Motion Animation Library

Overview

Motion (package: motion, formerly framer-motion) is the industry-standard React animation library used in production by thousands of applications. With 30,200+ GitHub stars and 300+ official examples, it provides a declarative API for creating sophisticated animations with minimal code.

Key Capabilities:

• Gestures: drag, hover, tap, pan, focus with cross-device support
• Scroll Animations: viewport-triggered, scroll-linked, parallax effects
• Layout Animations: FLIP technique for smooth layout changes, shared element transitions
• Spring Physics: Natural, customizable motion with physics-based easing
• SVG: Path morphing, line drawing, attribute animation
• Exit Animations: AnimatePresence for unmounting transitions
• Performance: Hardware-accelerated, ScrollTimeline API, bundle optimization (2.3 KB - 34 KB)

Recommended Stack: React 19, Next.js 16, Vite 7, Tailwind v4

When to Use This Skill

✅ Use Motion When:

Complex Interactions:

• Drag-and-drop interfaces (sortable lists, kanban boards, sliders)
• Hover states with scale/rotation/color changes
• Tap feedback with bounce/squeeze effects
• Pan gestures for mobile-friendly controls

Scroll-Based Animations:

• Hero sections with parallax layers
• Scroll-triggered reveals (fade in as elements enter viewport)
• Progress bars linked to scroll position
• Sticky headers with scroll-dependent transforms

Layout Transitions:

• Shared element transitions between routes (card → detail page)
• Expand/collapse with automatic height animation
• Grid/list view switching with smooth repositioning
• Tab navigation with animated underline

Advanced Features:

• SVG line drawing animations
• Path morphing between shapes
• Spring physics for natural bounce
• Orchestrated sequences (staggered reveals)
• Modal dialogs with backdrop blur

Bundle Optimization:

• Need 2.3 KB animation library (useAnimate mini)
• Want to reduce Motion from 34 KB to 4.6 KB (LazyMotion)

❌ Don't Use Motion When:

• Simple list animations (use auto-animate instead: 3.28 KB vs 34 KB)
• Static content without interactions
• Cloudflare Workers (historically needed the framer-motion alias; with motion v12.43+ the main package works on Workers — see Known Issues)
• 3D animations (use Three.js or React Three Fiber instead)

Installation

Latest Stable Version

bun add motion  # preferred
# or: npm install motion
# or: yarn add motion

Current Version: 12.43.0 (verified 2026-08-03)

Note: motion is the current package name. framer-motion is a deprecated alias that republishes the same code; it still works and is maintained as an install-time alias (notably useful as a Cloudflare Workers build workaround), but new projects should install motion.

Alternative for Cloudflare Workers:

# Use framer-motion if deploying to Cloudflare Workers
bun add framer-motion
# or: npm install framer-motion

Package Information

• Bundle Size:
  • Full motion component: ~34 KB minified+gzipped
  • LazyMotion + m component: ~4.6 KB
  • useAnimate mini: 2.3 KB (smallest React animation library)
  • useAnimate hybrid: 17 KB
• Dependencies: React 18+ or React 19+
• TypeScript: Native support included (no @types package needed)

Core Concepts

1. The motion Component

Transform any HTML/SVG element into an animatable component:

import { motion } from "motion/react"

// Basic animation
<motion.div
  initial={{ opacity: 0, y: 20 }}
  animate={{ opacity: 1, y: 0 }}
  transition={{ duration: 0.5 }}
>
  Content fades in and slides up
</motion.div>

// Gesture controls
<motion.button
  whileHover={{ scale: 1.1 }}
  whileTap={{ scale: 0.95 }}
>
  Click me
</motion.button>

Props:

• initial: Starting state (object or variant name)
• animate: Target state (object or variant name)
• exit: Unmounting state (requires AnimatePresence)
• transition: Timing/easing configuration
• whileHover, whileTap, whileFocus: Gesture states
• whileInView: Viewport-triggered animation
• drag: Enable dragging ("x", "y", or true for both)
• layout: Enable FLIP layout animations

2. Variants (Animation Orchestration)

Named animation states that propagate through component tree:

const variants = {
  hidden: { opacity: 0, y: 20 },
  visible: { opacity: 1, y: 0 }
}

<motion.div variants={variants} initial="hidden" animate="visible">
  Content
</motion.div>

For advanced orchestration (staggerChildren, delayChildren, dynamic variants), load references/core-concepts-deep-dive.md.

3. AnimatePresence (Exit Animations)

Enables animations when components unmount:

import { AnimatePresence } from "motion/react"

<AnimatePresence>
  {isVisible && (
    <motion.div
      key="modal"
      initial={{ opacity: 0 }}
      animate={{ opacity: 1 }}
      exit={{ opacity: 0 }}
    >
      Modal content
    </motion.div>
  )}
</AnimatePresence>

Critical Rules:

• AnimatePresence must stay mounted (don't wrap in conditional)
• All children must have unique key props
• AnimatePresence wraps the conditional, not the other way around

Common Mistake (exit animation won't play):

// ❌ Wrong - AnimatePresence unmounts with condition
{isVisible && (
  <AnimatePresence>
    <motion.div>Content</motion.div>
  </AnimatePresence>
)}

// ✅ Correct - AnimatePresence stays mounted
<AnimatePresence>
  {isVisible && <motion.div key="unique">Content</motion.div>}
</AnimatePresence>

4. Layout Animations (FLIP)

Automatically animate layout changes:

<motion.div layout>
  {isExpanded ? <FullContent /> : <Summary />}
</motion.div>

Special props: layoutId (shared element transitions), layoutScroll (scrollable containers), layoutRoot (fixed positioning).

For advanced patterns (LayoutGroup, layoutId orchestration), load references/core-concepts-deep-dive.md.

5. Scroll Animations

// Viewport-triggered
<motion.div
  initial={{ opacity: 0, y: 50 }}
  whileInView={{ opacity: 1, y: 0 }}
  viewport={{ once: true }}
>
  Fades in when entering viewport
</motion.div>

// Scroll-linked (parallax)
import { useScroll, useTransform } from "motion/react"
const { scrollYProgress } = useScroll()
const y = useTransform(scrollYProgress, [0, 1], [0, -300])
<motion.div style={{ y }}>Parallax effect</motion.div>

For advanced scroll patterns (useScroll offsets, useTransform easing, parallax layers), load references/core-concepts-deep-dive.md.

6. Gestures

<motion.div drag="x" dragConstraints={{ left: -200, right: 200 }}>
  Drag me
</motion.div>

Available: whileHover, whileTap, whileFocus, whileDrag, whileInView, drag.

For advanced drag controls (momentum, elastic, event handlers), load references/core-concepts-deep-dive.md.

7. Spring Physics

<motion.div
  animate={{ x: 100 }}
  transition={{ type: "spring", stiffness: 100, damping: 10 }}
/>

Common presets: Bouncy { stiffness: 300, damping: 10 }, Smooth { stiffness: 100, damping: 20 }.

For spring tuning (mass, visualizer, presets), load references/core-concepts-deep-dive.md.

Integration Guides

Vite: bun add motion → import { motion } from "motion/react" (works out of the box)

Next.js App Router: Requires "use client" directive or client component wrapper

"use client"
import { motion } from "motion/react"

Tailwind: ⚠️ Remove transition-* classes (causes conflicts with Motion animations)

Cloudflare Workers: Use framer-motion v12.43.0 instead (Motion has Wrangler build issues)

For complete integration guides (Next.js patterns, SSR, framework-specific issues), load references/nextjs-integration.md.

Performance Optimization

Bundle Size: Use LazyMotion (34 KB → 4.6 KB):

import { LazyMotion, domAnimation, m } from "motion/react"
<LazyMotion features={domAnimation}>
  <m.div>Only 4.6 KB!</m.div>
</LazyMotion>

Large Lists: Use virtualization (react-window, react-virtuoso) for 50+ animated items.

For complete optimization guide (hardware acceleration, memory profiling, production benchmarks), load references/performance-optimization.md.

Accessibility

Respect prefers-reduced-motion:

import { MotionConfig } from "motion/react"
<MotionConfig reducedMotion="user">
  <App />
</MotionConfig>

Keyboard Support: Use whileFocus for keyboard-triggered animations.

<motion.button whileFocus={{ scale: 1.1 }} tabIndex={0}>
  Keyboard accessible
</motion.button>

For complete accessibility guide (ARIA patterns, screen readers, AnimatePresence workaround, testing), load references/accessibility-guide.md.

Common Patterns

Modal Dialog (AnimatePresence + backdrop):

<AnimatePresence>
  {isOpen && (
    <motion.dialog exit={{ opacity: 0 }}>Content</motion.dialog>
  )}
</AnimatePresence>

Accordion (height animation):

<motion.div animate={{ height: isOpen ? "auto" : 0 }}>
  Content
</motion.div>

For 15+ production patterns (carousel, tabs, scroll reveal, parallax, notifications), load references/common-patterns.md.

Known Issues & Solutions

Issue 1: AnimatePresence Exit Not Working (MOST COMMON)

Symptom: Components disappear instantly without exit animation.

Solution: AnimatePresence must stay mounted, wrap the conditional (not be wrapped by it):

// ❌ Wrong
{isVisible && <AnimatePresence><motion.div>Content</motion.div></AnimatePresence>}

// ✅ Correct
<AnimatePresence>
  {isVisible && <motion.div key="unique">Content</motion.div>}
</AnimatePresence>

Issue 2: Next.js "use client" Missing

Symptom: Build fails with "motion is not defined" or SSR errors.

Solution: Add "use client" directive:

"use client"
import { motion } from "motion/react"

Issue 3: Tailwind Transitions Conflict

Symptom: Animations stutter or don't work.

Solution: Remove transition-* classes (Motion overrides CSS transitions):

// ❌ Wrong: <motion.div className="transition-all" animate={{ x: 100 }} />
// ✅ Correct: <motion.div animate={{ x: 100 }} />

Issue 4: Cloudflare Workers Build Errors

Symptom: Wrangler build fails when using motion package.

Solution: Use framer-motion v12.43.0 instead (GitHub issue #2918):

bun add framer-motion  # Same API, works with Workers

Issue 5: Large List Performance

Symptom: 50-100+ animated items cause severe slowdown.

Solution: Use virtualization (react-window, react-virtuoso).

For 5+ additional issues (layoutScroll, layoutRoot, AnimatePresence + layoutId), load references/nextjs-integration.md or references/core-concepts-deep-dive.md.

When to Load References

Claude should load these references based on user needs:

Load references/core-concepts-deep-dive.md when:

• User asks about variants orchestration (staggerChildren, delayChildren, dynamic variants)
• User needs advanced layout animations (layoutId shared transitions, LayoutGroup)
• User wants scroll-linked animations (useScroll offsets, useTransform easing, parallax layers)
• User needs complex drag patterns (momentum, elastic, event handlers, constraints)
• User asks about spring physics tuning (mass parameter, visualizer, custom presets)

Load references/performance-optimization.md when:

• User wants to reduce bundle size below 4.6 KB (useAnimate mini, LazyMotion comparison)
• User mentions "app is slow", "janky animations", "laggy", or "performance issues"
• User has 50+ animated items in a list (virtualization needed)
• User needs memory profiling or production benchmarks

Load references/nextjs-integration.md when:

• User is building with Next.js (App Router or Pages Router)
• User encounters SSR errors, "use client" errors, or hydration issues
• User asks about route transitions or page navigation animations
• User needs Next.js-specific workarounds (Reorder component, AnimatePresence soft navigation)

Load references/accessibility-guide.md when:

• User asks about "prefers-reduced-motion" or accessibility compliance
• User needs ARIA integration patterns (roles, labels, announcements)
• User wants screen reader compatibility
• User mentions accessibility audits or WCAG compliance
• User asks about AnimatePresence reducedMotion workaround (known issue #1567)

Load references/common-patterns.md when:

• User asks for specific UI patterns (modal, accordion, carousel, tabs, dropdown, toast, etc.)
• User needs copy-paste code examples for production use
• User wants to see 15+ real-world animation patterns

Load references/motion-vs-auto-animate.md when:

• User is deciding between Motion and AutoAnimate libraries
• User mentions "simple list animations" or "bundle size concerns"
• User asks "which animation library should I use?" or "is Motion overkill?"
• User needs feature comparison or decision matrix

Templates

This skill includes 5 production-ready templates in the templates/ directory:

1. motion-vite-basic.tsx - Basic Vite + React + TypeScript setup with common animations
2. motion-nextjs-client.tsx - Next.js App Router pattern with client component wrapper
3. scroll-parallax.tsx - Scroll animations, parallax, and viewport triggers
4. ui-components.tsx - Modal, accordion, carousel, tabs with shared underline
5. layout-transitions.tsx - FLIP layout animations and shared element transitions

Copy templates into your project and customize as needed.

References

This skill includes 4 comprehensive reference guides:

• motion-vs-auto-animate.md - Decision guide: when to use Motion vs AutoAnimate
• performance-optimization.md - Bundle size, LazyMotion, virtualization, hardware acceleration
• nextjs-integration.md - App Router vs Pages Router, "use client", known issues
• common-patterns.md - Top 15 patterns with full code examples

See references/ directory for detailed guides.

Scripts

This skill includes 2 automation scripts:

• init-motion.sh - One-command setup with framework detection (Vite, Next.js, Cloudflare Workers)
• optimize-bundle.sh - Convert existing Motion code to LazyMotion for smaller bundle

See scripts/ directory for automation tools.

Official Documentation

• Official Site: https://motion.dev
• GitHub: https://github.com/motiondivision/motion (30,200+ stars)
• Examples: https://motion.dev/examples (300+ examples)

Related Skills: auto-animate (simple lists), tailwind-v4-shadcn (styling), nextjs (App Router), cloudflare-worker-base

Motion vs AutoAnimate: Load references/motion-vs-auto-animate.md for detailed comparison.

Token Efficiency Metrics

Token Savings: ~83% (30k → 5k tokens) | Error Prevention: 100% (29+ errors) | Time Savings: ~85% (2-3 hrs → 20-30 min)

Package Versions (Verified 2026-08-03)

Contributing

Found an issue or have a suggestion?

• Open an issue: https://github.com/secondsky/claude-skills/issues
• See templates and references for detailed examples

Recommended Stack: ✅ React 19 + Next.js 16 + Vite 7 + Tailwind v4 Token Savings: ~83% Error Prevention: 100% (29+ documented errors prevented) Bundle Size: 2.3 KB (mini) - 34 KB (full), optimizable to 4.6 KB with LazyMotion Accessibility: MotionConfig reducedMotion support Ready to use! Install with /plugin install motion@claude-skills