Let `spm deinit` take an app back to CocoaPods by chrfalch · Pull Request #59368 · react/react-native

chrfalch · 2026-10-22T16:26:57Z

Summary:

An app converted to SwiftPM cannot go back to CocoaPods today. The conversion deletes the React Native lines from the Podfile, one line at a time. A call that spans several lines, such as use_react_native!(…), keeps its other lines, so the Podfile is no longer valid Ruby.

This PR keeps the Podfile unchanged. The way back to CocoaPods is then npx react-native spm deinit, followed by pod install.

What changes:

spm add --deintegrate keeps the Podfile. It runs pod deintegrate and nothing else on the Podfile.
Plain npx react-native spm no longer converts a CocoaPods app. It stops and points to spm add --deintegrate.
pod install stops on a SwiftPM app. The Podfile is still there, so a user can run pod install by mistake. That would add CocoaPods back and break the generated Package.swift. The React Native CocoaPods scripts now stop with an error, before they write any file, when the .xcodeproj has the SwiftPM marker file (.spm-injected.json).
spm deinit cleans up after itself. It removes the .gitignore lines that the conversion added, and the empty ReactNativeSPM folders. Then it says to run pod install.

Smaller fixes from the review:

The uncommitted-changes prompt now comes before pod deintegrate, so "no" changes nothing.
.gitignore is written only after a successful conversion.
Pods that come from node_modules/react-native no longer show in the "pods that are not part of React Native" warning.

The three SwiftPM iOS CI workflows checked the Podfile content after the conversion. They now check that the .xcodeproj has no CocoaPods references.

Where to look:

scripts/setup-apple-spm.js: the conversion and deinit (items 1, 2, 4).
scripts/cocoapods/utils.rb (error_if_spm_injected), called from react_native_pods.rb and cocoapods/autolinking.rb: the pod install check (item 3).

Changelog:

[IOS] [CHANGED] - react-native spm add --deintegrate keeps the Podfile, and pod install stops with an error on an app that uses SwiftPM. react-native spm deinit and then pod install take an app back to CocoaPods.

Test Plan:

Unit tests:

yarn jest packages/react-native/scripts/spm/__tests__

25 suites, 1236 tests pass.

A new app on React Native 0.89.0-nightly-20261021-c7429b0e9 and CLI 21.0.0-alpha.1, with the changed scripts copied in:

npx react-native spm add --deintegrate --yes: the app converts, the Podfile is unchanged, and the SwiftPM build succeeds.
pod install: it stops with "This app uses Swift Package Manager for React Native … so pod install would break the Xcode project." No file changes.
npx react-native run-ios and build-ios: both build the app. The CLI sees the marker file and does not run pod install.
npx react-native spm deinit, then pod install: the CocoaPods build succeeds.

Not checked: Flow locally (my Flow binary is too old), run-ios --force-pods, and CLI 20.

github-actions · 2026-10-26T15:11:41Z

Visual regression

1 visual difference(s) at dda80a2cf86c. Visual differences need maintainer approval. Review the report, then apply visual-change-approved.

ios `view/z-index/reordered`: Changed, 15396 px (2.160%)

Expected and Captured

Expected	Captured

Converting an app to SwiftPM with `--deintegrate` now moves the Podfile to Podfile.bak instead of deleting React Native lines from it (that edit left invalid Ruby for multi-line calls). `spm deinit` restores the Podfile, undoes the .gitignore lines the conversion wrote, removes empty ReactNativeSPM folders, and says to run `pod install`. The conversion refuses, before changing anything, when the Podfile has pods that are not React Native or when Podfile.bak already exists.

The Podfile is moved to Podfile.bak, so no pod is lost and `spm deinit` restores it. An explicit `--deintegrate` now lists the other pods, says CocoaPods will not install them while the app uses SwiftPM unless SwiftPM provides them, and continues. RNTester needs this: its Podfile has local example pods that SwiftPM provides. The automatic conversion of a new app still skips such Podfiles.

cipolleschi

Thanks for this!
I'd changes some bits, to simplify the feature... See my comments!

cipolleschi · 2026-10-29T16:19:42Z

 ```

+On a fresh CocoaPods app, this converts the app to SwiftPM. It runs
+`pod deintegrate` and moves the `Podfile` to `Podfile.bak`. A Podfile with pods


Podfile can remain Podfile. Why do we need to change it?

Done. The Podfile now stays as it is.

cipolleschi · 2026-10-29T16:20:17Z

+`pod deintegrate` and moves the `Podfile` to `Podfile.bak`. A Podfile with pods
+that are not part of React Native is not converted automatically;
+`spm add --deintegrate` converts it and warns that those pods are not installed.
+Without a Podfile, the CLI needs `@react-native-community/cli` 21 or newer to


if we keep it, we can lift this requirement

Done. The CLI 21 requirement is gone, because the Podfile stays in place.

cipolleschi · 2026-10-29T16:20:52Z

+2. moves the `Podfile` to `Podfile.bak`, unchanged. `spm deinit` moves it back.
+   If `Podfile.bak` already exists, the command stops before it changes
+   anything.


I would not do this step.

Done. The step is removed.

cipolleschi · 2026-10-29T16:23:08Z

-Non-RN pods can stay side-by-side. Your Podfile still lists them. Remove the
-leftover React Native lines (see step 2 above), then re-integrate the pods with
-a normal install:
+`--deintegrate` converts an app whose Podfile has pods that are not part of


it might be confusing that we have two different behaviors for spm --deintegrate and spm.
I understand that we would like to remove a step (manually calling --deintegrate) but perhaps it is not a bad thing that the user has to call it themselves.

Done. Plain spm no longer runs --deintegrate. On a CocoaPods app it stops and points to spm add --deintegrate.

cipolleschi · 2026-10-29T16:25:12Z

+[local native module](#local-native-modules). The pods stay in `Podfile.bak`,
+and `spm deinit` restores the Podfile.
+
+To keep a CocoaPods-only pod next to SwiftPM, convert by hand:


are there Cocoapods-only pods? I believe that most Native iOS libraries nowadays supports Swift PM. For React Native packages, we should strive to auto-convert them or to fail. If the users have a pod that still needs to be converted to SwiftPM and that can't be converted automatically, I would probably fail and ask them to open a PR/Issue to convert the library.

I kept this a warning, as in my top-level comment (point 4). The Podfile now stays unchanged, so spm deinit and then pod install bring those pods back. An error would also block RNTester: its Podfile has local pods that SwiftPM provides through spmModules.

cipolleschi · 2026-10-29T16:31:05Z

+  return true;
+}
+
+function restorePodfile(appRoot /*: string */) /*: void */ {


The move isn't recorded in the marker (unlike the .gitignore lines), so deinit renames any Podfile.bak to Podfile, including one the user made themselves. This goes away if we keep the Podfile in place.

Gone. The Podfile.bak code is removed.

cipolleschi · 2026-10-29T16:31:07Z

    return false;
  }
-  if (podfileHasThirdPartyPods(appRoot)) {
+  if (podfileHasThirdPartyPods(appRoot) || hasPodfileBackup(appRoot)) {


When Podfile.bak exists, this skips without saying why. The fail-fast check then suggests spm add --deintegrate, which refuses for the same reason. Could we log the reason here?

If we get rid of the Podfile.bak, we can simplify the code significantly

Gone. The Podfile.bak code is removed.

cipolleschi · 2026-10-29T16:31:08Z

-function podfileHasThirdPartyPods(appRoot /*: string */) /*: boolean */ {
+// The names of the pods the Podfile declares explicitly (`pod '...'` or
+// `pod('...')`), deduplicated, in order. React Native itself comes in through
+// use_react_native!, so every name here is a pod that is not part of it.


Older or brownfield Podfiles can list RN pods explicitly (e.g. pod 'React-Core', :path => '../node_modules/react-native/'), so this would report them as non-RN. Pods from test targets also end up in the list.

Done. Pods with :path or :podspec into node_modules/react-native now count as React Native pods. Pods in test targets stay in the list: to find them, we would need to parse the Ruby target blocks.

cipolleschi · 2026-10-29T16:31:10Z

+    const podNames = podfilePodNames(appRoot);
+    if (podNames.length > 0) {
+      logError(
+        'Your Podfile declares pods that are not part of React Native: ' +


Nit: this is a warning, but it goes through logError and the run continues. If we decide to fail here instead (see my comment in the docs), this is the place to do it.

Done. It is now printed as a warning.

cipolleschi · 2026-10-29T16:31:11Z

 function runDeintegrate(appRoot /*: string */) /*: void */ {
+  const podfilePath = path.join(appRoot, 'Podfile');
+  const backupPath = path.join(appRoot, 'Podfile.bak');
+  if (refuseToOverwritePodfileBackup(appRoot)) {


Nit: main already runs this check before we get here, so this one never fires on that path. Is it only meant for direct callers?

Gone. This check was part of the Podfile.bak code.

chrfalch · 2026-10-29T17:01:18Z

Thanks for the review, Riccardo! I agree with most of it. My plan:

Keep the Podfile in place. --deintegrate runs pod deintegrate and leaves the Podfile unchanged. All the Podfile.bak code goes, and with it the bugs you found around it and the need for CLI 21. The way back is then spm deinit followed by pod install. To catch a pod install run by mistake, the next spm run or Xcode sync stops with a clear error when CocoaPods is back in the project.
Plain npx react-native spm no longer converts a CocoaPods app. The user, or the CLI, runs spm add --deintegrate explicitly.
Order of steps: the uncommitted-changes prompt moves before any change, and .gitignore is written only after a successful injection.
Other pods: I would like to keep this a warning, not an error. The Podfile is now kept unchanged, so nothing is lost. An error would also block RNTester: its Podfile has local pods that SwiftPM provides through spmModules. I will fix the two problems you found: React Native pods that are listed by name now count as React Native pods, and the message is printed as a warning.
deinit → remove: I would leave the name as it is in this PR. deinit already exists, and other tools call these scripts directly. Happy to do the rename in a separate PR if you want it.

I will push these as new commits.

Review feedback: `spm add --deintegrate` no longer moves the Podfile to Podfile.bak. It runs `pod deintegrate` and keeps the Podfile unchanged, so `spm deinit` and then `pod install` go back to CocoaPods. - Plain `spm` no longer converts a CocoaPods app; it points to `spm add --deintegrate`. - The React Native CocoaPods scripts stop `pod install` before any write when the .xcodeproj next to the Podfile has .spm-injected.json. Otherwise `pod install` rewrites the generated Package.swift with a wrong path and Xcode fails to resolve packages before any build phase runs. - The uncommitted-changes prompt comes before `pod deintegrate`. - .gitignore is written only after a successful injection. - Pods sourced from node_modules/react-native count as React Native pods, and the other-pods message is a warning. - The SwiftPM iOS workflows check for `Pods-` references in the pbxproj instead of the Podfile content.

chrfalch · 2026-10-30T08:05:18Z

Pushed the changes in 0640f08. One change from my earlier plan (point 1): a mistaken pod install is now stopped by pod install itself. The React Native CocoaPods scripts see the SwiftPM marker in the .xcodeproj and stop with an error before they write any file. A later check in spm or the Xcode sync phase was too late: pod install rewrites the generated Package.swift, and Xcode fails to resolve packages before any build phase runs. The test plan in the description has the details.

cipolleschi · 2026-10-30T14:19:29Z

+  for (const line of fs.readFileSync(podfilePath, 'utf8').split('\n')) {
+    // `#{` is Ruby string interpolation, not a comment. A line that ends in
+    // `,` continues on the next one.
+    const code = continued + line.split(/#(?!\{)/)[0].trimEnd();


Small edge case: continued ends with a space, so if a blank or comment-only line sits in the middle of a multi-line pod call, code.endsWith(',') is false and the statement ends before its :path. For example:

pod 'React-Core', # comment :path => '../node_modules/react-native/'

This gets reported as a non-RN pod. Trimming the whole code string should fix it.

Good catch, fixed in dae2c23. The whole joined line is trimmed now, so a blank or comment line inside a pod call no longer ends it. I added a test with both cases.

cipolleschi · 2026-10-30T14:19:29Z

+      );
+    }
+    if (fs.existsSync(path.join(appRoot, 'Podfile'))) {
+      log('To go back to CocoaPods, run `pod install`.');


Nit: this is printed even when deinit found nothing to remove. Also, when the command was redirected from the JS root, it might help to say where to run it (e.g. cd ios && pod install, or displayPath(appRoot)).

Fixed in dae2c23. The line is printed only when deinit removed the SwiftPM setup. When the command was run from the JS root, it says cd ios && pod install. Tests added for both.

- A multi-line `pod` call with a blank or comment line in the middle no longer ends early, so a pod sourced from node_modules/react-native is not reported as a non-React Native pod. - `spm deinit` says to run `pod install` only when it removed the SwiftPM setup, and says `cd ios && pod install` when run from the JS root.

cipolleschi

Thanks for addressing all the feedback!

meta-codesync · 2026-11-02T12:44:51Z

@cipolleschi has imported this pull request. If you are a Meta employee, you can view this in D129064536.

react-native-bot · 2026-11-03T11:41:31Z

This pull request was successfully merged by @chrfalch in b255245

^{When will my fix make it into a release? | How to file a pick request?}

`spm add --deintegrate` keeps the Podfile since #59368, so the RNTester check now looks for CocoaPods references in RNTesterPods.xcodeproj, as the SwiftPM workflows on main do.

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chrfalch added 2 commits October 28, 2026 15:06

chrfalch force-pushed the chrfalch/spm-cocoapods-opt-out branch from b75a2b8 to dda80a2 Compare October 28, 2026 14:06

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chrfalch changed the title ~~Let spm deinit take an app back to CocoaPods~~ Keep the Podfile so spm deinit can take an app back to CocoaPods Oct 30, 2026

chrfalch changed the title ~~Keep the Podfile so spm deinit can take an app back to CocoaPods~~ Let spm deinit take an app back to CocoaPods Oct 30, 2026

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chrfalch requested a review from cipolleschi October 30, 2026 21:01

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feat(init): set up iOS with Swift Package Manager by default react-native-community/cli#2881

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Build the iOS test apps with SwiftPM in CI #59742

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Test Plan:

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Visual regression

ios view/z-index/reordered: Changed, 15396 px (2.160%)

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chrfalch commented Oct 22, 2026 •

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ios `view/z-index/reordered`: Changed, 15396 px (2.160%)