compose-animations

Performance First

Every Compose frame runs three phases. Cost rises left-to-right; restart scope shrinks left-to-right.

Phase	What Runs	Restart Cost	Trigger
Composition	Composable functions, state reads	HIGH (whole scope)	State read in composable body
Layout	Measure + place	MEDIUM (subtree)	State read in measure lambda
Drawing	Canvas commands, graphicsLayer	LOW (single node)	State read in draw/graphicsLayer lambda

Defer State Reads (decision tree)

Do you need the value during composition?

• YES → read as T (Composition phase) — accept full restart cost
• NO → can you defer to layout/draw?
  • Layout-only? → pass () -> T into Modifier.layout/offset { } lambda
  • Draw/transform? → pass () -> T into Modifier.graphicsLayer { } / drawBehind { } lambda

Rule: prefer Modifier.offset { lambda } over Modifier.offset(state.value.dp). Lambda variant defers the read to the layout phase, skipping recomposition entirely.

Animation Value in Drawing Phase Only

// ❌ Property overload — reads animX in Composition phase
// Every animation frame recomposes the entire composable scope
val animX by animateFloatAsState(targetValue = if (moved) 200f else 0f, label = "SlideX")

Box(
    Modifier
        .graphicsLayer(translationX = animX)  // read in Composition — recomposes every frame
        .size(100.dp)
        .background(Color.Blue)
)

// ✅ Lambda overload — reads animX in Drawing phase only
// Animation frames do NOT trigger recomposition; only Drawing phase runs
Box(
    Modifier
        .graphicsLayer { translationX = animX }  // read in Drawing — zero recompositions
        .size(100.dp)
        .background(Color.Blue)
)

The lambda form of graphicsLayer { } creates its own draw-phase scope. State reads inside that lambda are invisible to the Composition phase — the composable does not recompose on every animation tick; only the single Drawing node re-runs.

---

Performance Toolchain

WARNING: NEVER profile in debug builds. Debug disables R8, inlining, and Strong Skipping — numbers are meaningless. Always profile a release build with profileable enabled or a benchmark build type.

Tool	Use For	When
Baseline Profiles	AOT-compile critical paths (startup, scroll)	Ship in release; regenerate per release
Compose Compiler Reports	Detect unstable params, restartable/skippable status	Every PR; fail CI on new unstable types
Layout Inspector (recomposition counts)	See which composables recompose and why	When debugging excess recomposition
Composition Tracing	Frame-level composition timing in Android Studio	When Layout Inspector is not enough
Macrobenchmark	Measure startup, frame timing, jank in release	Per-release regression gate

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When to Use

Use this skill when:

• Choosing which animation API to use (animate*AsState, updateTransition, Animatable, etc.)
• Implementing AnimatedVisibility or AnimatedContent for UI state transitions
• Applying transforms (translationX, scaleX, alpha, rotation) in animations
• Animating colors (background, custom drawing)
• Building sequential or interruptible animations with LaunchedEffect + Animatable
• Debugging animation jank or unexpected recompositions during animation
• Configuring AnimationSpec (spring, tween, keyframes, snap)

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When to Use This vs compose-effects

Both this skill and compose-effects involve LaunchedEffect + Animatable. The distinction:

Scenario	Use
Choosing the right animation API, phase-optimal rendering, AnimatedVisibility, AnimatedContent, animate*AsState, CompositingStrategy	compose-animations (this skill)
Effect lifecycle, LaunchedEffect key rules, rememberUpdatedState, snapshotFlow, DisposableEffect, side effects	compose-effects
Sequential animations or interruptible animations driven by LaunchedEffect + Animatable.animateTo()	Both — compose-effects for the LaunchedEffect pattern; this skill for Animatable API and phase placement

When you see LaunchedEffect + Animatable together, load both skills.

---

CMP Applicability

Canonical CMP rules: ../_shared/cmp-platform.md

Source set	Status	Notes
commonMain	✅	All animation APIs are commonMain-safe
androidMain	✅	Full skill content applies
iosMain	✅	animate*AsState, Animatable, updateTransition, AnimatedVisibility, AnimatedContent all supported
desktopMain	✅	Same as above
wasmJsMain	✅	Same as above

Status legend: ✅ fully supported · ⚠️ partial / version-gated · ❌ Android-only.

If using in CMP: All animation APIs in this skill (animate*AsState, Animatable, updateTransition, AnimatedVisibility, animateContentSize, graphicsLayer lambda) are commonMain-safe. No version gates or platform exclusions apply. See ../_shared/cmp-platform.md for general CMP rules.

---

Critical Patterns

1. graphicsLayer { } Lambda Overload — ALWAYS

The lambda form reads state only in the Drawing phase, skipping Composition and Layout entirely. The property overload (graphicsLayer(translationX = value)) evaluates in Composition and recomposes the scope on every animation frame.

val animAlpha by animateFloatAsState(if (visible) 1f else 0f, label = "FadeAlpha")

// ❌ Forces Composition phase — recomposes every animation tick
Modifier.graphicsLayer(alpha = animAlpha)

// ✅ Drawing phase only — zero recompositions per animation tick
Modifier.graphicsLayer { alpha = animAlpha }

This is the single highest-impact animation performance rule. Apply it unconditionally.

2. Modifier.drawBehind for Animated Colors

drawBehind { drawRect(animatedColor) } reads the color only in the Drawing phase. Modifier.background(animatedColor) reads during Composition, triggering recomposition on every animation frame.

val animatedColor by animateColorAsState(
    targetValue = if (selected) Color.Blue else Color.Gray,
    label = "SelectionColor"
)

// ❌ background() reads animatedColor in Composition — recomposes every frame
Box(Modifier.background(animatedColor))

// ✅ drawBehind reads animatedColor in Drawing phase only
Box(Modifier.drawBehind { drawRect(animatedColor) })

3. CompositingStrategy Choices

graphicsLayer { alpha < 1f } creates an offscreen GPU buffer by default (Auto). Avoid when content does not overlap.

Strategy	Buffer	Use When
Auto (default)	Yes, when alpha < 1f	Content overlaps and must composite correctly
ModulateAlpha	No	Content does NOT overlap (simpler views, icons)
Offscreen	Yes, always	BlendMode isolation required (e.g., BlendMode.DstIn for masks)

// ✅ Non-overlapping content — eliminates GPU offscreen buffer
Modifier.graphicsLayer {
    alpha = 0.5f
    compositingStrategy = CompositingStrategy.ModulateAlpha
}

4. API Selection Decision Tree

Single property changing on state?
  └─ YES → animate*AsState (simplest; handles interruption automatically)

Multiple properties from the same state change?
  └─ YES → updateTransition (synchronized, single state source, all properties move together)

Sequential or interruptible animations?
  └─ YES → Animatable + LaunchedEffect (full coroutine control)

Indefinitely repeating?
  └─ YES → rememberInfiniteTransition (built-in looping)

5. AnimatedVisibility Removes Content After Exit

Content inside AnimatedVisibility is fully removed from composition after the exit animation completes — freeing memory and ensuring accessibility services ignore it. Prefer this over manual alpha animations that leave invisible-but-present content in the tree.

AnimatedVisibility(
    visible = isVisible,
    enter = fadeIn() + slideInVertically(),
    exit = fadeOut() + slideOutVertically(),
    label = "CardVisibility"
) {
    Card { ... }  // removed from composition after exit animation; not just alpha=0
}

6. label Is MANDATORY on All Animations

Required for Android Studio Animation Preview and systrace identification. Without it, animations appear as unnamed frames in tooling, making debugging impossible.

// ❌ Missing label — invisible in Animation Preview and systrace
val alpha by animateFloatAsState(targetValue = if (visible) 1f else 0f)

// ✅ Named — appears correctly in Animation Preview and systrace
val alpha by animateFloatAsState(
    targetValue = if (visible) 1f else 0f,
    label = "CardAlpha"
)

Apply label to every animate*AsState, AnimatedVisibility, AnimatedContent, updateTransition, and rememberInfiniteTransition call.

7. animateContentSize Position in Modifier Chain

animateContentSize() MUST appear BEFORE size modifiers (height(), size(), fillMaxWidth()). Placing it after causes the animation to measure against already-constrained dimensions, producing incorrect layout values and jank.

// ❌ Wrong order — animateContentSize sees only the fixed height, not the natural content size
Modifier
    .height(if (expanded) 200.dp else 80.dp)
    .animateContentSize()

// ✅ Correct order — animateContentSize intercepts before height constrains measurement
Modifier
    .animateContentSize(animationSpec = spring(dampingRatio = Spring.DampingRatioMediumBouncy))
    .height(if (expanded) 200.dp else 80.dp)

8. spring Over tween for Interruptible Animations

spring is physics-based. It handles mid-flight interruptions gracefully because it resumes from current velocity without duration arithmetic. tween has a fixed duration that creates discontinuities when interrupted mid-way (e.g., user taps a button while animation is running).

// ❌ tween — fixed 300ms; creates discontinuity if interrupted at 150ms
animationSpec = tween(durationMillis = 300)

// ✅ spring — physics handles interruption naturally from current velocity
animationSpec = spring(
    dampingRatio = Spring.DampingRatioMediumBouncy,
    stiffness = Spring.StiffnessMedium
)

Use spring for button presses, gesture-driven animations, and any animation that may be interrupted. Reserve tween for purely cosmetic, non-interruptible transitions (e.g., intro animations).

9. AnimatedContent Lambda Parameter Rule

Always use the lambda parameter inside AnimatedContent, never the outer captured variable. Using the outer variable causes composition key mismatches because the outer variable changes before the exit animation completes, leading to animation glitches.

// ❌ Captured variable — outer count changes before exit animation finishes
AnimatedContent(targetState = count, label = "CounterContent") {
    Text(text = count.toString())  // WRONG: uses outer count, not stable target
}

// ✅ Lambda parameter — stable value scoped to this content's lifecycle
AnimatedContent(targetState = count, label = "CounterContent") { targetCount ->
    Text(text = targetCount.toString())  // correct: uses stable scoped value
}

10. TextMotion.Animated for Animated Text

Text transformed via graphicsLayer renders incorrectly under scale or rotation without TextMotion.Animated. The default text rendering path is optimized for static text and produces artifacts when the transform matrix changes.

// ❌ Default TextMotion — rendering artifacts under scale/rotation transforms
Text(
    text = "Animated",
    modifier = Modifier.graphicsLayer { scaleX = anim.value }
)

// ✅ TextMotion.Animated — correct rendering under graphicsLayer transforms
Text(
    text = "Animated",
    style = TextStyle(textMotion = TextMotion.Animated),
    modifier = Modifier.graphicsLayer { scaleX = anim.value }
)

---

Pitfalls

Pitfall	Fix	Phase Cost
Modifier.graphicsLayer(alpha = anim) property overload	Modifier.graphicsLayer { alpha = anim } lambda	Composition → Drawing only
Modifier.background(animatedColor)	Modifier.drawBehind { drawRect(animatedColor) }	Composition → Drawing only
graphicsLayer { alpha = 0.5f } with default CompositingStrategy	CompositingStrategy.ModulateAlpha (non-overlapping)	Eliminates offscreen GPU buffer
Missing label on animations	Add label = "AnimName" to every animate*AsState / AnimatedVisibility / AnimatedContent	Invisible in Animation Preview / systrace
animateContentSize after height() modifier	Move animateContentSize() before height() in chain	Jank — incorrect layout measurement
AnimatedContent using outer variable	Use lambda parameter: { targetState -> ... }	Animation glitches, composition key mismatch
tween for button/gesture animations	spring() — physics handles interruption	Discontinuous animation on mid-flight tap
Animated text without TextMotion.Animated	TextStyle(textMotion = TextMotion.Animated)	Incorrect text rendering under transforms
Animatable inside LazyColumn without hoisting	Hoist remember { Animatable(...) } outside lazy layout	Re-triggers on every scroll recomposition

---

Code Examples

animate*AsState — Single Property

@Composable
fun FadeButton(isEnabled: Boolean) {
    // Animates alpha when isEnabled changes
    val alpha by animateFloatAsState(
        targetValue = if (isEnabled) 1f else 0.4f,
        animationSpec = spring(stiffness = Spring.StiffnessMediumLow),
        label = "ButtonAlpha"
    )
    Button(
        onClick = {},
        enabled = isEnabled,
        modifier = Modifier.graphicsLayer { this.alpha = alpha }  // Drawing phase only
    ) {
        Text("Click")
    }
}

updateTransition — Multiple Synchronized Properties

@Composable
fun SelectableCard(isSelected: Boolean) {
    val transition = updateTransition(targetState = isSelected, label = "CardSelection")

    val alpha by transition.animateFloat(label = "CardAlpha") { selected ->
        if (selected) 1f else 0.6f
    }
    val scale by transition.animateFloat(label = "CardScale") { selected ->
        if (selected) 1.05f else 1f
    }

    // Both alpha and scale animate in sync from the same state change
    Card(
        modifier = Modifier.graphicsLayer {
            this.alpha = alpha
            scaleX = scale
            scaleY = scale
        }
    ) { ... }
}

Animatable + LaunchedEffect — Sequential Animation

@Composable
fun PulseIndicator() {
    val scale = remember { Animatable(1f) }

    LaunchedEffect(Unit) {
        while (true) {
            scale.animateTo(1.2f, spring(stiffness = Spring.StiffnessLow))
            scale.animateTo(1f, spring(stiffness = Spring.StiffnessLow))
        }
    }

    Box(
        Modifier
            .size(24.dp)
            .graphicsLayer { scaleX = scale.value; scaleY = scale.value }
            .background(Color.Red, CircleShape)
    )
}

AnimatedVisibility with Enter/Exit

@Composable
fun NotificationBanner(isVisible: Boolean, message: String) {
    AnimatedVisibility(
        visible = isVisible,
        enter = fadeIn(animationSpec = tween(200)) + expandVertically(),
        exit = fadeOut(animationSpec = tween(200)) + shrinkVertically(),
        label = "NotificationBanner"
    ) {
        // Fully removed from composition after exit; not just invisible
        Surface(color = Color(0xFF4CAF50)) {
            Text(message, modifier = Modifier.padding(16.dp))
        }
    }
}

AnimatedContent — Content Transitions

@Composable
fun StepCounter(currentStep: Int) {
    AnimatedContent(
        targetState = currentStep,
        transitionSpec = {
            (slideInVertically { it } + fadeIn()) togetherWith
                    (slideOutVertically { -it } + fadeOut())
        },
        label = "StepCounter"
    ) { step ->  // always use the lambda parameter
        Text(
            text = "Step $step",
            style = TextStyle(textMotion = TextMotion.Animated),  // required for text transforms
            fontSize = 32.sp
        )
    }
}

animateContentSize — Expanding Card

@Composable
fun ExpandableCard(title: String, body: String) {
    var expanded by remember { mutableStateOf(false) }

    Card(
        modifier = Modifier
            .fillMaxWidth()
            .animateContentSize(  // MUST come before any size modifier
                animationSpec = spring(dampingRatio = Spring.DampingRatioMediumBouncy)
            ),
        onClick = { expanded = !expanded }
    ) {
        Column(Modifier.padding(16.dp)) {
            Text(title, fontWeight = FontWeight.Bold)
            if (expanded) {
                Text(body)
            }
        }
    }
}

---

Commands

# Inspect animation frames in Android Studio
# Open Android Studio → View → Tool Windows → Layout Inspector
# Enable "Show Recomposition Counts" to verify animations stay out of Composition phase

# Generate Compose Compiler Report to detect animated composables with unstable params
./gradlew assembleRelease
grep -i "unstable" build/compose_compiler/*-classes.txt

# Enable reports in build.gradle.kts:
# composeCompiler {
#     reportsDestination = layout.buildDirectory.dir("compose_compiler")
#     metricsDestination = layout.buildDirectory.dir("compose_compiler")
# }

# Profile animation jank — always on release build
./gradlew :app:connectedReleaseAndroidTest  # Macrobenchmark frame timing

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Related Skills

Skill	Path	What It Adds
compose-composition-core	../compose-composition-core/SKILL.md	Stability and recomposition rules that affect animated composables
compose-modifier-system	../compose-modifier-system/SKILL.md	graphicsLayer, drawBehind, drawWithContent — the draw-phase primitives animations use
compose-effects	../compose-effects/SKILL.md	LaunchedEffect + Animatable pattern for sequential/interruptible animations

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Resources

File	Covers
references/README.md	Index of all reference files
references/animation-apis.md	API selection, labels, AnimatedVisibility
references/graphics-layer-performance.md	Phase-aware animation, graphicsLayer lambda

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Validation

• Validated: 2026-05
• Target: Kotlin 2.0.20+, Compose BOM 2026.05.xx
• Stable APIs: animate*AsState, updateTransition, AnimatedVisibility, AnimatedContent, Animatable, rememberInfiniteTransition, AnimationSpec family, graphicsLayer { } lambda, CompositingStrategy
• Notes: Crossfade is still present but AnimatedContent is the modern preferred replacement for content transitions. label parameter mandatory since Compose 1.4.
• Review cadence: Quarterly