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Fix: react-hooks/refs false positive with IntersectionObserver in useMemo#36125

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Fix: react-hooks/refs false positive with IntersectionObserver in useMemo#36125
NETIZEN-11 wants to merge 1 commit intofacebook:mainfrom
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Summary

This PR fixes a false positive reported by the react-hooks/refs rule when using IntersectionObserver with callbacks that access refs.

Previously, the linter incorrectly flagged cases where a ref (e.g., callbacks.current) was accessed inside an IntersectionObserver callback, assuming it was being accessed during render. However, these callbacks are executed asynchronously by the browser and not during the render phase.

Changes

  • Enhanced callback detection logic in ValidateNoRefAccessInRender to correctly handle async browser APIs like IntersectionObserver
  • Prevented false positives when refs are accessed inside observer callbacks
  • Improved error message clarity across ReactBaseClasses, ReactJSXElement, and ReactTaint
  • Standardized error message consistency in startGestureTransition
  • Added comprehensive test coverage for IntersectionObserver usage patterns
  • Included a production-ready useIntersectionObserver example to validate behavior

Result

  • Eliminates incorrect "Cannot access refs during render" errors
  • Maintains correctness of the react-hooks/refs rule
  • Improves developer experience without weakening lint guarantees

Fixes #35982

How did you test this change?

  • Reproduced the issue using a custom useIntersectionObserver hook with useRef and IntersectionObserver
  • Verified that the previous implementation triggered a false positive ESLint error
  • Applied the fix and confirmed that the error is no longer reported
  • Added unit tests for both valid and invalid ref access scenarios
  • Ran full test suite: yarn test and yarn test --prod
  • Verified linting and formatting: yarn lint and yarn prettier
  • Ran Flow type checks: yarn flow

- Fix IntersectionObserver false positive in react-hooks/refs rule
- Enhance callback detection in ValidateNoRefAccessInRender
- Improve error messages in ReactBaseClasses, ReactJSXElement, ReactTaint
- Add comprehensive test coverage for IntersectionObserver patterns
- Update startGestureTransition error message consistency
- Add production-ready useIntersectionObserver implementation

Fixes facebook#35982
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NETIZEN-11 pushed a commit to NETIZEN-11/react that referenced this pull request Mar 22, 2026
Fixes issue facebook#36125: react-hooks/refs false positive with IntersectionObserver in useMemo

Problem:
- React Compiler incorrectly identifies false positive dependencies on refs
- When refs are used only for IntersectionObserver setup in useMemo
- This causes unnecessary re-renders and performance issues

Example:
const observer = useMemo(() => {
  const obs = new IntersectionObserver(callback);
  obs.observe(ref.current); // False positive dependency
  return obs;
}, [ref]); // Should be [], not [ref]

Solution:
- Detect IntersectionObserver patterns in dependency analysis
- Exclude ref dependencies when used only for IntersectionObserver context
- Preserve legitimate ref dependencies in other contexts
- Implement pattern recognition for ref.current usage within IntersectionObserver

Changes:
- Added IntersectionObserver pattern detection logic
- Enhanced dependency analysis to filter false positives
- Created comprehensive test coverage for various scenarios
- Preserved legitimate ref dependencies in callbacks

Test Results:
- Basic IntersectionObserver patterns: ✅ Fixed (no false positives)
- Multiple refs in IntersectionObserver: ✅ Fixed
- Ref in IntersectionObserver options: ✅ Fixed
- Legitimate ref usage: ✅ Preserved
- All test cases passing

Performance Impact:
- Eliminates unnecessary re-renders
- Improves useMemo optimization effectiveness
- Reduces false positive dependencies in React Compiler

Fixes: facebook#36125
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@claude review this PR

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Bug: react-hooks/refs false positive using IntersectionObserver

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