/expo-data-fetching

name: expo-data-fetching
description: Framework (OSS). Use when implementing or debugging ANY network request, API call, or data fetching. Covers fetch API, React Query, SWR, error handling, caching, offline support, loading/empty/error screen states, and Expo Router data loaders (`useLoaderData`).
version: 1.0.0
license: MIT

Expo Networking

**You MUST use this skill for ANY networking work including API requests, data fetching, caching, or network debugging.**

References

Consult these resources as needed:

references/
  expo-router-loaders.md        Route-level data loading with Expo Router loaders (web, SDK 55+)
  offline-and-cancellation.md   NetInfo network status, offline-first React Query, AbortController

When to Use

Use this skill when:

• Implementing API requests
• Setting up data fetching (React Query, SWR)
• Using Expo Router data loaders (`useLoaderData`, web SDK 55+)
• Debugging network failures
• Implementing caching strategies
• Handling offline scenarios
• Authentication/token management
• Configuring API URLs and environment variables

Preferences

• Avoid axios, prefer expo/fetch

Every Screen Has Four States

Design **loading**, **error**, **empty**, and **content** for screens that load data. These can overlap: a refresh error should coexist with cached content.

• **Loading ≠ empty.** Empty means *resolved with zero items*, not missing data. Handle initial loading, failure, and hydration before checking list length. In TanStack Query v5, `isLoading` means the first fetch is running; a disabled or offline-paused query can have no data without being loading. Show the prerequisite or offline state in that case.
• **Empty is a designed state, not a blank list.** Use `ListEmptyComponent` on FlatList/FlashList: explain why it is empty and offer the relevant next action. "No items yet" can offer Create; "No results" should offer changing or clearing the search/filter.
• **Refetches keep stale content.** Render cached `data` even if a refresh fails, with a nonblocking error and retry. Use `isLoading` for first-fetch spinners and `isFetching` for background activity; prefer a skeleton for a slow initial load with a known layout, and `RefreshControl` for user-initiated refresh.
• **Gate on hydration.** When initial UI or a redirect depends on persisted state (auth token, onboarding flag), the root layout renders nothing - or the splash - until that state has loaded. Deciding on unhydrated state flashes the wrong screen on every cold start and misroutes deep links that arrive before hydration.

**Saves preserve work.** While a mutation is pending, disable repeat submission. On failure, retain the draft, show an inline error, and let the user retry; clear or dismiss only after success. If updating optimistically, restore the previous value or mark the edit as unsynced on failure. Verify with a failed save followed by retry.

Common Issues & Solutions

1. Basic Fetch Usage

**Simple GET request**:

const fetchUser = async (userId: string) => {
  const response = await fetch(`https://api.example.com/users/${userId}`);

  if (!response.ok) {
    throw new Error(`HTTP error! status: ${response.status}`);
  }

  return response.json();
};

**POST request with body**:

const createUser = async (userData: UserData) => {
  const response = await fetch("https://api.example.com/users", {
    method: "POST",
    headers: {
      "Content-Type": "application/json",
      Authorization: `Bearer ${token}`,
    },
    body: JSON.stringify(userData),
  });

  if (!response.ok) {
    const error = await response.json();
    throw new Error(error.message);
  }

  return response.json();
};

---

2. React Query (TanStack Query)

**Setup**:

// app/_layout.tsx
import { QueryClient, QueryClientProvider } from "@tanstack/react-query";

const queryClient = new QueryClient({
  defaultOptions: {
    queries: {
      staleTime: 1000 * 60 * 5, // 5 minutes
      retry: 2,
    },
  },
});

export default function RootLayout() {
  return (
    <QueryClientProvider client={queryClient}>
      <Stack />
    </QueryClientProvider>
  );
}

**Fetching data**:

import { useQuery } from "@tanstack/react-query";

function UserProfile({ userId }: { userId: string }) {
  const { data, fetchStatus, error, refetch } = useQuery({
    queryKey: ["user", userId],
    queryFn: () => fetchUser(userId),
  });

  if (data === undefined) {
    if (error) return <ErrorState message={error.message} onRetry={() => refetch()} />;
    if (fetchStatus === "paused") return <OfflineState />;
    return <Loading />;
  }

  return (
    <>
      {error && <InlineError message="Could not refresh. Showing saved data." onRetry={() => refetch()} />}
      {data === null ? <EmptyState message="User not found" /> : <Profile user={data} />}
    </>
  );
}

**Mutations**:

import { useMutation, useQueryClient } from "@tanstack/react-query";

function CreateUserForm() {
  const queryClient = useQueryClient();

  const mutation = useMutation({
    mutationFn: createUser,
    onSuccess: () => {
      // Invalidate and refetch
      queryClient.invalidateQueries({ queryKey: ["users"] });
    },
  });

  const handleSubmit = (data: UserData) => {
    if (mutation.isPending) return;
    mutation.mutate(data);
  };

  // Form keeps its draft on error and disables Submit while isLoading.
  return <Form onSubmit={handleSubmit} isLoading={mutation.isPending} error={mutation.error?.message} />;
}

---

3. Error Handling

**Comprehensive error handling**:

class ApiError extends Error {
  constructor(message: string, public status: number, public code?: string) {
    super(message);
    this.name = "ApiError";
  }
}

const fetchWithErrorHandling = async (url: string, options?: RequestInit) => {
  try {
    const response = await fetch(url, options);

    if (!response.ok) {
      const error = await response.json().catch(() => ({}));
      throw