Mobile Animation Gesture Handler

React Native Gesture Handler Patterns

Quick Guide: Use Gesture Handler's v2 builder API (Gesture.Pan(), Gesture.Tap(), etc.) with GestureDetector for all touch interactions. Wrap your app root in GestureHandlerRootView. Compose gestures with Gesture.Simultaneous(), Gesture.Race(), and Gesture.Exclusive(). Use onChange (not onUpdate) when working with animation shared values -- onChange provides deltas (changeX), onUpdate provides cumulative values (translationX). Gesture callbacks are automatically workletized when your animation library is installed.

CRITICAL: Before Using This Skill

All code must follow project conventions in CLAUDE.md (kebab-case, named exports, import ordering, import type, named constants)

(You MUST wrap the app root in GestureHandlerRootView -- gestures will silently fail without it)

(You MUST use GestureDetector with the builder API (Gesture.Pan(), etc.) -- NOT the legacy PanGestureHandler components)

(You MUST use onChange for incremental shared value updates and onUpdate for cumulative values -- mixing them causes drift)

(You MUST use Gesture.Simultaneous() for multi-touch interactions (pinch + pan) -- without it, only one gesture activates)

(You MUST NOT nest GestureDetector components using different API styles (hooks vs builder) under the same root -- this causes undefined behavior)

Auto-detection: react-native-gesture-handler, GestureDetector, GestureHandlerRootView, Gesture.Pan, Gesture.Tap, Gesture.Pinch, Gesture.Rotation, Gesture.LongPress, Gesture.Fling, Gesture.Hover, Gesture.Simultaneous, Gesture.Race, Gesture.Exclusive, Swipeable, ReanimatedSwipeable, onBegin, onStart, onChange, onUpdate, onEnd, onFinalize

When to use:

• Adding pan, pinch, tap, rotation, long-press, fling, or hover gestures to React Native views
• Composing multiple gestures on the same view (pinch-to-zoom + drag)
• Building swipeable list rows with reveal actions
• Replacing React Native's built-in Gesture Responder System (PanResponder)
• Implementing gesture-driven animations with shared values
• Adding hover interactions for iPad trackpad, desktop, or web targets

Key patterns covered:

• GestureDetector + builder API for all gesture types
• Gesture composition: Simultaneous, Race, Exclusive
• Gesture state machine and lifecycle callbacks
• Shared value integration in gesture callbacks (onChange vs onUpdate)
• ReanimatedSwipeable for swipeable list rows
• Hover gesture for pointer devices (iPad trackpad, mouse, stylus)
• Platform-specific gesture configuration (Android ripple, iOS haptics)
• Cross-component gesture relations (requireToFail, simultaneousWith, block)

When NOT to use:

• Simple button taps (use Pressable or TouchableOpacity from React Native core)
• Scroll-only interactions (use ScrollView or FlatList directly)
• Web-only applications without React Native

Detailed Resources:

• examples/core.md - GestureDetector setup, pan, tap, pinch, rotation gestures with shared values
• examples/composition.md - Simultaneous, Race, Exclusive composition, cross-component relations
• examples/swipeable.md - ReanimatedSwipeable rows, FlatList integration, action panels
• examples/advanced.md - Hover gesture, manual gesture control, platform-specific config
• reference.md - Decision frameworks, gesture type reference, state machine diagram

Philosophy

React Native Gesture Handler replaces the built-in Gesture Responder System with native-driven gesture recognition. The key advantage is that gestures are processed on the native thread, not JS -- so they remain responsive even when JS is busy.

Core principles:

1. Native-first -- Gesture recognition runs natively; callbacks optionally run as worklets on the UI thread
2. Declarative composition -- Define gestures as objects, compose them with Simultaneous, Race, Exclusive
3. State machine driven -- Every gesture follows UNDETERMINED -> BEGAN -> ACTIVE -> END/FAILED/CANCELLED
4. Builder API -- Chain configuration methods: Gesture.Pan().minDistance(10).onUpdate(handler)
5. One GestureDetector per gesture (or composed gesture) -- Don't attach multiple unrelated gestures via separate nested detectors

Mental model: Think of each gesture as a state machine that competes with other gestures for activation. Composition methods (Simultaneous, Race, Exclusive) define the competition rules. The gesture that wins transitions to ACTIVE; the rest FAIL or get CANCELLED.

v3 hooks API (beta): RNGH v3 introduces a hooks-based API (usePanGesture, useSimultaneousGestures, etc.) that is cleaner but still in beta. The v2 builder API (Gesture.Pan(), GestureDetector) is the stable production API documented here.

Core Patterns

Pattern 1: GestureHandlerRootView Setup

Every app using Gesture Handler must wrap its root in GestureHandlerRootView. Without it, gestures silently fail -- no errors, just no recognition.

import { GestureHandlerRootView } from "react-native-gesture-handler";

export function App() {
  return (
    <GestureHandlerRootView style={{ flex: 1 }}>
      <AppContent />
    </GestureHandlerRootView>
  );
}

Why good: single root wrapper, flex: 1 ensures full-screen coverage

Gotcha (Android modals): React Native Modals on Android create a separate native view hierarchy. Wrap Modal content in its own GestureHandlerRootView -- gestures inside a Modal won't work otherwise.

Gotcha (native navigation): When using a native navigation library (separate screen containers per screen), wrap each registered screen individually rather than a single app-level root.

See examples/core.md for the full setup pattern.

Pattern 2: Pan Gesture with Shared Values

The most common pattern: drag an element by tracking translation deltas.

const offset = useSharedValue(0);

const pan = Gesture.Pan()
  .onChange((event) => {
    offset.value += event.changeX; // Incremental delta
  })
  .onFinalize((event) => {
    offset.value = withDecay({ velocity: event.velocityX });
  });

// Wrap with GestureDetector + Animated.View
<GestureDetector gesture={pan}>
  <Animated.View style={animatedStyle} />
</GestureDetector>

Why onChange over onUpdate: onChange provides changeX/changeY (delta since last event) -- add it to an offset. onUpdate provides translationX/translationY (cumulative since gesture start) -- use it as an absolute position. Mixing them causes position drift.

See examples/core.md for complete pan, tap, pinch, and rotation examples.

Pattern 3: Gesture Composition

Compose multiple gestures on the same view with three strategies:

const pan = Gesture.Pan().onChange(/* ... */);
const pinch = Gesture.Pinch().onUpdate(/* ... */);
const rotation = Gesture.Rotation().onUpdate(/* ... */);

// All three active simultaneously (photo viewer)
const composed = Gesture.Simultaneous(pan, pinch, rotation);

// First to activate wins, rest fail (swipe vs long-press)
const racing = Gesture.Race(pan, longPress);

// Priority order: first arg wins ties (double-tap beats single-tap)
const exclusive = Gesture.Exclusive(doubleTap, singleTap);

<GestureDetector gesture={composed}>
  <Animated.View />
</GestureDetector>

Key rule: Pass the composed gesture to a single GestureDetector. Do not nest multiple GestureDetector components for gestures that should interact -- use composition instead.

See examples/composition.md for full photo viewer and tap disambiguation patterns.

Pattern 4: Gesture State Machine

Every gesture follows a state machine. Understanding it is critical for debugging gesture conflicts:

UNDETERMINED ──> BEGAN ──> ACTIVE ──> END ──> UNDETERMINED
                  │                    │
                  ├──> FAILED ─────────┘
                  │                    │
                  └──> (ACTIVE) ──> CANCELLED ──> UNDETERMINED

Lifecycle callbacks map to states:

onEnd vs onFinalize: Use onEnd for success-only cleanup (save position). Use onFinalize for guaranteed cleanup (reset state regardless of outcome). onFinalize receives a second success boolean parameter.

See reference.md for the complete state transition diagram.

Pattern 5: Cross-Component Gesture Relations

When gestures live on different components (parent scroll + child drag), use relation methods:

const childPan = Gesture.Pan();
const parentScroll = Gesture.Native(); // Wraps native ScrollView gesture

// Child drag must fail before parent scroll activates
parentScroll.requireExternalGestureToFail(childPan);

// Or: both active simultaneously
childPan.simultaneousWith(parentScroll);

// Or: child blocks parent while active
childPan.blocksExternalGesture(parentScroll);

Key difference from composition: Gesture.Simultaneous() composes gestures on the same component. .simultaneousWith() relates gestures across different components in the view hierarchy.

See examples/composition.md for cross-component patterns.

Pattern 6: ReanimatedSwipeable for List Rows

Use ReanimatedSwipeable (not the legacy Swipeable) for swipeable list items with smooth 60fps animations.

import ReanimatedSwipeable from "react-native-gesture-handler/ReanimatedSwipeable";

const SWIPE_THRESHOLD = 40;
const OVERSHOOT_FRICTION = 8;

<ReanimatedSwipeable
  friction={2}
  rightThreshold={SWIPE_THRESHOLD}
  overshootFriction={OVERSHOOT_FRICTION}
  renderRightActions={renderRightActions}
 
>
  <ListItemContent />
</ReanimatedSwipeable>

Why ReanimatedSwipeable over Swipeable: Rewritten with worklets for native-thread animations. The legacy Swipeable animates on JS thread and drops frames during heavy renders.

See examples/swipeable.md for full implementation with action panels and FlatList integration.

Pattern 7: Hover Gesture (Pointer Devices)

Hover gesture detects mouse/stylus/trackpad hovering -- useful for iPad with trackpad, macOS, and web targets. Does not fire on phone touch.

const hover = Gesture.Hover()
  .onBegin(() => {
    isHovered.value = true;
  })
  .onEnd(() => {
    isHovered.value = false;
  });

Platform support: iOS (iPad with trackpad/mouse), macOS, web. Does NOT work on Android touch or iPhone touch. On iOS, the optional hoverEffect prop on GestureDetector provides system-level visual effects (highlight, lift, automatic).

See examples/advanced.md for hover with visual effects.

Decision Framework

Which Gesture Type?

What user interaction are you handling?
├─ Drag/move element         → Gesture.Pan()
├─ Single tap                → Gesture.Tap()
├─ Double tap                → Gesture.Tap().numberOfTaps(2)
├─ Long press                → Gesture.LongPress()
├─ Pinch to zoom             → Gesture.Pinch()
├─ Two-finger rotate         → Gesture.Rotation()
├─ Quick directional swipe   → Gesture.Fling()
├─ Mouse/trackpad hover      → Gesture.Hover()
└─ Wrap a native gesture     → Gesture.Native() (for ScrollView, etc.)

Which Composition?

How should multiple gestures interact?
├─ All active at once (pan + pinch + rotate in photo viewer)
│   └─ Gesture.Simultaneous(gesture1, gesture2, ...)
├─ First to activate wins (swipe vs long-press on same view)
│   └─ Gesture.Race(gesture1, gesture2, ...)
├─ Priority order (double-tap must beat single-tap)
│   └─ Gesture.Exclusive(highPriority, lowPriority)
└─ Gestures on DIFFERENT components (child drag vs parent scroll)
    ├─ Parent waits for child to fail → parent.requireExternalGestureToFail(child)
    ├─ Both active simultaneously     → child.simultaneousWith(parent)
    └─ Child blocks parent            → child.blocksExternalGesture(parent)

onChange vs onUpdate?

How are you using the gesture position data?
├─ Adding to an offset (shared value += delta)
│   └─ Use onChange (provides changeX, changeY)
├─ Setting absolute position from gesture start
│   └─ Use onUpdate (provides translationX, translationY)
└─ Need both (rare)
    └─ Use onChange for offsets + onUpdate for display values

RED FLAGS

High Priority Issues:

• Missing GestureHandlerRootView at app root -- gestures silently fail with no error message
• Using legacy PanGestureHandler/TapGestureHandler components -- deprecated, use Gesture.Pan() + GestureDetector
• Using onUpdate to add deltas to shared values -- onUpdate provides cumulative values, not deltas; use onChange for incremental updates
• Nesting multiple GestureDetector components for gestures that should compose -- use Gesture.Simultaneous()/Race()/Exclusive() instead
• Using React.PanResponder -- replaced entirely by Gesture Handler; PanResponder runs on JS thread and blocks the UI

Medium Priority Issues:

• Not specifying minDistance on Gesture.Pan() when coexisting with tap gestures -- pan activates immediately at 0px, stealing taps
• Missing onFinalize cleanup -- onEnd only fires on success; cancelled/failed gestures skip it
• Using Swipeable instead of ReanimatedSwipeable -- legacy component runs animations on JS thread
• Creating new gesture instances inside render (not in useMemo or outside component) -- causes gesture to reset every render

Gotchas & Edge Cases:

• Gesture.Exclusive(doubleTap, singleTap) -- double-tap MUST be the first argument (higher priority) or it will never fire because single-tap activates first
• Android modals need their own GestureHandlerRootView -- gestures in modals fail silently without it
• onChange callback is NOT available in the v3 hooks API -- it was removed; use onUpdate with the change* properties on the event object instead
• Gesture callbacks are automatically workletized when your animation library is installed -- don't manually add "worklet" directives unless you need them without the animation library
• Gesture.Native() wraps platform-native gestures (ScrollView, FlatList) -- use it when you need to create relations between custom gestures and native scrolling
• onFinalize receives (event, success) -- the success boolean tells you whether the gesture ended normally (END) or was cancelled/failed
• Reusing the same gesture instance across multiple GestureDetector components causes undefined behavior -- create separate instances
• iPad trackpad two-finger gestures require enableTrackpadTwoFingerGesture on both Pan and ReanimatedSwipeable
• hoverEffect prop on GestureDetector only works on iOS 17.0+ and provides system-level visual effects
• Gesture.Fling() only fires at the end of the fling, not continuously -- use Gesture.Pan() if you need continuous position tracking during a swipe

CRITICAL REMINDERS

All code must follow project conventions in CLAUDE.md

(You MUST wrap the app root in GestureHandlerRootView -- gestures will silently fail without it)

(You MUST use GestureDetector with the builder API (Gesture.Pan(), etc.) -- NOT the legacy PanGestureHandler components)

(You MUST use onChange for incremental shared value updates and onUpdate for cumulative values -- mixing them causes drift)

(You MUST use Gesture.Simultaneous() for multi-touch interactions (pinch + pan) -- without it, only one gesture activates)

(You MUST NOT nest GestureDetector components using different API styles (hooks vs builder) under the same root -- this causes undefined behavior)

Failure to follow these rules will cause silent gesture failures, animation drift, and broken multi-touch interactions.