feat: Add feature flag for Dialog scroll performance optimization by Copilot · Pull Request #7366 · primer/react

Copilot · 2025-12-25T05:49:24Z

Adds primer_react_css_has_selector_perf feature flag to gate the Dialog scroll optimization, enabling gradual rollout and easy rollback.

Changelog

New

primer_react_css_has_selector_perf feature flag (defaults to false)
Ref counting for multiple simultaneous dialogs (both optimized and legacy paths)
.DisableScroll CSS class for :has() selector target
Tests verifying both flag states and multiple dialog scenarios

Changed

Dialog scroll disabling now conditionally applies optimization based on feature flag
CSS uses scoped :has() selector with :not([data-dialog-scroll-optimized]) guard
When flag is ON: adds data-dialog-scroll-optimized attribute to body, short-circuits :has() evaluation via O(1) attribute check

Removed

N/A

Rollout strategy

Patch release
Minor release
Major release; if selected, include a written rollout or migration plan
None; if selected, include a brief description as to why

Rollout plan:

Ship with flag OFF (legacy :has() behavior)
Enable in staging/canary
Gradually enable in production
Make ON the default once validated

Testing & Reviewing

Flag OFF (legacy): Body selector body:not([data-dialog-scroll-optimized]):has(.Dialog.DisableScroll) matches because attribute is absent. Uses expensive :has().

Flag ON (optimized): Attribute data-dialog-scroll-optimized present on body causes :not() to fail immediately. Browser skips :has() evaluation. Direct class body.DialogScrollDisabled handles scroll disabling.

Both paths use ref counting for multiple dialogs (critical for mixed Turbo/React).

Merge checklist

Added/updated tests
Added/updated documentation
Added/updated previews (Storybook)
Changes are SSR compatible
Tested in Chrome
Tested in Firefox
Tested in Safari
Tested in Edge
(GitHub staff only) Integration tests pass at github/github (Learn more about how to run integration tests)

Original prompt

Summary

Add a feature flag primer_react_css_has_selector_perf to safely gate the Dialog scroll performance optimization introduced in #7329. This allows for gradual rollout and easy rollback if issues arise.

Problem

The current implementation in perf/dialog-has-selector branch directly applies the performance optimization without a feature flag. While the optimization is valuable (replacing expensive body:has(.Dialog.DisableScroll) with a direct class), we need a way to:

Gradually roll out the change

Easily rollback if regressions occur

Handle mixed Turbo/React architecture where multiple dialogs may be open

Solution

Use a body:not([data-dialog-scroll-optimized]) scoping approach:

When feature flag is OFF (default - legacy behavior):

No attribute added to <body>

CSS selector body:not([data-dialog-scroll-optimized]):has(.Dialog.DisableScroll) matches

Legacy :has() behavior is used

When feature flag is ON (optimized):

Add data-dialog-scroll-optimized attribute to <body>

Add DialogScrollDisabled class to <body>

CSS selector body:not([data-dialog-scroll-optimized]):has(...) does NOT match because the attribute is present

Browser skips :has() evaluation entirely (O(1) attribute check fails first)

The body:global(.DialogScrollDisabled) rule handles scroll disabling

Changes Required

1. Add feature flag to packages/react/src/FeatureFlags/DefaultFeatureFlags.ts
export const DefaultFeatureFlags = FeatureFlagScope.create({
  // ... existing flags ...
  primer_react_css_has_selector_perf: false,
})
2. Update packages/react/src/Dialog/Dialog.tsx

Import useFeatureFlag from ../FeatureFlags

Add ref counting to handle multiple dialogs (for Turbo/mixed architecture)

When flag is ON: add data-dialog-scroll-optimized attribute and DialogScrollDisabled class to body

When flag is OFF: no attribute (legacy :has() selector works)

Ensure proper cleanup on unmount with ref counting
import {useFeatureFlag} from '../FeatureFlags'

// Ref counting to handle multiple dialogs
let optimizedScrollRefCount = 0

function enableOptimizedScroll() {
  optimizedScrollRefCount++
  if (optimizedScrollRefCount === 1) {
    document.body.setAttribute('data-dialog-scroll-optimized', '')
  }
  document.body.classList.add('DialogScrollDisabled')
}

function disableOptimizedScroll() {
  optimizedScrollRefCount--
  document.body.classList.remove('DialogScrollDisabled')
  if (optimizedScrollRefCount === 0) {
    document.body.removeAttribute('data-dialog-scroll-optimized')
  }
}
In the _Dialog component's useEffect:
const usePerfOptimization = useFeatureFlag('primer_react_css_has_selector_perf')

React.useEffect(() => {
  const scrollbarWidth = window.innerWidth - document.body.clientWidth
  dialogRef.current?.classList.add(classes.DisableScroll)
  document.body.style.setProperty('--prc-dialog-scrollgutter', `${scrollbarWidth}px`)

  if (usePerfOptimization) {
    enableOptimizedScroll()
  }

  return () => {
    if (usePerfOptimization) {
      disableOptimizedScroll()
    }
    document.body.style.removeProperty('--prc-dialog-scrollgutter')
  }
}, [usePerfOptimization])
3. Update packages/react/src/Dialog/Dialog.module.css

Add back the legacy :has() selector, but scoped with :not():
/*
 * LEGACY: Scoped :has() selector with negation guard
 * Only evaluates when data-dialog-scroll-optimized is NOT present on body.
 * When the attribute IS present (flag ON), browser skips :has() evaluation
 * because the :not() check fails first (O(1) attribute lookup).
 */
body:not([data-dialog-scroll-optimized]):has(.Dialog.DisableScroll) {
  /* stylelint-disable-next-line primer/spacing */
  padding-right: var(--prc-dialog-scrollgutter) !important;
  overflow: hidden !important;
}

/*
 * PERFORMANCE OPTIMIZATION: Direct class on body - O(1) lookup
 * Active when primer_react_css_has_selector_perf flag is ON
 */
body:global(.DialogScrollDisabled) {
  /* stylelint-disable-next-line primer/spacing */
  padding-right: var(--prc-dialog-scrollgutter) !important;
  overflow: hidden !important;
}
4. Update the changeset

Update .changeset/perf-dialog-has-selector.md to reflect the feature flag approach.

Testing

Add tests to verify both code paths work correctly

Test with feature flag ON and OFF

Test multiple dialogs open simultaneously

Test cleanup on unmount

Rollout Plan

Ship with flag defaulting to false

Enable in staging/canary environments

Gradually enable in production

Once validated, consider making true the default

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changeset-bot · 2025-12-25T05:49:27Z

⚠️ No Changeset found

Latest commit: 7ec9ce5

Merging this PR will not cause a version bump for any packages. If these changes should not result in a new version, you're good to go. If these changes should result in a version bump, you need to add a changeset.

This PR includes changesets to release 1 package

Name	Type
@primer/react	Patch

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- Add primer_react_css_has_selector_perf feature flag (default: false) - Implement ref counting for multiple dialogs (both optimized and legacy paths) - Add legacy :has() selector with :not() guard for backward compatibility - Add comprehensive tests for both flag ON and OFF states - Ensure proper cleanup on unmount with ref counting Co-authored-by: mattcosta7 <8616962+mattcosta7@users.noreply.github.com>

- Add .DisableScroll class definition to Dialog.module.css for :has() selector - Add comment explaining thread safety in JavaScript's single-threaded environment - Ensure CSS selector .Dialog.DisableScroll works correctly Co-authored-by: mattcosta7 <8616962+mattcosta7@users.noreply.github.com>

- Remove DisableScroll class from dialog element in cleanup function - Capture dialogRef.current in variable to satisfy react-hooks/exhaustive-deps - Add clarifying comments about module-level state safety in browser/test environments Co-authored-by: mattcosta7 <8616962+mattcosta7@users.noreply.github.com>

… counting (#7368) Co-authored-by: copilot-swe-agent[bot] <198982749+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com> Co-authored-by: mattcosta7 <8616962+mattcosta7@users.noreply.github.com>

github-actions · 2025-12-25T20:59:07Z

👋 Hi, this pull request contains changes to the source code that github/github-ui depends on. If you are GitHub staff, test these changes with github/github-ui using the integration workflow. Or, apply the integration-tests: skipped manually label to skip these checks.

Initial plan

64b370d

Copilot AI assigned Copilot and mattcosta7 Dec 25, 2025

Copilot started work on behalf of mattcosta7 December 25, 2025 05:49 View session

Copilot AI and others added 3 commits December 25, 2025 06:03

Copilot AI changed the title ~~[WIP] Add feature flag for dialog scroll optimization~~ feat: Add feature flag for Dialog scroll performance optimization Dec 25, 2025

Copilot AI requested a review from mattcosta7 December 25, 2025 06:15

Copilot finished work on behalf of mattcosta7 December 25, 2025 06:15

Copilot AI mentioned this pull request Dec 25, 2025

Refactor Dialog scroll optimization to use DOM queries instead of ref counting #7368

Merged

13 tasks

Refactor Dialog scroll optimization to use DOM queries instead of ref…

7ec9ce5

… counting (#7368) Co-authored-by: copilot-swe-agent[bot] <198982749+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com> Co-authored-by: mattcosta7 <8616962+mattcosta7@users.noreply.github.com>

github-actions bot added the integration-tests: recommended This change needs to be tested for breaking changes. See https://arc.net/l/quote/tdmpakpm label Dec 25, 2025

mattcosta7 deployed to github-pages December 25, 2025 21:07 — with GitHub Actions View deployment

github-actions bot deployed to storybook-preview-7366 December 25, 2025 21:07 View deployment

mattcosta7 marked this pull request as ready for review December 25, 2025 21:08

mattcosta7 requested a review from a team as a code owner December 25, 2025 21:08

mattcosta7 requested a review from jonrohan December 25, 2025 21:08

mattcosta7 merged commit a305fed into perf/dialog-has-selector Dec 25, 2025
46 checks passed

mattcosta7 deleted the copilot/add-feature-flag-dialog-scroll branch December 25, 2025 21:08

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feat: Add feature flag for Dialog scroll performance optimization#7366

feat: Add feature flag for Dialog scroll performance optimization#7366
mattcosta7 merged 5 commits intoperf/dialog-has-selectorfrom
copilot/add-feature-flag-dialog-scroll

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Changelog

New

Changed

Removed

Rollout strategy

Testing & Reviewing

Merge checklist

Summary

Problem

Solution

When feature flag is OFF (default - legacy behavior):

When feature flag is ON (optimized):

Changes Required

1. Add feature flag to packages/react/src/FeatureFlags/DefaultFeatureFlags.ts

2. Update packages/react/src/Dialog/Dialog.tsx

3. Update packages/react/src/Dialog/Dialog.module.css

4. Update the changeset

Testing

Rollout Plan

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Copilot AI commented Dec 25, 2025 •

edited

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1. Add feature flag to `packages/react/src/FeatureFlags/DefaultFeatureFlags.ts`

2. Update `packages/react/src/Dialog/Dialog.tsx`

3. Update `packages/react/src/Dialog/Dialog.module.css`

changeset-bot bot commented Dec 25, 2025 •

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