yarn add @rnx-kit/align-deps --dev

The Problem Every React Native Dev Knows

You’ve been there. You run yarn install, everything looks fine, then boom — runtime crashes, red screens, or mysterious build failures. The culprit? Incompatible package versions.

React Native’s ecosystem moves fast. Package A needs React Native 0.81, but Package B was last tested on 0.79. Figuring out which versions play nice together? A nightmare.

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Enter @rnx-kit/align-deps

Microsoft built a tool that solves this: align-deps. It automatically checks and fixes your dependencies to ensure they’re compatible with your React Native version.

Quick Setup (2 minutes)

1. Install it:

yarn add @rnx-kit/align-deps --dev

2. Add these scripts to package.json:

{
"scripts": {
"check-dependencies": "rnx-align-deps",
"fix-dependencies": "rnx-align-deps --write"
}
}

3. Initialize for your RN version:

npx rnx-align-deps --init app

4. Fix any issues:

yarn fix-dependencies

That’s it. The tool scans your dependencies and adjusts versions to ones known to work together.

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Upgrading React Native? Here’s Your Toolkit

Upgrading React Native involves two things: dependencies and native files. You need different tools for each.

Step 1: Align Your Dependencies

Use align-deps to update all your JS dependencies to compatible versions:

npx @rnx-kit/align-deps --requirements react-native@0.81 --write

This updates all your React Native-related packages to versions known to work with RN 0.81. No more guessing which version of react-native-screens or react-native-reanimated, etc you need.

Step 2: Update Native Files (iOS/Android)

Dependencies are only half the battle. React Native upgrades often require changes to native files like AppDelegate.swift, build.gradle, Podfile, etc.

👉 Use the React Native Upgrade Helper

This tool shows you a visual diff of all native file changes between your current version and your target version.

How to use it:

1. Go to react-native-community.github.io/upgrade-helper
2. Select your current RN version (e.g., 0.79.0)
3. Select your target RN version (e.g., 0.81.0)
4. Review the diff and apply changes to your ios/ and android/ folders

Pro Tip: Use Both Together

Task	Tool
Update JS dependencies	@rnx-kit/align-deps
Update native files	Upgrade Helper

This combo makes React Native upgrades dramatically less painful.

What align-deps Actually Does

When I ran fix-dependencies on my project, it:

• ⬇️ Downgraded some packages to stable, compatible versions
• 🔓 Added flexibility (^) to some pinned versions
• 📋 Generated config tracking which "capabilities" my app uses

For example, it changed:

• react-native-modal: ^14.0.0-rc.1 → ^13.0.0 (stable over RC)
• react-native-screens: 4.16.0 → ^4.11.1 (known compatible)

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Should You Use It?

Yes, if:

• You maintain a production React Native app
• You’ve wasted time debugging version conflicts
• You want safer React Native upgrades
• You work in a team and need consistent dependencies

Maybe not if:

• You need bleeding-edge package versions
• You have a simple app with few dependencies

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⚠️ Important: Always Review Changes

The tool modifies your package.json automatically. Always:

1. Review the diff (git diff package.json)
2. Test your app thoroughly
3. Check if any downgraded packages break features you need

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Resources

• 📚 align-deps Documentation
• 🔄 React Native Upgrade Helper

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Have you tried these tools? Did they help or cause issues? Drop a comment below! 👇