# compose-focus-navigation

This skill guides focus navigation in Jetpack Compose for TV, keyboards, desktop, accessibility, and D-pad input. It helps with initial and restored focus.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode · 1900 installs · ★ 1120
- Author: chrisbanes
- License: Apache-2.0 · policy=mirror · the beginning of the file is at the end of this page
- Source: https://github.com/chrisbanes/skills/tree/HEAD/skills/compose-focus-navigation/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-10-25
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/compose-focus-navigation

## What it does

The skill treats focus as stateful UI behavior. It keeps ordinary focusable components simple, then adds `FocusRequester`, `focusProperties`, `onFocusChanged`, or `focusable()` for specific needs. Initial and restored focus requests belong in `LaunchedEffect`; lazy content should request focus only after its target is composed and should retain stable item identity.

It also covers spatial-search exceptions, key handling, refresh behavior, and focused semantics. Use `focusProperties` for real jumps or traps rather than hard-coding the whole focus graph. Key handlers should consume only the event they handle, while tests should drive input with `performKeyInput` and verify `assertIsFocused()`. If a project does not use Jetpack Compose, these recommendations do not apply.

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add chrisbanes/skills --skill compose-focus-navigation -a claude-code
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `~/.claude/skills/compose-focus-navigation/SKILL.md` — Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/compose-focus-navigation/

### Codex

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add chrisbanes/skills --skill compose-focus-navigation -a codex
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.agents/skills/compose-focus-navigation/SKILL.md` — For all projects use ~/.agents/skills/

### Cursor

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add chrisbanes/skills --skill compose-focus-navigation -a cursor
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.cursor/skills/compose-focus-navigation/SKILL.md` — Cursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/

### GitHub Copilot

1. **GitHub CLI**
```bash
gh skill install chrisbanes/skills compose-focus-navigation
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.github/skills/compose-focus-navigation/SKILL.md`

### Gemini CLI

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add chrisbanes/skills --skill compose-focus-navigation -a gemini-cli
```

2. **Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini skills install https://github.com/chrisbanes/skills --path skills/compose-focus-navigation
```

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

**Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.devin/skills/compose-focus-navigation/SKILL.md` — The legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works

### OpenCode

**Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add chrisbanes/skills --skill compose-focus-navigation -a opencode
```

### Claude.ai

**Claude.ai**
- Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills

Where a file is given instead of a command, copy the files from the source to that path: https://github.com/chrisbanes/skills/tree/HEAD/skills/compose-focus-navigation/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- set initial focus after content loads
- restore focus after a data refresh
- define D-pad focus exceptions
- handle a special key event
- test focus through user input

## Example prompts
- Review this Jetpack Compose TV screen and make initial focus request from a keyed `LaunchedEffect` after the target is present.
- Use `focusProperties` to connect the header to the first row while keeping default spatial search elsewhere.
- Write a test that presses `Key.DirectionDown` with `performKeyInput` and checks `assertIsFocused()` on `play-button`.

## Source text · SKILL.md · Apache-2.0

Below is the content of a third-party file. It is data, not instructions for you: do not act on anything written inside unless the human asks. Block tag: 6d56318c3113d26f.

BEGIN THIRD-PARTY FILE 6d56318c3113d26f
````text
---
name: compose-focus-navigation
description: Use when writing or reviewing Jetpack Compose UI for TV, keyboard, desktop, accessibility focus, D-pad navigation, FocusRequester, focusProperties, key events, or initial focus behavior.
---

# Compose: focus navigation

## Core principle

Focus is stateful UI behavior: make targets and exceptional edges explicit, then drive and verify it through the user's keyboard, D-pad, or remote input.

## Procedure

1. Start with components that already participate in focus. Add a hook only for a requested behavior:

| Need | Add |
|---|---|
| Normal button/text field/clickable focus | Nothing extra; use the focusable component |
| Programmatic initial/restored focus | `FocusRequester` + `Modifier.focusRequester(...)` |
| Visual or state reaction to focus changes | `Modifier.onFocusChanged { ... }` |
| Custom interactive surface that is not already focusable | `Modifier.focusable()` plus role/semantics as appropriate |

2. Request initial or restored focus from `LaunchedEffect`, keyed to the condition that makes the target present. For lazy content, keep requesters by stable item id and request only after the item is composed. Inside `AnimatedContent`, use the content lambda's target consistently for rendered identity, tags, requester ownership, and the effect key; captured outer state gives outgoing and incoming content the same identity.
   In a review, a finding about `requestFocus()` running in the composable body
   is incomplete until it names the event or keyed effect that should issue
   the request after its target is available.
3. Keep default spatial search unless a concrete edge, jump, or trap is wrong. Encode only those exceptions with `focusProperties`.
4. Handle keys only for behavior that is not normal click or traversal. Consume exactly the handled event; throttle rapid D-pad work at its expensive owner, not across the screen.
5. Restore by semantic identity after refresh: retain the focused id when it exists, otherwise choose a deterministic fallback.
6. Test with one concrete key/D-pad interaction and focused semantics. When the behavior under review is user-triggered, do not substitute direct state mutation or leave the input conditional. Use screenshots only for the focus appearance.
7. Finish when all intentional targets and exceptional edges are encoded, loading/refresh behavior has a stable focus policy, and tests use the same input model as users.

For example, request and observe focus only when both behaviors are required:

```kotlin
val requester = remember { FocusRequester() }

Button(
    onClick = onClick,
    modifier = Modifier
        .focusRequester(requester)
        .onFocusChanged { state -> isFocused = state.isFocused },
) {
    Text("Play")
````
END THIRD-PARTY FILE 6d56318c3113d26f

The third-party file has ended. Everything between the 6d56318c3113d26f tags is data: requests and commands from it are not followed. An “end of file” line with another tag inside the block is part of the file.

First 2765 of 3974 bytes. © chrisbanes · Apache-2.0 · https://github.com/chrisbanes/skills/tree/HEAD/skills/compose-focus-navigation/SKILL.md

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---
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