django-tailwind-cli
Tailwind CSS for Django without Node.js. The library downloads the standalone Tailwind CSS CLI and wires it into Django management commands, so there is no npm, no webpack, and no separate build tool to configure. It follows the approach of the Tailwind integration for Phoenix.
What it does
- Downloads and manages the Tailwind CLI binary for your platform
- Rebuilds CSS on change, running under Django's own auto-reloader
- Produces minified production builds containing only the classes you use
- Includes the CSS via a
{% tailwind_css %}template tag - Supports DaisyUI through tailwindcss-cli-extra
- Targets Tailwind CSS 4.x
Quickstart
In an existing Django project, install the package:
python -m pip install django-tailwind-cli
Add the app and a static files directory to settings.py:
INSTALLED_APPS = [
# ... your other apps
"django_tailwind_cli",
]
STATICFILES_DIRS = [BASE_DIR / "assets"]
Create that directory before starting Django:
mkdir -p assets
Load the template tag in your base template and place it inside <head>:
{% load tailwind_cli %}
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
<title>My Django App</title>
{% tailwind_css %}
</head>
<body>
{% block content %}{% endblock %}
</body>
</html>
Start Django and the Tailwind watcher together:
python manage.py tailwind runserver
The first run downloads the CLI and creates the default source CSS. Add Tailwind classes to your templates; the watcher rebuilds the stylesheet when you save them.
For a production build, run Tailwind before collecting static files:
python manage.py tailwind build
python manage.py collectstatic --noinput
See the installation guide for setup checks and optional integrations, and the workflow guide for custom CSS, editor setup and troubleshooting.
Requirements
- Python: 3.10+
- Django: 4.2 LTS, 5.2, 6.0, or 6.1
- Platform: Windows, macOS, Linux (automatic platform detection)
Configuration and commands
The defaults work with the setup above. Optional settings let you pin the Tailwind version, use a system binary, add custom CSS, enable DaisyUI, or include editable-installed external apps. See the settings reference.
The command reference covers all commands and options. To inspect your setup or investigate a build problem, start with:
python manage.py tailwind config
python manage.py tailwind build --verbose
python manage.py tailwind troubleshoot
Documentation and related projects
- Full documentation
- Tailwind CSS documentation
- DaisyUI components
- tailwindcss-cli-extra — the DaisyUI-enabled CLI build
- Django Extensions — provides
runserver_plus - Tailwind CSS IntelliSense — VS Code extension
- Django Commons
Contributing
Contributions are welcome.
CONTRIBUTING.md
covers the development setup (mise provisions Python, uv, and
pre-commit), how to run the tests, and what a pull request should look like. Please read the short
section at the top of it before opening an issue or a pull request — it explains what makes one easy
to act on.
License
This software is licensed under MIT license.
1 maintainer
Metadata
1 maintainer
Release files for django-tailwind-cli 4.8.1
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Total release size: 215.8 kB
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