Environment Setup

This page covers prerequisites, environment variables, customization steps, available scripts, and build configuration for RNCopilot.

Prerequisites

Make sure the following tools are installed before working with RNCopilot:

Tool	Minimum Version	Notes
Node.js	18+	LTS recommended. Check with `node --version`
npm	Included with Node.js	Check with `npm --version`
Expo CLI	Latest	Used via `npx expo` — no global install needed
iOS Simulator	Xcode 15+	macOS only. Install Xcode from the Mac App Store
Android Emulator	Android Studio	Required for Android development

You can also test on physical devices using Expo Go. No simulator or emulator is strictly required for initial development.

Environment Variables

RNCopilot uses a .env file for configuration. Copy the example file to get started:


cp .env.example .env

All environment variables are optional. The app boots and functions without any of them configured. Add them as you integrate services.

Available Variables

Variable	Required	Default	Description
`EXPO_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_URL`	No	—	Your Supabase project URL
`EXPO_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_PUBLISHED_KEY`	No	—	Your Supabase anon/public key
`EXPO_PUBLIC_API_BASE_URL`	No	`https://api.example.com`	Base URL for the Axios API client
`EXPO_PUBLIC_SENTRY_DSN`	No	—	Sentry DSN for error tracking
`EXPO_PUBLIC_APP_ENV`	No	`development`	App environment: `development`, `staging`, or `production`

All Expo public environment variables must be prefixed with EXPO_PUBLIC_. Variables without this prefix will not be accessible in the client bundle.

Supabase Setup

To connect Supabase:

Create a Supabase project

Go to supabase.com and create a new project.

Copy your credentials

Find your project URL and anon key in Settings > API.

Add them to `.env`


EXPO_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_URL=https://your-project.supabase.co
EXPO_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_PUBLISHED_KEY=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6...

Restart the dev server

Environment variable changes require a server restart:


npm start

If Supabase credentials are missing, the app gracefully degrades. Auth features will not function, but the rest of the app works normally. This makes it easy to develop UI and business logic before setting up a backend.

Customization Checklist

When adapting RNCopilot for your own project, work through these items:

Item	File(s)	What to Change
App name and identifiers	`app.json`	`name`, `slug`, `scheme`, `bundleIdentifier`, `package`
Package metadata	`package.json`	`name`, `version`, `description`, `repository`
Environment variables	`.env`	Supabase URL, API base URL, Sentry DSN
Theme colors	`src/theme/`	Brand primary, accent, semantic tokens
Translations	`src/i18n/en.json`, `ar.json`	App-specific strings, remove template strings
Storage keys	`src/utils/storage/`	Update MMKV key names for your domain
Tab screens	`app/(main)/(tabs)/`	Add, remove, or rename tabs

RNCopilot includes an interactive migration wizard. Run npm run migrate for a guided walkthrough of all customization steps, or follow the detailed Migration Guide for manual instructions.

Available Scripts

Development

Command	Description
`npm start`	Start the Expo development server
`npm run ios`	Build and run on iOS Simulator
`npm run android`	Build and run on Android Emulator

Code Quality

Command	Description
`npm run type-check`	Run the TypeScript compiler (no emit)
`npm run lint`	Run ESLint across the codebase
`npm run lint:fix`	Auto-fix ESLint issues
`npm run format`	Format all files with Prettier
`npm run format:check`	Check formatting without writing changes
`npm run validate`	Run all checks: type-check + lint + format

Run npm run validate before committing to catch all issues at once. This is the same set of checks that Husky runs in the pre-commit hook.

Testing

Command	Description
`npm test`	Run the Jest test suite
`npm run test:coverage`	Run tests with a coverage report

Reset and Migration

Command	Description
`npm run migrate`	Interactive migration wizard
`npm run reset-showcase`	Remove home screen showcase content (keeps auth)
`npm run reset-template`	Full reset — removes all example content for a blank canvas

EAS Build

RNCopilot is compatible with Expo Application Services (EAS) for building and submitting to app stores.

Install EAS CLI


npm install -g eas-cli

Log in to your Expo account


eas login

Configure your project


eas build:configure

This generates an eas.json file with build profiles for development, preview, and production.

Create a build


# Development build (includes dev tools)
eas build --platform ios --profile development
eas build --platform android --profile development
 
# Production build
eas build --platform ios --profile production
eas build --platform android --profile production

Submit to stores


eas submit --platform ios
eas submit --platform android

EAS Build requires an Expo account. Development builds require a paid EAS subscription for priority queues, though free-tier builds are available with longer wait times.

Next Steps

With your environment configured, explore the rest of the documentation:

Project Structure — Understand how the codebase is organized
Quick Start — Get the app running if you haven’t already