get-react-native-diff
Generate a detailed upgrade diff between React Native versions to identify required changes in dependencies, native configurations, project files, and troubleshooting steps.
Instructions
Gets the React Native diff between the current version and the user provided version. This diff will show all changes needed to upgrade React Native, including:
Package.json dependencies and their versions
iOS configuration changes (Podfile, xcodeproj settings)
Android configuration (build.gradle, settings.gradle)
Project structure changes
Binary files that need to be updated
Template files modifications
Native code changes
Troubleshooting steps if any
If no fromVersion is provided, the current version from package.json will be used. The diff follows standard git diff format and should be carefully analyzed to:
Update all dependencies to compatible versions
Apply configuration changes while preserving custom settings and user defined code
Handle binary file updates appropriately
Maintain existing customizations in native code and ts/js files
Update build tools versions (Gradle, CocoaPods, etc) with the correct version from the diff using specific cmds
Preserve any local modifications to template files
Please add the end of the process give instruction on the troubleshooting steps if any(Please detect user's package manager and run the correct cmd):
DELETE Pod and Podfile.lock file in iOS folder
Run pod install to prevent errors in iOS folder
Run this cmd to update android binary ./gradlew wrapper --gradle-version {{CURRENT_GRADLE_VERSION_FROM_DIFF}} —distribution-type {{DISTRIBUTION_TYPE_FROM_DIFF}} in android folder
Run {{CURRENT_PACKAGE_MANAGER}} install to install the correct version of the dependencies
YOU MUST call get-react-native-stable-version tool to get the stable version of React Native before calling this tool.
Input Schema
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| fromVersion | No | The version of React Native to get the diff from | |
| toVersion | Yes | The version of React Native to get the diff to |
Implementation Reference
- src/tools.ts:155-161 (handler)The MCP tool handler function that takes fromVersion and toVersion, calls getDiff service, and returns the diff as text content.async ({ fromVersion, toVersion }) => { const diffData = await getDiff(fromVersion, toVersion); return { content: [{ type: "text", text: diffData }] } })
- src/tools.ts:150-153 (schema)Zod input schema defining parameters for the tool: optional fromVersion and required toVersion.inputSchema: { fromVersion: z.string().describe("The current React Native version to compare from (defaults to version in package.json)"), toVersion: z.string().describe("The target React Native version to upgrade to") }
- src/tools.ts:89-161 (registration)Full registration of the 'get-react-native-diff' tool with title, description, schema, and handler on the MCP server.server.registerTool('get-react-native-diff', { title: "Get React Native Diff", description: `Gets the React Native diff between the current version and the user provided version. OVERVIEW: This diff will show all changes needed to upgrade React Native, including: • Package.json dependencies and their versions • iOS configuration changes (Podfile, xcodeproj settings) • Android configuration (build.gradle, settings.gradle) • Project structure changes • Binary files that need to be updated • Template files modifications • Native code changes • Troubleshooting steps if any USAGE: • If no fromVersion is provided, the current version from package.json will be used • The diff follows standard git diff format and should be carefully analyzed ANALYSIS STEPS: 1. Review the diff to identify dependency version changes 2. Carefully analyze configuration changes in iOS and Android files • Preserve custom settings in Podfile, build.gradle, etc. • Keep user-defined code blocks intact • Only update version numbers and required configurations 3. Handle binary and template file updates • Note which binary files need updating • Back up modified template files before updating • Merge changes while preserving customizations 4. Maintain code integrity • Preserve custom code in native iOS/Android files • Keep modifications in JavaScript/TypeScript files (App.tsx, etc.) • Only update required React Native specific code 5. Update build tooling • Match Gradle version from diff • Update CocoaPods version if specified • Keep existing build customizations 6. Package management • Only update versions of existing dependencies • Do not add new packages • Maintain current package structure • Preserve custom package configurations • Existing package version should be the same in all package.json files • DO NOT fall back to rc versions, always use the stable version of React Native unless the user explicitly asks for a rc version. TROUBLESHOOTING STEPS: At the end of the process, provide instructions for troubleshooting steps (detect user's package manager and run the correct command): • DELETE Pod and Podfile.lock file in iOS folder • Run pod install to prevent errors in iOS folder • Run this command to update android binary: ./gradlew wrapper --gradle-version {{CURRENT_GRADLE_VERSION_FROM_DIFF}} --distribution-type {{DISTRIBUTION_TYPE_FROM_DIFF}} in android folder • Run {{CURRENT_PACKAGE_MANAGER}} install to install the correct version of the dependencies IMPORTANT NOTES: • Make sure not to edit existing ts/js files unless it's necessary. • Make sure not to add new packages, only update the existing ones based on the diff. • Make sure to only update package.json for dependencies which are defined in the diff. • YOU MUST call "get-stable-version" tool to get the stable version of React Native before calling this tool. • DO NOT fallback to rc versions, always use the stable version of React Native unless the user explicitly asks for a rc version. • If no diff exit and inform the user that the diff is empty, you can't proceed with the upgrade. • If a user asked to provide a version, call the "get-user-version" tool to get the version of React Native that the user wants to upgrade to. `, inputSchema: { fromVersion: z.string().describe("The current React Native version to compare from (defaults to version in package.json)"), toVersion: z.string().describe("The target React Native version to upgrade to") } }, async ({ fromVersion, toVersion }) => { const diffData = await getDiff(fromVersion, toVersion); return { content: [{ type: "text", text: diffData }] } })
- src/services.ts:11-21 (helper)Core helper function that fetches the git diff between two React Native versions from the rn-diff-purge GitHub repo, with fallback if direct diff fails.export const getDiff = async (currentVersion: string, toVersion: string): Promise<string> => { const url = `https://raw.githubusercontent.com/react-native-community/rn-diff-purge/diffs/diffs/${currentVersion}..${toVersion}.diff` const response = await fetch(url); if (!response.ok) { console.error(`Failed to fetch diff for ${currentVersion} to ${toVersion} let's try getting diff for ${toVersion} to ${currentVersion}`); const diff = await getDiff(toVersion, currentVersion); return diff; } const diffData = await response.text(); return diffData; }