Button component from react-aria-components doesn't allow passing standard <button /> element props like onPointerEnter

[andrskr]

Hi all 👋

I'm using the Button component from react-aria-components, and I noticed that it doesn’t allow passing certain props that are valid on a native <button /> element — specifically things like:

• onPointerEnter
• onPointerMove
• onPointerLeave

Since the component renders a native <button /> under the hood, I'm wondering:

• Is there a reason these standard props aren’t forwarded?
• Is there an established pattern or workaround for passing through props like these?
• Would it make sense for Button to forward all valid props not explicitly handled by the component?

Appreciate any insights or suggestions from folks who’ve run into this. Thanks!

[reidbarber]

It uses onHover, onHoverStart, onHoverEnd, and onHoverChange instead. You can read more about why here: https://react-spectrum.adobe.com/blog/building-a-button-part-2.html

[andrskr]

This is more of a reflection, but:

• Since it renders a native <button /> under the hood, you'd expect it to behave like one.
• Filtering out standard DOM props breaks the mental model — it looks like a regular button, but doesn’t act like one in code.
• Libraries like Radix or floating-ui often rely on low-level event access, which gets blocked when these props are filtered out.
• I doubt this is unique to Button; there are probably other components across the React Aria codebase with similar limitations.
• Instead of filtering everything out, would merging known DOM props be a better approach?

[snowystinger]

Sorry for short reply, on my phone. But if it's a scrubber, why not use an input range?

[andrskr]

Yes, I could use an input instead — and nothing stops me from styling it to look like a button. But it’s frustrating when basic things you expect to “just work” don’t.
I started this discussion not because I don’t know how to implement a scrubber, but to highlight a design choice in the library that, in my opinion, makes developers’ lives harder

[snowystinger]

We are working on improving interoperability, it will take time and we appreciate the patience.

In the meantime, I think you're fighting the system to do something it isn't suited for. I think a range input would be better for this use case. It has aria attributes to communicate the current value, min value, max value, and the expectation that arrow keys will move it.

We have a useMove hook which can help you as well https://react-spectrum.adobe.com/react-aria/useMove.html if using RAC Slider doesn't work for your use case. I haven't tried to build a scrubber with it yet.

[andrskr]

Thanks for the reply!
I understand that improving interoperability takes time, and I appreciate all the work you’re putting into it.

Just to clarify — I wasn’t necessarily looking for a workaround. I mainly wanted to share the challenges I ran into, in case it’s useful as feedback for future improvements. Thanks again for listening and for pointing me toward useMove — I’ll definitely explore it!