React Query Best Practices

React Query Best Practices

Arguments:

• scope: what to analyze (default: your current changes). Examples: "diff to main", "PR #123", "src/hooks/queries/", "whole codebase"
• fix: whether to apply fixes (default: true). Set to false to only propose changes.

User arguments: $ARGUMENTS

Context

This codebase uses React Query (TanStack Query) as the single source of truth for all server state. All query hooks live in hooks/queries/. Zustand is used only for client-only UI state. Server data must never be duplicated into useState or Zustand outside of mutation callbacks that coordinate cross-store state.

References

Read these before analyzing:

1. https://tkdodo.eu/blog/practical-react-query — foundational defaults, custom hooks, avoiding local state copies
2. https://tkdodo.eu/blog/effective-react-query-keys — key factory pattern, hierarchical keys, fuzzy invalidation
3. https://tkdodo.eu/blog/react-query-as-a-state-manager — React Query IS your server state manager

Rules to enforce

Query keys and hooks

Enforce CLAUDE.md "React Query" and .claude/rules/sim-queries.md (key factory with all + plural prefixes, signal forwarding, named staleTime constants reused by prefetches, keepPreviousData only on variable keys, requestJson boundary). Additionally:

• Key factories live next to their hooks — except a factory, standalone fetcher/mapper, or staleTime constant that a server module (a prefetch.ts, route, block, trigger) imports, which must live in a non-'use client' module under hooks/queries/utils/ per .claude/rules/sim-queries.md (a 'use client' export called from the server crashes SSR)
• Use enabled to prevent queries from running without required params
• Warm data for hover/focus intent with queryClient.prefetchQuery and shared queryOptions; never temporarily enable a mounted hidden observer, which can remain active after focus restoration and refetch data for closed UI
• When gating a query by view or modal state, move every consumer to the active query too: imperative refresh/pagination, loading and error feedback, and data-derived controls must never read a disabled query or placeholder data from a previous key
• Compose caller-controlled enabled options with required-param guards (Boolean(id) && (options?.enabled ?? true)). Never spread options after an internal guard, because { enabled: true } can silently re-enable an invalid request.
• A disabled query can still report isPending: true. Aggregate loading state only for queries that are applicable/enabled, or an optional query can hold the whole surface in a permanent loading state.
• Deferred authorization or policy queries must fail closed. Do not give pending/error data the same fallback as a successfully loaded unrestricted policy; disable guarded actions until the policy query succeeds.
• Server prefetches must call the authorized use case, apply the route presenter/response schema, and reuse the client's exact key, mapper, and stale time. Keep all fallible auth/read/parse work inside queryFn so an optional warm cannot fail the page, and never bypass a route that redacts fields.

Mutations

Enforce CLAUDE.md "Mutation Hooks" (targeted invalidation, onMutate/onError rollback, mutation objects out of useCallback deps). Additionally:

• Plain mutations invalidate in onSuccess; optimistic mutations reconcile in onSettled (fires on success and error) with rollback in onError — see .claude/rules/sim-queries.md "Mutation Hook" / "Optimistic Updates"

Server state ownership

• Never copy query data into useState. Use query data directly in components.
• Never copy query data into Zustand stores (exception: mutation callbacks that coordinate cross-store state like temp ID replacement)
• The query cache is not a local state manager — setQueryData is for optimistic updates and the server-prefetch seeding case in .claude/rules/sim-queries.md "Server prefetching", nothing else
• Forms are the one deliberate exception (a keyed form child initialized lazily from loaded query data) — the pattern is owned by /you-might-not-need-an-effect "Query-backed forms"; do not duplicate its finding

Steps

1. Read the references above to understand the guidelines
2. Analyze the specified scope against the rules listed above
3. If fix=true, apply the fixes. If fix=false, propose the fixes without applying.