react-doctor/rn-no-renderitem-key
Remove the no-op `key` from the JSX row that renderItem returns and set `keyExtractor` (or `item.key`) on the list instead.
- Status
- Active
- Category
- React Native
- Assessment
- Evidence-required risk
- Required evidence
- source code
- Default configuration
- Enabled
- Default severity
- warn
Show technical metadata
- Scope
- React Native
- Active when
- framework=react-native and capabilities=react-native
- Requirements
- react-native
- Tags
- react-native, test-noise
- Priority
- 34 (P3)
- Source
- oxlint-plugin-react-doctor
- Rule set
- oxlint-plugin-react-doctor 0.9.3 (prompt schema 2)
- Documentation
- Official documentation
Validation prompt
Confirm the detector match and collect the required evidence before deciding whether an edit is warranted.
Fires when a JSXAttribute named renderItem, renderSectionHeader, or renderSectionFooter (RENDER_ITEM_PROP_NAMES) sits on a list element whose resolved name is FlatList, SectionList, VirtualizedList, FlashList, or LegendList (REACT_NATIVE_LIST_COMPONENTS), the prop value is an arrow or function expression, and a top-level returned JSXElement's own opening element carries a key: it unwraps parens and TS as, descends into ternary consequent/alternate and ||/?? branches, and reports each offending return path independently. False positive boundary, all of which the rule already skips: key on a descendant nested inside the returned row (e.g. <Tag key> inside an item.tags.map within the returned <View>), key on JSX produced by a nested helper function declared inside renderItem (recursion stops at function-like nodes), renderItem on a non-list component like <Carousel>, renderItem returning null, and ordinary list-rendering via items.map outside any renderItem prop.
Evidence boundary
The diagnostic proves only that the detector’s modeled source pattern matched. It does not prove runtime impact, product intent, rendered failure, or that one remediation is correct.
Establish the environment, repository policy, exceptions, and required rendered or runtime evidence before deciding the occurrence.
Record one outcome:
- Confirmed failure: The required evidence establishes the violation.
- Rejected: A documented exception or false-positive predicate applies.
- Needs evidence: Named evidence can still be collected.
- Unavailable: Required evidence cannot be collected in this run.
- Waived with evidence: An authorized, scoped exception applies to an established failure.
- Observation: The review records an optional tradeoff without claiming a defect.
A waiver records its scope, authority, evidence, and review condition. It is not a pass or false positive.
Default severity is registry metadata. Use the occurrence’s JSON severity after repository configuration when ordering real findings.
Fix prompt
Apply this candidate correction only after the required evidence confirms the risk.
Remove the key from each top-level JSX branch returned by renderItem, renderSectionHeader, or renderSectionFooter. For renderItem only, separately verify that the list already has a stable item-key strategy through keyExtractor or a real item.key; add or change one only when item rows actually lack stable keys. Header and footer keys are unrelated to keyExtractor, so do not invent an item-key strategy for those reports. See https://reactnative.dev/docs/flatlist#keyextractor
Repository-wide copy prompt
Use this repository-wide prompt only after validating each occurrence. For one occurrence, use the guidance above.
Show repository-wide prompt
Fix every confirmed react-doctor/rn-no-renderitem-key diagnostic in the current repository.
Required change:
- Remove the key from each top-level JSX branch returned by renderItem, renderSectionHeader, or renderSectionFooter. For renderItem only, separately verify that the list already has a stable item-key strategy through keyExtractor or a real item.key; add or change one only when item rows actually lack stable keys. Header and footer keys are unrelated to keyExtractor, so do not invent an item-key strategy for those reports. See https://reactnative.dev/docs/flatlist#keyextractor.
Validation before editing:
Fires when a JSXAttribute named renderItem, renderSectionHeader, or renderSectionFooter (RENDER_ITEM_PROP_NAMES) sits on a list element whose resolved name is FlatList, SectionList, VirtualizedList, FlashList, or LegendList (REACT_NATIVE_LIST_COMPONENTS), the prop value is an arrow or function expression, and a top-level returned JSXElement's own opening element carries a key: it unwraps parens and TS as, descends into ternary consequent/alternate and ||/?? branches, and reports each offending return path independently. False positive boundary, all of which the rule already skips: key on a descendant nested inside the returned row (e.g. <Tag key> inside an item.tags.map within the returned <View>), key on JSX produced by a nested helper function declared inside renderItem (recursion stops at function-like nodes), renderItem on a non-list component like <Carousel>, renderItem returning null, and ordinary list-rendering via items.map outside any renderItem prop.
Constraints:
- 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.
- Before editing, inspect the manifest, lockfile, native app configuration, React Native and Expo versions, and New Architecture status.
- Also inspect the Reanimated major, installed list-library majors, and every affected platform-specific file.
- Do not add or upgrade a native dependency, change linking, or alter Pods/Gradle setup unless explicitly authorized.
- Do not enable the New Architecture or change Expo/native configuration unless explicitly authorized.
- Preserve navigation, gesture, keyboard, safe-area, accessibility, lifecycle, and platform semantics; do not treat them as file-local import substitutions.
- Verify behavior in a release build on each affected device platform in scope. Name any unavailable platform instead of claiming it passed.
- Adapt identifiers and framework details instead of copying blindly.
- Do not disable the rule or suppress matching code.
- Confirm this rule is enabled for the project:
framework=react-native and capabilities=react-native.
Assessment:
- Record detector evidence, applicability facts, assumptions, missing evidence, and the rule class for this occurrence.
- Return one outcome: Confirmed failure, Rejected, Needs evidence, Unavailable, Waived with evidence, or Observation.
- A waiver records the established failure, scope, authority, evidence, and review or expiry condition. It is not a pass or false positive.
Verification:
- Run focused tests for the changed behavior.
- Run React Doctor and confirm this diagnostic no longer appears from changed code.
- Run an unfiltered scan of the affected scope before claiming no cross-category regression.
- Report the files changed and any checks you could not run.