# Rename a Symbol Across Your React Repo in 2026 with Atlas

> Atlas accurately renames React functions, classes, or constants across an entire repository by leveraging LSP for type-aware references and `grep` for non-code occurrences.

In 2026, renaming a function, class, or constant across a React repository with Atlas ensures accuracy by combining language server protocol insights with robust text search, then verifying changes with `pnpm` and `Vitest with React Testing Library` before committing. Atlas provides a terminal-native AI coding agent that understands your React project's structure, from components and hooks to your `package.json` and bundler configuration.

## Key takeaways

- Atlas uses `lsp` for type-aware React symbol renaming, ensuring accuracy across components and hooks.
- The `grep` tool catches non-code references in React projects, including comments and `package.json` entries.
- Atlas's `edit` tool applies renames with `replaceAll`, preventing ambiguous single replacements in React files.
- Every change to your React codebase is presented as a unified diff for explicit approval before writing.
- Verification involves running `pnpm test` with `Vitest with React Testing Library` and a final `grep` for the old name.
- Atlas's plan agent and permission-gated tools provide robust safety for React refactoring operations.

## How Atlas Renames Symbols in a React Codebase

Atlas renames symbols in a React codebase by orchestrating a three-pronged approach: `lsp` for type-system accuracy, `grep` for comprehensive text matching, and `edit` for precise application of changes. This method ensures that in 2026, your refactoring captures every relevant instance, from a `useState` hook's declaration to its deepest usage within a component tree.

Renaming a symbol like a React component or a custom hook, such as `MyOldComponent` or `useOldHook`, requires more than a simple find-and-replace. Atlas begins by using the `lsp` tool's `findReferences` operation. This leverages the language server to get an authoritative list of all callsites and declarations, understanding the nuances of JavaScript and TypeScript in a React context. This is crucial for correctly identifying references that a naive text search would miss or misinterpret, especially with imports, exports, and aliased names. Following this, Atlas runs `grep` for the old name to catch occurrences outside the type system, such as strings, comments, documentation within `.md` files, or configuration entries in `package.json` that might reference the old symbol name. Finally, the `edit` tool applies the mechanical renames, ensuring that each change is unambiguous per file, preventing unintended modifications.

## Ensuring Accuracy with React's Type System and LSP

In 2026, ensuring the accuracy of a React symbol rename, such as a class component like `OldUserForm` or a utility constant, relies heavily on the `lsp` tool's `findReferences` capability. This Atlas feature directly queries your project's language server, providing a precise, type-aware list of every declaration and usage, far surpassing the reliability of keyword-based searches.

The `lsp` tool is fundamental for accurate refactoring in modern React applications, which often utilize TypeScript or sophisticated JavaScript tooling. When you instruct Atlas to rename a symbol, it first invokes `lsp findReferences` on the target symbol. This operation communicates with your project's language server, which has a deep understanding of your React components, hooks, and their relationships. It can distinguish between a variable named `user` and a function `getUser`, or correctly identify all imports of `MyComponent` even if they are aliased as `TheComponent` in different files. This authoritative callsite list from the language server is the bedrock of a safe rename, preventing the common pitfalls of refactoring where a simple text search might incorrectly modify unrelated code or miss crucial references within complex React patterns.

## Catching Non-Code References in React Projects with Grep

Beyond the type system, React projects in 2026 often contain references to symbols in comments, documentation, or configuration files like `vite.config.js`. Atlas addresses this by running `grep` for the old symbol name, ensuring that every textual occurrence, even those not seen by the compiler, is identified and considered for renaming.

While the `lsp` tool handles code-level references, a comprehensive rename in a React project must also account for non-code occurrences. For instance, a deprecated function `oldFetchData` might be mentioned in a JSDoc comment above a new hook, or a component name `LegacyButton` could appear in a `README.md` file or a `package.json` script. Atlas uses the `grep` tool to scan the entire repository for the old symbol name. This step is vital for catching references in comments, string literals used for logging or UI display, documentation files, and various configuration files that might not be parsed by the language server. By combining `lsp` and `grep`, Atlas ensures a holistic approach, leaving no trace of the old symbol behind in your React application.

## Applying Changes and Reviewing Diffs in React Codebases

After identifying all references, Atlas applies mechanical renames using the `edit` tool, generating a unified diff for every file edit. This process, in 2026, allows React developers to review and approve each change, ensuring that refactoring a component like `ProductCard` to `ItemDisplay` is transparent and fully controlled before writing to disk.

Once Atlas has compiled a complete list of references from both `lsp` and `grep`, it proceeds to apply the mechanical renames using the `edit` tool. For each identified occurrence, `edit` performs a `replaceAll` operation where the match is unambiguous within a file. A key safety feature of Atlas is its refusal of ambiguous single replacements; if `edit` finds multiple matches for `oldString` but is only instructed to change one, it will throw an error unless explicit context is provided or `replaceAll` is opted into. This prevents silent corruption of your React codebase. Crucially, Atlas computes a unified diff for every file edit. This diff is surfaced for your approval, allowing you to meticulously review every proposed change to your React components, hooks, or utility files before Atlas writes them to your file system. This granular control ensures that you maintain full oversight over the refactoring process.

## Verifying the Rename in a React Codebase

The final, critical step in renaming a React symbol in 2026 is verification. Atlas facilitates this by instructing you to compile your project and run tests using `pnpm test` with `Vitest with React Testing Library`, followed by a final `grep` for the old name to confirm zero remaining hits, ensuring a clean refactor.

After Atlas has applied all the renames and you have approved the diffs, the process isn't complete until the changes are verified. Atlas guides you to compile your React project and run your test suite. This typically involves executing `pnpm test`, which will trigger `Vitest with React Testing Library` to run all your component and hook tests. Successful compilation and passing tests provide strong confidence that the refactor has not introduced regressions. As an additional safeguard, Atlas recommends a final `grep` for the old symbol name across the entire repository. This last `grep` acts as a definitive check, proving that no instances of the old name remain, whether in code, comments, or documentation. This rigorous verification process ensures that your React application remains stable and functional after the rename.

## Atlas's Safety Features for React Refactoring

Atlas incorporates several robust safety features for refactoring React code in 2026, including permission-gated tool calls, a read-only plan agent, and unified diff approvals. These mechanisms ensure that renaming a critical React component or hook is always a controlled, transparent, and reversible process, protecting your codebase from unintended modifications.

Atlas is designed with safety at its core, especially for sensitive operations like refactoring a React codebase. Every Atlas tool call, including `lsp`, `grep`, and `edit`, is permission-gated against `allow`, `ask`, and `deny` rules, giving you explicit control over what actions Atlas can perform. Before making any changes, Atlas drafts a plan in a read-only plan agent and asks for your approval before switching to a build agent that can modify files. This allows you to review the strategy for renaming a React function like `formatDate` before any action is taken. Furthermore, Atlas computes a unified diff for every file edit and surfaces it for approval, ensuring you see exactly what changes are proposed to your React components or utility files. Atlas also snapshots file changes as git patches, so edits can be easily diffed and rolled back if necessary, providing an additional layer of security for your React development workflow.

## Steps

1. 1. Initialize Atlas in your React project by running `atlas` in the directory containing your `package.json` and allowing it to read your components, hooks, and bundler configuration.
2. 2. Use the `lsp` tool to find all authoritative references for your React symbol (function, class, or constant) by executing a command like `atlas lsp findReferences MyOldReactComponent`.
3. 3. Run `grep` for the old symbol name across your React project to catch non-code occurrences in comments, documentation, or configuration files, for example, `atlas grep 'MyOldReactComponent'`.
4. 4. Apply the mechanical renames using the `edit` tool with `replaceAll` where matches are unambiguous, such as `atlas edit replaceAll MyOldReactComponent MyNewReactComponent`.
5. 5. Review the unified diffs presented by Atlas for every file edit, ensuring all changes to your React components, hooks, and related files are correct, and approve them.
6. 6. Compile your React project and run your tests using `pnpm test` to execute `Vitest with React Testing Library` and verify no regressions were introduced by the rename.
7. 7. Perform a final `grep` for the old symbol name, for example, `atlas grep 'MyOldReactComponent'`, to confirm zero remaining hits in your React codebase.
8. 8. Allow Atlas to stage and create a commit on your behalf, encapsulating the complete React symbol rename.

## FAQ

### How does Atlas handle renaming React hooks like `useMyOldHook`?

Atlas uses the `lsp` tool's `findReferences` to accurately identify all usages of a React hook, ensuring that even complex destructuring or aliasing is correctly refactored across your codebase. This includes its declaration, imports, and every call site within your React components.

### Can Atlas rename a React class component and its associated files?

Yes, Atlas can rename a React class component. It will use `lsp` to find all code references and `grep` to find non-code references. While Atlas focuses on symbol renaming, its `edit` tool can apply changes across relevant files, and you review all proposed modifications before they are written.

### What if a React component name appears in a string literal, like a log message?

Atlas's `grep` tool is specifically designed to catch these non-code occurrences. If your React component name `MyComponent` appears in a `console.log('Loading MyComponent...')` string, `grep` will find it, and Atlas will include it in the list of potential changes for your review.

### How does Atlas ensure my React tests still pass after a rename?

After Atlas applies the renames and you approve the diffs, the workflow explicitly includes running your React tests with `pnpm test`, which executes `Vitest with React Testing Library`. This step is crucial for verifying that the refactor has not introduced any regressions and your application remains functional.

### Is it safe to rename a widely used constant in a large React project with Atlas?

Yes, it is safe. Atlas's multi-stage approach,`lsp` for precise code references, `grep` for comprehensive text matches, and explicit diff approval,minimizes risk. The read-only plan agent and permission-gated tools ensure you have full control and transparency over every change before it's applied to your large React codebase.

### Does Atlas integrate with `prettier` for formatting after a React refactor?

While Atlas focuses on the refactoring itself, it operates within your existing React development environment. After Atlas completes its edits and you approve them, you would typically run your formatter, such as `prettier`, via `pnpm prettier --write .` to ensure all files conform to your project's styling standards.

### Can Atlas help me rename a symbol that's part of a Vite or Next.js build configuration?

Yes, if the symbol is referenced in your `vite.config.js` or `next.config.js` files, Atlas's `grep` tool will identify these occurrences. The `edit` tool can then apply the necessary changes, ensuring your build configuration remains consistent with the renamed symbol in your React project.

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Canonical HTML: https://runatlas.sh/resources/stacks/rename-a-symbol-across-the-repo-in-react
Source of truth: aeo_pages row `/resources/stacks/rename-a-symbol-across-the-repo-in-react` (segment: Stacks) (this file is generated from it, never hand-edited).
Licence: Atlas is proprietary with a free core. It is not open source and there is no public source repository.