React Native Arc

Scaffold a complete React Native (Expo) project with production-ready architecture.

When to Use

• User wants to create a new React Native / Expo project
• User asks for mobile app boilerplate or starter template
• User needs project architecture guidance for React Native
• User mentions scaffolding, project setup, or mobile app structure

Pre-Flight

Ask the user for:

1. Project name (used in app.json, package name)
2. Brief description of the app
3. Target platforms: iOS only, Android only, or both
4. i18n needed? (default: yes)
5. Auth flow needed? (default: yes)
6. Navigation pattern: tabs + stack (default), stack only, or drawer + stack

Mobile Design Checkpoint (mandatory)

Before writing any code, complete:

Platform:   [iOS / Android / Both]
Framework:  React Native (Expo)

3 Principles:
1. Touch-first (44pt+ targets, thumb zone aware)
2. Platform-respectful (iOS HIG / Material Design 3)
3. Performance-first (FlatList, Reanimated, memo)

Anti-Patterns to Avoid:
1. ScrollView for lists
2. Hardcoded pixel values
3. Inline styles / anonymous functions in render

Architecture Reference Files

Read from skills/arc-skill/ before generating code:

Core Architecture:

1. project-structure.md — Folder tree, naming conventions, barrel exports
2. navigation.md — React Navigation, typed hooks, deep linking, tab UX
3. theme.md — Theme system, color schemes, OLED dark mode, useStyles hook
4. components.md — Component file structure, touch targets, haptics, expo-image
5. api-services.md — Axios HTTP client, interceptors, cursor pagination
6. storage.md — MMKV wrappers, typed access, React Query persistence
7. state-management.md — React Query setup, query/mutation patterns
8. performance.md — FlatList, images, animations, startup optimization
9. providers.md — Provider stack order, AppInitialization
10. typescript.md — TSConfig, path aliases, type conventions
11. linting.md — ESLint, Prettier, Husky, lint-staged, import order
12. i18n.md — Lingui.js internationalization

Mobile Design System (skills/arc-skill/mobile-design/):

• GUIDE.md — Master checklist and anti-patterns
• touch-psychology.md — Fitts' Law, thumb zones, haptics
• mobile-performance.md — Deep optimization (16ms frame budget)
• mobile-navigation.md — Tab bar UX, state preservation, back handling
• mobile-typography.md — SF Pro / Roboto, Dynamic Type, type scales
• mobile-color-system.md — OLED, dark mode, WCAG contrast
• platform-ios.md — iOS Human Interface Guidelines
• platform-android.md — Material Design 3
• mobile-backend.md — Offline sync, push notifications, auth patterns
• decision-trees.md — Framework, state, storage decisions
• mobile-testing.md — Testing pyramid (Jest, RNTL, Detox, Maestro)
• mobile-debugging.md — Reactotron, Flipper, profiling
• mobile-design-thinking.md — Anti-memorization, context-based thinking, decision framework

Code Templates (skills/arc-skill/templates/):

• component.md — Component with types, styles, constants, sub-components
• screen.md — Screen with data fetching, forms, navigation
• hook.md — Custom hooks (useStyles, useAppTheme, useDebounce)
• api-service.md — API module + React Query hooks

Execution Steps

1. Initialize

npx create-expo-app@latest <project-name> --template blank-typescript
cd <project-name>

2. Install Dependencies

# Navigation
npx expo install @react-navigation/native @react-navigation/native-stack @react-navigation/bottom-tabs react-native-screens react-native-safe-area-context

# State & Storage
npx expo install @tanstack/react-query @tanstack/react-query-persist-client react-native-mmkv

# HTTP
npx expo install axios

# UI & Animations
npx expo install react-native-reanimated react-native-gesture-handler react-native-size-matters expo-blur expo-haptics expo-status-bar expo-image expo-splash-screen expo-font @expo/vector-icons react-native-keyboard-controller

# Forms (if auth)
npx expo install formik yup

# i18n (if enabled)
npm install @lingui/react @lingui/core
npm install -D @lingui/cli @lingui/macro @lingui/babel-plugin-lingui-macro
npx expo install expo-localization

# Dev tools
npm install -D typescript @types/react eslint prettier eslint-config-expo eslint-plugin-react-hooks eslint-plugin-react-native eslint-config-prettier husky lint-staged babel-plugin-module-resolver

3. Generate src/ Structure

Follow project-structure.md for the complete folder tree.

4. Generate Core Files (in dependency order)

1. Types → 2. Constants → 3. Theme → 4. Storage → 5. API Client → 6. API Modules → 7. Store Services → 8. Hooks → 9. Providers → 10. Components → 11. Screens → 12. Navigation → 13. App Entry → 14. i18n

5. Configure Tooling

• tsconfig.json with path aliases (see typescript.md)
• babel.config.js with reanimated + lingui + module-resolver
• ESLint + Prettier + Husky + lint-staged (see linting.md)
• .env.example, app.json

6. Verify

npx expo start

Component Convention

component-name/
├── index.tsx                    # Component + barrel export
├── component-name.styles.ts     # Styles via useStyles callback
├── component-name.types.ts      # Props interface
├── component-name.constants.ts  # (optional) Variants, sizes
├── component-name.utils.ts      # (optional) Pure helpers
├── component-name.hooks.ts      # (optional) Component hooks
└── components/                  # (optional) Sub-components
    ├── index.ts
    └── sub-component/
        └── index.tsx

Critical Rules

• Styles via useStyles() — never inline StyleSheet.create
• Sizing via moderateScale — never hardcode pixels
• API data via React Query — never call API directly in components
• Storage via typed MMKV wrappers — never raw access
• Navigation via typed useAppNavigation() hook
• Touch targets min 44pt (iOS) / 48dp (Android)
• FlatList for lists — never ScrollView for dynamic/long lists
• expo-image — never React Native Image
• Reanimated for animations — never Animated API for complex motion
• Barrel exports (index.ts) in every folder
• kebab-case folders, PascalCase exports
• Platform-respectful: iOS feels iOS, Android feels Android
• Dark mode: #121212 surfaces, #E8E8E8 text, WCAG AA contrast
• No console.log in production — blocks JS thread
• React Compiler is enabled — do NOT manually add React.memo, useCallback, or useMemo (the compiler handles memoization automatically)