react-native-update

name

react-native-update

description

Integrate and troubleshoot React Native Update OTA for Pushy and Cresc. Use when wiring react-native-update into React Native CLI, Expo prebuild, HarmonyOS, brownfield, monorepo, or mixed native apps; configuring update.json/appKey, Pushy/Cresc clients, UpdateProvider/useUpdate, iOS/Android/Harmony bundle loading, release baseline upload, native cold-start recovery/forceBoot, bundleHash diagnostics, checkStrategy/updateStrategy, canary/metaInfo flows, expo-updates conflicts, or OTA failures.

React Native Update / Pushy / Cresc

Overview

Use this skill to get a project from "not integrated" to "hot update works in release builds". Prioritize copy-paste-safe steps, smallest viable changes, and explicit verification checkpoints.

Service routing

• Use Pushy for the China service: pushy CLI, new Pushy(...), Pushy dashboard.
• Use Cresc for the global service: cresc CLI, new Cresc(...), Cresc dashboard.
• Keep CLI, dashboard, app records, update.json, and JS client class on the same service. Do not mix pushy createApp with new Cresc(...), or the reverse.
• If the service is unknown, infer from user wording, existing imports, registry/domain, or docs locale. If still unknown, implement the neutral structure and call out the one line the user must choose: Pushy vs Cresc.

Workflow

1. Detect app root, package manager, installed React Native/Expo/react-native-update versions, global CLI version, service, and target platforms (ios, android, harmony).
2. Read references/integration-playbook.md before giving or applying steps.
3. Install react-native-update in the app and install react-native-update-cli globally. Invoke pushy or cresc directly; do not switch the workflow to a project-local CLI or npx.
4. Configure native bundle loading for the detected platform and app shape:
   • iOS RCTPushy.bundleURL() or Expo auto integration.
   • Android UpdateContext.getBundleUrl(...) through ReactHost, ReactNativeHost, or custom instance manager.
   • Harmony package/provider/bundle-provider wiring.
   • Brownfield runtime hook instead of changing host inheritance.
5. Add a single Pushy or Cresc client outside the root component and wrap the real app tree with UpdateProvider.
6. Run scripts/integration_doctor.sh <app-root> and fix actionable misses.
7. Finish with release-build verification, baseline upload, and hot-update publish checks when the user wants an end-to-end integration.

Guardrails

• Keep user code changes minimal and localized.
• Preserve backward compatibility. Check the installed SDK and the native binary's capability before using a versioned feature. Do not ship JS that blindly calls a native method absent from older installed binaries; feature-detect it or retain the older flow. A new native capability requires a new native release and baseline, not only an OTA package.
• Do not promise apply-update behavior in debug mode. debug: true can help check/download in development, but applying patches requires a release build.
• Warn about expo-updates conflict in Expo projects.
• Prefer useUpdate() methods and state over direct client calls. Only call the client directly for a clearly necessary low-level integration escape hatch, and explain why.
• Prefer updateInfo/lastError from useUpdate() for UI and long-lived flows. checkUpdate() also returns CheckResult | undefined, so using its return value is valid for a contained one-shot action; handle undefined as skipped/failed and avoid building a second state machine beside the provider.
• Keep exactly one Pushy or Cresc client and one mounted UpdateProvider per process. The SDK is process-singleton state.
• Preserve existing app architecture; adapt snippets to current project style.
• If native files differ heavily (monorepo/mixed native), provide targeted patch guidance instead of broad rewrites.
• Treat JS/assets as OTA-safe. Native code, native config, native assets, pods, Gradle settings, HAR/AAR/XCFramework contents, and manifests require a new native release and baseline upload.
• If the app uses native SDKs that work across threads (Sentry profiling, performance sampling), recommend beforeReload (v10.42.2+) to clean up before switchVersion() or restartApp().
• For native cold-start recovery, require react-native-update >= 10.52.1 on every target native binary. Keep it enabled unless the integrator explicitly accepts losing brick recovery; checkStrategy: null does not disable the native request.

Outputs to provide

• Minimal integration diff with exact files and snippets.
• Verification checklist: release build, baseline upload, check update, download, switch now/later, rollback behavior.
• Compatibility statement: installed SDK/native floor, guarded fallbacks, and which changes require a new store/native release.
• Recovery statement for 10.52.1+: native cold-start check, activation policy, force-boot path, crash-rescue limits, and disableNativeCheck tradeoff.
• Troubleshooting hints for common failures.
• Scenario examples when requested: class component root, custom UI, metaInfo rollout gates, QR/deep-link testing, brownfield integration, canary rollout.
• Harmony-specific guidance with complete file-by-file code examples (CMakeLists.txt, PackageProvider.cpp, oh-package.json5, hvigor-config.json5, hvigorfile.ts, RNPackagesFactory.ets, Index.ets).

Resources

• Read references/integration-playbook.md before giving steps.
• Use scripts/integration_doctor.sh for quick project diagnosis.