MCPInstall

react-native

React Native patterns for mobile app development with Expo and bare workflow. Trigger: When building mobile apps, working with React Native components, using Expo, React Navigation, or NativeWind.

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Install

Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.

npx skills add https://github.com/gentleman-programming/gentleman-skills --skill react-native
  1. 01

    Install

    Run the command in your project. The CLI asks which agents to install for.

  2. 02

    Describe the task

    Ask your agent for something this skill covers. It loads react-native automatically when relevant.

  3. 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.

When to Use

Load this skill when:

  • Building mobile applications with React Native
  • Working with Expo managed or bare workflow
  • Implementing navigation with React Navigation
  • Styling with NativeWind (Tailwind for RN)
  • Handling platform-specific code (iOS/Android)
  • Managing native modules and linking

Critical Patterns

Pattern 1: Project Structure

src/
├── app/                    # Expo Router screens (if using)
│   ├── (tabs)/            # Tab navigator group
│   ├── (auth)/            # Auth flow group
│   └── _layout.tsx        # Root layout
├── components/
│   ├── ui/                # Reusable UI components
│   └── features/          # Feature-specific components
├── hooks/                 # Custom hooks
├── services/              # API and external services
├── stores/                # State management (Zustand)
├── utils/                 # Utility functions
├── constants/             # App constants, themes
└── types/                 # TypeScript types

Pattern 2: Functional Components with TypeScript

Always use functional components with proper typing:

import { View, Text, Pressable } from 'react-native';
import type { ViewStyle, TextStyle } from 'react-native';

interface ButtonProps {
  title: string;
  onPress: () => void;
  variant?: 'primary' | 'secondary';
  disabled?: boolean;
}

export function Button({ 
  title, 
  onPress, 
  variant = 'primary',
  disabled = false 
}: ButtonProps) {
  return (
    <Pressable
      onPress={onPress}
      disabled={disabled}
      style={({ pressed }) => [
        styles.button,
        variant === 'secondary' && styles.buttonSecondary,
        pressed && styles.buttonPressed,
        disabled && styles.buttonDisabled,
      ]}
    >
      <Text style={styles.buttonText}>{title}</Text>
    </Pressable>
  );
}

Pattern 3: Platform-Specific Code

Use Platform module or file extensions for platform-specific code:

import { Platform, StyleSheet } from 'react-native';

// Using Platform.select
const styles = StyleSheet.create({
  container: {
    paddingTop: Platform.select({
      ios: 44,
      android: 0,
    }),
    ...Platform.select({
      ios: {
        shadowColor: '#000',
        shadowOffset: { width: 0, height: 2 },
        shadowOpacity: 0.1,
        shadowRadius: 4,
      },
      android: {
        elevation: 4,
      },
    }),
  },
});

// Or use file extensions:
// Component.ios.tsx
// Component.android.tsx

Code Examples

Example 1: Expo Router Navigation Setup

// app/_layout.tsx
import { Stack } from 'expo-router';
import { StatusBar } from 'expo-status-bar';

export default function RootLayout() {
  return (
    <>
      <StatusBar style="auto" />
      <Stack
        screenOptions={{
          headerShown: false,
          animation: 'slide_from_right',
        }}
      >
        <Stack.Screen name="(tabs)" options={{ headerShown: false }} />
        <Stack.Screen 
          name="modal" 
          options={{ 
            presentation: 'modal',
            animation: 'slide_from_bottom',
          }} 
        />
      </Stack>
    </>
  );
}

Example 2: Custom Hook with React Query

// hooks/useUser.ts
import { useQuery, useMutation, useQueryClient } from '@tanstack/react-query';
import { userService } from '@/services/user';
import type { User, UpdateUserInput } from '@/types';

export function useUser(userId: string) {
  return useQuery({
    queryKey: ['user', userId],
    queryFn: () => userService.getById(userId),
    staleTime: 5 * 60 * 1000, // 5 minutes
  });
}

export function useUpdateUser() {
  const queryClient = useQueryClient();

  return useMutation({
    mutationFn: (data: UpdateUserInput) => userService.update(data),
    onSuccess: (_, variables) => {
      queryClient.invalidateQueries({ queryKey: ['user', variables.id] });
    },
  });
}

Example 3: NativeWind Styling

// With NativeWind (Tailwind for React Native)
import { View, Text, Pressable } from 'react-native';
import { styled } from 'nativewind';

const StyledPressable = styled(Pressable);
const StyledView = styled(View);
const StyledText = styled(Text);

export function Card({ title, description, onPress }: CardProps) {
  return (
    <StyledPressable
      className="bg-white dark:bg-gray-800 rounded-2xl p-4 shadow-md active:scale-95"
      onPress={onPress}
    >
      <StyledView className="flex-row items-center gap-3">
        <StyledView className="w-12 h-12 bg-blue-100 dark:bg-blue-900 rounded-full items-center justify-center">
          <StyledText className="text-blue-600 dark:text-blue-300 text-xl">
            📱
          </StyledText>
        </StyledView>
        <StyledView className="flex-1">
          <StyledText className="text-lg font-semibold text-gray-900 dark:text-white">
            {title}
          </StyledText>
          <StyledText className="text-sm text-gray-500 dark:text-gray-400">
            {description}
          </StyledText>
        </StyledView>
      </StyledView>
    </StyledPressable>
  );
}

Example 4: Safe Area and Keyboard Handling

import { KeyboardAvoidingView, Platform } from 'react-native';
import { SafeAreaView } from 'react-native-safe-area-context';

export function ScreenWrapper({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) {
  return (
    <SafeAreaView style={{ flex: 1 }} edges={['top', 'left', 'right']}>
      <KeyboardAvoidingView
        style={{ flex: 1 }}
        behavior={Platform.OS === 'ios' ? 'padding' : 'height'}
        keyboardVerticalOffset={Platform.OS === 'ios' ? 0 : 20}
      >
        {children}
      </KeyboardAvoidingView>
    </SafeAreaView>
  );
}

Example 5: Zustand Store with Persistence

// stores/authStore.ts
import { create } from 'zustand';
import { persist, createJSONStorage } from 'zustand/middleware';
import AsyncStorage from '@react-native-async-storage/async-storage';

interface AuthState {
  token: string | null;
  user: User | null;
  isAuthenticated: boolean;
  login: (token: string, user: User) => void;
  logout: () => void;
}

export const useAuthStore = create<AuthState>()(
  persist(
    (set) => ({
      token: null,
      user: null,
      isAuthenticated: false,
      login: (token, user) => set({ token, user, isAuthenticated: true }),
      logout: () => set({ token: null, user: null, isAuthenticated: false }),
    }),
    {
      name: 'auth-storage',
      storage: createJSONStorage(() => AsyncStorage),
    }
  )
);

Anti-Patterns

Don't: Inline Styles Everywhere

// ❌ Bad - inline styles are hard to maintain and don't memoize
export function BadComponent() {
  return (
    <View style={{ flex: 1, padding: 16, backgroundColor: '#fff' }}>
      <Text style={{ fontSize: 18, fontWeight: 'bold', color: '#333' }}>
        Title
      </Text>
    </View>
  );
}

// ✅ Good - use StyleSheet or NativeWind
const styles = StyleSheet.create({
  container: { flex: 1, padding: 16, backgroundColor: '#fff' },
  title: { fontSize: 18, fontWeight: 'bold', color: '#333' },
});

export function GoodComponent() {
  return (
    <View style={styles.container}>
      <Text style={styles.title}>Title</Text>
    </View>
  );
}

Don't: Use TouchableOpacity for Everything

// ❌ Bad - TouchableOpacity is legacy
import { TouchableOpacity } from 'react-native';

// ✅ Good - Use Pressable with feedback
import { Pressable } from 'react-native';

<Pressable
  onPress={onPress}
  style={({ pressed }) => [
    styles.button,
    pressed && { opacity: 0.7 }
  ]}
>
  {({ pressed }) => (
    <Text style={pressed ? styles.textPressed : styles.text}>
      Press Me
    </Text>
  )}
</Pressable>

Don't: Forget to Handle Loading and Error States

// ❌ Bad - no loading/error handling
export function UserProfile({ userId }: { userId: string }) {
  const { data } = useUser(userId);
  return <Text>{data.name}</Text>; // Will crash if data is undefined
}

// ✅ Good - handle all states
export function UserProfile({ userId }: { userId: string }) {
  const { data, isLoading, error } = useUser(userId);

  if (isLoading) return <LoadingSpinner />;
  if (error) return <ErrorMessage error={error} />;
  if (!data) return null;

  return <Text>{data.name}</Text>;
}

Quick Reference

TaskPattern
Create new Expo projectnpx create-expo-app@latest --template tabs
Add NativeWindnpx expo install nativewind tailwindcss
Platform checkPlatform.OS === 'ios'
Safe insetsuseSafeAreaInsets() from react-native-safe-area-context
Navigationrouter.push('/screen') with Expo Router
Deep linkingConfigure in app.json under expo.scheme
Environment varsUse expo-constants or react-native-dotenv
Icons@expo/vector-icons (included in Expo)
Animationsreact-native-reanimated for 60fps animations
Gesturesreact-native-gesture-handler

Resources

FAQ

What does the react-native skill do?

React Native patterns for mobile app development with Expo and bare workflow. Trigger: When building mobile apps, working with React Native components, using Expo, React Navigation, or NativeWind.

How do I install react-native?

Run npx skills add https://github.com/gentleman-programming/gentleman-skills --skill react-native 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/react-native/ (personal) or .claude/skills/react-native/ (project).

Which AI agents can use react-native?

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 react-native 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 react-native?

It is published by gentleman-programming in gentleman-programming/gentleman-skills. It has 260 recorded installs.

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