plugins/ai-pilot/skills/react-effects-audit/SKILL.md
Audit React components for unnecessary useEffect patterns. Detects 9 anti-patterns from "You Might Not Need an Effect" and proposes fixes with severity levels. Use when: auditing React or Next.js components for unnecessary or unsafe useEffect usage.
npx skillsauth add fusengine/agents react-effects-auditInstall this skill globally with one command. Works with Claude Code, Cursor, and Windsurf.
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Target: $ARGUMENTS
Scan React codebases to detect unnecessary useEffect usage based on official React documentation ("You Might Not Need an Effect"). Reports anti-patterns with severity, location, and recommended fixes.
PHASE 1: Scan target files (Glob *.tsx, *.jsx, *.ts, *.js)
PHASE 2: Detect anti-patterns (Grep detection rules)
PHASE 3: Analyze context (Read flagged files)
PHASE 4: Generate report with fixes
| # | Anti-Pattern | Severity | Detection |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Derived state in Effect | WARNING | useEffect + setState from other state/props |
| 2 | Expensive calculation in Effect | WARNING | useEffect + setState with filter/map/reduce |
| 3 | State reset via Effect | WARNING | useEffect resets state when prop changes |
| 4 | Event logic in Effect | CRITICAL | User interaction logic inside useEffect |
| 5 | Parent notification via Effect | WARNING | useEffect calls parent onChange/onUpdate |
| 6 | Effect chains | CRITICAL | Multiple useEffect triggering each other |
| 7 | Missing cleanup in fetch | CRITICAL | useEffect fetch without cleanup/AbortController |
| 8 | Manual store subscription | WARNING | addEventListener/subscribe in useEffect |
| 9 | App init in Effect | INFO | One-time init logic in useEffect(fn, []) |
| Level | Meaning | Action | |---|---|---| | CRITICAL | Bugs, race conditions, memory leaks | Fix immediately | | WARNING | Performance issues, unnecessary re-renders | Fix same session | | INFO | Readability, minor inefficiency | Fix if time allows |
| Reference | When to Consult | |---|---| | anti-patterns.md | Understanding each anti-pattern | | detection-rules.md | Grep patterns for scanning | | fix-patterns-core.md | Fix examples #1-5 | | fix-patterns-advanced.md | Fix examples #6-9 | | report-format.md | Generating audit report |
This audit complements existing SOLID skills. Always cross-reference:
| Project Type | SOLID Skill | Key Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Next.js | fuse-nextjs:solid-nextjs | No useEffect for data fetching; use Server Components |
| React | fuse-react:solid-react | No useEffect for data fetching; use TanStack Query |
Integration: When auditing a Next.js or React project, also load the corresponding SOLID skill to check architecture-level violations (file size, interface separation, business logic in components).
1. Glob **/*.{tsx,jsx} in target directory
2. Detect project type (next.config.* → Next.js, package.json → React)
3. Load corresponding SOLID skill references if applicable
4. For each detection rule in detection-rules.md:
→ Grep pattern across all files
→ Read flagged files for context analysis
→ Confirm or dismiss (false positive check)
5. For each confirmed finding:
→ Identify severity from anti-patterns.md
→ Propose fix from fix-patterns-core.md or fix-patterns-advanced.md
→ Cross-check with SOLID rules (SRP, file size, hooks separation)
6. Output report using report-format.md
| Feature | Impact on Audit |
|---|---|
| React Compiler | Auto-memoizes; useMemo less needed but Effect anti-patterns still apply |
| useEffectEvent | Stable in 19.2; solves stale closure in Effects without adding deps |
| Activity API | Alternative to conditional rendering; reduces mount/unmount Effects |
| useSyncExternalStore | Replaces manual subscription Effects (anti-pattern #8) |
| Server Components | Eliminates many data-fetching Effects entirely |
testing
Copy self-audit and ban-lists — filler verbs/hype adjectives, slop placeholder names, fake-precise numbers, Title Case headlines, humor in error copy ('Oops!'), em-dash crutch, one copy register per page.
development
Logged-in web apps — dashboards, auth flows, settings, onboarding, data tables, command palettes, modals, toasts. Register `product`: density and glance-speed over marketing polish, no hero/CTA-tricks, every data surface covers empty/loading/error explicitly, tables and dataviz follow preattentive-processing rules.
development
Marketing sites, landing pages, campaign pages — register `brand` (design IS the product). Structure comes from the register's POV + a macrostructure pick, never from copying an inspiration site's section flow. Hero discipline, deviated section order, asymmetric grids, and a silhouette lookalike-test gate before ship.
development
Token-strategy core — OKLCH color rules, neutral tinting, accent-commitment levels, type scale, 8pt spacing grid, touch targets, and the canonical output format of design-system.md (the file the harness gates on). This is routing step 1 of design-method/SKILL.md — read it before design-web/design-webapp/design-ios/design-android, before picking or auditing a single color/type/spacing value.