gsap-react

Q: How do I install gsap-react?

Run npx skills add https://github.com/bbeierle12/skill-mcp-claude --skill gsap-react in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/gsap-react/ (personal) or .claude/skills/gsap-react/ (project).

by bbeierle12Frontend & Design

GSAP integration with React including useGSAP hook, ref handling, cleanup patterns, and context management. Use when implementing GSAP animations in React components, handling component lifecycle, or building reusable animation hooks.

Installs: 724
Last 24h: —
Trending rank: —
Security: Not audited

Install

Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.

npx skills add https://github.com/bbeierle12/skill-mcp-claude --skill gsap-react

01
Install
Run the command in your project. The CLI asks which agents to install for.
02
Describe the task
Ask your agent for something this skill covers. It loads gsap-react automatically when relevant.
03
Review the result
The agent follows the SKILL.md steps, scripts and references bundled with the skill.

SKILL.md

The instructions your agent reads when the skill is triggered.

GSAP React Integration

React-specific patterns for GSAP animations.

Quick Start

npm install gsap @gsap/react

import { useGSAP } from '@gsap/react';
import gsap from 'gsap';

function Component() {
  const containerRef = useRef(null);

  useGSAP(() => {
    gsap.to('.box', { x: 200, duration: 1 });
  }, { scope: containerRef });

  return (
    <div ref={containerRef}>
      <div className="box">Animated</div>
    </div>
  );
}

useGSAP Hook

Basic Usage

import { useGSAP } from '@gsap/react';
import gsap from 'gsap';

function AnimatedComponent() {
  const container = useRef(null);

  useGSAP(() => {
    // All GSAP animations here
    gsap.from('.item', {
      opacity: 0,
      y: 50,
      stagger: 0.1
    });
  }, { scope: container }); // Scope limits selector queries

  return (
    <div ref={container}>
      <div className="item">Item 1</div>
      <div className="item">Item 2</div>
      <div className="item">Item 3</div>
    </div>
  );
}

With Dependencies

function AnimatedComponent({ isOpen }) {
  const container = useRef(null);

  useGSAP(() => {
    gsap.to('.drawer', {
      height: isOpen ? 'auto' : 0,
      duration: 0.3
    });
  }, { scope: container, dependencies: [isOpen] });

  return (
    <div ref={container}>
      <div className="drawer">Content</div>
    </div>
  );
}

Returning Context

function Component() {
  const container = useRef(null);

  const { context, contextSafe } = useGSAP(() => {
    gsap.to('.box', { x: 200 });
  }, { scope: container });

  // Use contextSafe for event handlers
  const handleClick = contextSafe(() => {
    gsap.to('.box', { rotation: 360 });
  });

  return (
    <div ref={container}>
      <div className="box" onClick={handleClick}>Click me</div>
    </div>
  );
}

Ref Patterns

Single Element Ref

function SingleElement() {
  const boxRef = useRef(null);

  useGSAP(() => {
    gsap.to(boxRef.current, {
      x: 200,
      rotation: 360,
      duration: 1
    });
  });

  return <div ref={boxRef}>Box</div>;
}

Multiple Element Refs

function MultipleElements() {
  const itemsRef = useRef([]);

  useGSAP(() => {
    gsap.from(itemsRef.current, {
      opacity: 0,
      y: 30,
      stagger: 0.1
    });
  });

  return (
    <div>
      {[1, 2, 3].map((item, i) => (
        <div
          key={item}
          ref={el => itemsRef.current[i] = el}
        >
          Item {item}
        </div>
      ))}
    </div>
  );
}

Dynamic Refs

function DynamicList({ items }) {
  const itemsRef = useRef(new Map());

  useGSAP(() => {
    gsap.from(Array.from(itemsRef.current.values()), {
      opacity: 0,
      y: 20,
      stagger: 0.05
    });
  }, { dependencies: [items.length] });

  return (
    <div>
      {items.map(item => (
        <div
          key={item.id}
          ref={el => {
            if (el) itemsRef.current.set(item.id, el);
            else itemsRef.current.delete(item.id);
          }}
        >
          {item.name}
        </div>
      ))}
    </div>
  );
}

Context and Cleanup

Automatic Cleanup

// useGSAP automatically cleans up animations on unmount
function Component() {
  useGSAP(() => {
    // This timeline is automatically killed on unmount
    gsap.timeline()
      .to('.a', { x: 100 })
      .to('.b', { x: 100 });
  });
}

Manual Context (Without useGSAP)

import gsap from 'gsap';

function Component() {
  useEffect(() => {
    const ctx = gsap.context(() => {
      gsap.to('.box', { x: 200 });
      gsap.to('.circle', { rotation: 360 });
    });

    return () => ctx.revert(); // Cleanup
  }, []);
}

Scoped Context

function Component() {
  const containerRef = useRef(null);

  useEffect(() => {
    const ctx = gsap.context(() => {
      // Selectors only query within containerRef
      gsap.to('.item', { opacity: 1 });
    }, containerRef);

    return () => ctx.revert();
  }, []);
}

Event Handlers

contextSafe for Events

function InteractiveComponent() {
  const container = useRef(null);

  const { contextSafe } = useGSAP(() => {
    // Initial animation
    gsap.set('.box', { scale: 1 });
  }, { scope: container });

  const handleMouseEnter = contextSafe(() => {
    gsap.to('.box', { scale: 1.1, duration: 0.2 });
  });

  const handleMouseLeave = contextSafe(() => {
    gsap.to('.box', { scale: 1, duration: 0.2 });
  });

  return (
    <div ref={container}>
      <div
        className="box"
        onMouseEnter={handleMouseEnter}
        onMouseLeave={handleMouseLeave}
      >
        Hover me
      </div>
    </div>
  );
}

useCallback Alternative

function Component() {
  const boxRef = useRef(null);
  const tweenRef = useRef(null);

  const animateBox = useCallback(() => {
    tweenRef.current?.kill();
    tweenRef.current = gsap.to(boxRef.current, {
      x: '+=50',
      duration: 0.3
    });
  }, []);

  useEffect(() => {
    return () => tweenRef.current?.kill();
  }, []);

  return <div ref={boxRef} onClick={animateBox}>Click</div>;
}

Timeline Management

Timeline Ref Pattern

function TimelineComponent() {
  const container = useRef(null);
  const tl = useRef(null);

  useGSAP(() => {
    tl.current = gsap.timeline({ paused: true })
      .to('.box', { x: 200 })
      .to('.box', { y: 100 })
      .to('.box', { rotation: 360 });
  }, { scope: container });

  const play = () => tl.current?.play();
  const reverse = () => tl.current?.reverse();
  const restart = () => tl.current?.restart();

  return (
    <div ref={container}>
      <div className="box">Animated</div>
      <button onClick={play}>Play</button>
      <button onClick={reverse}>Reverse</button>
      <button onClick={restart}>Restart</button>
    </div>
  );
}

Controlled Timeline

function ControlledAnimation({ progress }) {
  const container = useRef(null);
  const tl = useRef(null);

  useGSAP(() => {
    tl.current = gsap.timeline({ paused: true })
      .to('.element', { x: 500 })
      .to('.element', { y: 200 });
  }, { scope: container });

  // Update timeline progress when prop changes
  useEffect(() => {
    if (tl.current) {
      tl.current.progress(progress);
    }
  }, [progress]);

  return (
    <div ref={container}>
      <div className="element">Controlled</div>
    </div>
  );
}

ScrollTrigger in React

Basic ScrollTrigger

import { useGSAP } from '@gsap/react';
import gsap from 'gsap';
import { ScrollTrigger } from 'gsap/ScrollTrigger';

gsap.registerPlugin(ScrollTrigger);

function ScrollComponent() {
  const container = useRef(null);

  useGSAP(() => {
    gsap.from('.section', {
      opacity: 0,
      y: 100,
      scrollTrigger: {
        trigger: '.section',
        start: 'top 80%',
        toggleActions: 'play none none none'
      }
    });
  }, { scope: container });

  return (
    <div ref={container}>
      <div className="section">Scroll to reveal</div>
    </div>
  );
}

ScrollTrigger Cleanup

function ScrollComponent() {
  const container = useRef(null);

  useGSAP(() => {
    const triggers = [];

    gsap.utils.toArray('.item').forEach(item => {
      const trigger = ScrollTrigger.create({
        trigger: item,
        start: 'top 80%',
        onEnter: () => gsap.to(item, { opacity: 1 })
      });
      triggers.push(trigger);
    });

    // Return cleanup function
    return () => triggers.forEach(t => t.kill());
  }, { scope: container });
}

Custom Hooks

useAnimation Hook

function useAnimation(animation, deps = []) {
  const elementRef = useRef(null);
  const tweenRef = useRef(null);

  useGSAP(() => {
    if (elementRef.current) {
      tweenRef.current = animation(elementRef.current);
    }
    return () => tweenRef.current?.kill();
  }, { dependencies: deps });

  return elementRef;
}

// Usage
function Component() {
  const boxRef = useAnimation((el) =>
    gsap.from(el, { opacity: 0, y: 50, duration: 0.5 })
  );

  return <div ref={boxRef}>Animated</div>;
}

useFadeIn Hook

function useFadeIn(options = {}) {
  const { duration = 0.5, delay = 0, y = 30 } = options;
  const ref = useRef(null);

  useGSAP(() => {
    gsap.from(ref.current, {
      opacity: 0,
      y,
      duration,
      delay,
      ease: 'power2.out'
    });
  });

  return ref;
}

// Usage
function Card() {
  const cardRef = useFadeIn({ delay: 0.2 });
  return <div ref={cardRef}>Card content</div>;
}

useHoverAnimation Hook

function useHoverAnimation(enterAnimation, leaveAnimation) {
  const ref = useRef(null);
  const { contextSafe } = useGSAP({ scope: ref });

  const onEnter = contextSafe(() => enterAnimation(ref.current));
  const onLeave = contextSafe(() => leaveAnimation(ref.current));

  return { ref, onMouseEnter: onEnter, onMouseLeave: onLeave };
}

// Usage
function Button() {
  const hoverProps = useHoverAnimation(
    (el) => gsap.to(el, { scale: 1.05, duration: 0.2 }),
    (el) => gsap.to(el, { scale: 1, duration: 0.2 })
  );

  return <button {...hoverProps}>Hover me</button>;
}

Temporal Collapse Patterns

Animated Countdown Digit

function CountdownDigit({ value, label }) {
  const digitRef = useRef(null);
  const prevValue = useRef(value);

  useGSAP(() => {
    if (prevValue.current !== value) {
      gsap.timeline()
        .to(digitRef.current, {
          rotationX: -90,
          opacity: 0,
          duration: 0.25,
          ease: 'power2.in'
        })
        .call(() => {
          digitRef.current.textContent = value;
          prevValue.current = value;
        })
        .fromTo(digitRef.current,
          { rotationX: 90, opacity: 0 },
          { rotationX: 0, opacity: 1, duration: 0.25, ease: 'power2.out' }
        );
    }
  }, { dependencies: [value] });

  return (
    <div className="digit-container">
      <span ref={digitRef} className="digit">{value}</span>
      <span className="label">{label}</span>
    </div>
  );
}

Cosmic Pulse Effect

function CosmicPulse({ children, color = '#00F5FF' }) {
  const containerRef = useRef(null);

  useGSAP(() => {
    gsap.to(containerRef.current, {
      boxShadow: `0 0 30px ${color}, 0 0 60px ${color}`,
      duration: 1,
      repeat: -1,
      yoyo: true,
      ease: 'sine.inOut'
    });
  }, { scope: containerRef });

  return <div ref={containerRef}>{children}</div>;
}

Performance Tips

// 1. Use will-change for heavy animations
gsap.set('.animated', { willChange: 'transform' });

// 2. Batch similar animations
useGSAP(() => {
  gsap.to('.item', { opacity: 1, stagger: 0.1 }); // Single tween
  // Not: items.forEach(item => gsap.to(item, ...)) // Multiple tweens
});

// 3. Use refs over selectors for frequently animated elements
const boxRef = useRef(null);
gsap.to(boxRef.current, { x: 100 }); // Faster

// 4. Kill animations on rapid state changes
const tweenRef = useRef(null);
useEffect(() => {
  tweenRef.current?.kill();
  tweenRef.current = gsap.to(...);
}, [dependency]);

Reference

See gsap-fundamentals for animation basics
See gsap-sequencing for timeline composition
See gsap-scrolltrigger for scroll-based animations

FAQ

What does the gsap-react skill do?

How do I install gsap-react?

Run npx skills add https://github.com/bbeierle12/skill-mcp-claude --skill gsap-react in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/gsap-react/ (personal) or .claude/skills/gsap-react/ (project).

Which AI agents can use gsap-react?

Any agent that supports the open Agent Skills format (a folder with a SKILL.md file), including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Cline, OpenCode and more.

Is gsap-react safe to install?

No partner security audit is available yet. Skills can run commands and scripts, so read the SKILL.md and any bundled files before installing.

Who maintains gsap-react?

It is published by bbeierle12 in bbeierle12/skill-mcp-claude. It has 724 recorded installs.

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