[ios][precompile] refactor header files generator for prebuilt React framework by chrfalch · Pull Request #54841 · react/react-native

chrfalch · 2025-12-10T14:15:24Z

Summary:

Replace the regex-based approach for parsing podspec files with a declarative configuration system for header file collection:

Add headers-config.js with explicit podspec configurations defining header patterns, directories, and subspecs

Add vfs.js to generate VFS overlay YAML files for Clang virtual file system support
Refactor headers.js to use the new configuration-based approach with support for nested subspecs and path preservation
Update xcframework.js to handle the new header mapping structure with source/target paths
This provides more reliable and maintainable header file collection for XCFramework builds by avoiding fragile regex parsing of Ruby podspec files.

Prev PR: #54840
Next PR: #54842

Changelog:

[IOS] [FIXED] - refactored header files generator for prebuilt React framework

Test Plan:

Run RNTester with prebuilt

github-actions · 2025-12-10T14:24:59Z

Job Summary for Gradle

Test All :: run_fantom_tests

Gradle Root Project	Requested Tasks	Gradle Version	Build Outcome	Build Scan®
react-native-github	:private:react-native-fantom:buildFantomTester	9.0.0	❌

cipolleschi

See my comment below. There are also some warnings on redeclared variables and variables declared but not used, so perhaps this PR requires a bit of work yet?

github-actions · 2025-12-10T19:44:43Z

Job Summary for Gradle

Test All :: run_fantom_tests

Gradle Root Project	Requested Tasks	Gradle Version	Build Outcome	Build Scan®
react-native-github	:private:react-native-fantom:buildFantomTester	9.0.0	❌

cipolleschi

One thing I'm not super excited about is that we are still depending on the podspec structure to decide which headers we need. That's ok for now, but as soon as we drop the Cocoapods infra, this will have to be rewritten again.

cipolleschi · 2025-12-16T15:56:01Z

+      .flat();
+
+    // Use the first podspec spec name as the podspec name (this is the root spec in the podspec file)
+    const podSpecName = podSpecsWithHeaderFiles[podspec][0].specName.replace(


Can you look into these warning too? @chrfalch

These warnings are fixed in the next PR in the stack. Sorry!

meta-codesync · 2026-01-14T11:06:28Z

@cipolleschi has imported this pull request. If you are a Meta employee, you can view this in D90674355.

Summary: To make the later VFS overlays work, our React umbrella header needs to use angled import syntax instead of quoted". This is so that the compiler will look up by module and not only by path. Prev PR: #54839 Next PR: #54841 ## Changelog: [IOS] [FIXED] - changed umbrella header template to use angled import syntax Pull Request resolved: #54840 Test Plan: Run RNTester with prebuilds Reviewed By: cortinico Differential Revision: D89377015 Pulled By: cipolleschi fbshipit-source-id: b1be8223b7cad5d09a918464f7bac6edad4bd051

cortinico

Review automatically exported from Phabricator review in Meta.

cipolleschi · 2026-01-26T16:23:38Z

from @cortinico

this needs to be updated

cipolleschi · 2026-01-26T16:24:15Z

from @cortinico

same as other comments

Replace the regex-based approach for parsing podspec files with a declarative configuration system for header file collection: Add headers-config.js with explicit podspec configurations defining header patterns, directories, and subspecs - Add vfs.js to generate VFS overlay YAML files for Clang virtual file system support - Refactor headers.js to use the new configuration-based approach with support for nested subspecs and path preservation - Update xcframework.js to handle the new header mapping structure with source/target paths - This provides more reliable and maintainable header file collection for XCFramework builds by avoiding fragile regex parsing of Ruby podspec files.

Now it reads from podspec files, except for some special cases that we have in the config file. Updated RCTSwiftUIWrapper.podspec to use podspec_sources (which we use to detect source) I tested this against the header files I got with the previous iteration, and also with the ones installed by Cocoapods.

Summary: To solve our problem with header files from the React.XCFramework not being consumable due to the legacy Cocoapods headers, we used to point all header search / resolving into the Pods/Headers folder when building even with the framework installed. This is a problem since an xcframework expects a modular header structure that can be consumed from within the headers folder of the framework. The headers are used for both Objective-c compiling and for creating clang modules that can be consumed by Swift in our setup. This commit fixes the above issues and makes a modular clang virtual file system from the header files we distribute. This vfs-overlay file will then be used by the `rncore.rb` script when installing the 'React-Core-prebuilt' pod and map the header files requested in the source code to the actual location on disk where the React.xcframework headers are installed. Here are the changes: - Added vfs.js with types for creating clang virtual file system overlays - Added resolving the paths in the vfs file to the actual install path - Added installing the vfs overlay with the switch `-ivfsoverlay <path>` to compiler settings for both obj-c and swift on pod installation - Add vfs targets to the app target on post install Prev PR: #54841 bypass-github-export-checks ## Changelog: [IOS] [FIXED] - added support for clang virtual file system in React.XCFramework Pull Request resolved: #54842 Test Plan: Run RNTester with prebuilt Reviewed By: cortinico Differential Revision: D90674493 Pulled By: cipolleschi fbshipit-source-id: 2b974f0651af351febdd4eb05a37a359a96aa070

meta-codesync · 2026-01-27T22:34:49Z

@cipolleschi merged this pull request in 3fad7dc.

react-native-bot · 2026-01-27T22:34:52Z

This pull request was successfully merged by @chrfalch in 3fad7dc

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

chrfalch requested a review from cipolleschi December 10, 2025 14:15

meta-cla Bot added the CLA Signed This label is managed by the Facebook bot. Authors need to sign the CLA before a PR can be reviewed. label Dec 10, 2025

facebook-github-bot added p: Expo Partner: Expo Partner Shared with Meta Applied via automation to indicate that an Issue or Pull Request has been shared with the team. labels Dec 10, 2025

cipolleschi requested changes Dec 10, 2025

View reviewed changes

Comment thread packages/react-native/scripts/ios-prebuild/headers-config.js Outdated

chrfalch requested a review from cipolleschi December 10, 2025 19:41

cipolleschi changed the base branch from main to chrfalch/react-precompile-change-to-angled-include-in-umbrella December 16, 2025 15:27

cipolleschi reviewed Dec 16, 2025

View reviewed changes

This was referenced Dec 17, 2025

[ios][precompile] add support for clang virtual file system #54842

Closed

[ios][precompile] change to angled include in umbrella #54840

Closed

chrfalch force-pushed the chrfalch/react-precompile-change-to-angled-include-in-umbrella branch 3 times, most recently from a91c7bb to 0b0199e Compare January 5, 2026 13:38

chrfalch force-pushed the chrfalch/react-precompile-refactor-header-file-generator branch from d0c3305 to b1fdfaf Compare January 5, 2026 13:43

chrfalch changed the base branch from chrfalch/react-precompile-change-to-angled-include-in-umbrella to main January 5, 2026 13:44

cortinico approved these changes Jan 19, 2026

View reviewed changes

cipolleschi approved these changes Jan 26, 2026

View reviewed changes

chrfalch added 2 commits January 26, 2026 20:19

chrfalch force-pushed the chrfalch/react-precompile-refactor-header-file-generator branch from b1fdfaf to 60dd56a Compare January 26, 2026 19:19

chrfalch added 4 commits January 26, 2026 20:22

codereview: Added comments

bf4f381

codereview: Fixed comments

613b8d5

codereview: fixed comment

dbea340

codereview: removed warning

06923a1

meta-codesync Bot closed this in 3fad7dc Jan 27, 2026

facebook-github-bot added the Merged This PR has been merged. label Jan 27, 2026

Conversation

chrfalch commented Dec 10, 2025 • edited by cipolleschi Loading Uh oh! There was an error while loading. Please reload this page.

Uh oh!

Summary:

Changelog:

Test Plan:

Uh oh!

github-actions Bot commented Dec 10, 2025

Job Summary for Gradle

Test All :: run_fantom_tests

Uh oh!

cipolleschi left a comment

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

Uh oh!

Uh oh!

github-actions Bot commented Dec 10, 2025

Job Summary for Gradle

Test All :: run_fantom_tests

Uh oh!

cipolleschi left a comment

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

Uh oh!

Uh oh!

Uh oh!

cipolleschi Dec 16, 2025

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

Uh oh!

chrfalch Dec 17, 2025

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

Uh oh!

meta-codesync Bot commented Jan 14, 2026

Uh oh!

cortinico left a comment

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

Uh oh!

Uh oh!

Uh oh!

cipolleschi Jan 26, 2026

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

Uh oh!

cipolleschi Jan 26, 2026

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

Uh oh!

meta-codesync Bot commented Jan 27, 2026

Uh oh!

react-native-bot commented Jan 27, 2026

Uh oh!

Reviewers

Assignees

Labels

Projects

Milestone

Development

Uh oh!

5 participants

chrfalch commented Dec 10, 2025 •

edited by cipolleschi

Loading