# Emoji Picker

> An emoji picker that feels native: about 540 emoji inline, search by name, keyword or :shortcode:, a category bar that follows your scroll, sticky headers, recents remembered across visits, six skin tones (🧑‍💻 → 🧑🏽‍💻) and a preview footer. Arrow keys move row by row across sections, Enter picks. Inline, or as EmojiPickerPopover on any button.

- Slug: `emoji-picker`
- Category: [Pickers](https://www.assembli.design/category/pickers.md)
- Type: component
- Tags: emoji, picker, reactions, popover, search, skin-tone, chat
- npm dependencies: @base-ui/react, lucide-react
- shadcn/ui dependencies: none
- Live preview: https://www.assembli.design/preview/emoji-picker
- Page: https://www.assembli.design/components/emoji-picker

![Emoji Picker preview](https://www.assembli.design/thumbnails/emoji-picker-light.png)

## Props

Other props pass through to the root element.

| Prop | Type | Default | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `onSelect` | `(selection: EmojiSelection) => void` |  |  |
| `columns` | `number` | `9` | Columns in the grid. Defaults to 9. |
| `height` | `number` | `288` | Height of the scrolling grid in px. Defaults to 288. |
| `recentLimit` | `number` | `18` | How many recents to keep. 0 hides the Recent section. Defaults to 18 (two rows). |
| `skinTone` | `SkinTone` |  | Controlled skin tone. Uncontrolled, the reader's last pick is remembered across pickers and visits. |
| `defaultSkinTone` | `SkinTone` | `0` |  |
| `onSkinToneChange` | `(tone: SkinTone) => void` |  |  |
| `autoFocus` | `boolean` |  | Focuses the search field on mount, as when opened from a button. |
| `searchPlaceholder` | `string` | `"Search emoji"` |  |

## Install

One-time setup (needs a subscription):

1. Add the registry to the project's `components.json`: `{"@assembli":{"url":"https://www.assembli.design/r/{name}.json","headers":{"Authorization":"Bearer ${ASSEMBLI_API_KEY}"}}}` (merge into `"registries"`).
2. Put an API key from https://www.assembli.design/account in `.env.local` as `ASSEMBLI_API_KEY=asm_…`.

Then install with the shadcn CLI (writes `components/emoji-picker/emoji-picker.tsx` and installs dependencies):

```bash
npx shadcn@latest add @assembli/emoji-picker
```

Registry item JSON: https://www.assembli.design/r/emoji-picker.json (send `Authorization: Bearer <api key>`)

## Code

> Component source needs an Assembli subscription ($12/month or $96/year) and an API key sent as `Authorization: Bearer <key>`. To get one without copying anything, POST https://www.assembli.design/api/agent/login (or call the MCP tool connect_account), show the user the link it returns, and poll https://www.assembli.design/api/agent/token for the key. Or subscribe at https://www.assembli.design/pricing and create a key at https://www.assembli.design/account.