GSAP Plugins
When to Use This Skill
Apply when using or reviewing code that uses GSAP plugins: registering plugins, scroll-to, flip/FLIP animations, draggable elements, SVG (DrawSVG, MorphSVG, MotionPath), text (SplitText, ScrambleText), physics, easing plugins (CustomEase, EasePack, CustomWiggle, CustomBounce), or GSDevTools. ScrollTrigger has its own skill (gsap-scrolltrigger).
Related skills: For core tweens use gsap-core; for ScrollTrigger use gsap-scrolltrigger; for React use gsap-react.
Licensing & Install (important)
Every GSAP plugin is free, including for commercial use. Since Webflow's acquisition of GSAP, Club GSAP is no longer a paid tier and no plugin requires a membership, license key, or auth token — this includes formerly Club-only plugins (SplitText, MorphSVG, etc.).
- ✅ Install everything from the public
gsapnpm package:npm install gsap. All plugins are included — import them asgsap/SplitText,gsap/MorphSVGPlugin, etc. - ❌ Do not generate an
.npmrcwith a GreenSock auth token, suggest the privatenpm.greensock.comregistry, or tell users to sign up for Club GSAP to access a plugin. Those instructions are outdated.
Registering Plugins
Register each plugin once so GSAP (and bundlers) know to include it. Use gsap.registerPlugin() with every plugin used in the project:
- ✅ Register before using the plugin in any tween or API call.
- ✅ In React, register at top level or once in the app (e.g. before first useGSAP); do not register inside a component that re-renders. useGSAP is a plugin that needs to be registered before use.
Scroll
ScrollToPlugin
Animates scroll position (window or a scrollable element). Use for “scroll to element” or “scroll to position” without ScrollTrigger.
ScrollToPlugin — key config (scrollTo object):
ScrollSmoother
Smooth scroll wrapper (smooths native scroll). Requires ScrollTrigger and a specific DOM structure (content wrapper + smooth wrapper). Use when smooth, momentum-style scroll is needed. See GSAP docs for setup; register after ScrollTrigger. DOM structure would look like:
DOM / UI
Flip
Capture state with Flip.getState(), then apply changes (e.g. layout or class changes), then use Flip.from() to animate from the previous state to the new state (FLIP: First, Last, Invert, Play). Use when animating between two layout states (lists, grids, expanded/collapsed).
Flip — key config (Flip.from vars):
More information
https://gsap.com/docs/v3/Plugins/Flip
Draggable
Makes elements draggable, spinnable, or throwable with mouse/touch. Use for sliders, cards, reorderable lists, or any drag interaction.
Draggable — key config options:
Inertia (InertiaPlugin)
Works with Draggable for momentum after release, or track the inertia/velocity of any property of any object so that it can then seamlessly glide to a stop using a simple tween. Register with Draggable when using inertia: true:
Or track velocity of a property:
Then use "auto" to continue the current velocity and glide to a stop:
Observer
Normalizes pointer and scroll input across devices. Use for swipe, scroll direction, or custom gesture logic without tying directly to scroll position like ScrollTrigger.
Observer — key config options:
Text
SplitText
Splits an element’s text into characters, words, and/or lines (each in its own element) for staggered or per-unit animation. Use when animating text character-by-character, word-by-word, or line-by-line. Returns an instance with chars, words, lines (and masks when mask is set). Restore original markup with revert() or let gsap.context() revert. Integrates with gsap.context(), matchMedia(), and useGSAP(). API: SplitText.create(target, vars) (target = selector, element, or array).
With onSplit() (v3.13.0+), animations run on each split and on re-split when autoSplit is used; returning a tween/timeline from onSplit() lets SplitText clean up and sync progress on re-split:
SplitText — key config (SplitText.create vars):
Tips: Split only what is animated (e.g. skip chars if only animating words). For custom fonts, split after they load (e.g. document.fonts.ready.then(...)) or use autoSplit: true with onSplit(). To avoid kerning shift when splitting chars, use CSS font-kerning: none; text-rendering: optimizeSpeed;. Avoid text-wrap: balance; it can interfere with splitting. SplitText does not support SVG <text>.
Learn more: SplitText
ScrambleText
Animates text with a scramble/glitch effect. Use when revealing or transitioning text with a scramble.
SVG
DrawSVG (DrawSVGPlugin)
Reveals or hides the stroke of SVG elements by animating stroke-dashoffset / stroke-dasharray. Works on <path>, <line>, <polyline>, <polygon>, <rect>, <ellipse>. Use when “drawing” or “erasing” strokes.
drawSVG value: Describes the visible segment of the stroke along the path (start and end positions), not “animate from A to B over time.” Format: "start end" in percent or length. Examples: "0% 100%" = full stroke; "20% 80%" = stroke only between 20% and 80% (gaps at both ends). The tween animates from the element’s current segment to the target segment — e.g. gsap.to("#path", { drawSVG: "0% 100%" }) goes from whatever it is now to full stroke. Single value (e.g. 0, "100%") means start is 0: "100%" is equivalent to "0% 100%".
Required: The element must have a visible stroke — set stroke and stroke-width in CSS or as SVG attributes; otherwise nothing is drawn.
Caveats: Only affects stroke (not fill). Prefer single-segment <path> elements; multi-segment paths can render oddly in some browsers. Contents of <use> cannot be visually changed. DrawSVGPlugin.getLength(element) and DrawSVGPlugin.getPosition(element) return stroke length and current position.
Learn more: DrawSVG
MorphSVG (MorphSVGPlugin)
Morphs one SVG shape into another by animating the d attribute (path data). Start and end shapes do not need the same number of points — MorphSVG converts to cubic beziers and adds points as needed. Use for icon-to-icon morphs, shape transitions, or path-based animations. Works on <path>, <polyline>, and <polygon>; <circle>, <rect>, <ellipse>, and <line> are converted internally or via MorphSVGPlugin.convertToPath(selector | element) (replaces the element in the DOM with a <path>).
morphSVG value: Can be a selector (e.g. "#lightning"), an element, raw path data (e.g. "M47.1,0.8 73.3,0.8..."), or for polygon/polyline a points string (e.g. "240,220 240,70 70,70 70,220"). For full config use the object form with shape as the only required property.
MorphSVG — key config (morphSVG object):
Utilities: MorphSVGPlugin.convertToPath(selector | element) converts circle/rect/ellipse/line/polygon/polyline to <path> in the DOM. MorphSVGPlugin.rawPathToString(rawPath) and stringToRawPath(d) convert between path strings and raw arrays. The plugin stores the original d on the target (e.g. for tweening back: morphSVG: "#originalId" or the same element).
Tips: For twisted or inverted morphs, set shapeIndex (use "log" or findShapeIndex()). For multi-segment paths, shapeIndex is an array (one value per segment). Precompile only when the first frame is slow; it does not fix jank during the tween (simplify the SVG or reduce size if needed).
Learn more: MorphSVG
MotionPath (MotionPathPlugin)
Animates an element along an SVG path. Use when moving an object along a path (e.g. a curve or custom route).
MotionPath — key config (motionPath object):
MotionPathHelper
Visual editor for MotionPath (alignment, offset). Use during development to tune path alignment.
Easing
CustomEase
Custom easing curves (cubic-bezier or SVG path). Use when a built-in ease is not enough. Basic usage is covered in gsap-core; register when using:
EasePack
Adds more named eases (e.g. SlowMo, RoughEase, ExpoScaleEase). Register and use the ease names in tweens.
CustomWiggle
Wiggle/shake easing. Use when a value should “wiggle” (multiple oscillations).
CustomBounce
Bounce-style easing with configurable strength.
Physics
Physics2D (Physics2DPlugin)
2D physics (velocity, angle, gravity). Use when animating with simple physics (e.g. projectiles, bouncing).
PhysicsProps (PhysicsPropsPlugin)
Applies physics to property values. Use for physics-driven property animation.
Development
GSDevTools
UI for scrubbing timelines, toggling animations, and debugging. Use during development only; do not ship. Register and create an instance with a timeline reference.
Other
Pixi (PixiPlugin)
Integrates GSAP with PixiJS for animating Pixi display objects. Register when animating Pixi objects with GSAP.
Best practices
- ✅ Register every plugin used with gsap.registerPlugin() before first use.
- ✅ Use Flip.getState() → DOM change → Flip.from() for layout transitions; use Draggable + InertiaPlugin for drag with momentum.
- ✅ Revert plugin instances (e.g.
SplitTextInstance.revert()) when components unmount or elements are removed.
Do Not
- ❌ Use a plugin in a tween or API without registering it first (gsap.registerPlugin()).
- ❌ Ship GSDevTools or development-only plugins to production.




