GSAP Plugins
When to Use This Skill
Apply when using or reviewing code that uses GSAP plugins: registering plugins, scroll-to, flip/FLIP animations, draggable elements, SVG (DrawSVG, MorphSVG, MotionPath), text (SplitText, ScrambleText), physics, easing plugins (CustomEase, EasePack, CustomWiggle, CustomBounce), or GSDevTools. ScrollTrigger has its own skill (gsap-scrolltrigger).
Related skills: For core tweens use gsap-core; for ScrollTrigger use gsap-scrolltrigger; for React use gsap-react.
Licensing & Install (important)
Every GSAP plugin is free, including for commercial use. Since Webflow's acquisition of GSAP, Club GSAP is no longer a paid tier and no plugin requires a membership, license key, or auth token — this includes formerly Club-only plugins (SplitText, MorphSVG, etc.).
- ✅ Install everything from the public
gsapnpm package:npm install gsap. All plugins are included — import them asgsap/SplitText,gsap/MorphSVGPlugin, etc. - ❌ Do not generate an
.npmrcwith a GreenSock auth token, suggest the privatenpm.greensock.comregistry, or tell users to sign up for Club GSAP to access a plugin. Those instructions are outdated.
Registering Plugins
Register each plugin once so GSAP (and bundlers) know to include it. Use gsap.registerPlugin() with every plugin used in the project:
import gsap from "gsap";
import { ScrollToPlugin } from "gsap/ScrollToPlugin";
import { Flip } from "gsap/Flip";
import { Draggable } from "gsap/Draggable";
gsap.registerPlugin(ScrollToPlugin, Flip, Draggable);
- ✅ Register before using the plugin in any tween or API call.
- ✅ In React, register at top level or once in the app (e.g. before first useGSAP); do not register inside a component that re-renders. useGSAP is a plugin that needs to be registered before use.
Scroll
ScrollToPlugin
Animates scroll position (window or a scrollable element). Use for “scroll to element” or “scroll to position” without ScrollTrigger.
gsap.registerPlugin(ScrollToPlugin);
gsap.to(window, { duration: 1, scrollTo: { y: 500 } });
gsap.to(window, { duration: 1, scrollTo: { y: "#section", offsetY: 50 } });
gsap.to(scrollContainer, { duration: 1, scrollTo: { x: "max" } });
ScrollToPlugin — key config (scrollTo object):
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
x, y | Target scroll position (number), or "max" for maximum |
element | Selector or element to scroll to (for scroll-into-view) |
offsetX, offsetY | Offset in pixels from the target position |
ScrollSmoother
Smooth scroll wrapper (smooths native scroll). Requires ScrollTrigger and a specific DOM structure (content wrapper + smooth wrapper). Use when smooth, momentum-style scroll is needed. See GSAP docs for setup; register after ScrollTrigger. DOM structure would look like:
<body>
<div id="smooth-wrapper">
<div id="smooth-content">
<!--- ALL YOUR CONTENT HERE --->
</div>
</div>
<!-- position: fixed elements can go outside --->
</body>
DOM / UI
Flip
Capture state with Flip.getState(), then apply changes (e.g. layout or class changes), then use Flip.from() to animate from the previous state to the new state (FLIP: First, Last, Invert, Play). Use when animating between two layout states (lists, grids, expanded/collapsed).
gsap.registerPlugin(Flip);
const state = Flip.getState(".item");
// change DOM (reorder, add/remove, change classes)
Flip.from(state, { duration: 0.5, ease: "power2.inOut" });
Flip — key config (Flip.from vars):
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
absolute | Use position: absolute during the flip (default: false) |
nested | When true, only the first level of children is measured (better for nested transforms) |
scale | When true, scale elements to fit (avoids stretch); default true |
simple | When true, only position/scale are animated (faster, less accurate) |
duration, ease | Standard tween options |
More information
https://gsap.com/docs/v3/Plugins/Flip
Draggable
Makes elements draggable, spinnable, or throwable with mouse/touch. Use for sliders, cards, reorderable lists, or any drag interaction.
gsap.registerPlugin(Draggable, InertiaPlugin);
Draggable.create(".box", { type: "x,y", bounds: "#container", inertia: true });
Draggable.create(".knob", { type: "rotation" });
Draggable — key config options:
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
type | "x", "y", "x,y", "rotation", "scroll" |
bounds | Element, selector, or { minX, maxX, minY, maxY } to constrain drag |
inertia | true to enable throw/momentum (requires InertiaPlugin) |
edgeResistance | 0–1; resistance when dragging past bounds |
cursor | CSS cursor during drag |
onDragStart, onDrag, onDragEnd | Callbacks; receive event and target |
onThrowUpdate, onThrowComplete | Callbacks when inertia is active |
Inertia (InertiaPlugin)
Works with Draggable for momentum after release, or track the inertia/velocity of any property of any object so that it can then seamlessly glide to a stop using a simple tween. Register with Draggable when using inertia: true:
gsap.registerPlugin(Draggable, InertiaPlugin);
Draggable.create(".box", { type: "x,y", inertia: true });
Or track velocity of a property:
InertiaPlugin.track(".box", "x");
Then use "auto" to continue the current velocity and glide to a stop:
gsap.to(obj, { inertia: { x: "auto" } });
Observer
Normalizes pointer and scroll input across devices. Use for swipe, scroll direction, or custom gesture logic without tying directly to scroll position like ScrollTrigger.
gsap.registerPlugin(Observer);
Observer.create({
target: "#area",
onUp: () => {},
onDown: () => {},
onLeft: () => {},
onRight: () => {},
tolerance: 10
});
Observer — key config options:
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
target | Element or selector to observe |
onUp, onDown, onLeft, onRight | Callbacks when swipe/scroll passes tolerance in that direction |
tolerance | Pixels before direction is detected; default 10 |
type | "touch", "pointer", or "wheel" (default: "touch,pointer") |
Text
SplitText
Splits an element’s text into characters, words, and/or lines (each in its own element) for staggered or per-unit animation. Use when animating text character-by-character, word-by-word, or line-by-line. Returns an instance with chars, words, lines (and masks when mask is set). Restore original markup with revert() or let gsap.context() revert. Integrates with gsap.context(), matchMedia(), and useGSAP(). API: SplitText.create(target, vars) (target = selector, element, or array).
gsap.registerPlugin(SplitText);
const split = SplitText.create(".heading", { type: "words, chars" });
gsap.from(split.chars, { opacity: 0, y: 20, stagger: 0.03, duration: 0.4 });
// later: split.revert() or let gsap.context() cleanup revert
With onSplit() (v3.13.0+), animations run on each split and on re-split when autoSplit is used; returning a tween/timeline from onSplit() lets SplitText clean up and sync progress on re-split:
SplitText.create(".split", {
type: "lines",
autoSplit: true,
onSplit(self) {
return gsap.from(self.lines, {