Rn Bootstrap

rn-bootstrap — scaffold Expo + RN from PRD/DESIGN

Contract

See references/contracts.md (vendored from dev-flow). Key facts:

• Reads /.workflow/meta.json#stack.framework — must be "expo-rn".
• Reads /{PROJECT.md, PRD.md, DESIGN.md}. DESIGN.md is required for tokens; if absent, uses defaults from references/stack-defaults.md.
• Writes the app to / (the same directory).
• Sets meta.json#phase = "scaffolded" on success.
• Always idempotent: re-running detects existing package.json + app/ and exits 0.

When this skill applies

• Orchestrator routes here from dev-flow when meta.json#stack.framework == "expo-rn" and meta.json#phase ∈ {prd_drafted, design_extracted}.
• User says: "scaffolda app expo", "create RN app from PRD".

Knowledge dependencies (read these first)

• rn-fundamentals/SKILL.md — confirms Expo SDK + New Architecture + TypeScript + npm.
• rn-styling/references/nativewind-setup.md — the 7-step NativeWind setup (this skill automates it).
• rn-expo-router/references/concepts.md — folder layout for app/.

Workflow

Step 1 — Verify preconditions

Read /.workflow/meta.json. Abort with a clear message if:

• file missing → "Run dev-flow init_workflow.py first."
• stack.framework != "expo-rn" → "This skill is for stack.framework=expo-rn. For Next.js use design-md-to-app."
• phase ∉ {prd_drafted, design_extracted} → "Expected phase prddrafted or designextracted, got X."

If package.json + app/ already exist at project root: print "Already bootstrapped, nothing to do", set phase to scaffolded if not already, exit 0.

Step 2 — Run create-expo-app

Run scripts/init-expo-app.sh . The app name comes from meta.json#project_name (or PROJECT.md title).

Step 3 — Install opinionated stack

Run scripts/install-stack.sh . Installs NativeWind v4 (with Tailwind 3.4 pin), Zustand, TanStack Query, Reanimated, RNGH, expo-image, FlashList.

Step 4 — Wire NativeWind from DESIGN.md tokens

Run npx tsx scripts/wire-nativewind.ts . Generates tailwind.config.js, global.css, babel.config.js, metro.config.js. Reads tokens from a fenced `json tokens block in DESIGN.md (accepts LF + CRLF line endings).

Step 5 — Generate folder structure + boilerplate

Create (only if absent — idempotent):

• app/_layout.tsx — Stack root, imports ../global.css, renders ``.
• app/index.tsx — hello-world screen using NativeWind classes (wraps in SafeAreaView from react-native-safe-area-context).
• components/, lib/, store/, types/, assets/ — empty dirs with .gitkeep.
• .env.example — empty stub with EXPO_PUBLIC_API_URL=.
• tsconfig.json — extend expo/tsconfig.base, add paths for @/*.

Also patch app.json:

• expo.scheme — set to a kebab-case of meta.json#project_name.
• expo.experiments.typedRoutes — true.
• expo.newArchEnabled — true.
• expo.plugins — add "expo-router".

Step 6 — Verify (scripts/verify.ts)

Run npx tsx scripts/verify.ts . If exit code != 0, do NOT bump phase. Report failures from references/post-bootstrap-checklist.md.

Step 7 — Update meta.json + commit

Update meta.json:

• stack: merge { framework: "expo-rn", ui: "nativewind", auth: null, db: null, payments: null, deploy: null } (existing keys preserved if already set).
• stack_config: merge { expo_sdk: "", state_lib: "zustand", data_lib: "tanstack-query" }.
• phase: set to "scaffolded".
• history: append { skill: "rn-bootstrap", ran_at: , outputs: ["package.json", "app/", "tailwind.config.js", ...], phase_before: , phase_after: "scaffolded" }.

If ` is a git repo, create a commit: chore: scaffold Expo + RN app via rn-bootstrap`.

Updating meta.json (recommended pattern)

When this skill modifies state (artifact written, phase advanced, history appended), use the canonical script when available:

# Wherever dev-flow is installed (e.g. ~/.claude/skills/dev-flow/), invoke:
python3 .../dev-flow/scripts/update_meta.py  record-artifact \
    --path  --produced-by '' [--derived-from   ...]
python3 .../dev-flow/scripts/update_meta.py  set-phase 
python3 .../dev-flow/scripts/update_meta.py  append-history \
    --skill '' --inputs '{...}' --outputs '{...}' --phase-after 

The script enforces phase monotonicity, normalizes legacy kebab-case aliases (e.g. module-added → module_added), and writes the canonical sha256 + timestamp into meta.json#artifacts. Fall back to direct JSON editing only if the script is not on PATH (and warn the user).

Folder structure rules (canonical — Expo Router hybrid)

Non-negotiable Expo Router constraint: app/ is file-based routing only. Unlike Next.js App Router, Expo Router has no private-folder convention — there is no _-prefix skip rule, so every file placed under app/ (aside from reserved names like _layout.tsx, +not-found.tsx) becomes a real route. A previous revision of this skeleton put _components/ folders inside app/, copied from the Next.js convention — that was wrong for Expo (it creates ghost routes) and is corrected below. [VERIFY] against the installed expo-router version: there's an open upstream request for an underscore-skip convention; until it ships, assume app/ has zero tolerance for non-route files.

This skill scaffolds the canonical RN structure, hybrid model (spec: docs/superpowers/specs/2026-06-06-folder-structure-refactor.md, adapted for Expo Router):

app/                        # ROUTES ONLY — no components, no hooks, no utils
├── (auth)/                 # opt-in based on stack.route_groups
│   ├── _layout.tsx
│   └── sign-in.tsx
├── (app)/
│   ├── _layout.tsx         # redirect to (auth) if !session
│   ├── (tabs)/             # opt-in based on stack.route_groups
│   │   ├── _layout.tsx
│   │   ├── feed/
│   │   └── profile/
│   └── settings.tsx
└── _layout.tsx             # root: GestureHandlerRootView + ThemeProvider

components/                 # ALL non-route UI lives here, outside app/
├── ui/                     # NativeWind primitives
├── theme/                  # ThemeProvider, useThemeColor
├── shared/                 # L2 per dominio (created empty)
└── /              # L0/L1 screen-private components (e.g. components/feed/, components/profile/)
                             # created on demand by rn-add-screen, not scaffolded empty here

lib/                        # api, supabase, secure-store, utils
store/                      # Zustand cross-feature (auth-store, app-preferences)
hooks/                      # RN-specific (useColorScheme, useKeyboard)
assets/                     # images/, fonts/

No src/ prefix: app/, components/, lib/ etc. stay at the project root — matches the default create-expo-app templates (which don't use src/) and keeps rn-add-screen / promote-component consistent with this scaffold.

Read meta.json#stack.route_groups to decide which route groups to scaffold. Empty array → flat routing (rare for mobile).

Components follow Rule of Three for promotion (L0 → L1 → L2), targeting components// (L0/L1) and components/shared// (L2) — never app//_components/. See rn-add-screen for screen-level details and promote-component for the promotion mechanics.

Sources

• Course: codewithbeto.dev/rnCourse — free lessons 5-6 (Creating Your First App, Project Structure).
• Official: https://docs.expo.dev/get-started/create-a-project/
• Official: https://www.nativewind.dev/v4/getting-started/expo-router

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: lukedj78
• Source: lukedj78/dev-flow
• License: MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.