`react-doctor/motion-imperative-animation-in-render`

Imperative Motion animation runs during render

Category: Bugs
Severity: error
Source: oxlint-plugin-react-doctor
Framework: global
Enabled when: always
Default: Enabled

Validate the diagnostic

Confirm the reported code matches this rule before you edit it.

Confirm the reported code matches react-doctor/motion-imperative-animation-in-render. Compare it with the Before example and verify the same API, framework, and execution context. Treat it as a false positive only when one of those conditions differs.

Compare the code

The corrected pattern shows a focused way to address the diagnostic.

Reported pattern

import {
  motion,
  useAnimationControls,
} from "motion/react";

const Card = () => {
  const controls = useAnimationControls();
  controls.start({ opacity: 1 });
  return <motion.div animate={controls} />;
};

Corrected pattern

import {
  motion,
  useAnimationControls,
} from "motion/react";
import { useEffect } from "react";

const Card = () => {
  const controls = useAnimationControls();
  useEffect(() => {
    controls.start({ opacity: 1 });
  }, [controls]);
  return <motion.div animate={controls} />;
};

How to fix

Use the corrected pattern as a reference. Preserve behavior that the rule does not require you to change.

Copyable fix prompt

Copy this self-contained prompt into your coding agent after you confirm the diagnostic.

Fix every confirmed react-doctor/motion-imperative-animation-in-render diagnostic in the current repository. Required change: - Start imperative animations from an effect or user interaction, and derive render output declaratively from props and state.

Reference transformation:Before:

import {
  motion,
  useAnimationControls,
} from "motion/react";

const Card = () => {
  const controls = useAnimationControls();
  controls.start({ opacity: 1 });
  return <motion.div animate={controls} />;
};

After:

import {
  motion,
  useAnimationControls,
} from "motion/react";
import { useEffect } from "react";

const Card = () => {
  const controls = useAnimationControls();
  useEffect(() => {
    controls.start({ opacity: 1 });
  }, [controls]);
  return <motion.div animate={controls} />;
};

Constraints: - Confirm the reported code matches the Before pattern. - Make the smallest change that fixes the root cause. - Preserve behavior and interfaces unrelated to this diagnostic. - Reuse existing project components, utilities, and conventions. - Do not introduce render-phase side effects, render-phase state updates, or Hooks rule violations. - Adapt identifiers and framework details instead of copying blindly. - Do not disable the rule or suppress matching code. Verification: - Run focused tests for the changed behavior. - Run React Doctor and confirm this diagnostic no longer appears. - Report the files changed and any checks you could not run.

More Bugs rules from the rules reference:

react-doctor/motion-keyframe-times-mismatch: Motion keyframes and times have different lengths
react-doctor/motion-layout-on-inline-element: Motion layout animation targets an inline element
react-doctor/motion-unstable-layout-id-in-iteration: Motion layout ID is unstable in an iteration
react-doctor/motion-use-transform-range-length: Motion transform ranges have different lengths
react-doctor/motion-value-subscription-in-render: Motion value subscription is created during render

react-doctor/motion-imperative-animation-in-render