How to use the React Expert agent skill

What the react-expert skill makes the agent do

Once installed, the skill gives the agent a specialist playbook for React. When you ask for React components, hooks, state management, performance fixes or migrations from class components, the agent follows its patterns: TypeScript with strict typing, proper effect cleanup, stable keys, error boundaries, Suspense, and React 19 features such as useActionState.

Before writing code, the agent can load detailed reference notes on Server Components, testing with React Testing Library, hooks patterns, state management, performance and class-to-hooks migration.

Install the react-expert skill

Download the ZIP of the react-expert skill from this page and unzip it. You can install it in one of two places: your personal skills folder at ~/.claude/skills/, or a single project's .claude/skills/ folder so that only that project uses it.

In the Claude apps, you can instead upload the skill under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.

• Personal: unzip into ~/.claude/skills/
• Per project: unzip into the project's .claude/skills/ folder
• Claude apps: Settings → Capabilities → Skills, then upload

Check what your project needs

The skill expects Node.js and TypeScript, because its workflow runs tsc --noEmit to check types. It also needs an existing React project, either React 18+ or a Next.js App Router project. Testing Library and a test runner such as Vitest or Jest are optional but used for the testing guidance.

The skill does not run scripts and does not use the network.

• Node.js and TypeScript (required)
• React 18+ or Next.js App Router project (required)
• Testing Library with Vitest or Jest (optional)

Trigger the skill with natural requests

You do not need a special command. Describe the React task in plain language and mention React, a .jsx or .tsx file, a hook, or a Next.js App Router project. The skill's description covers creating components, custom hooks, debugging rendering issues, migrating class components, and state management, plus Server Components, Suspense boundaries, useActionState forms, performance optimization and React 19 features.

Requests that work well name the concrete goal and the constraint, for example a list that must stay fast or a form that should show a pending state.

• Create a reusable custom hook for fetching a list with cancellation on unmount.
• Convert this class component with componentDidMount and setState into a function component with hooks.
• Build a contact form with useActionState that shows a pending state.
• Why does this component re-render on every keystroke? Suggest a fix.
• Add Suspense boundaries around the slow data section of this Next.js page.

Review the output

The skill's output template asks the agent to provide a component file with TypeScript types, a test file when the logic is non-trivial, and a short explanation of key decisions. The workflow asks the agent to run tsc --noEmit and fix errors, then write tests with React Testing Library.

The guidance is advisory. Read the code, run your own tests and check behaviour in your app before you ship it.

Tips for better results

Give the agent your project context: whether you use the App Router, which state library you already use, and whether your tests use Vitest or Jest. The skill's reference notes cover Redux, Zustand, TanStack Query and Context, so naming your choice helps it pick the right pattern.

Keep the scope small. Ask for one component or one migration at a time so each change can be checked with tsc and your tests.

• State your framework version and router (React 18+, React 19, Next.js App Router).
• Name the state library you already use.
• Ask for one component or one migration per request.