home / skills / prowler-cloud / prowler / react-19

react-19 skill

/skills/react-19

This skill helps you write React 19 components and hooks efficiently by enforcing proper imports, server components-first patterns, and ref-as-prop usage.

npx playbooks add skill prowler-cloud/prowler --skill react-19

Review the files below or copy the command above to add this skill to your agents.

Files (1)
SKILL.md
2.9 KB
---
name: react-19
description: >
  React 19 patterns with React Compiler.
  Trigger: When writing React 19 components/hooks in .tsx (React Compiler rules, hook patterns, refs as props). If using Next.js App Router/Server Actions, also use nextjs-15.
license: Apache-2.0
metadata:
  author: prowler-cloud
  version: "1.0"
  scope: [root, ui]
  auto_invoke: "Writing React components"
allowed-tools: Read, Edit, Write, Glob, Grep, Bash, WebFetch, WebSearch, Task
---

## No Manual Memoization (REQUIRED)

```typescript
// ✅ React Compiler handles optimization automatically
function Component({ items }) {
  const filtered = items.filter(x => x.active);
  const sorted = filtered.sort((a, b) => a.name.localeCompare(b.name));

  const handleClick = (id) => {
    console.log(id);
  };

  return <List items={sorted} onClick={handleClick} />;
}

// ❌ NEVER: Manual memoization
const filtered = useMemo(() => items.filter(x => x.active), [items]);
const handleClick = useCallback((id) => console.log(id), []);
```

## Imports (REQUIRED)

```typescript
// ✅ ALWAYS: Named imports
import { useState, useEffect, useRef } from "react";

// ❌ NEVER
import React from "react";
import * as React from "react";
```

## Server Components First

```typescript
// ✅ Server Component (default) - no directive
export default async function Page() {
  const data = await fetchData();
  return <ClientComponent data={data} />;
}

// ✅ Client Component - only when needed
"use client";
export function Interactive() {
  const [state, setState] = useState(false);
  return <button onClick={() => setState(!state)}>Toggle</button>;
}
```

## When to use "use client"

- useState, useEffect, useRef, useContext
- Event handlers (onClick, onChange)
- Browser APIs (window, localStorage)

## use() Hook

```typescript
import { use } from "react";

// Read promises (suspends until resolved)
function Comments({ promise }) {
  const comments = use(promise);
  return comments.map(c => <div key={c.id}>{c.text}</div>);
}

// Conditional context (not possible with useContext!)
function Theme({ showTheme }) {
  if (showTheme) {
    const theme = use(ThemeContext);
    return <div style={{ color: theme.primary }}>Themed</div>;
  }
  return <div>Plain</div>;
}
```

## Actions & useActionState

```typescript
"use server";
async function submitForm(formData: FormData) {
  await saveToDatabase(formData);
  revalidatePath("/");
}

// With pending state
import { useActionState } from "react";

function Form() {
  const [state, action, isPending] = useActionState(submitForm, null);
  return (
    <form action={action}>
      <button disabled={isPending}>
        {isPending ? "Saving..." : "Save"}
      </button>
    </form>
  );
}
```

## ref as Prop (No forwardRef)

```typescript
// ✅ React 19: ref is just a prop
function Input({ ref, ...props }) {
  return <input ref={ref} {...props} />;
}

// ❌ Old way (unnecessary now)
const Input = forwardRef((props, ref) => <input ref={ref} {...props} />);
```

Overview

This skill codifies React 19 patterns and the React Compiler conventions for authoring .tsx components and hooks. It enforces React Compiler-friendly imports, server-components-first design, the new use() hook, server actions with useActionState, and treating ref as a normal prop. If you use Next.js App Router or Server Actions, pair this guidance with nextjs-15 patterns.

How this skill works

The skill inspects .tsx files for Rust/React Compiler rules and common anti-patterns: manual memoization with useMemo/useCallback, default React namespace imports, improper forwardRef usage, and incorrect client/server directives. It checks component directives to prefer server components by default and flags when "use client" is actually required (hooks, event handlers, or browser APIs). It also recognizes use() usage and server action patterns to surface correct usage and pending state handling.

When to use it

  • When writing React 19 components or hooks in .tsx files.
  • When migrating to the React Compiler and removing manual memoization.
  • When choosing between server and client components (server-first by default).
  • If you implement Server Actions or use the App Router (also use nextjs-15).
  • When passing refs: prefer ref as a prop instead of forwardRef.

Best practices

  • Avoid manual useMemo/useCallback: let the React Compiler optimize automatically.
  • Always use named imports: import { useState, useEffect, useRef } from 'react'.
  • Default to server components; add "use client" only when you need client-only hooks or browser APIs.
  • Use use() for reading promises or conditional contexts instead of mixing with useContext in conditional branches.
  • Accept ref as a normal prop in components; remove unnecessary forwardRef wrappers.

Example use cases

  • A page that fetches data server-side and renders a lightweight client component for interactivity.
  • A form using a server action with useActionState to show pending/save state.
  • Replacing useMemo/useCallback patterns in a component library when adopting the React Compiler.
  • Using use(promise) in a comments component to suspend until data resolves.
  • Exposing an input component that accepts ref as a prop for parent-controlled focus.

FAQ

Should I never use useMemo or useCallback in React 19?

Prefer not to; the React Compiler handles common memoization. Use manual memoization only for proven performance hotspots after profiling.

When must I add "use client" to a file?

Add "use client" if you use useState, useEffect, useRef, useContext, event handlers, or direct browser APIs like window or localStorage.