Atlas empowers React Native developers in 2026 to meticulously design multi-file changes, such as refactoring a component across `.ios.tsx` and `.android.tsx` files, by leveraging a dedicated plan agent that disallows direct code modification until the strategy is fully approved, integrating direct with `yarn`, `jest (@testing-library/react-native)`, and `prettier`.
How Atlas plans multi-file changes in React Native
Atlas's plan agent provides a secure environment for React Native developers in 2026 to design complex changes without risk of accidental edits. This specialized agent restricts all write permissions except for a designated plan markdown file, ensuring that research and design phases are completely isolated from implementation.
When you initiate a multi-file change workflow in Atlas, it automatically switches to the plan agent. This agent's core function is to facilitate the design phase by denying edit permissions for all paths except those under `.atlas/plans/*.md`. This read-only mode is crucial for React Native projects, where modifications can span JavaScript/TypeScript files, native modules, and platform-specific configurations like `ios/Podfile` or `android/build.gradle`. By preventing direct code modification, Atlas ensures that your design process remains focused and free from unintended side effects, allowing you to thoroughly explore the impact of changes across your entire React Native codebase before a single line of production code is touched.
Researching React Native code with Atlas's plan agent
The Atlas plan agent equips React Native developers with powerful research tools to thoroughly understand their codebase before proposing any changes. In 2026, these tools, including `codebase_search`, `grep`, `read`, and `lsp`, remain fully enabled within plan mode, allowing comprehensive investigation without the ability to modify files.
To effectively plan a multi-file change in React Native, you need deep insights into your existing code. Atlas's plan agent provides access to essential research tools. Use `codebase_search` to find relevant code sections using hybrid semantic and keyword retrieval, which is particularly useful for understanding how a component is used across `.ios.tsx` and `.android.tsx` files. `grep` allows you to quickly locate specific patterns or strings, such as usages of `NativeModules` or specific `import` statements. The `read` tool lets you inspect the contents of any file, from a `package.json` to a complex `screens/UserProfileScreen.tsx`. Furthermore, the `lsp` tool provides language server protocol capabilities, enabling you to navigate definitions, references, and types within your React Native project, even across the New Architecture boundaries, all while remaining in a safe, read-only planning state.
Drafting and refining your React Native change plan
With Atlas, React Native developers can draft and refine their multi-file change plans directly within the terminal, leveraging the plan agent's unique write permissions. The plan is written into a markdown file, typically located at `.atlas/plans/*.md`, which is the only path the agent can modify, ensuring a controlled and documented design process in 2026.
Once you've researched your React Native codebase using Atlas's tools, the next step is to articulate your proposed changes. The plan agent allows you to write a detailed markdown document outlining your strategy, for example, `reanimated_layout_animation.md`. This document serves as your blueprint, detailing which files will be affected, what modifications will be made, and the rationale behind them. You can iteratively refine this plan, using the research tools to validate assumptions or explore alternative approaches. For instance, you might plan to move a layout animation onto the UI thread with Reanimated, detailing the specific components and native modules involved. This structured approach ensures that even complex refactors, like those touching `ios/` and `android/` directories, are thoroughly thought out and documented before any actual coding begins.
Reviewing and approving React Native multi-file changes
Atlas streamlines the review and approval process for multi-file React Native changes through its `plan_exit` tool. After drafting your plan, calling `plan_exit` prompts you to confirm readiness, asking if you wish to switch to the build agent and begin implementation, providing a critical 2-step gate for safety.
After your detailed plan for a React Native multi-file change is complete and reviewed, the `plan_exit` tool facilitates the transition to the implementation phase. When you execute `plan_exit`, Atlas presents a clear prompt: "Plan at <path> is complete. Would you like to switch to the build agent and start implementing?". This explicit question serves as a crucial approval step. Answering "Yes" signals your readiness to proceed, handing off control to the build agent which has the necessary permissions to modify your codebase. Conversely, answering "No" raises a `Question.RejectedError`, keeping you in the plan agent to further refine your strategy. This mechanism ensures that no implementation begins until the plan, especially for intricate React Native changes involving native modules or platform-specific code, has received explicit approval.
Ensuring safety and consistency in React Native with Atlas
Atlas incorporates multiple layers of safety and consistency checks for React Native development, from permission-gated tool calls to unified diffs for every proposed edit. In 2026, Atlas ensures that critical steps like running `prettier` and confirming native folders are untouched are part of the automated workflow, safeguarding your project.
Beyond the planning phase, Atlas maintains a strong focus on safety and consistency during implementation. Every tool call is permission-gated, requiring explicit allow, ask, or deny rules before execution. For every file edit, Atlas computes and surfaces a unified diff for your approval, giving you granular control over changes. This is particularly vital in React Native, where a single change might affect JavaScript, TypeScript, and potentially native code. Atlas is configured to run `prettier` to maintain code style and, crucially, confirms that native folders like `ios/` and `android/` were not accidentally modified during the process. Furthermore, Atlas reads `git` branches, status, and diffs, and can stage and create commits on your behalf, even snapshotting file changes as `git` patches, allowing for easy diffing and rollback of any edits.
Step by step
- 01Initialize Atlas in your React Native project: Ensure your project has a `package.json`, an `ios/Podfile`, and an `android/build.gradle`. Run `atlas` in your terminal to start the TUI.
- 02Enter the plan agent: Atlas automatically starts in the plan agent for this workflow, ensuring edit permissions are restricted to `.atlas/plans/*.md` to prevent accidental modifications to your React Native codebase.
- 03Research your React Native codebase: Use `codebase_search "componentDidMount lifecycle"` to find legacy class components, `grep -r "NativeModules"` to locate native module usages, or `lsp "MyCustomHook"` to inspect its definition across `.tsx` files.
- 04Draft your multi-file change plan: Write your detailed plan into a new markdown file, for example, `.atlas/plans/reanimated_layout_animation.md`, outlining the steps to move a layout animation onto the UI thread with Reanimated.
- 05Refine the plan with Atlas: Use the `question` tool to ask Atlas for feedback on your proposed changes, such as "question 'Will this Reanimated change affect Android performance differently than iOS?'".
- 06Approve the plan and switch to the build agent: Once satisfied, call `plan_exit`. When prompted "Plan at .atlas/plans/reanimated_layout_animation.md is complete. Would you like to switch to the build agent and start implementing?", answer "Yes".
- 07Review and confirm changes: Atlas will compute a unified diff for every file edit. Review these changes, ensuring `prettier` has formatted the JavaScript/TypeScript files and that native folders like `ios/` and `android/` were not accidentally modified.
Frequently asked questions
- How does Atlas prevent accidental edits in React Native?
- Atlas's plan agent operates in a read-only mode, disallowing all edit tools except for writing to the plan markdown file in `.atlas/plans/*.md`, ensuring no accidental modifications to your React Native codebase.
- Can Atlas help me understand my React Native navigation stack?
- Yes, Atlas can read your screens and navigation stack. You can use `lsp` or `codebase_search` to explore how your React Native app's navigation is structured and used across files, including platform-specific implementations.
- How does Atlas handle platform-specific React Native files like `.ios.tsx`?
- Atlas indexes code by AST declarations, allowing it to understand and search across platform-specific files like `.ios.tsx` and `.android.tsx` using tools like `codebase_search` and `grep` during the planning phase.
- What happens if I reject a plan in Atlas?
- If you call `plan_exit` and answer "No" to switching to the build agent, Atlas raises a `Question.RejectedError`, keeping you in the plan agent to refine your strategy further without starting implementation.
- Does Atlas integrate with React Native testing tools?
- Yes, Atlas can add `@testing-library/react-native` cases and run `jest` behind a permission prompt, allowing you to plan and validate test coverage for your React Native changes.
- How does Atlas ensure code style in React Native projects?
- After implementing changes, Atlas can run `prettier` to format your React Native code and will surface a unified diff for approval, ensuring consistency with your project's styling rules.
- Can Atlas help refactor React Native native modules?
- Absolutely. Atlas can read your `ios/Podfile` and `android/build.gradle`, and use `codebase_search` and `grep` to research native module implementations, helping you plan complex refactors involving the New Architecture or platform-specific code.
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