Better styling control for native <input> in Creatable + Multi mode

We've been using react-select@5 with Creatable and isMulti, and are trying to style the native <input> used for entering new tags.

Problem

The native <input> element:

<input class="select__input" ... />

is styled via inline styles and cannot be fully targeted or overridden using:

• classNames.input (applies to a parent div)
• components.Input (wraps the input, doesn’t pass props to it)
• styles.input

This limits full integration into modern utility-based styling systems like Tailwind.

✅ What we tried

• opacity-0
• full styles.input override
• classNames.input and components.Input — do not reach native input

Suggestion

Could we expose a way to:

• Pass a className or ref directly to the native <input>
• OR provide a getInputProps() helper like downshift that lets us spread custom props on it

This would let developers:

• Apply custom focus styles using ring-* classes
• Control caret/text/placeholder rendering
• Integrate seamlessly with CSS frameworks

Thanks again for this powerful and flexible component! Happy to recreate the issue in an isolated code sandbox if needed.

Start by tracing how the native input is exposed through classNames.input, components.Input, and styles.input in a minimal Creatable + isMulti reproduction. Compare the proposed className/ref or getInputProps approaches and define which native props must be supported. Done means consumers can directly customize the native input without breaking tag creation or multi-value entry.