react-hooks-js/refs

Validates correct usage of refs, not reading/writing during render. See the "pitfalls" section in [`useRef()` usage](https://react.dev/reference/react/useRef#usage)

Validation prompt

Confirm the detector match and collect the required evidence before deciding whether an edit is warranted.

Fires on reads or writes of .current on any value the compiler infers as a ref: anything returned from useRef/createRef, any binding ending in Ref or literally named ref, anything passed to a JSX ref prop: during render.

Suppress when: the lazy-init pattern if (ref.current === null) ref.current = expensiveSetup() is explicitly allowed and should not trigger.

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.

Move the .current access into useEffect, useLayoutEffect (for sync DOM measurements), or an event handler. If you only need to compute the stored value once per ref, use the lazy-init pattern above. If the value should drive re-renders, switch from useRef to useState: refs deliberately do not notify React when they change. See https://react.dev/reference/eslint-plugin-react-hooks/lints/refs

Repository-wide copy prompt

Use this repository-wide prompt only after validating each occurrence. For one occurrence, use the guidance above.