---
title: "Tools"
description: "Read a component's variant names, values, and defaults with getSchema from cva/tools."
url: "https://cva.style/beta/getting-started/tools/"
---

The `cva/tools` entry point holds the helpers that read a component’s variants back out at runtime. It’s a separate entry point, so an ESM bundler drops it from a build that never imports it.

## `getSchema`

Re-declaring variants for a Storybook story or prop table creates a second copy to keep in sync by hand. `getSchema` reads them from the component instead, so you declare each variant once:

```ts
import { cva } from "cva";
import { getSchema } from "cva/tools";


const button = cva({
  base: "button",
  variants: {
    intent: { primary: "button--primary", secondary: "button--secondary" },
    size: { small: "button--small", large: "button--large" },
  },
  defaultVariants: { intent: "primary", size: "small" },
});


getSchema(button);
// => {
//   intent: { values: ["primary", "secondary"], defaultValue: "primary" },
//   size: { values: ["small", "large"], defaultValue: "small" },
// }
```

The schema is fully typed: `values` narrows to the variant’s literal values, and `defaultValue` only appears when the component declares one. Hover the result in your editor and you see the same shape the runtime returns:

```ts
import { cva } from "cva";
import { getSchema } from "cva/tools";


const badge = cva({
  base: "badge",
  variants: {
    tone: { info: "badge--info", warning: "badge--warning" },
    round: { true: "badge--round", false: "badge--square" },
    weight: { 400: "badge--regular", 700: "badge--bold" },
  },
  defaultVariants: { tone: "info" },
});


const schema = getSchema(badge);
//    ^ {
//        tone: {
//          values: readonly ("info" | "warning")[];
//          defaultValue: "info";
//        };
//        round: { values: readonly boolean[] };
//        weight: { values: readonly (400 | 700)[] };
//      }
```

Boolean and numeric variant keys come back as booleans and numbers, matching the props the component accepts rather than the object keys they were written as. [Internal variants](https://cva.style/beta/getting-started/variants#internal-variants) are omitted.

For the full signature, see the [API reference](https://cva.style/beta/api-reference#getschema).