feat(nuxt): throw missing-env error instead of keyless bootstrap

.changeset/nuxt-keyless-cli-init-error.md

@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+'@clerk/nuxt': minor
+---
+
+In development, missing Clerk keys no longer activate keyless mode. When `NUXT_PUBLIC_CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY` and `NUXT_CLERK_SECRET_KEY` are not set, the SDK now fails with an error directing you to run `npx clerk@latest init`, which provisions a Clerk application and writes the keys to `.env`. Existing apps with configured or claimed keys are unaffected.

integration/tests/nuxt/keyless.test.ts

@@ -1,12 +1,11 @@
-import { test } from '@playwright/test';
+import * as path from 'node:path';
+
+import { expect, test } from '@playwright/test';
 
 import type { Application } from '../../models/application';
 import { appConfigs } from '../../presets';
-import {
-  testClaimedAppWithMissingKeys,
-  testKeylessRemovedAfterEnvAndRestart,
-  testToggleCollapsePopoverAndClaim,
-} from '../../testUtils/keylessHelpers';
+import { fs } from '../../scripts';
+import { createTestUtils } from '../../testUtils';
 
 const commonSetup = appConfigs.nuxt.node.clone();
 
@@ -21,35 +20,52 @@ test.describe('Keyless mode @nuxt', () => {
   });
 
   let app: Application;
-  let dashboardUrl = 'https://dashboard.clerk.com/';
 
   test.beforeAll(async () => {
     app = await commonSetup.commit();
     await app.setup();
     await app.withEnv(appConfigs.envs.withKeyless);
-    if (appConfigs.envs.withKeyless.privateVariables.get('CLERK_API_URL')?.includes('clerkstage')) {
-      dashboardUrl = 'https://dashboard.clerkstage.dev/';
-    }
-    await app.dev();
+    // Without keys the app 500s on every request, so readiness can't wait for a 2xx
+    await app.dev({ acceptAnyResponse: true });
   });
 
   test.afterAll(async () => {
-    // Keep files for debugging
     await app?.teardown();
   });
 
-  test('Toggle collapse popover and claim.', async ({ page, context }) => {
-    await testToggleCollapsePopoverAndClaim({ page, context, app, dashboardUrl, framework: 'nuxt' });
-  });
-
-  test('Lands on claimed application with missing explicit keys, expanded by default, click to get keys from dashboard.', async ({
+  test('Without keys, requests fail with the missing env vars error instead of keyless bootstrap.', async ({
     page,
-    context,
   }) => {
-    await testClaimedAppWithMissingKeys({ page, context, app, dashboardUrl });
+    const response = await page.goto(`${app.serverUrl}/`);
+    expect(response?.status()).toBe(500);
+    await expect(page.getByText('Publishable key is missing').first()).toBeVisible();
+    await expect(page.getByText('npx clerk@latest init').first()).toBeVisible();
   });
 
-  test('Keyless popover is removed after adding keys to .env and restarting.', async ({ page, context }) => {
-    await testKeylessRemovedAfterEnvAndRestart({ page, context, app });
+  test('Claimed application with keys inside .env boots and serves the app.', async ({ page, context }) => {
+    /**
+     * Seed claimed keyless state directly: the SDK no longer mints keys, so write the
+     * keys fixture to `.clerk/.tmp/keyless.json` and configure the matching environment
+     * (keys AND api url, so the server-side onboarding-completion call targets the right
+     * instance). The completion request itself is BAPI-bound from the server, invisible
+     * to Playwright — its logic is covered by packages/nuxt keyless unit tests.
+     */
+    const publishableKey = appConfigs.envs.withEmailCodes.publicVariables.get('CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY');
+    const secretKey = appConfigs.envs.withEmailCodes.privateVariables.get('CLERK_SECRET_KEY');
+    await fs.ensureDir(path.join(app.appDir, '.clerk', '.tmp'));
+    await fs.writeJSON(path.join(app.appDir, '.clerk', '.tmp', 'keyless.json'), {
+      publishableKey,
+      secretKey,
+      claimUrl: 'https://dashboard.clerk.com/apps/claim',
+      apiKeysUrl: 'https://dashboard.clerk.com/last-active?path=api-keys',
+    });
+    await app.withEnv(appConfigs.envs.withEmailCodes);
+    // Restart the dev server to pick up new env vars
+    await app.restart();
+
+    const u = createTestUtils({ app, page, context });
+    await u.page.goToAppHome();
+    await u.page.waitForClerkJsLoaded();
+    await u.po.expect.toBeSignedOut();
   });
 });

packages/nuxt/src/runtime/plugin.ts

@@ -4,20 +4,16 @@ import { clerkPlugin } from '@clerk/vue';
 import { setErrorThrowerOptions } from '@clerk/vue/internal';
 import { defineNuxtPlugin, navigateTo, useRuntimeConfig, useState } from 'nuxt/app';
 
-import type { ClerkKeylessContext } from './server/types';
-
 setErrorThrowerOptions({ packageName: PACKAGE_NAME });
 setClerkJSLoadingErrorPackageName(PACKAGE_NAME);
 
 export default defineNuxtPlugin(nuxtApp => {
   // SSR-friendly shared state
   const initialState = useState<InitialState | undefined>('clerk-initial-state', () => undefined);
-  const keylessContext = useState<ClerkKeylessContext | undefined>('clerk-keyless-context', () => undefined);
 
   if (import.meta.server) {
     // Save the initial state from server and pass it to the plugin
     initialState.value = nuxtApp.ssrContext?.event.context.__clerk_initial_state;
-    keylessContext.value = nuxtApp.ssrContext?.event.context.__clerk_keyless;
   }
 
   const runtimeConfig = useRuntimeConfig();
@@ -38,12 +34,5 @@ export default defineNuxtPlugin(nuxtApp => {
     routerPush: (to: string) => navigateTo(to),
     routerReplace: (to: string) => navigateTo(to, { replace: true }),
     initialState: initialState.value,
-    // Add keyless mode props if present
-    ...(keylessContext.value
-      ? {
-          __internal_keyless_claimKeylessApplicationUrl: keylessContext.value.claimUrl,
-          __internal_keyless_copyInstanceKeysUrl: keylessContext.value.apiKeysUrl,
-        }
-      : {}),
   });
 });

packages/nuxt/src/runtime/server/clerkMiddleware.ts

@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ import { createError, eventHandler, setResponseHeader, useRuntimeConfig } from '
 
 import { canUseKeyless } from '../utils/feature-flags';
 import { clerkClient } from './clerkClient';
-import { resolveKeysWithKeylessFallback } from './keyless/utils';
+import { completeOnboardingIfClaimed } from './keyless/utils';
 import type { AuthFn, AuthOptions } from './types';
 import { createInitialState, toWebRequest } from './utils';
 
@@ -86,32 +86,12 @@ export const clerkMiddleware: ClerkMiddleware = (...args: unknown[]) => {
   return eventHandler(async event => {
     const clerkRequest = toWebRequest(event);
 
-    // Resolve keyless in development if keys are missing
-    let keylessClaimUrl: string | undefined;
-    let keylessApiKeysUrl: string | undefined;
-
     if (canUseKeyless) {
       try {
         const runtimeConfig = useRuntimeConfig(event);
-
-        const { publishableKey, secretKey, claimUrl, apiKeysUrl } = await resolveKeysWithKeylessFallback(
-          runtimeConfig.public.clerk.publishableKey,
-          runtimeConfig.clerk.secretKey,
-          event,
-        );
-
-        keylessClaimUrl = claimUrl;
-        keylessApiKeysUrl = apiKeysUrl;
-
-        // Override runtime config with keyless values if returned
-        if (publishableKey) {
-          runtimeConfig.public.clerk.publishableKey = publishableKey;
-        }
-        if (secretKey) {
-          runtimeConfig.clerk.secretKey = secretKey;
-        }
+        await completeOnboardingIfClaimed(runtimeConfig.public.clerk.publishableKey, event);
       } catch {
-        // Silently fail - continue without keyless
+        // Silently fail - claimed-keys onboarding must not break requests
       }
     }
 
@@ -150,14 +130,6 @@ export const clerkMiddleware: ClerkMiddleware = (...args: unknown[]) => {
     // Internal serializable state that will be passed to the client
     event.context.__clerk_initial_state = createInitialState(authObjectFn());
 
-    // Store keyless mode URLs in separate context property
-    if (canUseKeyless && keylessClaimUrl) {
-      event.context.__clerk_keyless = {
-        claimUrl: keylessClaimUrl,
-        apiKeysUrl: keylessApiKeysUrl,
-      };
-    }
-
     try {
       await handler?.(event);
     } catch (e) {

packages/nuxt/src/runtime/server/keyless/__tests__/utils.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,78 @@
+import type { H3Event } from 'h3';
+import { beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest';
+
+import { completeOnboardingIfClaimed } from '../utils';
+
+const { completeClaimedOnboarding, log, readKeys, completeOnboarding } = vi.hoisted(() => ({
+  completeClaimedOnboarding: vi.fn(() => Promise.resolve()),
+  log: vi.fn(),
+  readKeys: vi.fn(),
+  completeOnboarding: vi.fn(),
+}));
+
+vi.mock('@clerk/shared/keyless', () => ({
+  completeClaimedOnboarding,
+  clerkDevelopmentCache: { log },
+}));
+
+vi.mock('../index', () => ({
+  keyless: () => ({ readKeys, completeOnboarding }),
+}));
+
+const event = {} as H3Event;
+
+const storedKeys = {
+  publishableKey: 'pk_test_stored',
+  secretKey: 'sk_test_stored',
+  claimUrl: 'https://dashboard.clerk.com/apps/claim',
+  apiKeysUrl: 'https://dashboard.clerk.com/last-active?path=api-keys',
+};
+
+describe('completeOnboardingIfClaimed', () => {
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    vi.clearAllMocks();
+  });
+
+  it('completes onboarding when the configured key matches the stored keyless keys', async () => {
+    readKeys.mockReturnValue(storedKeys);
+
+    await completeOnboardingIfClaimed('pk_test_stored', event);
+
+    expect(completeClaimedOnboarding).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    expect(completeClaimedOnboarding).toHaveBeenCalledWith('pk_test_stored', expect.objectContaining({ readKeys }));
+  });
+
+  it('does nothing when the configured key does not match the stored keys', async () => {
+    readKeys.mockReturnValue(storedKeys);
+
+    await completeOnboardingIfClaimed('pk_test_other', event);
+
+    expect(completeClaimedOnboarding).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(log).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  it('does nothing when no keyless keys are stored', async () => {
+    readKeys.mockReturnValue(undefined);
+
+    await completeOnboardingIfClaimed('pk_test_stored', event);
+
+    expect(completeClaimedOnboarding).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(log).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  it('logs a pointer to the stored keys when no key is configured, without completing onboarding', async () => {
+    readKeys.mockReturnValue(storedKeys);
+
+    await completeOnboardingIfClaimed(undefined, event);
+
+    expect(completeClaimedOnboarding).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(log).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    expect(log).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      expect.objectContaining({
+        cacheKey: 'pk_test_stored_stored',
+        msg: expect.stringContaining('.clerk/.tmp/keyless.json'),
+      }),
+    );
+    expect(log).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.objectContaining({ msg: expect.stringContaining(storedKeys.claimUrl) }));
+  });
+});

packages/nuxt/src/runtime/server/keyless/index.ts

@@ -12,16 +12,6 @@ export function keyless(event: H3Event) {
     keylessServiceInstance = createKeylessService({
       storage: createFileStorage(),
       api: {
-        async createAccountlessApplication(requestHeaders?: Headers, source?: string) {
-          try {
-            return await clerkClient(event).__experimental_accountlessApplications.createAccountlessApplication({
-              requestHeaders,
-              source,
-            });
-          } catch {
-            return null;
-          }
-        },
         async completeOnboarding(requestHeaders?: Headers, source?: string) {
           try {
             return await clerkClient(

packages/nuxt/src/runtime/server/keyless/utils.ts

@@ -1,24 +1,34 @@
-import { resolveKeysWithKeylessFallback as sharedResolveKeysWithKeylessFallback } from '@clerk/shared/keyless';
+import { clerkDevelopmentCache, completeClaimedOnboarding } from '@clerk/shared/keyless';
 import type { H3Event } from 'h3';
 
-import { canUseKeyless } from '../../utils/feature-flags';
 import { keyless } from './index';
 
-export type { KeylessResult } from '@clerk/shared/keyless';
-
 /**
- * Resolves Clerk keys, falling back to keyless mode in development if configured keys are missing.
+ * Notifies the dashboard that a claimed keyless application is now running with its
+ * keys configured. When no key is configured but stored keyless keys exist, logs a
+ * one-time pointer to them instead (the missing-key error throws downstream).
  */
-export async function resolveKeysWithKeylessFallback(
+export async function completeOnboardingIfClaimed(
   configuredPublishableKey: string | undefined,
-  configuredSecretKey: string | undefined,
   event: H3Event,
-) {
+): Promise<void> {
   const keylessService = keyless(event);
-  return sharedResolveKeysWithKeylessFallback(
-    configuredPublishableKey,
-    configuredSecretKey,
-    keylessService,
-    canUseKeyless,
-  );
+  const locallyStoredKeys = keylessService.readKeys();
+  if (!locallyStoredKeys) {
+    return;
+  }
+
+  if (!configuredPublishableKey) {
+    clerkDevelopmentCache?.log({
+      cacheKey: `${locallyStoredKeys.publishableKey}_stored`,
+      msg: `[Clerk]: Found existing keyless-mode keys in .clerk/.tmp/keyless.json. Copy the publishableKey and secretKey into .env (NUXT_PUBLIC_CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY / NUXT_CLERK_SECRET_KEY) to keep using that application, or claim it at ${locallyStoredKeys.claimUrl}`,
+    });
+    return;
+  }
+
+  if (locallyStoredKeys.publishableKey !== configuredPublishableKey) {
+    return;
+  }
+
+  await completeClaimedOnboarding(locallyStoredKeys.publishableKey, keylessService);
 }

packages/nuxt/src/runtime/server/types.ts

@@ -7,11 +7,3 @@ export type AuthOptions = PendingSessionOptions & Pick<AuthenticateRequestOption
  * @internal This type is used to define the `auth` function in the event context.
  */
 export type AuthFn = GetAuthFnNoRequest;
-
-/**
- * @internal Keyless mode data injected into event context
- */
-export interface ClerkKeylessContext {
-  claimUrl?: string;
-  apiKeysUrl?: string;
-}