# emilkowal-animations

A set of 58 web animation rules based on Emil Kowalski's work for React and Framer Motion. Helps tune easing curves, gestures, and UI timing.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode · 2800 installs · ★ 218
- Author: pproenca
- License: MIT · policy=mirror · the beginning of the file is at the end of this page
- Source: https://github.com/pproenca/dot-skills/tree/HEAD/skills/.experimental/emilkowal-animations/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-08-15
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/emilkowal-animations

## What it does

The skill embeds 58 web animation rules split across 8 prioritized categories. The knowledge base draws from the animations.dev course and libraries like Vaul. It pushes the agent toward custom cubic-bezier curves instead of CSS defaults. UI transitions stay capped at 300ms.

For performance reasons, the rules restrict animated properties to transform and opacity. Button presses get a scale(0.97) target. Scaling from zero is barred. Keyboard-triggered actions receive zero animation delay because keyboard input demands immediate response. A dedicated category covers Tailwind CSS v4 utilities.

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add pproenca/dot-skills --skill emilkowal-animations -a claude-code
```

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

### Codex

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add pproenca/dot-skills --skill emilkowal-animations -a codex
```

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

### Cursor

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add pproenca/dot-skills --skill emilkowal-animations -a cursor
```

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

### GitHub Copilot

1. **GitHub CLI**
```bash
gh skill install pproenca/dot-skills emilkowal-animations
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.github/skills/emilkowal-animations/SKILL.md`

### Gemini CLI

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add pproenca/dot-skills --skill emilkowal-animations -a gemini-cli
```

2. **Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini skills install https://github.com/pproenca/dot-skills --path skills/.experimental/emilkowal-animations
```

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

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

### OpenCode

**Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add pproenca/dot-skills --skill emilkowal-animations -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/pproenca/dot-skills/tree/HEAD/skills/.experimental/emilkowal-animations/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- configure custom cubic-bezier curves and spring physics
- implement drawer swipe gestures with snap points
- add prefers-reduced-motion fallbacks for interface elements
- prevent layout shifts by animating only transform and opacity

## Example prompts
- Add enter and exit transitions to this modal using emilkowal-animations rules
- Review our Framer Motion gestures against the emilkowal-animations guide
- Adjust drawer animation duration to 500ms with natural spring easing

## Source text · SKILL.md · MIT

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: 91cca73a5a21a230.

BEGIN THIRD-PARTY FILE 91cca73a5a21a230
```text
---
name: emilkowal-animations
description: Emil Kowalski's animation best practices for web interfaces. Use when writing, reviewing, or implementing animations in React, CSS, or Framer Motion. Triggers on tasks involving transitions, easing, gestures, toasts, drawers, or motion.
---

# Emil Kowalski Animation Best Practices

Comprehensive animation guide for web interfaces based on Emil Kowalski's teachings, open-source libraries (Sonner, Vaul), and his [animations.dev](https://animations.dev) course. Contains 58 rules across 8 categories, prioritized by impact.

## When to Apply

Reference these guidelines when:
- Adding animations to React components
- Choosing easing curves or timing values
- Implementing gesture-based interactions (swipe, drag)
- Building toast notifications or drawer components
- Optimizing animation performance
- Ensuring animation accessibility
- Expressing any of the above with Tailwind CSS v4 utilities (see the `tw-` category)

## Rule Categories by Priority

| Priority | Category | Impact | Prefix |
|----------|----------|--------|--------|
| 1 | Easing Selection | CRITICAL | `ease-` |
| 2 | Timing & Duration | CRITICAL | `timing-` |
| 3 | Property Selection | HIGH | `props-` |
| 4 | Transform Techniques | HIGH | `transform-` |
| 5 | Interaction Patterns | MEDIUM-HIGH | `interact-` |
| 6 | Strategic Animation | MEDIUM | `strategy-` |
| 7 | Accessibility & Polish | MEDIUM | `polish-` |
| 8 | Tailwind v4 Utilities | MEDIUM | `tw-` |

## Quick Reference

### 1. Easing Selection (CRITICAL)

- [`ease-out-default`](references/ease-out-default.md) - Use ease-out as your default easing
- [`ease-custom-curves`](references/ease-custom-curves.md) - Use custom cubic-bezier over built-in CSS
- [`ease-in-out-onscreen`](references/ease-in-out-onscreen.md) - Use ease-in-out for on-screen movement
- [`ease-spring-natural`](references/ease-spring-natural.md) - Use spring animations for natural motion
- [`ease-spring-config`](references/ease-spring-config.md) - Configure springs with duration and bounce
- [`ease-ios-drawer`](references/ease-ios-drawer.md) - Use iOS-style easing for drawer components
- [`ease-context-matters`](references/ease-context-matters.md) - Match easing to animation context

### 2. Timing & Duration (CRITICAL)

- [`timing-300ms-max`](references/timing-300ms-max.md) - Keep UI animations under 300ms
- [`timing-faster-better`](references/timing-faster-better.md) - Faster animations improve perceived performance
- [`timing-asymmetric`](references/timing-asymmetric.md) - Use asymmetric timing for press and release
- [`timing-tooltip-delay`](references/timing-tooltip-delay.md) - Delay initial tooltips, instant subsequent ones
- [`timing-drawer-500ms`](references/timing-drawer-500ms.md) - Use 500ms duration for drawer animations

### 3. Property Selection (HIGH)

- [`props-transform-opacity`](references/props-transform-opacity.md) - Animate only transform and opacity
```
END THIRD-PARTY FILE 91cca73a5a21a230

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