Guidelines for upgrading Expo SDK versions and fixing dependency issues
View on GitHubexpo/skills
upgrading-expo
January 20, 2026
Select agents to install to:
npx add-skill https://github.com/expo/skills/blob/main/plugins/upgrading-expo/skills/upgrading-expo/SKILL.md -a claude-code --skill upgrading-expoInstallation paths:
.claude/skills/upgrading-expo/## 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