Repo: Navigation context error triggered by NativeWind `shadow-*` toggle in Expo Router (Expo 53)

[SammyTBrains]

Summary

I’m providing a minimal, runnable reproduction for a navigation error that occurs intermittently when using NativeWind with Expo Router and React Navigation.

This follows up on my earlier report and community discussion; this time a clean repo is included.
nativewind/nativewind#1536

🔗 Repo link

Repo: https://github.com/SammyTBrains/nativewind-shadow-switch

Environment

• expo: 53.0.20
• expo-router: 5.1.4
• react-native: 0.79.5
• nativewind: ^4
• react-native-gesture-handler: ~2.24.0
• react-native-reanimated: 3.17.4
• react-native-safe-area-context: 5.4.0
• react-native-screens: 4.11.1

Steps to reproduce

1. Install dependencies
2. Start the app
3. On the home screen, toggle Phone/Email a few times (both buttons use shadow-sm and bg-white/30)
4. Tap Go to next screen
5. Intermittently, navigation fails with:

Couldn’t find a navigation context

✅ Expected

Navigation should work consistently after toggling.

❌ Actual

After toggling the conditional className with shadow-* utilities, navigation occasionally breaks with the above error.

Notes and workaround

• Removing shadow-* (e.g., shadow-sm) and opacity shorthand (bg-white/30) from the conditional toggle eliminates the issue.
• Using equivalent inline styles for shadows/opacity avoids the crash.

Related links

• Previous issue I opened: 🚨 CRITICAL: NativeWind CSS Interop Race Condition Breaks Navigation in Expo Router Apps nativewind#1536
• Similar Expo thread/comment: Error: Couldn't find a navigation context. Have you wrapped your app with 'NavigationContainer'? See https://reactnavigation.org/docs/getting-started for setup instructions. expo/expo#38191 (comment)

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Thanks for taking a look 🙏.

[marklawlor]

The reproduction is invalid.

It is:

• Missing a Metro config
• Has an invalid Babel config
• Missing a lockfile

[ethan-krich]

I'm also experiencing this even without react navigation installed.

[Ilanbeebey]

I'm also experiencing this

[mauroxdev]

I'm also having this problem

[0x1337ak]

yep removing shadow- did solve it for me going for style for now

[mustafaersoyer]

same here

[smak0412]

same here

[sajadghawami]

also having this issue with the switch. removing the shadow-did not work

[kasperisme]

same here

[notKeion]

Same here

[kascoder]

Same here, removing shadow-sm helped

[ryanbae94]

same here

[mustafaersoyer]

is there any update?