RonanCodes/tanstack

TanStack catalogue

Verified at 2026-05-01 from vaults/llm-wiki-research/wiki/concepts/tanstack-libraries.md and tanstack-scaffolder-integrations.md. Source of truth for any "should I adopt TanStack X" question. Lift verdicts from here rather than guessing from training data; TanStack ships in alpha and beta openly and statuses move.

Catalogue index

| Library | What it is | Status (2026-05-01) | Verdict | |---|---|---|---| | Start | Type-safe full-stack meta-framework, file routes + server fns | RC | In canon, default | | Router | Type-safe file-based routing, search-param schemas | Stable | In canon (under Start) | | Query | Server-state cache, framework agnostic | Stable | In canon, default for server state | | Form | Headless type-safe form state, no schema-coupling | Stable (newly graduated) | Use today for any non-trivial form | | Table | Headless data-grid primitives | Stable | In canon for app-internal tables | | Virtual | Windowing for huge lists / grids | Stable | Use today for any list past 1K rows | | Store | Tiny framework-agnostic reactive store | Alpha (mature; powers Form + Router) | Use today for global state | | DB | Reactive client-store layered over your existing API | Beta | Worth investigating (sits between Drizzle and Convex) | | AI | Vercel-AI-SDK competitor, multi-provider | Alpha | Wait (Vercel AI SDK is more mature today) | | Pacer | Debounce / throttle / rate-limit / queue / batch | Beta | Use today for any rate-limited UI | | Hotkeys | Type-safe shortcuts + sequences + recording | Alpha | Wait for beta unless you need recording | | Intent | Ship Agent Skills (procedural knowledge) with npm packages | Alpha | Frontier (paradigm-shift potential for skill distribution) | | CLI | Scaffolder + MCP server for TanStack docs | Alpha | Use today for new TanStack apps | | Devtools | Standalone debugging surface across Query / Router / Store | Alpha | Use in dev as adopted libraries mature |

When to use each (one-liners)

• Start — default web framework for any new app. See /ro:new-tanstack-app.
• Router — never used directly in our stack; lives under Start.
• Query — any time the client fetches from a server. The default for non-trivial server state.
• Form — any form past three fields, especially with multi-step flows or dynamic schemas.
• Table — app-internal tables where you control markup and want sorting / filtering / virtualisation hooks.
• Virtual — any list or grid past about 1K rows. Drop-in for tables, feeds, search results.
• Store — framework-agnostic reactive global state. Pick over Zustand if you want the foundation TanStack itself uses.
• DB — reactive client store over your existing API. Adopt when optimistic mutations + live queries justify a beta dep, and Convex's lock-in is unacceptable.
• AI — wait. Use Vercel AI SDK today.
• Pacer — search-as-you-type, autosave, rate-limited polls, scroll-driven loads. Anywhere a debounce or throttle goes.
• Hotkeys — power-user surfaces with chord shortcuts (g d for go-to-dashboard) or user-rebindable keys.
• Intent — track only. When /ro:nango could one day live inside @nangohq/node itself, this is why.
• CLI — pnpm dlx create-tsrouter-app for greenfield. The MCP-server-for-docs angle is the watch-this part.
• Devtools — drop in once Query and Router are wired; see request waterfalls, route trees, store snapshots.

TanStack vs alternatives

| Library | Most-people alternative | When the alternative wins | |---|---|---| | Query | SWR | Smaller bundle, simpler API, fine for trivial fetches | | Table | AG Grid | Pivoting, master-detail, server-side row models, integrated charts (and you do not want to build them) | | Form | react-hook-form | More mature, more StackOverflow answers, larger community | | Virtual | react-window | Smaller surface, you only need basic windowing | | Store | Zustand | Simpler API, larger community, you do not need framework-agnostic | | Router | React Router | Industry default, the team already knows it | | DB | Convex (full backend), Drizzle (server ORM) | Convex when you want a full reactive backend; Drizzle when you only need server-side SQL. DB sits in between as a client-only sync layer | | AI | Vercel AI SDK | Today, almost always; AI is alpha | | Pacer | lodash.throttle, p-throttle | Trivial cases where you want one function, not a library | | Hotkeys | react-hotkeys-hook, tinykeys | Stable, well-documented; you do not need recording |

Composition

Store is the foundation; Form and Router depend on it internally. Start sits on Router and bundles server functions. Query is the primary data primitive most apps reach for first; DB is an optional reactive layer one level up that wraps Query collections with optimistic mutations. Form, Table, Virtual are headless primitives composed into UI. Hotkeys and Pacer are cross-cutting UX helpers. CLI, Devtools, Intent, AI are the tooling layer; Intent and AI are still settling.

flowchart TB
  APP([Your app]):::source

  subgraph META[Meta-framework]
    ST[Start]:::engine
    RT[Router]:::engine
  end

  subgraph DATA[Data]
    QY[Query]:::engine
    DB[DB]:::engine
  end

  subgraph PRIM[Headless primitives]
    FM[Form]:::engine
    TB[Table]:::engine
    VR[Virtual]:::engine
  end

  subgraph FOUND[Foundation]
    SR[Store]:::output
  end

  subgraph UX[UX helpers]
    HK[Hotkeys]:::engine
    PC[Pacer]:::engine
  end

  APP --> ST
  ST --> RT
  ST --> QY
  RT --> SR
  FM --> SR
  QY -.->|optional| DB
  TB --> VR

  classDef source fill:#e0af40,stroke:#c09030,color:#000
  classDef engine fill:#5bbcd6,stroke:#4090b0,color:#000
  classDef output fill:#7dcea0,stroke:#5da080,color:#000

When to NOT reach for TanStack

• Form vs react-hook-form is a coin flip. RHF has more answers on StackOverflow and the community is larger; pick it if the team already knows it.
• Store vs Zustand is similarly close. Zustand is simpler; pick it if you do not need framework-agnostic.
• Router vs React Router — if the team has years of React Router muscle memory and search-param type-safety is not the killer feature, do not migrate.
• AI vs Vercel AI SDK — TanStack AI is alpha; Vercel AI SDK is the production pick today.
• Hotkeys — react-hotkeys-hook is fine for simple shortcuts. Only reach for TanStack Hotkeys when you need sequences (g d) or user-rebinding.

TanStack is not always the right call. Pick on merit per library, not on brand affinity.

Frontier picks worth tracking

TanStack Pacer (adopt today)

Beta. Debounce, throttle, rate-limit, queue, batch with sync and async variants, type-safe, framework-agnostic, reactive React adapters. Sounds trivial; writing a correct async-debounce is harder than people think. Drop into any rate-limited UI: search-as-you-type, autosave, scroll-driven loads. Today is the right time.

TanStack DB (worth investigating)

Beta. Reactive client-side store layered over your existing API. Collections, live queries, optimistic mutations. Sits between Drizzle (server SQL) and Convex (full backend). Lets you keep D1 + Drizzle on the server and add optimistic-mutation feel on the client without paying the Convex lock-in tax. Worth a real test on the next greenfield app where the UX wants to feel real-time but the backend stays normal HTTP.

TanStack Intent (track only)

Alpha. Library maintainers ship Agent Skills inside npm packages, version-aligned, auto-discovered when you pnpm add the package. Same shape as our /ro:* skills, but distributed via npm. Paradigm-shift potential: /ro:nango could one day live inside @nangohq/node itself, maintained by Nango. Subscribe to TanStack newsletter and watch for first non-TanStack libraries shipping Intent skills.

See also

• /ro:new-tanstack-app to scaffold a new app on TanStack Start
• /ro:migrate-to-tanstack to port an existing app onto TanStack Start
• /ro:clerk, /ro:nango, /ro:stripe, /ro:cf-ship for the rest of the canonical stack
• Research deep-dives:
  • llm-wiki-research/wiki/concepts/tanstack-libraries.md (full catalogue with composition diagram)
  • llm-wiki-research/wiki/concepts/tanstack-scaffolder-integrations.md (Tanner's vendor picks + "things you haven't thought about" curation)
• TanStack docs: https://tanstack.com/