Setup Reactive Data Client

Detection Steps

Before installing, detect the project type and protocol by checking these files:

1. Detect Package Manager

Check which lock file exists:

yarn.lock → use yarn add
pnpm-lock.yaml → use pnpm add
package-lock.json or bun.lockb → use npm install or bun add

2. Detect Project Type

Check package.json dependencies:

Check	Project Type
`"next"` in dependencies	NextJS
`"expo"` in dependencies	Expo
`"vue"` in dependencies	Vue
`"react-native"` in dependencies (no expo)	React Native
`"react"` in dependencies	Plain React

3. Detect Protocol Type

Scan the codebase to determine which data-fetching protocols are used:

REST Detection

Look for these patterns:

fetch() calls with REST-style URLs (/api/, /users/, etc.)
HTTP client libraries: axios, ky, got, superagent in package.json
Files with REST patterns: api.ts, client.ts, services/*.ts
URL patterns with path parameters: /users/:id, /posts/:postId/comments
HTTP methods in code: method: 'GET', method: 'POST', .get(, .post(

GraphQL Detection

Look for these patterns:

@apollo/client, graphql-request, urql, graphql-tag in package.json
.graphql or .gql files in the project
`gql`` template literal tags
GraphQL query patterns: query {, mutation {, subscription {
GraphQL endpoint URLs: /graphql

Custom Protocol Detection

For async operations that don't match REST or GraphQL:

Custom async functions returning Promises
Third-party SDK clients (Firebase, Supabase, AWS SDK, etc.)
IndexedDB or other local async storage

Installation

Core Packages

Framework	Core Package
React (all)	`@data-client/react` + dev: `@data-client/test`
Vue	`@data-client/vue` (testing included)

Install Command Examples

React (NextJS, Expo, React Native, plain React):

npm install @data-client/react && npm install -D @data-client/test
yarn add @data-client/react && yarn add -D @data-client/test
pnpm add @data-client/react && pnpm add -D @data-client/test

Vue:

npm install @data-client/vue
yarn add @data-client/vue
pnpm add @data-client/vue

Provider Setup

After installing, add the provider at the top-level component.

NextJS (App Router)

Edit app/layout.tsx:

import { DataProvider } from '@data-client/react/nextjs';

export default function RootLayout({ children }) {
  return (
    <html>
      <DataProvider>
        <body>
          {children}
        </body>
      </DataProvider>
    </html>
  );
}

Important: NextJS uses @data-client/react/nextjs import path.

Expo

Edit app/_layout.tsx:

import { Stack } from 'expo-router';
import { DataProvider } from '@data-client/react';

export default function RootLayout() {
  return (
    <DataProvider>
      <Stack>
        <Stack.Screen name="index" />
      </Stack>
    </DataProvider>
  );
}

React Native

Edit entry file (e.g., index.tsx):

import { DataProvider } from '@data-client/react';
import { AppRegistry } from 'react-native';

const Root = () => (
  <DataProvider>
    <App />
  </DataProvider>
);
AppRegistry.registerComponent('MyApp', () => Root);

Plain React (Vite, CRA, etc.)

Edit entry file (e.g., index.tsx, main.tsx, or src/index.tsx):

import { DataProvider } from '@data-client/react';
import ReactDOM from 'react-dom/client';

ReactDOM.createRoot(document.getElementById('root')!).render(
  <DataProvider>
    <App />
  </DataProvider>,
);

Vue

Edit main.ts:

import { createApp } from 'vue';
import { DataClientPlugin } from '@data-client/vue';
import App from './App.vue';

const app = createApp(App);

app.use(DataClientPlugin, {
  // optional overrides
  // managers: getDefaultManagers(),
  // initialState,
  // Controller,
  // gcPolicy,
});

app.mount('#app');

Protocol-Specific Setup

After provider setup, apply the appropriate skill based on detected protocol:

REST APIs

Apply skill "rdc-rest-setup" which will:

Install @data-client/rest
Offer to create a custom BaseEndpoint class extending RestEndpoint
Configure common behaviors: urlPrefix, authentication, error handling

GraphQL APIs

Apply skill "rdc-graphql-setup" which will:

Install @data-client/graphql
Create and configure GQLEndpoint instance
Set up authentication headers

Custom Async Operations

Apply skill "rdc-endpoint-setup" which will:

Install @data-client/endpoint
Offer to wrap existing async functions with new Endpoint()
Configure schemas and caching options

Multiple Protocols

If multiple protocols are detected, apply multiple setup skills. Each protocol package can be installed alongside others.

Verification Checklist

After setup, verify:

Core packages installed in package.json
Provider/Plugin wraps the app at root level
Correct import path used (especially @data-client/react/nextjs for NextJS)
No duplicate providers in component tree
Protocol-specific setup completed via appropriate skill

Common Issues

NextJS: Wrong Import Path

❌ Wrong:

import { DataProvider } from '@data-client/react';

✅ Correct for NextJS:

import { DataProvider } from '@data-client/react/nextjs';

Provider Not at Root

The DataProvider must wrap all components that use data-client hooks. Place it at the topmost level possible.

Next Steps

After core setup and protocol-specific setup:

Define data schemas using Entity - see skill "rdc-schema"
Use hooks like useSuspense, useQuery, useController - see skill "rdc-react" or "rdc-vue"
Define REST resources - see skill "rdc-rest"

References

For detailed API documentation, see the references directory:

DataProvider - Root provider component
installation - Installation guide
getDefaultManagers - Default managers

rdc-setup