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upgrading-expo

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Guidelines for upgrading Expo SDK versions and fixing dependency issues

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upgrading-expo

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expo/skills
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plugins/upgrading-expo/skills/upgrading-expo/SKILL.md

Last Verified

January 20, 2026

Install Skill

Select agents to install to:

Scope:
npx add-skill https://github.com/expo/skills/blob/main/plugins/upgrading-expo/skills/upgrading-expo/SKILL.md -a claude-code --skill upgrading-expo

Installation paths:

Claude
.claude/skills/upgrading-expo/
Powered by add-skill CLI

Instructions

## References

- ./references/new-architecture.md -- SDK +53: New Architecture migration guide
- ./references/react-19.md -- SDK +54: React 19 changes (useContext → use, Context.Provider → Context, forwardRef removal)
- ./references/react-compiler.md -- SDK +54: React Compiler setup and migration guide

## Step-by-Step Upgrade Process

1. Upgrade Expo and dependencies

```bash
npx expo install expo@latest
npx expo install --fix
```

2. Run diagnostics: `npx expo-doctor`

3. Clear caches and reinstall

```bash
npx expo export -p ios --clear
rm -rf node_modules .expo
watchman watch-del-all
```

## Breaking Changes Checklist

- Check for removed APIs in release notes
- Update import paths for moved modules
- Review native module changes requiring prebuild
- Test all camera, audio, and video features
- Verify navigation still works correctly

## Prebuild for Native Changes

If upgrading requires native changes:

```bash
npx expo prebuild --clean
```

This regenerates the `ios` and `android` directories. Ensure the project is not a bare workflow app before running this command.

## Clear caches for bare workflow

- Clear the cocoapods cache for iOS: `cd ios && pod install --repo-update`
- Clear derived data for Xcode: `npx expo run:ios --no-build-cache`
- Clear the Gradle cache for Android: `cd android && ./gradlew clean`

## Housekeeping

- Review release notes for the target SDK version at https://expo.dev/changelog
- If using Expo SDK 54 or later, ensure react-native-worklets is installed — this is required for react-native-reanimated to work.
- Enable React Compiler in SDK 54+ by adding `"experiments": { "reactCompiler": true }` to app.json — it's stable and recommended
- Delete sdkVersion from `app.json` to let Expo manage it automatically
- Remove implicit packages from `package.json`: `@babel/core`, `babel-preset-expo`, `expo-constants`.
- If the babel.config.js only contains 'babel-preset-expo', delete the file
- If the metro.config.js only contains expo defaults

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