React Native

/react-native — RN dev ops

Local commands for RN projects. No credentials. Works in cwd or --path <dir>.

Deps: Node 18+, Yarn/npm, Watchman, Xcode (iOS), Android Studio + JDK 17 (Android).

Overview

Local dev ops for React Native projects. No credentials needed — operates on the project tree. Solves the "won't build" mysteries (cache pollution, pod sync, version drift) that consume most of RN dev frustration.

When to Use

• Build errors after dependency changes ("Module not found", stale Metro/Watchman caches)
• CocoaPods install / Gradle issues
• Bundle size analysis with source-map-explorer
• Tailing device logs (xcrun simctl / adb logcat) with filter
• Bumping version (package.json + iOS Info.plist + Android build.gradle in sync)
• Generating icons / splash from a source PNG

When NOT to Use

• Code signing / store releases → use fastlane skill
• E2E tests → use maestro skill
• Backend / API issues → wrong scope
• Anything requiring Apple Developer account credentials

Dispatch

doctor — environment health check

npx react-native doctor

clean [--ios] [--android] [--metro] [--all] — recovery from "won't build"

[ "$ALL" = "true" ] || [ "$IOS" = "true" ] && \
  rm -rf ios/Pods ios/build ios/DerivedData "$HOME/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData"
[ "$ALL" = "true" ] || [ "$ANDROID" = "true" ] && \
  (cd android && ./gradlew clean) && rm -rf android/app/build android/build android/.gradle
[ "$ALL" = "true" ] || [ "$METRO" = "true" ] && \
  watchman watch-del-all 2>/dev/null; rm -rf "$TMPDIR/metro-"* "$TMPDIR/haste-map-"* node_modules/.cache

--all = nuclear option, fixes 90% of build mysteries.

pods — install/update CocoaPods

cd ios
[ -f Gemfile ] && bundle install --quiet && bundle exec pod install || pod install
cd -

If broken: pod deintegrate && pod install.

bundle-size [--platform ios|android] — analyze bundle

PLATFORM="${PLATFORM:-android}"
case "$PLATFORM" in
  android) BUNDLE=android/app/src/main/assets/index.android.bundle ;;
  ios) BUNDLE=ios/main.jsbundle ;;
esac
[ -f "$BUNDLE" ] || { echo "Run: npx react-native bundle --platform $PLATFORM ..." >&2; return 1; }
echo "Total: $(du -h "$BUNDLE" | cut -f1)"
npx source-map-explorer "$BUNDLE" --html /tmp/rn-bundle.html 2>/dev/null && \
  echo "Open: file:///tmp/rn-bundle.html"

version <new-version> — bump app version (package.json + iOS + Android)

npm version "$NEW_VERSION" --no-git-tag-version

# iOS
(cd ios && agvtool new-marketing-version "$NEW_VERSION" && agvtool next-version -all) 2>/dev/null

# Android (auto-increment versionCode)
CURRENT_CODE=$(grep -oE 'versionCode\s+[0-9]+' android/app/build.gradle | grep -oE '[0-9]+')
NEW_CODE=$((CURRENT_CODE + 1))
sed -i.bak -E "s/versionName\s+\".*\"/versionName \"$NEW_VERSION\"/; s/versionCode\s+[0-9]+/versionCode $NEW_CODE/" android/app/build.gradle
rm android/app/build.gradle.bak

echo "Bumped to $NEW_VERSION (Android code: $NEW_CODE)"

logs <ios|android> [--filter pattern] — tail device logs

case "$PLATFORM" in
  ios)
    xcrun simctl spawn booted log stream --level debug \
      --predicate "subsystem CONTAINS '$BUNDLE_ID'" \
      ${FILTER:+| grep -i "$FILTER"}
    ;;
  android)
    adb logcat -v color ReactNativeJS:V ReactNative:V "*:E" \
      ${FILTER:+| grep -i "$FILTER"}
    ;;
esac

patch <package> — save patch-package patch

npx patch-package "$PACKAGE"
echo "Add to package.json scripts: \"postinstall\": \"patch-package\""

icons <source.png> / splash <source.png> — asset generators

npx app-icon generate --icon "$SOURCE"
npx react-native-bootsplash "$SOURCE" --background-color "#FFFFFF" --logo-width 200

Other RN commands (use Bash directly)

These are simple enough to run as native commands:

• Run iOS: npx react-native run-ios [--simulator "iPhone 15"] [--scheme MyApp-Staging]
• Run Android: npx react-native run-android [--variant stagingDebug]
• Start Metro: npx react-native start [--reset-cache]
• Bundle: npx react-native bundle --platform android --dev false --entry-file index.js --bundle-output android/app/src/main/assets/index.android.bundle --assets-dest android/app/src/main/res

Common Mistakes

• "Module not found" after install → start --reset-cache + clean --metro
• Gradle daemon stuck → cd android && ./gradlew --stop && ./gradlew clean
• iOS keychain issues → use Fastlane match (don't manually delete certs)
• Pod install fails → check Ruby version (RN often needs 3.0+)
• clean --all before checking what specifically broke → 5-15 min wasted on every run

Safety

• clean --all wipes Pods + Gradle cache + node_modules/.cache → 5-15 min recovery on first build
• patch-package patches modify third-party code — review patches in PRs (security surface)
• iOS keychain → use Fastlane match, not manual deletion
• Android signing keystore lost = can't update app on Play Store; back up encrypted