everything-claude-code/rules/vue/hooks.md

paths

paths
**/*.vue **/composables/**/*.ts **/composables/**/*.js **/use-*.ts **/use-*.js

Vue Composables and Reactivity

This file covers Vue composables (use*(), ref(), reactive(), computed(), watch(), watchEffect()). Named to match the per-language convention rules/<lang>/hooks.md.

Extends typescript/patterns.md and common/patterns.md.

Reactivity Fundamentals

ref() vs reactive()

• Use ref() for primitives and for values that will be replaced wholesale.
• Use reactive() for object structures whose properties are mutated individually.
• In practice, ref() is preferred as the default — it's explicit, works everywhere, and avoids the pitfalls of reactive() (no replacement, no destructuring).

// ref — universal, explicit .value
const count = ref(0);
const user = ref<User | null>(null);

// reactive — only for objects, no .value
const form = reactive({ email: "", password: "" });

Props Destructuring (Version-Specific)

Vue 3.5+: Reactive Props Destructure is stabilized and enabled by default. Destructured variables from defineProps() are automatically reactive — the compiler transforms count to props.count at compile time.

<script setup lang="ts">
// Vue 3.5+: CORRECT — destructured props are reactive
const { userId, userName } = defineProps<{ userId: string; userName: string }>();
// userId and userName track the parent's prop updates

// Native default values (Vue 3.5+)
const { count = 0, msg = "hello" } = defineProps<{
  count?: number;
  msg?: string;
}>();

Vue < 3.5: Destructuring captures snapshot values at setup time — they won't update.

<script setup lang="ts">
// Vue < 3.5: WRONG: destructured props lose reactivity
const { userId, userName } = defineProps<{ userId: string; userName: string }>();

// Vue < 3.5: CORRECT: access via props.xxx
const props = defineProps<{ userId: string; userName: string }>();
// In methods/computed: props.userId

// ALSO CORRECT: toRefs for individual refs
const { userId, userName } = toRefs(props);
</script>

Important limitation (all Vue 3.5+ versions): You cannot watch() a destructured prop variable directly — must wrap in a getter:

// WRONG: direct watch on destructured prop (compile-time error in Vue 3.5+)
watch(count, (newVal) => { ... });

// CORRECT: getter wrapper
watch(() => count, (newVal) => { ... });

When passing a destructured prop to a composable that needs reactivity, wrap in a getter and use toValue() inside the composable:

useDynamicCount(() => count); // ✅ preserves reactivity

Replacing reactive() Objects

// WRONG: breaks reactivity
let state = reactive({ a: 1, b: 2 });
state = reactive({ a: 3, b: 4 }); // new object, old watchers lost

// CORRECT: mutate in place
Object.assign(state, { a: 3, b: 4 });

// BETTER: use ref for values that get replaced
const state = ref({ a: 1, b: 2 });
state.value = { a: 3, b: 4 }; // reactivity preserved

.value in Script vs Template

<script setup>
const count = ref(0);
// Inside script: MUST use .value
console.log(count.value);
function increment() { count.value++; }
</script>

<template>
  <!-- Inside template: NO .value (auto-unwrapped) -->
  <span>{{ count }}</span>
  <button @click="count++">Increment</button>
</template>

computed() Rules

• Computed getters must be pure — no side effects (no state mutation, API calls, DOM writes).
• Never mutate other state inside a computed getter.
• Computed setter must be paired with a getter — don't create write-only computeds.

// CORRECT: pure getter
const fullName = computed(() => `${firstName.value} ${lastName.value}`);

// CORRECT: with setter
const fullName = computed({
  get: () => `${firstName.value} ${lastName.value}`,
  set: (val: string) => {
    const [first, last] = val.split(" ");
    firstName.value = first;
    lastName.value = last;
  },
});

// WRONG: side effect in computed
const displayName = computed(() => {
  analytics.track("name-computed"); // ❌ side effect
  return user.value.name;
});

watch() vs watchEffect()

Feature	watch()	watchEffect()
Explicit source	Yes — declare what to track	No — auto-tracks dependencies
Access to old/new values	Yes	No
Initial run	Optional (immediate: true)	Always runs immediately
Use case	Side effect on specific data change	Sync reactive state to external system

// watch: explicit, has old/new
watch(
  () => props.userId,
  (newId, oldId) => {
    fetchUser(newId);
  }
);

// watchEffect: auto-tracking, immediate
watchEffect(() => {
  console.log(`User ${userId.value} is ${status.value}`);
});

Watcher Source Pitfalls

// WRONG: watching a ref object (never changes)
const u = ref({ name: "Alice" });
watch(u, (val) => {}); // ❌ watches the ref wrapper, not the value

// CORRECT: getter returning .value
watch(() => u.value, (val) => {});

// ALSO WRONG: reactive getter that doesn't track
watch(() => state.name, (val) => {}); // ❌ val is snapshot at setup

// CORRECT: getter that accesses property on reactive object
watch(() => state.name, (val) => {}); // ✅ .name access inside getter is tracked
// Wait — careful: `() => state.name` DOES track correctly because the getter
// accesses `.name` on the reactive proxy. The getter is re-evaluated by Vue.

// ACTUALLY WRONG case: direct reactive property
watch(state.name, ...); // ❌ state.name evaluates to a primitive, not trackable

// CORRECT: getter returning reactive property
watch(() => state.name, (newName) => { ... });

Cleanup

Every watcher that creates subscriptions, intervals, or fetch requests must clean up.

Vue 3.5+: Use onWatcherCleanup() (globally importable from vue) for watcher-side-effect cleanup:

import { watch, onWatcherCleanup } from "vue";

watch(userId, async (newId) => {
  const controller = new AbortController();
  onWatcherCleanup(() => controller.abort());
  const data = await fetch(`/api/users/${newId}`, { signal: controller.signal });
  user.value = await data.json();
});

All Vue 3 versions: The watcher callback also receives an onCleanup parameter:

// watch callback receives an onCleanup function
watch(userId, async (newId, _oldId, onCleanup) => {
  const controller = new AbortController();
  onCleanup(() => controller.abort());
  const data = await fetch(`/api/users/${newId}`, { signal: controller.signal });
  user.value = await data.json();
});

// watchEffect also receives onCleanup
watchEffect((onCleanup) => {
  const id = setInterval(tick, 1000);
  onCleanup(() => clearInterval(id));
});

useTemplateRef() (Vue 3.5+)

Use useTemplateRef() instead of matching a plain ref variable name to the template ref attribute. It supports dynamic ref IDs and provides better type safety.

<script setup lang="ts">
import { useTemplateRef } from "vue";

// Static ref
const inputEl = useTemplateRef<HTMLInputElement>("input");

// Dynamic ref
const refId = ref("input");
const dynamicEl = useTemplateRef<HTMLInputElement>(refId);
</script>

<template>
  <input ref="input" type="text" />
</template>

• The string passed to useTemplateRef() must match the ref attribute value in the template, not the variable name.
• @vue/language-tools 2.1+ provides auto-completion and warnings for useTemplateRef.

Composable Conventions

Must start with use

// CORRECT
export function useDebounce<T>(value: Ref<T>, delay: number): Ref<T> { ... }

// WRONG
export function debounce<T>(value: Ref<T>, delay: number): Ref<T> { ... }

Return reactive values

Composables must return ref() / computed() / reactive() so the consumer stays reactive. Never return a raw primitive or plain object snapshot.

// CORRECT
export function useCounter() {
  const count = ref(0);
  const doubled = computed(() => count.value * 2);
  function increment() { count.value++; }
  return { count, doubled, increment };
}

// WRONG: returns snapshot
export function useCounter() {
  let count = 0;
  function increment() { count++; }
  return { count, increment }; // count is a plain number — not reactive
}

Accept reactive inputs gracefully

When a composable accepts reactive data, use toRef() / toValue() (Vue 3.3+) so callers can pass either a ref or a plain value.

export function useTitle(newTitle: MaybeRef<string>) {
  const title = toRef(newTitle);
  watchEffect(() => {
    document.title = title.value;
  });
}

// Caller can pass either:
useTitle("Home");         // plain value
useTitle(ref("Home"));    // ref
useTitle(computed(...));  // computed

Side effects must be scoped

Composables that create side effects (event listeners, timers, subscriptions) must:

1. Only run when the component using them is mounted — use onMounted / watch.
2. Clean up automatically — use onUnmounted or watcher onCleanup.

export function useEventListener<K extends keyof WindowEventMap>(
  event: K,
  handler: (e: WindowEventMap[K]) => void,
) {
  onMounted(() => window.addEventListener(event, handler));
  onUnmounted(() => window.removeEventListener(event, handler));
}

No module-scope side effects

Never initialize state, start timers, or subscribe to external systems in the module scope of a composable file — it runs once regardless of component instance count.

// WRONG: module scope side effect
const globalCount = ref(0); // ❌ shared across all components
setInterval(() => globalCount.value++, 1000);

export function useGlobalCount() {
  return globalCount;
}

// CORRECT: scoped to each invocation
export function useInterval(fn: () => void, ms: number) {
  onMounted(() => {
    const id = setInterval(fn, ms);
    onUnmounted(() => clearInterval(id));
  });
}

shallowRef() and shallowReactive()

Use shallowRef() for large immutable data structures that are replaced as a whole — avoids the deep reactivity overhead.

const items = shallowRef<Item[]>([]);
// items.value = await fetchItems(); // replacement works
// items.value[0].name = "new";     // ❌ inner mutations are NOT reactive

Use shallowReactive() when only top-level properties should be reactive.

Lint Configuration

Required rules:

{
  "rules": {
    "vue/no-ref-as-operand": "error",
    "vue/no-mutating-props": "error",
    "vue/return-in-computed-property": "error"
  }
}