Cursor Trail.

/* Cursor Trail — A short trail of fading dots follows the pointer. */
.cursor-trail {
  --dur: 500ms;
  --ease: cubic-bezier(0.22, 1, 0.36, 1);
  --stagger: 60ms;
  will-change: transform, opacity;
}

.cursor-trail > * {
  opacity: 0;
  transform: translateY(14px);
  animation: cursor-trail-in var(--dur) var(--ease) forwards;
  animation-delay: calc(var(--i, 0) * var(--stagger));
}

/* all dots hidden -> placing dots along the path and fading each out over 500ms */
@keyframes cursor-trail-in {
  to {
    opacity: 1;
    transform: none;
    filter: none;
  }
}

@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
  .cursor-trail > * {
    opacity: 1;
    transform: none;
    animation: none;
  }
}

import { useEffect, useRef } from "react";

/** Cursor Trail — trigger: pointer movement */
export function CursorTrail({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) {
  const ref = useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null);

  useEffect(() => {
    const el = ref.current;
    if (!el) return;
    if (window.matchMedia("(prefers-reduced-motion: reduce)").matches) {
      el.dataset["state"] = "in";
      return;
    }
    const io = new IntersectionObserver(
      ([entry]) => {
        if (entry?.isIntersecting) {
          el.dataset["state"] = "in";
          io.unobserve(el);
        }
      },
      { threshold: 0.2 },
    );
    io.observe(el);
    return () => io.disconnect();
  }, []);

  return (
    <div ref={ref} className="cursor-trail" data-state="out">
      {children}
    </div>
  );
}