robertoatila React Dev Tooling Defaults
When setting up or working on a React project, install three dev-only tools by default unless the user explicitly opts out. They make every coding agent's frontend work measurably faster and the resulting code measurably better.
The three tools
| Tool | What it does | Why it's a default |
|---|---|---|
| react-grab | Cmd/Ctrl+C on any UI element copies its source location + nearby code + component stack into the clipboard, formatted for an AI agent to act on. | Cuts agent edit time ~2× because the agent receives the actual source coordinates instead of guessing from a screenshot. From the author of Million.dev. |
| react-scan | Visually highlights every component render in dev. Detects unnecessary re-renders, slow renders, and tracks render causes. Has a headless react-scan/lite mode for automated perf measurement. |
Catches re-render regressions the moment they happen, before they ship. Pairs with the perfection ruleset (../perfection/README.md) for Lighthouse 100 work. |
| react-doctor | Static scanner that finds bad React patterns across state & effects, perf, architecture, security, a11y. One-shot npx react-doctor@latest audit + CI GitHub Action + agent-skill installer. |
Catches AI-generated React anti-patterns deterministically. Run before commit and in CI. Installs itself as a Claude Code / OpenCode / Cursor / Codex skill so the agent learns from each scan. |
All three are dev-only (process.env.NODE_ENV === 'development' or import.meta.env.DEV). None ship to production.
Default install for a React project
Run from project root. This is the canonical setup. Skip ONLY if the user says "no extra dev tools" or the project README explicitly forbids them.
# 1. react-grab — adds itself to package.json + entry file with dev gate
npx grab@latest init
# 2. react-doctor — first audit + agent-skill install
npx react-doctor@latest install
# 3. react-scan — adds itself with dev gate
npx react-scan@latest init
The init/install CLIs handle framework detection and gating for you. If the CLI fails or the project uses a non-standard setup, fall back to the manual snippets below.
After install, confirm by reading the diff. Each tool should appear ONLY behind a process.env.NODE_ENV === "development" / import.meta.env.DEV gate.
Manual install (when the CLI does not fit)
Next.js (App Router) — app/layout.tsx
import Script from "next/script";
export default function RootLayout({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) {
return (
<html lang="en">
<head>
{process.env.NODE_ENV === "development" && (
<>
<Script
src="//unpkg.com/react-grab/dist/index.global.js"
crossOrigin="anonymous"
strategy="beforeInteractive"
/>
<Script
src="//unpkg.com/react-scan/dist/auto.global.js"
crossOrigin="anonymous"
strategy="beforeInteractive"
/>
</>
)}
</head>
<body>{children}</body>
</html>
);
}
Next.js (Pages Router) — pages/_document.tsx
Same pattern, but the <Script> tags live inside <Head> from next/document and gate on process.env.NODE_ENV === 'development'.
Vite — src/main.tsx (or wherever the entry is)
if (import.meta.env.DEV) {
void import("react-grab");
void import("react-scan");
}
Optionally add the Vite plugin for richer displayName data on react-scan:
// vite.config.ts
import { defineConfig } from "vite";
import react from "@vitejs/plugin-react";
import reactScan from "vite-plugin-react-scan";
export default defineConfig({
plugins: [react(), reactScan()],
});
Webpack / CRA — entry file top
if (process.env.NODE_ENV === "development") {
void import("react-grab");
void import("react-scan");
}
Remix — app/root.tsx
export default function App() {
return (
<html lang="en">
<head>
<Meta />
{process.env.NODE_ENV === "development" && (
<>
<script crossOrigin="anonymous" src="//unpkg.com/react-grab/dist/index.global.js" />
<script crossOrigin="anonymous" src="//unpkg.com/react-scan/dist/auto.global.js" />
</>
)}
<Links />
</head>
<body>
<Outlet />
<Scripts />
</body>
</html>
);
}
Astro — src/layouts/Layout.astro
---
const isDev = import.meta.env.DEV;
---
<head>
{isDev && (
<>
<script crossorigin="anonymous" src="//unpkg.com/react-grab/dist/index.global.js" is:inline></script>
<script crossorigin="anonymous" src="//unpkg.com/react-scan/dist/auto.global.js" is:inline></script>
</>
)}
</head>
react-doctor — wire the scan, not the bundle
react-doctor is a one-shot CLI plus a CI action, NOT a runtime injection. Wire it in three places:
As an agent skill so your coding agent learns from each scan and avoids the issues next time:
npx react-doctor@latest installDetects Claude Code / OpenCode / Cursor / Codex automatically and writes the skill into the right location.
As a local pre-commit / scripted gate:
# Manual audit npx react-doctor@latest # JSON for scripting / CI npx react-doctor@latest --json > .react-doctor-report.jsonAs a CI gate that blocks PRs when the static scan regresses:
# .github/workflows/react-doctor.yml name: React Doctor on: [pull_request] jobs: audit: runs-on: ubuntu-latest steps: - uses: actions/checkout@v4 - uses: millionco/react-doctor@main
Feature flag — opt-out without surgery
The NODE_ENV === "development" gate already keeps these out of production. For temporarily disabling the runtime tools during a dev session (e.g. when profiling without instrumentation overhead), put one env var in front:
// entry file
const enableDevTools =
process.env.NODE_ENV === "development" &&
process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_DISABLE_REACT_DEVTOOLS !== "1";
if (enableDevTools) {
void import("react-grab");
void import("react-scan");
}
Then NEXT_PUBLIC_DISABLE_REACT_DEVTOOLS=1 npm run dev skips both without re-editing code.
For Vite use VITE_DISABLE_REACT_DEVTOOLS, for CRA use REACT_APP_DISABLE_REACT_DEVTOOLS. The variable name MUST start with the framework's required prefix or it won't reach the bundle.
When NOT to install these
- The project is not React. None of these apply to Solid, Svelte, Vue, Qwik, or any non-React framework. Skip silently.
- The user explicitly said "no extra dev dependencies" or the README forbids them. Respect that.
- The project ships React 16 or earlier. react-scan and react-doctor target modern React (17+, often 18+). Check
package.jsonfirst; if the project is on legacy React, skip the runtime tools and only run react-doctor's static scan (it's framework-tolerant). - The project is a library, not an app. Libraries have no entry file to inject into; only consumers (apps) should run the runtime tools. The static scan still applies.
Verification
After install, sanity-check that the tools are loaded ONLY in dev:
# 1. Build for production
npm run build && npm run start # or vite build && vite preview, etc.
# 2. Open the production URL and verify
# - No react-grab toolbar visible
# - No react-scan overlay or console output
# - DOM contains zero <script> tags pointing at unpkg.com/react-grab or unpkg.com/react-scan
curl -s http://localhost:3000 | grep -E 'react-grab|react-scan' && echo "LEAK — fix the gate" || echo "OK"
If any of those leak into production, the dev gate is broken. Fix the gate before declaring done.
Cross-skill references
- For render performance / Lighthouse 100 work, see
../perfection/react-perf-tooling.md— Playwright +react-scan/liteintegration used during automated audits. - For debugging an in-flight React bug, see
../../debugging/references/tools/react-devtools.md— runtime/static use during a bug hunt rather than initial setup. - The Phase 0 Design System Gate (in
README.md) and this React Dev Tooling Gate are both pre-implementation gates. Run Phase 0 first (design system must exist), then this gate (dev tooling must be installed).
Mantra
Every React project the agent sets up gets these three tools wired with dev-only gates by default. The user opts out, not in.