Motion Patterns
Copy-paste patterns for the most common UI animation needs.
Every pattern here is built on motion-foundations tokens and springs.
Do not define new duration or easing values here — import them.
When to Activate
- Animating a button, card, modal, or toast notification
- Building list entrances with stagger
- Setting up page transitions in Next.js App Router
- Adding entrance or exit animations to conditional content
- Implementing scroll-reveal, scroll-linked progress, or sticky story sections
- Building expanding cards, accordions, or shared-element transitions
Outputs
This skill produces:
- Accessible, SSR-safe animation for all standard UI components
AnimatePresence-wrapped conditional renders with correct exit behavior- Page transition wrapper component for Next.js App Router
- Scroll-reveal and scroll-linked patterns using
useScroll+useTransform - Layout animation patterns (
layout,layoutId) for expanding and crossfading elements
Principles
- Every pattern imports from
motion-foundations. No raw numbers. - Every conditional render is wrapped in
AnimatePresencewith akey. - Exit animations are always defined alongside enter animations — never as an afterthought.
layoutis used only for small, isolated shifts. Large subtrees get explicit transforms.
Rules
- Always wrap conditional renders in
AnimatePresencewith akeyon the direct child. Without a key, exit animations never fire. - Always define
exitwhen defininginitial+animate. An animation without an exit is incomplete. - Use
mode="wait"on page transitions. Enter must not start until exit completes. - Never use
layouton subtrees with more than ~5 children or deeply nested DOM. Use explicitx/ytransforms instead. - Stagger interval must stay between
0.05sand0.10s. Below feels mechanical; above feels sluggish. - Modals must always include: focus trap, Escape-key close, scroll lock,
role="dialog",aria-modal="true". - Scroll reveals use
viewport={{ once: true }}. Repeating on scroll-out is distracting, not informative. - All token values are imported from
motion-foundations. No inline numbers.
Decision Guidance
Choosing the right pattern
When to use mode="wait" vs mode="sync"
Core Concepts
AnimatePresence contract
Three things must always be true:
AnimatePresencewraps the conditional- The direct child has a
key - The child has an
exitprop
Miss any one of these and the exit animation silently fails.
layout vs layoutId
layout— animates the element's own size/position change in placelayoutId— links two separate elements, crossfading between them across renders
Use layout="position" on text inside an expanding container to prevent text reflow from animating.
Code Examples
Button feedback
Stagger list
Modal
Toast stack
Page transition (Next.js App Router)
Scroll reveal
Scroll progress bar
Expanding card
Shared-element crossfade
Accordion
End-to-End Example
A staggered list that enters on mount, handles conditional presence, and
respects reduced motion — combining tokens, springs, AnimatePresence, and
the accessibility hook from motion-foundations:
Constraints / Non-Goals
This skill does not cover:
- Token and spring definitions → see
motion-foundations - Drag interactions, swipe gestures, reorderable lists → see
motion-advanced - Text animations (word/character reveal, counters) → see
motion-advanced - SVG path drawing or morphing → see
motion-advanced - Custom animation hooks → see
motion-advanced - CSS-only transitions not using
motion/react
Anti-Patterns
Related Skills
motion-foundations— defines all tokens, springs, theuseSafeMotionhook, and SSR guards that every pattern here imports. Must be set up first.motion-advanced— extends these patterns with drag, gestures, SVG, text, custom hooks, and imperative sequencing. Does not redefine any patterns from this skill.

