	This component instance’s ID
`useFrontComponentExecutionContext(selector)`	varies	Access the full execution context with a selector function

Host communication API

Front components can trigger navigation, modals, and notifications using functions from twenty-sdk:

Function	Description
`navigate(to, params?, queryParams?, options?)`	Navigate to a page in the app
`openSidePanelPage(params)`	Open a side panel
`closeSidePanel()`	Close the side panel
`openCommandConfirmationModal(params)`	Show a confirmation dialog
`enqueueSnackbar(params)`	Show a toast notification
`unmountFrontComponent()`	Unmount the component
`updateProgress(progress)`	Update a progress indicator

Here is an example that uses the host API to show a snackbar and close the side panel after an action completes:

src/front-components/archive-record.tsx

import { defineFrontComponent } from 'twenty-sdk/define';
import { useRecordId } from 'twenty-sdk/front-component';
import { enqueueSnackbar, closeSidePanel } from 'twenty-sdk/front-component';
import { CoreApiClient } from 'twenty-sdk/clients';

const ArchiveRecord = () => {
  const recordId = useRecordId();

  const handleArchive = async () => {
    const client = new CoreApiClient();

    await client.mutation({
      updateTask: {
        __args: { id: recordId, data: { status: 'ARCHIVED' } },
        id: true,
      },
    });

    await enqueueSnackbar({
      message: 'Record archived',
      variant: 'success',
    });

    await closeSidePanel();
  };

  return (
    <div style={{ padding: '20px' }}>
      <p>Archive this record?</p>
      <button onClick={handleArchive}>Archive</button>
    </div>
  );
};

export default defineFrontComponent({
  universalIdentifier: 'c9d0e1f2-a3b4-5678-cdef-789012345678',
  name: 'archive-record',
  description: 'Archives the current record',
  component: ArchiveRecord,
});

Command options

Adding a command field to defineFrontComponent registers the component in the command menu (Cmd+K). If isPinned is true, it also appears as a quick-action button in the top-right corner of the page.

Field	Required	Description
`universalIdentifier`	Yes	Stable unique ID for the command
`label`	Yes	Full label shown in the command menu (Cmd+K)
`shortLabel`	No	Shorter label displayed on the pinned quick-action button
`icon`	No	Icon name displayed next to the label (e.g. `'IconBolt'`, `'IconSend'`)
`isPinned`	No	When `true`, shows the command as a quick-action button in the top-right corner of the page
`availabilityType`	No	Controls where the command appears: `'GLOBAL'` (always available), `'RECORD_SELECTION'` (only when records are selected), or `'FALLBACK'` (shown when no other commands match)
`availabilityObjectUniversalIdentifier`	No	Restrict the command to pages of a specific object type (e.g. only on Company records)
`conditionalAvailabilityExpression`	No	A boolean expression to dynamically control whether the command is visible (see below)

Conditional availability expressions

The conditionalAvailabilityExpression field lets you control when a command is visible based on the current page context. Import typed variables and operators from twenty-sdk to build expressions:

import { defineFrontComponent } from 'twenty-sdk/define';
import {
  pageType,
  numberOfSelectedRecords,
  objectPermissions,
  everyEquals,
  isDefined,
} from 'twenty-sdk/front-component';

export default defineFrontComponent({
  universalIdentifier: '...',
  name: 'bulk-action',
  component: BulkAction,
  command: {
    universalIdentifier: '...',
    label: 'Bulk Update',
    availabilityType: 'RECORD_SELECTION',
    conditionalAvailabilityExpression: everyEquals(
      objectPermissions,
      'canUpdateObjectRecords',
      true,
    ),
  },
});

Context variables — these represent the current state of the page:

Variable	Type	Description
`pageType`	`string`	Current page type (e.g. `'RecordIndexPage'`, `'RecordShowPage'`)
`isInSidePanel`	`boolean`	Whether the component is rendered in a side panel
`numberOfSelectedRecords`	`number`	Number of currently selected records
`isSelectAll`	`boolean`	Whether “select all” is active
`selectedRecords`	`array`	The selected record objects
`favoriteRecordIds`	`array`	IDs of favorited records
`objectPermissions`	`object`	Permissions for the current object type
`targetObjectReadPermissions`	`object`	Read permissions for the target object
`targetObjectWritePermissions`	`object`	Write permissions for the target object
`featureFlags`	`object`	Active feature flags
`objectMetadataItem`	`object`	Metadata of the current object type
`hasAnySoftDeleteFilterOnView`	`boolean`	Whether the current view has a soft-delete filter

Operators — combine variables into boolean expressions:

Operator	Description
`isDefined(value)`	`true` if the value is not null/undefined
`isNonEmptyString(value)`	`true` if the value is a non-empty string
`includes(array, value)`	`true` if the array contains the value
`includesEvery(array, prop, value)`	`true` if every item’s property includes the value
`every(array, prop)`	`true` if the property is truthy on every item
`everyDefined(array, prop)`	`true` if the property is defined on every item
`everyEquals(array, prop, value)`	`true` if the property equals the value on every item
`some(array, prop)`	`true` if the property is truthy on at least one item
`someDefined(array, prop)`	`true` if the property is defined on at least one item
`someEquals(array, prop, value)`	`true` if the property equals the value on at least one item
`someNonEmptyString(array, prop)`	`true` if the property is a non-empty string on at least one item
`none(array, prop)`	`true` if the property is falsy on every item
`noneDefined(array, prop)`	`true` if the property is undefined on every item
`noneEquals(array, prop, value)`	`true` if the property does not equal the value on any item

Public assets

Front components can access files from the app’s public/ directory using getPublicAssetUrl:

import { defineFrontComponent, getPublicAssetUrl } from 'twenty-sdk/define';

const Logo = () => <img src={getPublicAssetUrl('logo.png')} alt="Logo" />;

export default defineFrontComponent({
  universalIdentifier: '...',
  name: 'logo',
  component: Logo,
});

See the public assets section for details.

Styling

Front components support multiple styling approaches. You can use:

Inline styles — style={{ color: 'red' }}
Clara UI components — import from twenty-sdk/ui (Button, Tag, Status, Chip, Avatar, and more)
Emotion — CSS-in-JS with @emotion/react
Styled-components — styled.div patterns
Tailwind CSS — utility classes
Any CSS-in-JS library compatible with React

import { defineFrontComponent } from 'twenty-sdk/define';
import { Button, Tag, Status } from 'twenty-sdk/ui';

const StyledWidget = () => {
  return (
    <div style={{ padding: '16px', display: 'flex', gap: '8px' }}>
      <Button title="Click me" onClick={() => alert('Clicked!')} />
      <Tag text="Active" color="green" />
      <Status color="green" text="Online" />
    </div>
  );
};

export default defineFrontComponent({
  universalIdentifier: 'e5f6a7b8-c9d0-1234-efab-567890123456',
  name: 'styled-widget',
  component: StyledWidget,
});

Overview

Apps

API

Self-Host

Contribute

Where front components can be used

Basic example

Configuration fields

Placing a front component on a page

Headless vs non-headless

SDK Command components

Accessing runtime context

Host communication API

Command options

Conditional availability expressions

Public assets

Styling

​Where front components can be used

​Basic example

​Configuration fields

​Placing a front component on a page

​Headless vs non-headless

​SDK Command components

​Accessing runtime context

​Host communication API

​Command options

​Conditional availability expressions

​Public assets

​Styling

Where front components can be used

Basic example

Configuration fields

Placing a front component on a page

Headless vs non-headless

SDK Command components

Accessing runtime context

Host communication API

Command options

Conditional availability expressions

Public assets

Styling