had to add a custom text input component because mantine's TextInput wasn't playing ball

frontend/src/components/shared/TextInput.tsx

@@ -0,0 +1,91 @@
+import React, { forwardRef } from 'react';
+import { useMantineColorScheme } from '@mantine/core';
+import styles from './textInput/TextInput.module.css';
+
+export interface TextInputProps {
+  value: string;
+  onChange: (value: string) => void;
+  placeholder?: string;
+  icon?: React.ReactNode;
+  showClearButton?: boolean;
+  onClear?: () => void;
+  className?: string;
+  style?: React.CSSProperties;
+  autoComplete?: string;
+  disabled?: boolean;
+  readOnly?: boolean;
+  'aria-label'?: string;
+}
+
+export const TextInput = forwardRef<HTMLInputElement, TextInputProps>(({
+  value,
+  onChange,
+  placeholder,
+  icon,
+  showClearButton = true,
+  onClear,
+  className = '',
+  style,
+  autoComplete = 'off',
+  disabled = false,
+  readOnly = false,
+  'aria-label': ariaLabel,
+  ...props
+}, ref) => {
+  const { colorScheme } = useMantineColorScheme();
+
+  const handleClear = () => {
+    if (onClear) {
+      onClear();
+    } else {
+      onChange('');
+    }
+  };
+
+  const shouldShowClearButton = showClearButton && value.trim().length > 0 && !disabled && !readOnly;
+
+  return (
+    <div className={`${styles.container} ${className}`} style={style}>
+      {icon && (
+        <span 
+          className={styles.icon}
+          style={{ color: colorScheme === 'dark' ? '#FFFFFF' : '#6B7382' }}
+        >
+          {icon}
+        </span>
+      )}
+      <input
+        ref={ref}
+        type="text"
+        placeholder={placeholder}
+        value={value}
+        onChange={(e) => onChange(e.currentTarget.value)}
+        autoComplete={autoComplete}
+        className={styles.input}
+        disabled={disabled}
+        readOnly={readOnly}
+        aria-label={ariaLabel}
+        style={{
+          backgroundColor: colorScheme === 'dark' ? '#4B525A' : '#FFFFFF',
+          color: colorScheme === 'dark' ? '#FFFFFF' : '#6B7382',
+          paddingRight: shouldShowClearButton ? '40px' : '12px',
+          paddingLeft: icon ? '40px' : '12px',
+        }}
+        {...props}
+      />
+      {shouldShowClearButton && (
+        <button
+          type="button"
+          className={styles.clearButton}
+          onClick={handleClear}
+          style={{ color: colorScheme === 'dark' ? '#FFFFFF' : '#6B7382' }}
+          aria-label="Clear input"
+        >
+          <span className="material-symbols-rounded">close</span>
+        </button>
+      )}
+    </div>
+  );
+});
+
+TextInput.displayName = 'TextInput';

frontend/src/components/shared/textInput/TextInput.README.md

@@ -0,0 +1,82 @@
+# TextInput Component
+
+A reusable text input component with optional icon, clear button, and theme-aware styling. This was created because Mantine's TextInput has limited styling
+
+## Features
+
+- **Theme-aware**: Automatically adapts to light/dark color schemes
+- **Icon support**: Optional left icon with proper positioning
+- **Clear button**: Optional clear button that appears when input has content
+- **Accessible**: Proper ARIA labels and keyboard navigation
+- **Customizable**: Flexible props for styling and behavior
+
+## Usage
+
+```tsx
+import { TextInput } from '../shared/textInput';
+
+// Basic usage
+<TextInput
+  value={searchValue}
+  onChange={setSearchValue}
+  placeholder="Search..."
+/>
+
+// With icon
+<TextInput
+  value={searchValue}
+  onChange={setSearchValue}
+  placeholder="Search tools..."
+  icon={<span className="material-symbols-rounded">search</span>}
+/>
+
+// With custom clear handler
+<TextInput
+  value={searchValue}
+  onChange={setSearchValue}
+  onClear={() => {
+    setSearchValue('');
+    // Additional cleanup logic
+  }}
+/>
+
+// Disabled state
+<TextInput
+  value={searchValue}
+  onChange={setSearchValue}
+  disabled={true}
+/>
+```
+
+## Props
+
+| Prop | Type | Default | Description |
+|------|------|---------|-------------|
+| `value` | `string` | - | The input value (required) |
+| `onChange` | `(value: string) => void` | - | Callback when input value changes (required) |
+| `placeholder` | `string` | - | Placeholder text |
+| `icon` | `React.ReactNode` | - | Optional left icon |
+| `showClearButton` | `boolean` | `true` | Whether to show the clear button |
+| `onClear` | `() => void` | - | Custom clear handler (defaults to setting value to empty string) |
+| `className` | `string` | `''` | Additional CSS classes |
+| `style` | `React.CSSProperties` | - | Additional inline styles |
+| `autoComplete` | `string` | `'off'` | HTML autocomplete attribute |
+| `disabled` | `boolean` | `false` | Whether the input is disabled |
+| `readOnly` | `boolean` | `false` | Whether the input is read-only |
+| `aria-label` | `string` | - | Accessibility label |
+
+## Styling
+
+The component uses CSS modules and automatically adapts to the current color scheme. The styling includes:
+
+- Proper focus states with blue outline
+- Hover effects on the clear button
+- Theme-aware colors for text, background, and icons
+- Responsive padding based on icon and clear button presence
+
+## Accessibility
+
+- Proper ARIA labels
+- Keyboard navigation support
+- Screen reader friendly clear button
+- Focus management

frontend/src/components/shared/textInput/TextInput.module.css

@@ -0,0 +1,73 @@
+.container {
+  position: relative;
+  display: flex;
+  align-items: center;
+}
+
+.icon {
+  position: absolute;
+  left: 12px;
+  top: 50%;
+  transform: translateY(-50%);
+  z-index: 1;
+  font-size: 16px;
+  pointer-events: none;
+  display: flex;
+  align-items: center;
+  justify-content: center;
+}
+
+.input {
+  width: 100%;
+  padding: 8px 12px;
+  border: none;
+  border-radius: 6px;
+  font-size: 14px;
+  outline: none;
+  box-shadow: none;
+  transition: box-shadow 0.2s ease;
+}
+
+.input::placeholder {
+  color: var(--search-text-and-icon-color);
+  opacity: 1;
+}
+
+.input:focus {
+  outline: none;
+  box-shadow: none;
+}
+
+.input:disabled {
+  opacity: 0.6;
+  cursor: not-allowed;
+}
+
+.input:read-only {
+  cursor: default;
+}
+
+.clearButton {
+  position: absolute;
+  right: 8px;
+  top: 50%;
+  transform: translateY(-50%);
+  background: none;
+  border: none;
+  cursor: pointer;
+  padding: 4px;
+  border-radius: 4px;
+  display: flex;
+  align-items: center;
+  justify-content: center;
+  font-size: 16px;
+  transition: background-color 0.2s ease;
+}
+
+.clearButton:hover {
+  background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1);
+}
+
+[data-mantine-color-scheme="dark"] .clearButton:hover {
+  background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.1);
+}

frontend/src/components/tools/toolPicker/ToolPicker.css

@@ -73,37 +73,6 @@
 }
 
 .search-input-container {
-  position: relative;
   margin-top: 0.5rem;
   margin-bottom: 0.5rem;
-  display: flex;
-  align-items: center;
-}
-
-.search-icon {
-  position: absolute;
-  left: 12px;
-  z-index: 1;
-  font-size: 16px;
-  pointer-events: none;
-}
-
-.search-input-field {
-  width: 100%;
-  padding: 8px 12px 8px 40px;
-  border: none;
-  border-radius: 6px;
-  font-size: 14px;
-  outline: none;
-  box-shadow: none;
-}
-
-.search-input-field::placeholder {
-  color: var(--search-text-and-icon-color);
-  opacity: 1;
-}
-
-.search-input-field:focus {
-  outline: none;
-  box-shadow: 0 0 0 2px rgba(59, 130, 246, 0.2);
 }

frontend/src/components/tools/toolPicker/ToolSearch.tsx

@@ -1,7 +1,8 @@
 import React, { useState, useRef, useEffect, useMemo } from "react";
-import { TextInput, Stack, Button, Text, useMantineColorScheme } from "@mantine/core";
+import { Stack, Button, Text } from "@mantine/core";
 import { useTranslation } from "react-i18next";
 import { type ToolRegistryEntry } from "../../../data/toolRegistry";
+import { TextInput } from "../../shared/TextInput";
 import './ToolPicker.css';
 
 interface ToolSearchProps {
@@ -22,7 +23,6 @@ const ToolSearch = ({
   selectedToolKey 
 }: ToolSearchProps) => {
   const { t } = useTranslation();
-  const { colorScheme } = useMantineColorScheme();
   const [dropdownOpen, setDropdownOpen] = useState(false);
   const searchRef = useRef<HTMLInputElement>(null);
 
@@ -57,21 +57,13 @@ const ToolSearch = ({
 
   const searchInput = (
     <div className="search-input-container">
-      <span className="material-symbols-rounded search-icon" style={{ color: colorScheme === 'dark' ? '#FFFFFF' : '#6B7382' }}>
+      <TextInput
-        search
-      </span>
-      <input
         ref={searchRef}
-        type="text"
-        placeholder={t("toolPicker.searchPlaceholder", "Search tools...")}
         value={value}
-        onChange={(e) => handleSearchChange(e.currentTarget.value)}
+        onChange={handleSearchChange}
+        placeholder={t("toolPicker.searchPlaceholder", "Search tools...")}
+        icon={<span className="material-symbols-rounded">search</span>}
         autoComplete="off"
-        className="search-input-field"
-        style={{
-          backgroundColor: colorScheme === 'dark' ? '#4B525A' : '#FFFFFF',
-          color: colorScheme === 'dark' ? '#FFFFFF' : '#6B7382',
-        }}
       />
     </div>
   );