Guide · Agent skill
How to use the React Native Design agent skill
Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data
The React Native Design skill gives an AI agent a reference guide for building cross-platform iOS and Android apps with React Native. It covers styling components, setting up React Navigation screens, and writing smooth Reanimated 3 animations. This guide explains what the skill does, how to install it, how to trigger it with plain requests, and what it needs to run.
React Native Designwshobson/agents · MIT Download the skill Quick start
- 1Download the skill ZIP. Download the react-native-design ZIP from this page and unzip it on your machine.
- 2Choose an install location. Place the unzipped folder in ~/.claude/skills/ for all projects, or in .claude/skills/ inside one project. In the Claude apps, upload it under Settings → Capabilities → Skills instead.
- 3Confirm your project requirements. Make sure you have a React Native project, and add react-native-reanimated and React Navigation 6+ if you need animation or navigation examples.
- 4Ask a specific React Native request. Describe the screen, navigation flow or animation you want and mention React Native in the request.
- 5Review the generated code. Read the example code, adapt its types and styles to your project, and check it for correctness before committing.
- 6Test on real devices. Run the app on physical iOS and Android devices to check animation smoothness, navigation and safe area layout.
What is an agent skill, and what does this one do?
An agent skill is a folder containing a SKILL.md file and supporting reference files. When it is installed, the agent can read these instructions and use them while it works on your task. This skill is a set of written patterns and best practices for React Native, not a tool that changes anything on your computer.
With the skill active, the agent knows common approaches for styling components with StyleSheet, setting up type-safe React Navigation screens, and writing Reanimated 3 animations. It can produce example code such as an animated, pressable product card.
- Styling with StyleSheet.create, including dynamic styles based on props
- React Navigation 6+ setup, param list types and navigator patterns
- Reanimated 3 shared values, animated styles and spring or timing animations
- Performance and common-issue guidance such as using FlatList for long lists and testing on real devices
How do you install the react-native-design skill?
Download the ZIP for the skill from this page and unzip it. You can install it in one of two places. For a personal setup that applies to all your projects, unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/. For a single project, unzip it into that project's .claude/skills/ folder.
If you use the Claude apps, you can instead upload the skill under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
- Personal install: ~/.claude/skills/
- Project install: .claude/skills/ inside your project folder
- Claude apps: Settings → Capabilities → Skills, then upload the skill
What does your React Native project need?
The skill assumes you already have a React Native project. Some examples depend on specific libraries, so check these before you ask for animation or navigation code.
For navigation examples you need React Navigation 6 or later. For animation examples you need react-native-reanimated, which the skill refers to as Reanimated 3. The navigation reference lists the core packages and peer dependencies it uses.
- A React Native project
- react-native-reanimated (Reanimated 3) for animation examples
- React Navigation 6+ for navigation examples
npm install @react-navigation/native
npm install @react-navigation/native-stack
npm install @react-navigation/bottom-tabs
npm install react-native-screens react-native-safe-area-contextHow do you trigger the skill with natural requests?
You do not need special syntax. Describe the mobile task in plain language and mention React Native, so the agent recognises when this guidance applies. The skill is meant for building React Native apps, implementing navigation patterns, and creating performant animations.
Name the specific area you care about. Asking for a navigation structure, a styling approach, or an animation gives the agent a clearer target than a general request.
- "Using the React Native design skill, set up a tab navigator with a stack inside the Home tab."
- "Build a pressable product card in React Native that scales slightly when pressed, using Reanimated 3."
- "Show me how to style a list item with StyleSheet for both light and dark variants."
What kind of output should you expect?
The skill produces example code based on its patterns. The quick-start example is an ItemCard component that uses an AnimatedPressable, a Reanimated shared value with withSpring on press in and press out, and a StyleSheet for the card, image and text. It uses TypeScript interfaces for props.
Treat the output as a starting point. Review it, adapt it to your own navigation types and design tokens, and test it on real devices.
- Typed component props and navigator param lists
- Animated styles that run through Reanimated worklets
- Layouts that handle safe areas and long text with numberOfLines
Safety notes: scripts and network access
This skill does not run scripts and does not use the network. It is written guidance that the agent reads, so it does not install packages or change files by itself. Any packages shown in its examples, such as the navigation install commands, are for you or the agent to run deliberately in your project.
Because the examples are generated code, read them before you add them to a codebase, and follow the normal review you would apply to any code change.
- Runs scripts: no
- Uses network: no
- Review generated code before committing it to your project
Tips for better results with the skill
Give the agent your project context. Tell it which navigator types you already have, whether you use TypeScript, and which Reanimated version is installed. The skill's guidance on typed navigation and Reanimated patterns applies most directly when the agent knows your setup.
Keep the known common issues in mind when you test. Gesture conflicts, animation jank, memory leaks from uncancelled animations, font loading and safe area problems are the areas where generated code most often needs a second look.
- Name your navigators and param lists so the types match your code
- Ask for FlatList rather than ScrollView with map for long lists
- Test animations and layouts on physical iPhone and Android devices, since simulators perform differently
- For custom fonts, the skill mentions expo-font or react-native-asset
What people use it for
- Building a product or item card with a pressable, animated press-in and press-out effect
- Setting up a React Navigation structure with stacks, bottom tabs and typed param lists
- Creating Reanimated 3 spring or timing animations for screen elements
- Standardising StyleSheet conventions across a cross-platform React Native team
- Reviewing layouts for safe areas, long text and platform-specific differences
Frequently asked questions
Is the react-native-design skill free?
The skill is published under the MIT licence, as stated on this page. Check the licence file in the source repository for the full terms before you reuse or redistribute it.
What do I need before I install react-native-design?
You need a React Native project. For animation examples, install react-native-reanimated (Reanimated 3), and for navigation examples, use React Navigation 6 or later.
Where do I put the react-native-design skill folder?
Unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ to make it available across projects, or into .claude/skills/ inside a specific project. In the Claude apps, upload it under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
Does this skill run code or access the internet?
No. The skill is listed as not running scripts and not using the network. It provides written patterns and example code that you review and run yourself.
Can I use this skill for a web React or Next.js project?
No. It targets native mobile components and APIs, so web-only React or Next.js projects are not a good fit.
Why does my generated animation code stutter or fail on a device?
Test on real devices, since simulators perform differently. The skill's common issues list points to moving animations to the UI thread with runOnUI worklets, cancelling animations in useEffect cleanup, and checking gesture conflicts.
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Our verdict
This skill suits developers building cross-platform iOS and Android apps with React Native, and designers or front-end engineers who want layout and animation patterns explained with code. It is a reference, not a finished app generator, so anyone without the skill to review and test the code should look elsewhere. Web-only React or Next.js teams will also get little from it.
Download the skill