Upgrade React Native

Upgrade a React Native Community CLI project to a target version by fetching and applying the diff from the React Native Upgrade Helper.

[!Note] Expo users: For Expo projects or more complex upgrade scenarios, try:

expo/skills/upgrading-expo

callstackincubator/agent-skills/upgrading-react-native

Invocation

/upgrade-react-native <targetVersion>

<targetVersion> — the React Native version to upgrade to (e.g. 0.79.0).

Step-by-step procedure

Follow every step below in order. Do not skip steps.

1. Detect the current React Native version

Read the project's root package.json and extract the react-native version from dependencies (or devDependencies). Strip any semver range prefix (^, ~, >=, etc.) to get the exact current version string.

If the current version cannot be determined, stop and ask the user.

2. Validate the target version

The target version must be a valid semver string (e.g. 0.79.0).
It must be greater than the current version.
Verify the target version exists by checking:
```
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/react-native-community/rn-diff-purge/master/RELEASES
```
Fetch this file and confirm the target version is listed. If not, report the closest available versions and ask the user to choose.

3. Fetch the upgrade diff

Fetch the unified diff between the two versions:

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/react-native-community/rn-diff-purge/diffs/diffs/<currentVersion>..<targetVersion>.diff

For example, to upgrade from 0.73.0 to 0.74.0:

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/react-native-community/rn-diff-purge/diffs/diffs/0.73.0..0.74.0.diff

If the diff cannot be fetched (404), it may be because exact patch versions are not available. Try the nearest minor versions (e.g. 0.73.0 instead of 0.73.2). Report what you tried and ask the user if needed.

4. Parse the diff and map file paths

The diff uses the template project name RnDiffApp. Map every path in the diff to the actual project:

Diff path prefix	Actual project path
`RnDiffApp/`	Project root (`./`)

Additionally, replace occurrences of the template identifiers with the project's actual names:

Template value	Replace with
`RnDiffApp`	The project's app name (from `app.json` → `name`, or the `name` field in `package.json`)
`rndiffapp`	Lowercase version of the project's app name
`com.rndiffapp`	The project's Android package name (from `android/app/build.gradle` or `android/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml`)

5. Review the diff and plan changes

Before making any edits, review the entire diff and categorize changes:

Direct applies — files that exist in the project and whose original content matches the diff's - lines. These can be applied as-is.
Conflicts — files where the project's content has diverged from the template (custom modifications). These need manual merging.
New files — files in the diff that don't exist in the project yet. Create them.
Deleted files — files the diff removes. Delete them only if the project hasn't added custom content to them.

Present this plan to the user before proceeding. Group changes by area:

Root config files (package.json, metro.config.js, .eslintrc.js, etc.)
iOS native files (ios/ directory)
Android native files (android/ directory)
JavaScript/TypeScript source (if any template source files changed)
Third-party native dependencies (from step 7 — include any version bumps identified there)

6. Apply changes

Apply the changes following the plan from step 5:

For direct applies: edit the file to match the diff's + lines.
For conflicts: apply the upgrade changes while preserving the project's customizations. Use your judgement to merge. If uncertain, show both versions and ask the user.
For new files: create them at the mapped path.
For deleted files: remove them.

Important considerations:

When updating package.json, update the react-native version and any related dependencies mentioned in the diff (e.g. react, @react-native/* packages, Gradle versions, CocoaPods versions).
Do NOT run npm install / yarn install / pod install automatically. Inform the user these steps are needed after the upgrade.
Refer to the references section for version-specific guidance on breaking changes and migration notes.

7. Update third-party native dependencies

Scan the project's dependencies and devDependencies in package.json for third-party React Native libraries that contain native code (i.e. they have an ios/ or android/ directory, or are known native modules). Common examples include react-native-screens, react-native-reanimated, react-native-gesture-handler, @react-native-async-storage/async-storage, react-native-svg, react-native-safe-area-context, etc.

For each candidate dependency:

Fetch the library's README from its GitHub repository or npm page.
Look for a React Native version compatibility table or section — many native libraries document which versions of their package support which React Native versions (e.g. a "Compatibility" or "Version Support" table).
If the README contains a compatibility table that maps the target React Native version to a specific library version, include that library version bump in the upgrade plan.
If the README does not mention version compatibility with React Native versions, skip the library — do not guess or assume an upgrade is needed.

Present all proposed dependency bumps alongside the diff-based changes in step 5 (grouped under a Third-party native dependencies section). For each:

State the current version, the proposed version, and link to the compatibility info you found.
If multiple major versions are compatible, prefer the latest stable version that supports the target React Native version.

Apply these version bumps to package.json as part of step 6.

8. Post-upgrade checklist

After applying all changes, present the user with a checklist:

Run npm install or yarn install to update JS dependencies
Run cd ios && bundle exec pod install (or npx pod-install) to update native iOS dependencies
Run a clean build for Android: cd android && ./gradlew clean
Run a clean build for iOS: cd ios && xcodebuild clean
Run the app on both platforms to verify it launches
Run the project's test suite
Review any conflict resolutions for correctness
Check the React Native changelog for additional breaking changes
Check the Upgrade Helper web UI for any supplementary notes

References

Consult these for version-specific migration guidance:

references/upgrade-helper-api.md — How to fetch diffs and version lists programmatically