frontend-hook skill

Overview

This skill builds and ships React custom hooks for encapsulating state and side effects. It designs hook APIs, implements logic in src/hooks/, and adds tests so hooks are reliable and reusable. The focus is practical, testable hooks that integrate cleanly with component code.

How this skill works

I analyze component requirements and extract stateful logic into a focused hook. I implement lifecycle and side-effect handling using useEffect, memoization with useMemo/useCallback, and state via useState or useReducer. Tests are added to validate behavior and edge cases, and the hook code is placed under src/hooks/.

When to use it

• Encapsulating repeated stateful logic across components
• Managing complex side effects or subscriptions
• Creating reusable abstractions for form state, data fetching, timers, or animation control
• Improving testability by moving logic out of components
• Standardizing hook APIs and documentation for team reuse

Best practices

• Keep hooks focused on a single responsibility and small public APIs
• Prefer useReducer for complex state transitions and derive values with useMemo
• Avoid calling hooks conditionally; preserve top-level hook rules
• Expose a clear contract: inputs, outputs, and stable callback identities
• Write unit tests for state transitions and mock effects like timers or fetch

Example use cases

• useFetch: data fetching with caching, loading and error states
• useForm: controlled form state, validation, and submit handlers
• useDebouncedValue: debounce a value for search inputs or autosave
• useInterval/useTimeout: abstract timers with pause/resume controls
• useSubscription: manage websocket or event subscriptions with automatic cleanup

FAQ