compose-expert

name	compose-expert
description	Compose and Compose Multiplatform expert skill for UI development across Android, Desktop, iOS, and Web. Guides state management, view composition, animations, navigation, performance, design-to-code workflows, and production crash patterns. Backed by actual source code analysis from both androidx/androidx and JetBrains/compose-multiplatform-core. Use this skill whenever the user mentions Compose, @Composable, remember, LaunchedEffect, Scaffold, NavHost, MaterialTheme, LazyColumn, Modifier, recomposition, Style, styleable, MutableStyleState, Compose Multiplatform, CMP, KMP, commonMain, expect, actual, ComposeUIViewController, Window composable, UIKitView, ComposeViewport, Res.drawable, Res.string, or any Compose API. Also trigger when the user says "Android UI", "Kotlin UI", "compose layout", "compose navigation", "compose animation", "material3", "compose styles", "compose multiplatform", "desktop compose", "iOS compose", "compose web", "design to compose", "build this UI", "implement this design", "Android TV", "Google TV", "tv-material", "tv-foundation", "Carousel", "NavigationDrawer", "D-pad", "focus indication", "10-foot UI", "living room", "tv compose", "review this PR", "review this code", "check this diff", or any GitHub PR URL (github.com/.*/pull/), "design system", "component library", "atomic", "reusable component", "design tokens", "atoms", "molecules", or asks about modern Kotlin UI development patterns. Even casual mentions like "my compose screen is slow" or "how do I pass data between screens" or "how do I build a TV app" should trigger this skill. Also trigger on session_start to auto-detect Compose projects — see references/auto-init.md.
version	2.1.2

Installation notice: This skill is now distributed as a plugin. If you copied files into ~/.claude/skills/ manually, you are on an unmaintained install path and will not receive updates. Migrate via:

/plugin marketplace add aldefy/compose-skill
/plugin install compose-expert

See MIGRATION.md for Codex and Copilot CLI instructions. This banner will remain through v2.x and escalate in v3.0.

Compose Expert Skill

Non-opinionated, practical guidance for writing correct, performant Compose code — across Android, Desktop, iOS, and Web. Covers Jetpack Compose and Compose Multiplatform. Backed by analysis of actual source code from androidx/androidx and JetBrains/compose-multiplatform-core.

Review Mode

Activate when the input contains a GitHub PR URL (github.com/.+/pull/\d+) or explicit review phrases: "review this PR", "review this diff", "check this code", "what's wrong with this".

When Review Mode activates:

1. Do not follow the generation workflow below
2. Read references/pr-review.md and follow its workflow exclusively
3. Output a structured local review report — do not post to GitHub

Workflow

When helping with Compose code, follow this checklist:

1. Understand the request

• What Compose layer is involved? (Runtime, UI, Foundation, Material3, Navigation)
• Is this a state problem, layout problem, performance problem, or architecture question?
• Is this Android-only or Compose Multiplatform (CMP)?

2. Analyze the design (if visual reference provided)

• If the user shares a Figma frame, screenshot, or design spec, consult references/design-to-compose.md
• Decompose the design into a composable tree using the 5-step methodology
• Map design tokens to MaterialTheme, spacing to CompositionLocals
• Identify animation needs and consult references/animation.md for recipes

3. Consult the right reference

Read the relevant reference file(s) from references/ before answering:

Topic	Reference File
@State, remember, mutableStateOf, state hoisting, derivedStateOf, snapshotFlow	references/state-management.md
Structuring composables, slots, extraction, preview	references/view-composition.md — for design system structure, also see references/atomic-design.md
Modifier ordering, custom modifiers, Modifier.Node	references/modifiers.md
LaunchedEffect, DisposableEffect, SideEffect, rememberCoroutineScope	references/side-effects.md
CompositionLocal, LocalContext, LocalDensity, custom locals	references/composition-locals.md
LazyColumn, LazyRow, LazyGrid, Pager, keys, content types	references/lists-scrolling.md
NavHost, type-safe routes, deep links, shared element transitions	references/navigation.md
animate*AsState, AnimatedVisibility, Crossfade, transitions	references/animation.md — for M3 token selection, also see references/material3-motion.md
MaterialTheme, ColorScheme, dynamic color, Typography, shapes	references/theming-material3.md — for motion, see references/material3-motion.md; for design tokens, see references/atomic-design.md
Recomposition skipping, stability, baseline profiles, benchmarking	references/performance.md
Semantics, content descriptions, traversal order, testing	references/accessibility.md

4. Apply and verify

• Write code that follows the patterns in the reference
• Flag any anti-patterns you see in the user's existing code
• Suggest the minimal correct solution — don't over-engineer

4a. Component building mode

When the request involves building a component (composable that renders UI):

• Consult references/atomic-design.md
• Classify the component level (atom, molecule, organism, template)
• Apply the "Ask" prompt from Section 5 before scaffolding code
• Ensure the component satisfies the atom contract (modifier, slots, tokens, defaults)

5. Cite the source

When referencing Compose internals, point to the exact source file:

// See: compose/runtime/runtime/src/commonMain/kotlin/androidx/compose/runtime/Composer.kt

Key Principles

1. Compose thinks in three phases: Composition → Layout → Drawing. State reads in each phase only trigger work for that phase and later ones.

2. Recomposition is frequent and cheap — but only if you help the compiler skip unchanged scopes. Use stable types, avoid allocations in composable bodies.

3. Modifier order matters. Modifier.padding(16.dp).background(Color.Red) is visually different from Modifier.background(Color.Red).padding(16.dp).

4. State should live as low as possible and be hoisted only as high as needed. Don't put everything in a ViewModel just because you can.

5. Side effects exist to bridge Compose's declarative world with imperative APIs. Use the right one for the job — misusing them causes bugs that are hard to trace.

6. Compose Multiplatform shares the runtime but not the platform. UI code in commonMain is portable. Platform-specific APIs (LocalContext, BackHandler, Window) require expect/actual or conditional source sets.

Source Code Receipts

Beyond the guidance docs, this skill bundles the actual source code from androidx/androidx (branch: androidx-main) and JetBrains/compose-multiplatform-core (branch: jb-main). When you need to verify how something works internally, or the user asks "show me the actual implementation", read the raw source from references/source-code/:

Module	Source Reference	Key Files Inside
Runtime	references/source-code/runtime-source.md	Composer.kt, Recomposer.kt, State.kt, Effects.kt, CompositionLocal.kt, Remember.kt, SlotTable.kt, Snapshot.kt
UI	references/source-code/ui-source.md	AndroidCompositionLocals.android.kt, Modifier.kt, Layout.kt, LayoutNode.kt, ModifierNodeElement.kt, DrawModifier.kt
Foundation	references/source-code/foundation-source.md	LazyList.kt, LazyGrid.kt, BasicTextField.kt, Clickable.kt, Scrollable.kt, Pager.kt
Material3	references/source-code/material3-source.md	MaterialTheme.kt, ColorScheme.kt, Button.kt, Scaffold.kt, TextField.kt, NavigationBar.kt
Navigation	references/source-code/navigation-source.md	NavHost.kt, ComposeNavigator.kt, NavGraphBuilder.kt, DialogNavigator.kt
CMP	references/source-code/cmp-source.md	Window.kt, ComposeUIViewController.kt, UIKitView.kt, ComposeViewport.kt, ResourceReader.kt

Two-layer approach

1. Start with guidance — read the topic-specific reference (e.g., references/state-management.md)
2. Go deeper with source — if the user wants receipts or you need to verify, read from references/source-code/

Source tree map

androidx/androidx (branch: androidx-main)
├── compose/runtime/runtime/src/commonMain/kotlin/androidx/compose/runtime/
├── compose/ui/ui/src/androidMain/kotlin/androidx/compose/ui/platform/
├── compose/ui/ui/src/commonMain/kotlin/androidx/compose/ui/
├── compose/foundation/foundation/src/commonMain/kotlin/androidx/compose/foundation/
├── compose/material3/material3/src/commonMain/kotlin/androidx/compose/material3/
├── compose/navigation/navigation-compose/src/commonMain/kotlin/androidx/navigation/compose/
├── tv/tv-material/src/main/java/androidx/tv/material3/
└── tv/tv-foundation/src/main/java/androidx/tv/foundation/

compose-multiplatform-core (branch: jb-main)
├── compose/ui/ui/src/desktopMain/kotlin/androidx/compose/ui/window/
├── compose/ui/ui/src/iosMain/kotlin/androidx/compose/ui/window/
├── compose/ui/ui/src/webMain/kotlin/androidx/compose/ui/window/
├── compose/ui/ui/src/skikoMain/kotlin/androidx/compose/ui/
└── compose/foundation/foundation/src/skikoMain/kotlin/androidx/compose/foundation/

compose-multiplatform (resources library)
└── components/resources/library/src/commonMain/