react-state-management
Master modern React state management with Redux Toolkit, Zustand, Jotai, and React Query. Use when setting up global state, managing server state, or choosing between state management solutions.
Install
npx skills add https://github.com/wshobson/agents/tree/main/plugins/frontend-mobile-development/skills/react-state-management
claude plugin marketplace add https://llmmart.ai/marketplace.json && claude plugin install wshobson-agents@llmmart
git clone https://github.com/wshobson/agents.git
The skills CLI installs just this skill, for any of its supported agents. Claude Code installs the whole wshobson/agents collection as a plugin from our marketplace. Git is the plain clone.
Skill manifest
React State Management
Comprehensive guide to modern React state management patterns, from local component state to global stores and server state synchronization.
When to Use This Skill
- Setting up global state management in a React app
- Choosing between Redux Toolkit, Zustand, or Jotai
- Managing server state with React Query or SWR
- Implementing optimistic updates
- Debugging state-related issues
- Migrating from legacy Redux to modern patterns
Core Concepts
1. State Categories
| Type | Description | Solutions |
|---|---|---|
| Local State | Component-specific, UI state | useState, useReducer |
| Global State | Shared across components | Redux Toolkit, Zustand, Jotai |
| Server State | Remote data, caching | React Query, SWR, RTK Query |
| URL State | Route parameters, search | React Router, nuqs |
| Form State | Input values, validation | React Hook Form, Formik |
2. Selection Criteria
Small app, simple state → Zustand or Jotai
Large app, complex state → Redux Toolkit
Heavy server interaction → React Query + light client state
Atomic/granular updates → Jotai
Quick Start
Zustand (Simplest)
// store/useStore.ts
import { create } from 'zustand'
import { devtools, persist } from 'zustand/middleware'
interface AppState {
user: User | null
theme: 'light' | 'dark'
setUser: (user: User | null) => void
toggleTheme: () => void
}
export const useStore = create<AppState>()(
devtools(
persist(
(set) => ({
user: null,
theme: 'light',
setUser: (user) => set({ user }),
toggleTheme: () => set((state) => ({
theme: state.theme === 'light' ? 'dark' : 'light'
})),
}),
{ name: 'app-storage' }
)
)
)
// Usage in component
function Header() {
const { user, theme, toggleTheme } = useStore()
return (
<header className={theme}>
{user?.name}
<button onClick={toggleTheme}>Toggle Theme</button>
</header>
)
}
Detailed patterns and worked examples
Detailed pattern documentation lives in references/details.md. Read that file when the navigation tier above is insufficient.
Best Practices
Do's
- Colocate state - Keep state as close to where it's used as possible
- Use selectors - Prevent unnecessary re-renders with selective subscriptions
- Normalize data - Flatten nested structures for easier updates
- Type everything - Full TypeScript coverage prevents runtime errors
- Separate concerns - Server state (React Query) vs client state (Zustand)
Don'ts
- Don't over-globalize - Not everything needs to be in global state
- Don't duplicate server state - Let React Query manage it
- Don't mutate directly - Always use immutable updates
- Don't store derived data - Compute it instead
- Don't mix paradigms - Pick one primary solution per category
Migration Guides
From Legacy Redux to RTK
// Before (legacy Redux)
const ADD_TODO = "ADD_TODO";
const addTodo = (text) => ({ type: ADD_TODO, payload: text });
function todosReducer(state = [], action) {
switch (action.type) {
case ADD_TODO:
return [...state, { text: action.payload, completed: false }];
default:
return state;
}
}
// After (Redux Toolkit)
const todosSlice = createSlice({
name: "todos",
initialState: [],
reducers: {
addTodo: (state, action: PayloadAction<string>) => {
// Immer allows "mutations"
state.push({ text: action.payload, completed: false });
},
},
});
Files (agents)
-
references
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details.md 7.6 KB
# react-state-management — detailed patterns and worked examples ## Patterns ### Pattern 1: Redux Toolkit with TypeScript ```typescript // store/index.ts import { configureStore } from "@reduxjs/toolkit"; import { TypedUseSelectorHook, useDispatch, useSelector } from "react-redux"; import userReducer from "./slices/userSlice"; import cartReducer from "./slices/cartSlice"; export const store = configureStore({ reducer: { user: userReducer, cart: cartReducer, }, middleware: (getDefaultMiddleware) => getDefaultMiddleware({ serializableCheck: { ignoredActions: ["persist/PERSIST"], }, }), }); export type RootState = ReturnType<typeof store.getState>; export type AppDispatch = typeof store.dispatch; // Typed hooks export const useAppDispatch: () => AppDispatch = useDispatch; export const useAppSelector: TypedUseSelectorHook<RootState> = useSelector; ``` ```typescript // store/slices/userSlice.ts import { createSlice, createAsyncThunk, PayloadAction } from "@reduxjs/toolkit"; interface User { id: string; email: string; name: string; } interface UserState { current: User | null; status: "idle" | "loading" | "succeeded" | "failed"; error: string | null; } const initialState: UserState = { current: null, status: "idle", error: null, }; export const fetchUser = createAsyncThunk( "user/fetchUser", async (userId: string, { rejectWithValue }) => { try { const response = await fetch(`/api/users/${userId}`); if (!response.ok) throw new Error("Failed to fetch user"); return await response.json(); } catch (error) { return rejectWithValue((error as Error).message); } }, ); const userSlice = createSlice({ name: "user", initialState, reducers: { setUser: (state, action: PayloadAction<User>) => { state.current = action.payload; state.status = "succeeded"; }, clearUser: (state) => { state.current = null; state.status = "idle"; }, }, extraReducers: (builder) => { builder .addCase(fetchUser.pending, (state) => { state.status = "loading"; state.error = null; }) .addCase(fetchUser.fulfilled, (state, action) => { state.status = "succeeded"; state.current = action.payload; }) .addCase(fetchUser.rejected, (state, action) => { state.status = "failed"; state.error = action.payload as string; }); }, }); export const { setUser, clearUser } = userSlice.actions; export default userSlice.reducer; ``` ### Pattern 2: Zustand with Slices (Scalable) ```typescript // store/slices/createUserSlice.ts import { StateCreator } from "zustand"; export interface UserSlice { user: User | null; isAuthenticated: boolean; login: (credentials: Credentials) => Promise<void>; logout: () => void; } export const createUserSlice: StateCreator< UserSlice & CartSlice, // Combined store type [], [], UserSlice > = (set, get) => ({ user: null, isAuthenticated: false, login: async (credentials) => { const user = await authApi.login(credentials); set({ user, isAuthenticated: true }); }, logout: () => { set({ user: null, isAuthenticated: false }); // Can access other slices // get().clearCart() }, }); // store/index.ts import { create } from "zustand"; import { createUserSlice, UserSlice } from "./slices/createUserSlice"; import { createCartSlice, CartSlice } from "./slices/createCartSlice"; type StoreState = UserSlice & CartSlice; export const useStore = create<StoreState>()((...args) => ({ ...createUserSlice(...args), ...createCartSlice(...args), })); // Selective subscriptions (prevents unnecessary re-renders) export const useUser = () => useStore((state) => state.user); export const useCart = () => useStore((state) => state.cart); ``` ### Pattern 3: Jotai for Atomic State ```typescript // atoms/userAtoms.ts import { atom } from 'jotai' import { atomWithStorage } from 'jotai/utils' // Basic atom export const userAtom = atom<User | null>(null) // Derived atom (computed) export const isAuthenticatedAtom = atom((get) => get(userAtom) !== null) // Atom with localStorage persistence export const themeAtom = atomWithStorage<'light' | 'dark'>('theme', 'light') // Async atom export const userProfileAtom = atom(async (get) => { const user = get(userAtom) if (!user) return null const response = await fetch(`/api/users/${user.id}/profile`) return response.json() }) // Write-only atom (action) export const logoutAtom = atom(null, (get, set) => { set(userAtom, null) set(cartAtom, []) localStorage.removeItem('token') }) // Usage function Profile() { const [user] = useAtom(userAtom) const [, logout] = useAtom(logoutAtom) const [profile] = useAtom(userProfileAtom) // Suspense-enabled return ( <Suspense fallback={<Skeleton />}> <ProfileContent profile={profile} onLogout={logout} /> </Suspense> ) } ``` ### Pattern 4: React Query for Server State ```typescript // hooks/useUsers.ts import { useQuery, useMutation, useQueryClient } from "@tanstack/react-query"; // Query keys factory export const userKeys = { all: ["users"] as const, lists: () => [...userKeys.all, "list"] as const, list: (filters: UserFilters) => [...userKeys.lists(), filters] as const, details: () => [...userKeys.all, "detail"] as const, detail: (id: string) => [...userKeys.details(), id] as const, }; // Fetch hook export function useUsers(filters: UserFilters) { return useQuery({ queryKey: userKeys.list(filters), queryFn: () => fetchUsers(filters), staleTime: 5 * 60 * 1000, // 5 minutes gcTime: 30 * 60 * 1000, // 30 minutes (formerly cacheTime) }); } // Single user hook export function useUser(id: string) { return useQuery({ queryKey: userKeys.detail(id), queryFn: () => fetchUser(id), enabled: !!id, // Don't fetch if no id }); } // Mutation with optimistic update export function useUpdateUser() { const queryClient = useQueryClient(); return useMutation({ mutationFn: updateUser, onMutate: async (newUser) => { // Cancel outgoing refetches await queryClient.cancelQueries({ queryKey: userKeys.detail(newUser.id), }); // Snapshot previous value const previousUser = queryClient.getQueryData( userKeys.detail(newUser.id), ); // Optimistically update queryClient.setQueryData(userKeys.detail(newUser.id), newUser); return { previousUser }; }, onError: (err, newUser, context) => { // Rollback on error queryClient.setQueryData( userKeys.detail(newUser.id), context?.previousUser, ); }, onSettled: (data, error, variables) => { // Refetch after mutation queryClient.invalidateQueries({ queryKey: userKeys.detail(variables.id), }); }, }); } ``` ### Pattern 5: Combining Client + Server State ```typescript // Zustand for client state const useUIStore = create<UIState>((set) => ({ sidebarOpen: true, modal: null, toggleSidebar: () => set((s) => ({ sidebarOpen: !s.sidebarOpen })), openModal: (modal) => set({ modal }), closeModal: () => set({ modal: null }), })) // React Query for server state function Dashboard() { const { sidebarOpen, toggleSidebar } = useUIStore() const { data: users, isLoading } = useUsers({ active: true }) const { data: stats } = useStats() if (isLoading) return <DashboardSkeleton /> return ( <div className={sidebarOpen ? 'with-sidebar' : ''}> <Sidebar open={sidebarOpen} onToggle={toggleSidebar} /> <main> <StatsCards stats={stats} /> <UserTable users={users} /> </main> </div> ) } ```
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SKILL.md 3.9 KB
--- name: react-state-management description: Master modern React state management with Redux Toolkit, Zustand, Jotai, and React Query. Use when setting up global state, managing server state, or choosing between state management solutions. --- # React State Management Comprehensive guide to modern React state management patterns, from local component state to global stores and server state synchronization. ## When to Use This Skill - Setting up global state management in a React app - Choosing between Redux Toolkit, Zustand, or Jotai - Managing server state with React Query or SWR - Implementing optimistic updates - Debugging state-related issues - Migrating from legacy Redux to modern patterns ## Core Concepts ### 1. State Categories | Type | Description | Solutions | | ---------------- | ---------------------------- | ----------------------------- | | **Local State** | Component-specific, UI state | useState, useReducer | | **Global State** | Shared across components | Redux Toolkit, Zustand, Jotai | | **Server State** | Remote data, caching | React Query, SWR, RTK Query | | **URL State** | Route parameters, search | React Router, nuqs | | **Form State** | Input values, validation | React Hook Form, Formik | ### 2. Selection Criteria ``` Small app, simple state → Zustand or Jotai Large app, complex state → Redux Toolkit Heavy server interaction → React Query + light client state Atomic/granular updates → Jotai ``` ## Quick Start ### Zustand (Simplest) ```typescript // store/useStore.ts import { create } from 'zustand' import { devtools, persist } from 'zustand/middleware' interface AppState { user: User | null theme: 'light' | 'dark' setUser: (user: User | null) => void toggleTheme: () => void } export const useStore = create<AppState>()( devtools( persist( (set) => ({ user: null, theme: 'light', setUser: (user) => set({ user }), toggleTheme: () => set((state) => ({ theme: state.theme === 'light' ? 'dark' : 'light' })), }), { name: 'app-storage' } ) ) ) // Usage in component function Header() { const { user, theme, toggleTheme } = useStore() return ( <header className={theme}> {user?.name} <button onClick={toggleTheme}>Toggle Theme</button> </header> ) } ``` ## Detailed patterns and worked examples Detailed pattern documentation lives in `references/details.md`. Read that file when the navigation tier above is insufficient. ## Best Practices ### Do's - **Colocate state** - Keep state as close to where it's used as possible - **Use selectors** - Prevent unnecessary re-renders with selective subscriptions - **Normalize data** - Flatten nested structures for easier updates - **Type everything** - Full TypeScript coverage prevents runtime errors - **Separate concerns** - Server state (React Query) vs client state (Zustand) ### Don'ts - **Don't over-globalize** - Not everything needs to be in global state - **Don't duplicate server state** - Let React Query manage it - **Don't mutate directly** - Always use immutable updates - **Don't store derived data** - Compute it instead - **Don't mix paradigms** - Pick one primary solution per category ## Migration Guides ### From Legacy Redux to RTK ```typescript // Before (legacy Redux) const ADD_TODO = "ADD_TODO"; const addTodo = (text) => ({ type: ADD_TODO, payload: text }); function todosReducer(state = [], action) { switch (action.type) { case ADD_TODO: return [...state, { text: action.payload, completed: false }]; default: return state; } } // After (Redux Toolkit) const todosSlice = createSlice({ name: "todos", initialState: [], reducers: { addTodo: (state, action: PayloadAction<string>) => { // Immer allows "mutations" state.push({ text: action.payload, completed: false }); }, }, }); ```
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