React No useEffect Skill

React useEffect and useLayoutEffect refactoring skill for React hooks architecture, derived state, event handlers, query APIs, useSyncExternalStore, key-based resets, Strict Mode, and SSR-safe component logic.

This skill classifies effects, removes effect-driven state, fixes dependency churn, render loops, parent-child sync, and fetch-in-effect anti-patterns, and keeps legitimate external synchronization behind named hooks.

What this React skill actually does

• classifies each raw effect as derivation, event logic, data loading, parent-child sync, external store subscription, reset-by-identity, or real external synchronization
• replaces common React effect anti-patterns with render-time derivation, event handlers, query APIs, useSyncExternalStore, or key
• rewrites fetch-in-effect patterns toward framework loaders, query libraries, or user-triggered actions
• reviews useLayoutEffect, Strict Mode behavior, cleanup symmetry, and SSR behavior explicitly
• moves any necessary surviving effects behind descriptive named hooks instead of leaving raw effects in application components
• supports code review, lint rules, grep-based enforcement, and policy gates for teams trying to reduce raw effect usage

Best use cases

• replacing useEffect in React apps
• refactoring useLayoutEffect usage
• fixing stale state, dependency churn, render loops, and parent-child sync
• removing fetch-in-effect and set-state-in-effect anti-patterns
• reviewing React hooks architecture in diffs and pull requests
• enforcing a no-raw-useEffect policy in frontend codebases

Outputs

• effect classification by root cause
• recommended replacement primitive
• allowed-effect review for the cases that truly need one
• cleaner React component architecture
• concrete rewrite guidance instead of generic hook advice

Core capability areas

The core value is in the classification rules and replacement model behind the skill:

• rules/01-triage.md for first-match effect classification
• rules/02-replacements.md for effect replacement patterns
• rules/03-allowed-effects.md for the narrow surviving effect cases
• rules/04-enforcement.md for review and lint enforcement
• examples/before-after.md for compact before/after rewrites
• reference/react-rationale.md for the React model behind the skill

Fast install

The install folder name stays no-use-effect.

npx skills add CodingCossack/no-use-effect-skill --global --yes

Useful variants:

# Let the CLI walk you through placement interactively
npx skills add CodingCossack/no-use-effect-skill

# Install from a full GitHub URL
npx skills add https://github.com/CodingCossack/no-use-effect-skill

# Install from a local folder
npx skills add /absolute/path/to/no-use-effect-skill

Manual install

Codex global

mkdir -p "$HOME/.codex/skills"
ln -s "$(pwd)" "$HOME/.codex/skills/no-use-effect"

Codex project-scoped

mkdir -p /path/to/project/.agents/skills
ln -s "$(pwd)" /path/to/project/.agents/skills/no-use-effect

Claude Code global

mkdir -p "$HOME/.claude/skills"
ln -s "$(pwd)" "$HOME/.claude/skills/no-use-effect"

Claude Code project-scoped

mkdir -p /path/to/project/.claude/skills
ln -s "$(pwd)" /path/to/project/.claude/skills/no-use-effect

If you prefer copies instead of symlinks:

mkdir -p "$HOME/.codex/skills/no-use-effect"
rsync -a --delete --exclude '.git' --exclude '.github' --exclude 'dist' ./ "$HOME/.codex/skills/no-use-effect/"

mkdir -p "$HOME/.claude/skills/no-use-effect"
rsync -a --delete --exclude '.git' --exclude '.github' --exclude 'dist' ./ "$HOME/.claude/skills/no-use-effect/"

Bootstrap scripts

The repo includes simple install, verify, and uninstall helpers:

./bootstrap/install-global.sh
./bootstrap/verify-global.sh
./bootstrap/uninstall-global.sh

Useful variants:

./bootstrap/install-global.sh --copy
./bootstrap/install-global.sh --codex-only
./bootstrap/install-global.sh --claude-only

Zip packaging

Build a clean ZIP from the repo root:

./scripts/build-zip.sh

Output:

dist/no-use-effect-skill.zip

Claude custom skill upload expects the skill folder inside the ZIP, not loose files at the ZIP root.

Manual unzip install:

unzip dist/no-use-effect-skill.zip -d "$HOME/.claude/skills"
# or
unzip dist/no-use-effect-skill.zip -d "$HOME/.codex/skills"

The final path should end in:

$HOME/.claude/skills/no-use-effect/SKILL.md
# or
$HOME/.codex/skills/no-use-effect/SKILL.md

Verify it loaded

Claude Code

Direct invocation:

/no-use-effect

Codex

Good direct prompt:

Use the no-use-effect skill. First classify each effect by cause, then replace it with the smallest correct primitive, and only keep surviving effects behind named hooks.

Repository layout

.
├── README.md
├── PACKAGING.md
├── SKILL.md
├── agents/
│   └── openai.yaml
├── bootstrap/
│   ├── common.sh
│   ├── install-global.sh
│   ├── uninstall-global.sh
│   └── verify-global.sh
├── examples/
│   └── before-after.md
├── reference/
│   └── react-rationale.md
├── rules/
│   ├── 01-triage.md
│   ├── 02-replacements.md
│   ├── 03-allowed-effects.md
│   └── 04-enforcement.md
└── scripts/
    └── build-zip.sh