# react-refactor

Architectural refactoring skill with 40 rules for React codebases. Guides component decomposition, custom hook design, and module boundaries.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode · 776 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/react-refactor/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-08-15
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/react-refactor

## What it does

This skill provides 40 prioritized refactoring rules across seven categories, spanning component design, state architecture, hook patterns, coupling, and testing safety. High-impact rules focus on compound components and colocating state directly with consumer components.

It establishes clear criteria for separating container logic from visual presentation and breaking circular module imports. Testing rules emphasize component behavior over implementation details.

Notice the deliberate scope boundary: the guide does not cover React 19 APIs or rendering performance tuning. The author covers those topics in separate skills named `react` and `react-optimise`.

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

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

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

### Codex

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

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

### Cursor

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

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

### GitHub Copilot

1. **GitHub CLI**
```bash
gh skill install pproenca/dot-skills react-refactor
```

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

### Gemini CLI

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

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

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

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

### OpenCode

**Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add pproenca/dot-skills --skill react-refactor -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/react-refactor/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- Split oversized React components into container and presentation layers
- Extract state management into single-responsibility custom hooks
- Break circular dependencies between UI feature modules
- Colocate state with consuming components to stop prop drilling

## Example prompts
- Review this checkout component pull request for architectural issues using react-refactor.
- Decompose this oversized dashboard component into presentational and container files.
- Extract data fetching and form state into a dedicated custom hook.

## 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: 254114e2e7743be3.

BEGIN THIRD-PARTY FILE 254114e2e7743be3
```text
---
name: react-refactor
description: Architectural refactoring guide for React applications covering component architecture, state architecture, hook patterns, component decomposition, coupling and cohesion, data flow, and refactoring safety. Use when refactoring React codebases, reviewing PRs for architectural issues, decomposing oversized components, or improving module boundaries. Does NOT cover React 19 API usage (see react skill) or performance optimization (see react-optimise skill).
---

# React Refactor Best Practices

Architectural refactoring guide for React applications. Contains 40 rules across 7 categories, prioritized by impact from critical (component and state architecture) to incremental (refactoring safety).

## When to Apply

- Refactoring existing React codebases or planning large-scale restructuring
- Reviewing PRs for architectural issues and code smells
- Decomposing oversized components into focused units
- Extracting reusable hooks from component logic
- Improving testability of React code
- Reducing coupling between feature modules

## Rule Categories

| Category | Impact | Rules | Key Topics |
|----------|--------|-------|------------|
| Component Architecture | CRITICAL | 8 | Compound components, headless pattern, composition over props, client boundaries |
| State Architecture | CRITICAL | 7 | Colocation, state machines, URL state, derived values |
| Hook Patterns | HIGH | 6 | Single responsibility, naming, dependency stability, composition |
| Component Decomposition | HIGH | 6 | Scroll test, extraction by change reason, view/logic separation |
| Coupling & Cohesion | MEDIUM | 4 | Dependency injection, circular deps, stable imports, barrel-free |
| Data & Side Effects | MEDIUM | 4 | Server-first fetch, TanStack Query, error boundaries |
| Refactoring Safety | LOW-MEDIUM | 5 | Characterization tests, behavior testing, integration tests |

## Quick Reference

**Critical patterns** — get these right first:
- Use compound components instead of props explosion
- Colocate state with the components that use it
- Use state machines for complex UI workflows
- Separate container logic from presentational components

**Common mistakes** — avoid these anti-patterns:
- Lifting state to App when only one component reads it
- Using context for rapidly-changing values
- Monolithic hooks that fetch + transform + cache
- Testing implementation details instead of behavior

## Table of Contents

1. [Component Architecture](references/_sections.md#1-component-architecture) — **CRITICAL**
   - 1.1 [Apply Interface Segregation to Component Props](references/arch-interface-segregation.md) — CRITICAL (prevents 30-50% of unnecessary re-renders)
   - 1.2 [Colocate Files by Feature Instead of Type](references/arch-feature-colocation.md) — CRITICAL (reduces cross-directory navigation by 70%)
   - 1.3 [Convert Render Props to Custom Hooks](references/arch-render-props-to-hooks.md) — CRITICAL (eliminates 2-4 levels of nesting)
```
END THIRD-PARTY FILE 254114e2e7743be3

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