Are the ai2 Text-animated buttons free?

Yes. The whole styled layer is free and MIT licensed, like the component core.

Do they respect reduced motion?

Yes. Under prefers-reduced-motion, the letters stay put and the labels do not animate.

Can I change the size?

Yes. Every variation takes a size prop of sm, md, lg or xl, aligned to the base Button height scale.

Text-animated buttons

Five takes on kinetic text: a letter bounce, a wave, a reveal, a flip and a whole-label slide. Each is sized and token-driven; per-letter effects apply to string labels.

ButtonsText

Installation

The styled layer is free and installs like any other ai2 component.

Run the following command

npx shadcn@latest add @ai2/buttons-text-animated

Dependencies, the @ai2/tokens theme and the component file are installed together.

Install dependencies

npm install motion

Copy the source

components/ui/buttons-text-animated.tsx

"use client"

import type * as React from "react"
import { motion, useReducedMotion, type HTMLMotionProps, type Variants } from "motion/react"

import { cn } from "@/lib/utils"

/* Text-animated button family: 5 variations on kinetic text. Letter splitting happens only for string children; otherwise it renders plainly. framer-motion parent/child variants plus stagger. All are sized, take colour ONLY from tokens and are static under reduced-motion. */

export type StyledSize = "sm" | "md" | "lg" | "xl"

const sizes: Record<StyledSize, string> = {
  sm: "h-8 gap-1.5 rounded-md px-3 text-sm",
  md: "h-9 gap-2 rounded-lg px-4 text-sm",
  lg: "h-10 gap-2 rounded-lg px-5 text-sm",
  xl: "h-12 gap-2.5 rounded-xl px-6 text-base",
}

const base =
  "relative inline-flex shrink-0 select-none items-center justify-center overflow-hidden bg-brand font-medium whitespace-nowrap text-brand-foreground outline-none focus-visible:ring-[3px] focus-visible:ring-ring/50 disabled:pointer-events-none disabled:opacity-50 [&_svg]:pointer-events-none [&_svg]:size-4 [&_svg]:shrink-0 [&_i]:text-base [&_i]:leading-none"

type Props = HTMLMotionProps<"button"> & { size?: StyledSize }

/* Shared: splits string children into per-letter spans that take a variant. */
function Letters({ text, variants }: { text: string; variants: Variants }) {
  return (
    <>
      {text.split("").map((char, i) => (
        <motion.span
          key={`${char}-${i}`}
          variants={variants}
          className="inline-block"
          style={{ whiteSpace: "pre" }}
        >
          {char}
        </motion.span>
      ))}
    </>
  )
}

/* Bounce: the letters bounce upwards in sequence on hover. */
export function BounceTextButton({ className, size = "md", children, ...props }: Props) {
  const reduce = useReducedMotion()
  const text = typeof children === "string" ? children : null
  return (
    <motion.button
      data-slot="styled-button"
      initial="rest"
      animate="rest"
      whileHover={reduce || !text ? undefined : "hover"}
      whileTap={reduce ? undefined : { scale: 0.97 }}
      variants={text ? { rest: {}, hover: { transition: { staggerChildren: 0.03 } } } : undefined}
      className={cn(base, sizes[size], "gap-0.5", className)}
      {...props}
    >
      {text ? <Letters text={text} variants={{ rest: { y: 0 }, hover: { y: -3 } }} /> : (children as React.ReactNode)}
    </motion.button>
  )
}

/* Wave: the letters rise and fall in sequence like a wave on hover. */
export function WaveTextButton({ className, size = "md", children, ...props }: Props) {
  const reduce = useReducedMotion()
  const text = typeof children === "string" ? children : null
  return (
    <motion.button
      data-slot="styled-button"
      initial="rest"
      animate="rest"
      whileHover={reduce || !text ? undefined : "hover"}
      whileTap={reduce ? undefined : { scale: 0.97 }}
      variants={text ? { rest: {}, hover: { transition: { staggerChildren: 0.06 } } } : undefined}
      className={cn(base, sizes[size], "gap-0.5", className)}
      {...props}
    >
      {text ? (
        <Letters
          text={text}
          variants={{ rest: { y: 0 }, hover: { y: [0, -4, 0], transition: { duration: 0.5, ease: "easeInOut" } } }}
        />
      ) : (
        children as React.ReactNode
      )}
    </motion.button>
  )
}

/* Reveal: the letters slide up into place on hover. */
export function RevealTextButton({ className, size = "md", children, ...props }: Props) {
  const reduce = useReducedMotion()
  const text = typeof children === "string" ? children : null
  return (
    <motion.button
      data-slot="styled-button"
      initial="rest"
      animate="rest"
      whileHover={reduce || !text ? undefined : "hover"}
      whileTap={reduce ? undefined : { scale: 0.97 }}
      variants={text ? { rest: {}, hover: { transition: { staggerChildren: 0.03 } } } : undefined}
      className={cn(base, sizes[size], "gap-0.5", className)}
      {...props}
    >
      {text ? (
        <Letters text={text} variants={{ rest: { y: 0, opacity: 1 }, hover: { y: [8, 0], opacity: [0.3, 1] } }} />
      ) : (
        children as React.ReactNode
      )}
    </motion.button>
  )
}

/* Flip: the letters rotate on the X axis in sequence on hover. */
export function FlipTextButton({ className, size = "md", children, ...props }: Props) {
  const reduce = useReducedMotion()
  const text = typeof children === "string" ? children : null
  return (
    <motion.button
      data-slot="styled-button"
      initial="rest"
      animate="rest"
      whileHover={reduce || !text ? undefined : "hover"}
      whileTap={reduce ? undefined : { scale: 0.97 }}
      variants={text ? { rest: {}, hover: { transition: { staggerChildren: 0.04 } } } : undefined}
      className={cn(base, sizes[size], "gap-0.5", className)}
      style={{ transformPerspective: 400 }}
      {...props}
    >
      {text ? (
        <Letters text={text} variants={{ rest: { rotateX: 0 }, hover: { rotateX: [0, 360] } }} />
      ) : (
        children as React.ReactNode
      )}
    </motion.button>
  )
}

/* Slide: the label slides up on hover and a copy of the same label comes from below. */
export function SlideTextButton({ className, size = "md", children, ...props }: Props) {
  const reduce = useReducedMotion()
  return (
    <motion.button
      data-slot="styled-button"
      whileTap={reduce ? undefined : { scale: 0.97 }}
      transition={{ type: "spring", stiffness: 400, damping: 20 }}
      className={cn(base, sizes[size], "group", className)}
      {...props}
    >
      <span className="pointer-events-none flex items-center gap-2 opacity-0">{children as React.ReactNode}</span>
      <span className="absolute inset-0 flex items-center justify-center gap-2 transition-transform duration-(--motion-base) ease-(--motion-ease) group-hover:-translate-y-full motion-reduce:transition-none">
        {children as React.ReactNode}
      </span>
      <span className="absolute inset-0 flex translate-y-full items-center justify-center gap-2 transition-transform duration-(--motion-base) ease-(--motion-ease) group-hover:translate-y-0 motion-reduce:hidden">
        {children as React.ReactNode}
      </span>
    </motion.button>
  )
}

Manual installs skip the @ai2/tokens theme, so add the token CSS from the theming guide or the tone colors will be missing.

Variations

5 takes on the same idea. Each is its own export, and every one accepts a size prop (sm, md, lg, xl) aligned to the base Button scale.

Bounce

Letters hop up in sequence on hover.

Wave

Letters ripple up and down like a wave on hover.

Reveal

Letters slide up into place in sequence on hover.

Flip

Letters flip on the X axis in sequence on hover.

Slide

The whole label slides up and a copy rises in from below.

ai2 Text-animated buttons: 5 styled variations on the token system

The ai2 Text-animated buttons are a set of 5 decorative button variations from the styled layer of the @ai2 design system, built around kinetic labels. They are free and MIT licensed, and every color comes from a semantic token, so they theme with the rest of ai2 in light and dark.

Motion runs on framer-motion: framer-motion staggers per-letter motion for the bounce, wave, reveal and flip, and slides the label for the slide. The styled layer is opt-in, so the dependency only lands if you use it; the base components stay lean. Under reduced motion, the letters stay put and the labels do not animate.

What is in the ai2 Text-animated buttons?

5 exports in one file: Bounce, Wave, Reveal, Flip and Slide. Each renders a native button and takes a size prop (sm, md, lg, xl) aligned to the base Button. They are separate from the base Button on purpose: the base keeps its clean variant, tone and size axes, while the styled layer carries the effects.

You own the file. Copy the one category file and you have all 5 variations, with no runtime dependency on ai2 itself.

Why use it

On-system by construction: Every color resolves to an ai2 semantic token, so the buttons follow your theme in light and dark with no extra work.
Effect without the sprawl: The decorations live in a dedicated styled file, so the base Button keeps its clean, predictable API.
Accessible and honest: Each renders a real button element, keeps a visible focus ring, and respects prefers-reduced-motion.

Features

Token-driven color: No hardcoded hex or oklch; the look recolors with your theme tokens.
framer-motion: framer-motion staggers per-letter motion for the bounce, wave, reveal and flip, and slides the label for the slide.
Reduced-motion aware: Under prefers-reduced-motion, the letters stay put and the labels do not animate.
Size aligned to the base: Every variation takes sm, md, lg and xl matching the base Button height scale, so styled and base buttons line up in a row.

Production tips

Use it for emphasis, not everywhere: Styled buttons draw the eye. Reserve them for the one action you want people to take on a screen, and use the base Button for the rest.
Keep labels as verbs: The decoration adds weight, so a clear action label keeps the button scannable.
Pick one variation per surface: The variations share a family; using two different ones in the same view competes for attention.

Works with the rest of ai2

The Text-animated buttons sit alongside the base Button and the rest of the @ai2 registry. They share the same token file, so a styled action next to a base button or a badge stays visually consistent in both modes.