fixing-react-antipatterns

name	fixing-react-antipatterns
description	Audits React codebases for anti-patterns (useEffect misuse, missing cleanup, stale closures, derived-state-in-effects, memory leaks) and produces a scored gap analysis table with severity ratings. Applies prioritized fixes on request. Triggers on: audit react code, fix react anti-patterns, review react hooks, scan for react issues, check useEffect cleanup, fix memory leaks in react.

Fixing React Anti-Patterns

Target: $ARGUMENTS (path to scan, defaults to src/)

Workflow

Progress checklist:

React Anti-Pattern Audit:
- [ ] Step 1: Scan for anti-patterns
- [ ] Step 2: Classify findings
- [ ] Step 3: Produce gap analysis table
- [ ] Step 4: Apply fixes (if requested)
- [ ] Step 5: Verify with lint

Step 1: Scan for Anti-Patterns

Run scripts/scan-antipatterns.sh against the target directory to get a quick inventory of suspect patterns. Then read flagged files to confirm true positives.

Use the Explore agent for deeper analysis when the script flags ambiguous cases.

Step 2: Classify Findings

For each confirmed finding, assign exactly one category using the authoritative rules and before/after examples in the reference files:

• references/useeffect-patterns.md — effect misuse, derived state, deps
• references/component-patterns.md — extraction, memoization, SRP
• references/cleanup-patterns.md — timers, listeners, subscriptions, navigation

Severity levels:

• HIGH — Memory leaks, infinite loops, data loss, security (e.g. uncleaned timers, stale closure causing wrong data)
• MEDIUM — Extra render cycles, obscured dependencies, poor readability (e.g. useEffect for derived state, inline map logic)
• LOW — Style or minor perf (e.g. inline arrow in static list, missing useCallback on trivial handler)

Step 3: Produce Gap Analysis Table

Output a markdown table with these columns:

Practice	Status	Severity	File:Line	Evidence

Status values: Respected, Violated, Partially respected, N/A

Group rows by category:

1. useEffect rules
2. State management
3. Component architecture
4. Cleanup & memory safety
5. Navigation & DOM

End with a Score summary per category (X/10) and a Top fixes list ordered by impact.

Step 4: Apply Fixes

When the user requests fixes, apply them in priority order. For each fix:

1. Read the file and surrounding context
2. Apply the minimal change — no over-engineering, no unrelated refactors
3. Preserve existing code style (semicolons, quotes, imports)

Consult the reference files for detailed before/after examples of each fix pattern.

Step 5: Verify

Run lint (bun run lint or project-specific command) after applying fixes. Confirm no regressions by checking that modified components still render correctly.

Constraints

• Never add unrelated refactors alongside a fix
• Preserve existing code style and conventions
• Do not add comments, types, or docstrings to unchanged code
• If a suppressed lint rule has a valid comment explaining intent, respect it
• When in doubt about intent, flag the finding but do not auto-fix