migrate-to-v5

name	migrate-to-v5
description	Migrate a gluestack-ui project from v2, v3, or v4 to v5 (NativeWind v5 or UniWind). Covers automated CLI upgrade and manual step-by-step migration for all source versions.

Migrate to gluestack-ui v5

This skill migrates any gluestack-ui project to v5, regardless of the starting version. gluestack-ui v5 runs on Tailwind CSS v4 (CSS-first, no tailwind.config.js) with two supported styling engines:

Engine	Tailwind	Platforms	When to choose
NativeWind v5	v4	Expo, RN CLI, Next.js*	Recommended default
UniWind	v4	Expo only	No PostCSS build step, simpler Expo setup

*Next.js support is pending NativeWind v5 web support. Use NativeWind v4 for Next.js for now.

---

Step 0: Detect Your Current Version

Run in the project root:

npx gluestack-ui@alpha upgrade

The CLI detects your version automatically. To check manually, inspect package.json:

Dependency present	Version
@gluestack-ui/themed or @gluestack-ui/config	v2
@gluestack-ui/core major = 3, or @gluestack-ui/nativewind-utils	v3
@gluestack-ui/core major ≥ 4 + no uniwind	v4 (NativeWind)
@gluestack-ui/core major ≥ 4 + uniwind present	v4 (UniWind) — already on v5

---

Automated Migration (Recommended)

The CLI handles all file changes automatically:

# Commit your work first (strongly recommended)
git add -A && git commit -m "chore: before gluestack-ui v5 upgrade"

# Run the upgrade wizard
npx gluestack-ui@alpha upgrade

The wizard detects your version, walks through each upgrade step with prompts, and handles:

• Package installs / removals
• global.css rewrite
• metro.config.js updates
• babel.config.js updates
• tailwind.config.js migration prompts
• postcss.config.js creation (NativeWind v5)
• lightningcss pinning (NativeWind v5)
• Type definition files

Next.js projects: The automated CLI does not support Next.js upgrades yet. Follow the manual path below.

---

Migration Paths

v4 (NativeWind) → v5

Choose your target engine when prompted (or follow the manual steps below).

Option A: v4 NativeWind → NativeWind v5

Packages

# Remove NativeWind v4
npm uninstall nativewind
# or: yarn remove / pnpm remove / bun remove nativewind

# Install NativeWind v5 + react-native-css
npm install nativewind@^5.0.0-preview.2 react-native-css@^3.0.4

# Upgrade Tailwind to v4 (dev deps)
npm install -D tailwindcss@^4.2.0 @tailwindcss/postcss@^4.2.0 postcss@^8.5.0

Pin lightningcss (required — NativeWind v5 requires exactly 1.30.1):

// package.json
{
  "overrides": { "lightningcss": "1.30.1" },
  "resolutions": { "lightningcss": "1.30.1" }
}

global.css — replace contents with Tailwind v4 imports + CSS custom properties:

@import "tailwindcss/theme.css" layer(theme);
@import "tailwindcss/preflight.css" layer(base);
@import "tailwindcss/utilities.css";
@import "nativewind/theme";

@layer theme {
  :root {
    --primary: 23 23 23;
    --primary-foreground: 250 250 250;
    --card: 255 255 255;
    --secondary: 245 245 245;
    --secondary-foreground: 23 23 23;
    --background: 255 255 255;
    --popover: 255 255 255;
    --popover-foreground: 10 10 10;
    --muted: 245 245 245;
    --muted-foreground: 115 115 115;
    --destructive: 231 0 11;
    --foreground: 10  ;
    :   ;
    :   ;
    :   ;
    :   ;
    :   ;
  }

   (: dark) {
     {
      :   ;
      :   ;
      :   ;
      :   ;
      :   ;
      :   ;
      :   ;
      :   ;
      :   ;
      :   ;
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    }
  }

  
   {
    :   ;
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  }

   {
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  }
}

 inline {
  : ((--primary));
  : ((--primary-foreground));
  : ((--card));
  : ((--secondary));
  : ((--secondary-foreground));
  : ((--background));
  : ((--popover));
  : ((--popover-foreground));
  : ((--muted));
  : ((--muted-foreground));
  : ((--destructive));
  : ((--foreground));
  : ((--border));
  : ((--input));
  : ((--ring));
  : ((--accent));
  : ((--accent-foreground));
}

postcss.config.js — create at project root:

export default {
  plugins: {
    "@tailwindcss/postcss": {},
  },
};

metro.config.js — ensure nativewind/metro is present:

const { getDefaultConfig } = require("expo/metro-config");
const { withNativewind } = require("nativewind/metro");

const config = getDefaultConfig(__dirname);
module.exports = withNativewind(config);

tailwind.config.js — Tailwind v4 is CSS-first. This file is no longer needed.

• Migrate any custom fontFamily, boxShadow, safelist, fontSize, etc. to global.css using @theme {} or @layer utilities {}
• See: https://tailwindcss.com/docs/upgrade-guide
• Delete the file once migrated

react-native-css-env.d.ts — create at project root:

/// <reference types="react-native-css/types" />

// NOTE: This file is generated by react-native-css and it should not be edited manually.

babel.config.js — remove the tailwind.config alias if present:

// Remove this line if present:
// 'tailwind.config': './tailwind.config.js'

Re-add components to get NativeWind v5 versions:

npx gluestack-ui@alpha add gluestack-ui-provider
npx gluestack-ui@alpha add --all
# or add components individually

Native rebuild (bare Expo or RN CLI only):

# iOS
cd ios && pod install && npx expo run:ios
# Android
npx expo run:android

---

Option B: v4 NativeWind → UniWind

UniWind requires an Expo project. Next.js and RN CLI support is coming soon.

Packages

# Remove NativeWind
npm uninstall nativewind
# or: yarn remove / pnpm remove / bun remove nativewind

# Install UniWind + updated gluestack packages
npm install uniwind@^1.3.0 @gluestack-ui/core@^4.1.0-alpha.0 @gluestack-ui/utils@^4.1.0-alpha.0

# Upgrade Tailwind to v4 (dev dep)
npm install -D tailwindcss@^4.1.18

metro.config.js — switch from NativeWind to UniWind:

const { getDefaultConfig } = require("expo/metro-config");
const { withUniwindConfig } = require("uniwind/metro");

const config = getDefaultConfig(__dirname);
module.exports = withUniwindConfig(config, {
  cssEntryFile: './global.css',
  dtsFile: './uniwind-types.d.ts',
  extraThemes: ['dark'],
});

global.css — replace with UniWind CSS (Tailwind v4 + :where() selectors):

@import 'tailwindcss';
@import 'uniwind';

@layer theme {
  :where(.light, .light *) {
    --primary: 23 23 23;
    --primary-foreground: 250 250 250;
    --card: 255 255 255;
    --secondary: 245 245 245;
    --secondary-foreground: 23 23 23;
    --background: 255 255 255;
    --popover: 255 255 255;
    --popover-foreground: 10 10 10;
    --muted: 245 245 245;
    --muted-foreground: 115 115 115;
    --destructive: 231 0 11;
    --foreground: 10 10 10;
    --border:   ;
    :   ;
    :   ;
    :   ;
    :   ;
  }

   (: light) {
    ((,  *, ,  *)) {
      :   ;
      :   ;
      :   ;
      :   ;
      :   ;
      :   ;
      :   ;
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    }
  }

  (,  *) {
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    :   ;
  }

   (: dark) {
    ((,  *, ,  *)) {
      :   ;
      :   ;
      :   ;
      :   ;
      :   ;
      :   ;
      :   ;
      :   ;
      :   ;
      :   ;
      :   ;
      :   ;
      :   ;
      :   ;
      :   ;
      :   ;
      :   ;
    }
  }
}

 inline {
  : ((--primary));
  : ((--primary-foreground));
  : ((--card));
  : ((--secondary));
  : ((--secondary-foreground));
  : ((--background));
  : ((--popover));
  : ((--popover-foreground));
  : ((--muted));
  : ((--muted-foreground));
  : ((--destructive));
  : ((--foreground));
  : ((--border));
  : ((--input));
  : ((--ring));
  : ((--accent));
  : ((--accent-foreground));
}

Web theming note: UniWind's CSS visitor transforms :where(.dark, .dark *) to .dark {}. For this to work on Expo Web, the .dark {} / .light {} selectors must be at the top level of @layer theme — never nested inside :root {}. The template above is already correct.

tailwind.config.js — delete it. Tailwind v4 is CSS-first; all tokens live in global.css.

nativewind-env.d.ts → delete. Create uniwind-types.d.ts instead:

/// <reference types="uniwind/types" />

declare module 'uniwind' {
  export interface UniwindConfig {
    themes: readonly ['light', 'dark']
  }
}

export {}

babel.config.js — remove nativewind/babel preset/plugin, add react-native-worklets/plugin:

module.exports = {
  presets: [
    // Remove: 'nativewind/babel'
    ['babel-preset-expo', { jsxImportSource: 'nativewind' }],
  ],
  plugins: [
    'react-native-worklets/plugin',
  ],
};

GluestackUIProvider — re-add to get the UniWind version:

npx gluestack-ui@alpha add gluestack-ui-provider

Key differences in the UniWind provider:

• Native: use Uniwind.setTheme('light' | 'dark' | 'system') instead of Appearance.setColorScheme()
• Web: script.ts adds .dark / .light class to document.documentElement; Uniwind.setTheme() also calls onThemeChange() for runtime CSS variable management

---

v3 → v5

Step 1: Upgrade v3 → v4 (NativeWind)

# Detect old packages (check package.json for @gluestack-ui/* deps)
# Remove all old gluestack packages
npm uninstall @gluestack-ui/core @gluestack-ui/utils @gluestack-ui/nativewind-utils \
  @gluestack-ui/themed @gluestack-ui/config @gluestack/ui-next-adapter

# Install gluestack v4 + NativeWind v4
npm install @gluestack-ui/core@^4.0.0-alpha.0 @gluestack-ui/utils@^4.0.0-alpha.0 \
  tailwind-variants@^0.1.20 nativewind@^4.1.23

# Expo: use expo install for native packages (resolves SDK-compatible versions)
npx expo install react-native-reanimated @legendapp/motion react-native-svg \
  react-native-safe-area-context @expo/html-elements
npx expo install --fix   # resolves react-native-worklets at matching version

# RN CLI / non-Expo:
npm install react-native-reanimated@~4.2.1 react-native-worklets@~0.7.1 \
  @legendapp/motion@^2.4.0 react-native-svg@^15.12.0 \
  react-native-safe-area-context@^5.6.1 @expo/html-elements@^0.12.5

tailwind.config.js — remove gluestackPlugin:

// Remove this import:
// import gluestackPlugin from '@gluestack-ui/nativewind-utils/tailwind-plugin';

// Remove from plugins array:
// plugins: [gluestackPlugin]

babel.config.js — add react-native-worklets/plugin:

plugins: [
  'react-native-worklets/plugin',
]

Import updates — imports are compatible between v3 and v4 (same format). No changes needed.

Native rebuild (bare Expo / RN CLI):

# iOS
cd ios && pod install && npx expo run:ios
# Android
npx expo run:android

Step 2: v4 NativeWind → v5

Follow Option A or Option B above.

---

v2 → v5

Step 1: Upgrade v2 → v3

# Remove all old v2 packages
npm uninstall @gluestack-ui/themed @gluestack-ui/config \
  @gluestack-style @gluestack-style/react @gluestack/ui-next-adapter

# Install v3 core packages
npm install @gluestack-ui/core@3.0.10 @gluestack-ui/utils@3.0.11 react-native-svg@15.13.0

# Next.js only:
npm install @gluestack/ui-next-adapter@3.0.3

tailwind.config.js — remove old gluestack plugin (same as v3→v4 step above).

app/registry.tsx (Next.js only) — update flush import:

// Old:
import { flush } from '@gluestack-ui/nativewind-utils/flush';
// New:
import { flush } from '@gluestack-ui/utils/nativewind-utils';

next.config.js/ts/mjs (Next.js only) — update adapter import (same package, just re-save to refresh):

import { withGluestackUI } from "@gluestack/ui-next-adapter";

Import updates — update component imports across components/ui/:

// Old (v2):
import { createButton } from '@gluestack-ui/button';
// New (v3):
import { createButton } from '@gluestack-ui/core/button/creator';

// Old (v2 utils):
import { something } from '@gluestack-ui/nativewind-utils/something';
// New (v3):
import { something } from '@gluestack-ui/utils/nativewind-utils';

Step 2: v3 → v4 → v5

Follow the v3 → v5 path above.

---

What Changes in v5 (Summary)

What	v4 (NativeWind)	v5 NativeWind	v5 UniWind
Tailwind version	v3	v4	v4
tailwind.config.js	Required	Deleted (CSS-first)	Deleted
global.css imports	@tailwind base/components/utilities	@import "tailwindcss/..."	@import 'tailwindcss'; @import 'uniwind'
Theme tokens	tailwind.config.js theme.extend.colors	global.css @layer theme { :root {} }	global.css @layer theme { :where(.light) {} }
postcss.config.js	Required	Required	Not needed
lightningcss pin	Not needed	1.30.1 required	Not needed
Package	nativewind@^4	nativewind@^5.0.0-preview.2 + react-native-css@^3.0.4	uniwind@^1.3.0
Platform support	Expo + RN CLI + Next.js	Expo + RN CLI (Next.js pending)	Expo only
Metro config	withNativeWind(config)	withNativewind(config)	withUniwindConfig(config, {...})
Theme switching	Appearance.setColorScheme()	Appearance.setColorScheme()	Uniwind.setTheme()

---

Common Issues

Mismatch between JavaScript part and native part of Worklets

react-native-worklets version must match the minor of react-native-reanimated. For Expo projects, always use npx expo install react-native-reanimated && npx expo install --fix — never pin manually.

Theme not applying on Expo Web (UniWind)

The .dark {} / .light {} selectors in global.css must be top-level inside @layer theme, not nested inside :root {}. Nesting causes UniWind's CSS visitor to emit .dark {} as a descendant of :root, so html.dark never matches.

NativeWind v5 build errors

Ensure lightningcss is pinned to exactly 1.30.1 in both overrides and resolutions in package.json, then delete node_modules and reinstall.

tailwind.config.js still referenced

After deleting tailwind.config.js, remove any 'tailwind.config': './tailwind.config.js' alias from babel.config.js presets options.

nativewind/babel still in babel.config.js (UniWind)

UniWind does not use the NativeWind Babel preset. Remove 'nativewind/babel' from both presets and plugins arrays.

---

After Migration Checklist

• lightningcss pinned to 1.30.1 (NativeWind v5 only)
• global.css uses Tailwind v4 imports (no @tailwind base/components/utilities)
• tailwind.config.js deleted and custom tokens moved to global.css @theme {}
• postcss.config.js created with @tailwindcss/postcss (NativeWind v5 only)
• metro.config.js updated to correct wrapper (withNativewind or withUniwindConfig)
• babel.config.js — nativewind/babel removed (UniWind); react-native-worklets/plugin added
• GluestackUIProvider re-added: npx gluestack-ui@alpha add gluestack-ui-provider
• All components re-added: npx gluestack-ui@alpha add --all
• Native rebuild done (bare Expo / RN CLI): pod install + expo run:ios
• App starts without errors on iOS, Android, and Web
• Light/dark mode toggles correctly on all platforms