midReact Hooks
What are stale closures in React hooks?
Updated May 6, 2026
Short answer
Stale closures occur when hooks capture outdated state values.
Deep explanation
Functions inside effects or callbacks may reference old state due to closure scope.
Real-world example
Timers logging outdated values.
Common mistakes
- Ignoring dependency arrays.
Follow-up questions
- How to fix stale closures?
- Why do closures happen?