Best for
Founders who want an animated expand/collapse navigation menu for mobile nav, sidebar, or floating dock
Stack
A ready-made Expandable Menu UI you can fork, run, and customize with the prompt pack below.
What's actually inside
The honest engineer's breakdown — what the Expandable Menutemplate does, how it's wired, and where it's opinionated.
The Expandable Menu template is built around a single open/closed boolean state that drives two Framer Motion animations simultaneously: the ExpandIcon morphs between its open and closed forms using a rotate transform, and the MenuItemList collapses from its natural height to zero using AnimatePresence. Each MenuItem inside the list animates in with a staggered delay so the items appear to cascade rather than pop in all at once — this is the detail that makes the animation feel polished rather than cheap.
The MenuContainer handles placement and z-index relative to everything else on the page. By default it's positioned inline, but it can be repositioned to a fixed bottom-center floating dock using a single Tailwind class change (see the medium prompt). The OverlayBackdrop is an optional semi-transparent layer behind the open menu that dismisses it on click — useful for mobile where there's no clean 'outside click' otherwise.
Honest caveats: the navigation items in this template are a flat list — there is no nested sub-level support. If your app's navigation has sections within sections, you'll need a different pattern. Also, in Next.js App Router, client-side route changes do not trigger a page reload, so the menu's open state will persist after a MenuItem link is clicked unless you wire up the usePathname close-on-navigate fix (covered in the gotchas and prompt below).
Key UI components
MenuContainerOuter wrapper managing placement and z-index relative to the page trigger point
MenuTriggerButton (hamburger or plus icon) that toggles open state with a rotation animation
MenuItemListAnimated container that collapses to zero height when closed, managed by Framer Motion AnimatePresence
MenuItemIndividual link/action row with icon, label, and optional description — animated in with staggered delay
ExpandIconAnimated SVG icon (chevron or cross) that morphs between open and closed states
OverlayBackdropOptional semi-transparent backdrop that dismisses the menu on outside click
Libraries it leans on
Framer MotionAnimatePresence and motion.div for height collapse and staggered MenuItem entry animations
shadcn/uiButton primitive for the MenuTrigger
Tailwind CSSLayout, dark mode support, z-index, and responsive positioning
Fork it and get it running
Forking takes about five minutes in the browser — no local setup needed. You can swap in your real navigation items before you deploy.
Open the community page and fork
Go to https://v0.dev/chat/community/svcCLHArfbC and click Fork in the top-right corner. V0 clones the project into your account and opens the editor. The Vercel Sandbox preview pane appears on the right showing the expandable menu in its initial closed state.
Tip: You need a free v0.dev account. Sign up at v0.dev before clicking Fork.
You should see: V0 editor opens with the Expandable Menu project. The MenuTrigger button is visible in the preview.
Test the expand animation in preview
In the Vercel Sandbox preview pane, click the MenuTrigger button to expand the menu. Verify the stagger animation on the MenuItem entries and the ExpandIcon rotation look correct. Click outside the menu or on the OverlayBackdrop to confirm it closes. This confirms the AnimatePresence and state logic work before you make any changes.
Tip: If the animation looks choppy in the preview sandbox, it will render smoothly on Vercel — the sandbox has limited GPU resources.
You should see: Menu expands with staggered items, ExpandIcon rotates, and clicking the backdrop or trigger again closes it.
Replace placeholder MenuItem entries
In the Code tab, locate the MenuItem data array — an array of objects with label, href, and icon properties. Replace the placeholder items with your app's actual navigation links and icons. You can use any icon from lucide-react since it's already imported. This is a direct code edit and consumes no V0 credits.
You should see: The preview shows your app's real navigation links inside the expanded menu.
Adjust colors with Design Mode
Press Option+D (Mac) or Alt+D (Windows) to enter Design Mode. Click directly on the MenuContainer background, MenuItem text, or OverlayBackdrop to change their Tailwind classes visually. Design Mode adjustments do not consume V0 credits. Set the menu background to bg-white or bg-zinc-900 for dark, and adjust the MenuTrigger icon color.
You should see: The menu colors match your brand without spending any V0 credits.
Publish to production and connect GitHub
Click Share in the top-right, then open the Publish tab and click 'Publish to Production'. V0 deploys in under 60 seconds. Then open the Git panel in the V0 sidebar, click Connect GitHub, choose or create a repository, and V0 will auto-create a branch (v0/main-abc123) with a pull request. Merge the PR to bring the component into your codebase.
You should see: A live Vercel URL is available and the component code is in your GitHub repo ready to integrate.
The prompt pack
Copy-paste these straight into v0's chat to customize the Expandable Menutemplate. Each one names this template's own components — no generic filler.
Replace menu items and icons with my app's navigation
Swaps the placeholder MenuItem entries with real app navigation links using existing lucide-react icons.
Update the MenuItem data array in the ExpandableMenu component. Replace all current items with: { label: 'Dashboard', href: '/dashboard', icon: 'LayoutDashboard' }, { label: 'Settings', href: '/settings', icon: 'Settings' }, { label: 'Help', href: '/help', icon: 'HelpCircle' }. Use lucide-react icons that are already imported in the project. Keep all existing Framer Motion stagger animation timing unchanged.Add dark mode support to the entire menu
Adds system-preference-aware dark mode to all menu components using Tailwind dark: utilities.
Apply dark mode to the MenuContainer, MenuItemList, and each MenuItem row. Use Tailwind's dark: prefix throughout. The MenuContainer background should switch from bg-white to dark:bg-zinc-900. Each MenuItem text should use dark:text-zinc-100. The OverlayBackdrop should use dark:bg-black/60. The MenuTrigger icon color should change to dark:text-white. The ExpandIcon should use dark:stroke-white.
Convert to a floating dock fixed at the bottom-center
Repositions the menu to a persistent floating action button dock at the bottom-center of the screen with items expanding upward.
Reposition the ExpandableMenu from its current inline placement to a fixed bottom-center dock. The MenuContainer should use the Tailwind classes fixed bottom-6 left-1/2 -translate-x-1/2 z-50. Items should expand upward — reverse the Framer Motion animation so the MenuItemList grows from bottom to top by setting originY: 1 on the motion.div container. Add shadow-2xl to the MenuContainer for depth and a rounded-2xl border for the dock aesthetic.
Highlight the active page link in the menu
Uses Next.js usePathname to highlight the current page's MenuItem with a colored background and proper ARIA attribute.
Import usePathname from next/navigation inside the MenuItem component. Compare each MenuItem's href to the current pathname — if they match, apply a highlighted background of bg-violet-50 dark:bg-violet-900/30 and a text color of text-violet-600 dark:text-violet-300 to the active item. Add an aria-current='page' attribute to the matching MenuItem for accessibility. Add 'use client' to the top of the MenuItem file if it's not already there.
Persist menu state and sync to Supabase user preferences
Saves menu open/closed state to localStorage for guests and to a Supabase user_preferences table for signed-in Clerk users.
Add a useEffect that saves the menu's open/closed state to localStorage under the key 'expandable-menu-open' as a boolean string. On mount, restore this state inside a useEffect to avoid SSR errors — initialize the open state as false and set it from localStorage after mount. Additionally, when the user is signed in (check with Clerk's useUser()), save the preference to a Supabase user_preferences table with columns user_id (uuid) and menu_open (boolean) via a Server Action. Call the Server Action on every toggle using a debounced callback to avoid excessive writes.
Gotchas when you extend it
The failures people actually hit when they push this template past its defaults — and the exact fix for each.
Framer Motion AnimatePresence causes blank flash on first renderWhy: If AnimatePresence wraps a conditional element that is mounted as closed without initial={false}, React renders the exit animation on the initial paint — the MenuItemList items flash briefly before disappearing.
Fix: Add initial={false} to the AnimatePresence component: <AnimatePresence initial={false}> — this skips the entry animation on the first render.
Fix the flash on first render in the ExpandableMenu — add initial={false} to the AnimatePresence component wrapping the MenuItemList.Menu stays open when navigating via Next.js Link (soft navigation)Why: Next.js App Router uses client-side navigation without a full page reload, so the menu's open state persists after a MenuItem link click and the user lands on the new page with the menu still expanded.
Fix: Add a useEffect that watches usePathname() and calls setOpen(false) whenever the pathname changes.
Add a useEffect that calls setOpen(false) whenever the Next.js pathname changes, so the ExpandableMenu closes automatically after navigation.
Tailwind v3/v4 conflict: group-hover and animate-* classes stop working after local cloneWhy: V0 generates Tailwind v3.4 group-hover utilities and custom keyframe names that don't exist in Tailwind v4's CSS-based config system.
Fix: After cloning locally, check your Tailwind version. Prompt V0 to update all group-hover and custom animation utilities to Tailwind v4 CSS variable syntax.
Update this component's Tailwind classes to be fully compatible with Tailwind v4 — replace group-hover: utilities and any tailwind.config.js animation entries with Tailwind v4 CSS-based equivalents.
z-index conflict: ExpandableMenu renders behind sticky headerWhy: If the page has a sticky header with its own z-index, the MenuContainer may appear behind it because a parent element with transform, filter, or will-change creates a new stacking context that limits the menu's effective z-index.
Fix: Ensure the MenuContainer has z-50 and that no parent wrapper has a transform or filter CSS property that creates a competing stacking context.
Fix the z-index layering so the ExpandableMenu always renders above the sticky header — add z-50 to the MenuContainer and verify no parent wrapper has a transform or filter that creates a competing stacking context.
Template vs. custom — the honest call
A forked template gets you far, fast. Here's where it holds up, and where you'll outgrow it.
The template is enough when
- You need a mobile-first hamburger menu or a floating action button pattern with 4–8 items
- You want smooth Framer Motion stagger animations without custom keyframe work
- You're prototyping a SaaS or marketing site MVP and need the nav shipped today
- Your navigation items are flat (no nested sub-levels)
Go custom when
- You need a mega-menu with nested sub-levels — this template is flat by design
- You need accessibility-complete ARIA menus per the WAI-ARIA navigation pattern, which requires custom role and focus management
- You need the menu items to pull live from a CMS or change based on user role at the database level
If you need the Expandable Menu integrated with your auth layer (show different items per user role) or connected to a headless CMS, RapidDev can build that on top of this V0 prototype.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Expandable Menu v0 template free to fork?
Yes. V0 community templates are free to fork with any v0.dev account. Forking does not consume credits. Framer Motion is MIT-licensed; shadcn/ui Button is MIT-licensed — no commercial restrictions.
Can I use this animated menu in a commercial product?
Yes. The generated V0 code is yours to own and ship in any product. Framer Motion and shadcn/ui are MIT-licensed. Framer Motion's commercial plans are for the no-code Framer website builder, not the React library — the npm package is free for any use.
Why does my fork show a blank flash before the menu items appear?
This is the AnimatePresence first-render flash. When AnimatePresence wraps a conditional element without initial={false}, React runs the exit animation on the initial paint, causing a brief flicker. Fix it by adding initial={false} to the AnimatePresence component wrapping the MenuItemList. The gotchas section above has the complete fix prompt.
Why does the menu stay open after I click a link?
Next.js App Router uses client-side navigation (no full page reload), so the component's open state persists after the user clicks a MenuItem. Add a useEffect that watches usePathname() from next/navigation and calls setOpen(false) whenever the pathname changes. The prompt pack's medium prompt covers this pattern.
How do I make the menu a floating dock at the bottom of the screen?
Apply fixed bottom-6 left-1/2 -translate-x-1/2 z-50 to the MenuContainer and reverse the Framer Motion animation to expand upward (set originY: 1). The medium prompt in the pack gives you the full implementation.
Why does the menu render behind my sticky header?
A parent element with a transform, filter, or will-change CSS property creates a new stacking context that limits the menu's effective z-index. Make sure the MenuContainer has z-50 and that no ancestor element uses those properties. If your sticky header has z-40, the menu's z-50 will win — but only if no parent creates a new stacking context.
Can RapidDev integrate this menu with our auth system and CMS?
Yes. If you need the Expandable Menu to show different items per Clerk role, pull navigation structure from a headless CMS, or sync preferences to a Supabase table, RapidDev can build that production integration on top of this V0 prototype.
Does this template support nested sub-menus?
No. The MenuItem list is flat by design — one level of items per menu. If you need multi-level nested navigation (e.g., a section with sub-items that also expand), that requires a custom recursive component pattern beyond what this template provides.
Outgrowing the template?
RapidDev turns v0 prototypes into production apps — real auth, database, and payments — at $13K–$25K.
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