trigger-realtime-and-frontend

name	trigger-realtime-and-frontend
description	Trigger.dev client/frontend surface: subscribe to runs in realtime (runs.subscribeToRun and the @trigger.dev/react-hooks hook useRealtimeRun), consume metadata and AI/text streams in React (useRealtimeStream), trigger tasks from the browser (useTaskTrigger, useRealtimeTaskTrigger), and mint scoped frontend credentials with auth.createPublicToken / auth.createTriggerPublicToken. Load when wiring a frontend (React/Next.js/Remix) or backend-for-frontend to show live run progress, status badges, token streams, trigger buttons, or wait-token approval UIs. NOT for writing the backend task itself (streams.define / metadata.set is trigger-authoring-tasks territory); this is the consumer side.
type	core
library	trigger.dev
sources	["docs/realtime/overview.mdx","docs/realtime/how-it-works.mdx","docs/realtime/auth.mdx","docs/realtime/run-object.mdx","docs/realtime/react-hooks/overview.mdx","docs/realtime/react-hooks/subscribe.mdx","docs/realtime/react-hooks/triggering.mdx","docs/realtime/react-hooks/streams.mdx","docs/realtime/react-hooks/swr.mdx","docs/realtime/react-hooks/use-wait-token.mdx","docs/realtime/backend/subscribe.mdx"]

Realtime and Frontend

The consumer side of Trigger.dev's run state and streams: read live run updates, render AI/text streams, and trigger tasks from a browser. Hooks come from @trigger.dev/react-hooks; token minting and backend subscription come from @trigger.dev/sdk.

Setup

npm add @trigger.dev/react-hooks   # frontend hooks (React/Next.js/Remix)
# @trigger.dev/sdk is already installed for the backend

The flow is always: mint a scoped token in the backend, pass it to the frontend, subscribe with a hook.

// backend (API route / server action)
import { auth } from "@trigger.dev/sdk";

const publicAccessToken = await auth.createPublicToken({
  scopes: { read: { runs: ["run_1234"] } }, // a token with no scopes is useless
});

// frontend
"use client";
import { useRealtimeRun } from "@trigger.dev/react-hooks";

export function RunStatus({ runId, publicAccessToken }: { runId: string; publicAccessToken: string }) {
  const { run, error } = useRealtimeRun(runId, { accessToken: publicAccessToken });
  if (error) return <div>Error: {error.message}</div>;
  if (!run) return <div>Loading...</div>;
  return <div>Run: {run.status}</div>;
}

There are two token kinds: Public Access Tokens (read/subscribe, from auth.createPublicToken) and Trigger Tokens (trigger-from-browser, single-use, from auth.createTriggerPublicToken). Both default to a 15 minute expiry.

Core patterns

1. Subscribe to a run and render metadata progress

metadata is Record<string, DeserializedJson>, so nested values need a cast.

"use client";
import { useRealtimeRun } from "@trigger.dev/react-hooks";
import type { myTask } from "@/trigger/myTask";

export function Progress({ runId, publicAccessToken }: { runId: string; publicAccessToken: string }) {
  const { run, error } = useRealtimeRun<typeof myTask>(runId, { accessToken: publicAccessToken });
  if (error) return <div>Error: {error.message}</div>;
  if (!run) return <div>Loading...</div>;
  const progress = run.metadata?.progress as { percentage?: number } | undefined;
  return <div>{run.status}: {progress?.percentage ?? 0}%</div>;
}

Pass onComplete: (run, error) => {} to react when the run finishes.

2. Status-only subscription with skipColumns

For a badge or progress bar you do not need payload/output. Skipping them reduces wire size and avoids "Large HTTP Payload" warnings.

const { run } = useRealtimeRun(runId, {
  accessToken: publicAccessToken,
  skipColumns: ["payload", "output"],
});

You can skip any of: payload, output, metadata, startedAt, delayUntil, queuedAt, expiredAt, completedAt, number, isTest, usageDurationMs, costInCents, baseCostInCents, ttl, payloadType, outputType, runTags, error.

3. Trigger from the browser with a Trigger Token

accessToken here is a Trigger Token (auth.createTriggerPublicToken), not a Public Access Token.

"use client";
import { useTaskTrigger } from "@trigger.dev/react-hooks";
import type { myTask } from "@/trigger/myTask";

export function TriggerButton({ triggerToken }: { triggerToken: string }) {
  const { submit, handle, isLoading } = useTaskTrigger<typeof myTask>("my-task", {
    accessToken: triggerToken,
  });
  if (handle) return <div>Run ID: {handle.id}</div>;
  return (
    <button onClick={() => submit({ foo: "bar" }, { tags: ["user:123"] })} disabled={isLoading}>
      {isLoading ? "Triggering..." : "Run"}
    </button>
  );
}

submit(payload, options?) takes the same options as a backend trigger call.

4. Trigger and subscribe in one hook

"use client";
import { useRealtimeTaskTrigger } from "@trigger.dev/react-hooks";
import type { myTask } from "@/trigger/myTask";

export function Runner({ publicAccessToken }: { publicAccessToken: string }) {
  const { submit, run, isLoading } = useRealtimeTaskTrigger<typeof myTask>("my-task", {
    accessToken: publicAccessToken,
  });
  if (run) return <div>{run.status}</div>;
  return <button onClick={() => submit({ foo: "bar" })} disabled={isLoading}>Run</button>;
}

Use useRealtimeTaskTriggerWithStreams<typeof myTask, STREAMS> when you also want the task's streams (it returns { submit, run, streams, error, isLoading }).

5. Consume an AI/text stream (SDK 4.1.0+, recommended)

useRealtimeStream takes a defined stream for full type safety, or a runId plus optional stream key. Returns { parts, error }.

"use client";
import { useRealtimeStream } from "@trigger.dev/react-hooks";
import { aiStream } from "@/trigger/streams"; // a defined stream -> typed parts

export function StreamView({ runId, publicAccessToken }: { runId: string; publicAccessToken: string }) {
  const { parts, error } = useRealtimeStream(aiStream, runId, {
    accessToken: publicAccessToken,
    timeoutInSeconds: 300, // default 60
    onData: (chunk) => console.log(chunk),
  });
  if (error) return <div>Error: {error.message}</div>;
  if (!parts) return <div>Loading...</div>;
  return <div>{parts.join("")}</div>;
}

Without a defined stream: useRealtimeStream<string>(runId, "ai-output", { accessToken }), or omit the key to use the default stream. Other options: baseURL, startIndex, throttleInMs (default 16). The legacy useRealtimeRunWithStreams(runId, options) hook is still supported when you need both the run and all its streams at once.

6. Send input back into a running task

"use client";
import { useInputStreamSend } from "@trigger.dev/react-hooks";
import { approval } from "@/trigger/streams";

export function ApprovalForm({ runId, accessToken }: { runId: string; accessToken: string }) {
  const { send, isLoading, isReady } = useInputStreamSend(approval.id, runId, { accessToken });
  return (
    <button disabled={!isReady || isLoading} onClick={() => send({ approved: true })}>
      Approve
    </button>
  );
}

7. Complete a wait token from React

// backend: create the token, return id + publicAccessToken to the frontend
import { wait } from "@trigger.dev/sdk";
const token = await wait.createToken({ timeout: "10m" });
return { tokenId: token.id, publicToken: token.publicAccessToken };

"use client";
import { useWaitToken } from "@trigger.dev/react-hooks";

export function Approve({ tokenId, publicToken }: { tokenId: string; publicToken: string }) {
  const { complete } = useWaitToken(tokenId, { accessToken: publicToken });
  return <button onClick={() => complete({ approved: true })}>Approve</button>;
}

8. Subscribe from the backend (async iterators)

import { runs, tasks } from "@trigger.dev/sdk";
import type { myTask } from "./trigger/my-task";

const handle = await tasks.trigger("my-task", { some: "data" });
for await (const run of runs.subscribeToRun<typeof myTask>(handle.id)) {
  console.log(run.payload.some, run.output?.some); // typed
}

runs.subscribeToRun completes when the run finishes, so the loop exits on its own.

Common mistakes

1. CRITICAL: Triggering from the browser with a Public Access Token. The read token from createPublicToken cannot trigger tasks.

   • Wrong: useTaskTrigger("my-task", { accessToken: publicAccessTokenFromCreatePublicToken })
   • Correct: mint a single-use Trigger Token with auth.createTriggerPublicToken("my-task") and pass that.

2. Token with no scopes. A scopeless token authorizes nothing, so every subscribe 403s.

   • Wrong: await auth.createPublicToken()
   • Correct: await auth.createPublicToken({ scopes: { read: { runs: ["run_1234"] } } })

3. Polling with useRun/SWR for live updates. useRun is the SWR-based management-API hook (not recommended for live state); set refreshInterval: 0 to stop polling if you do use it.

   • Wrong: useRun(runId, { refreshInterval: 1000 }) to track progress
   • Correct: useRealtimeRun(runId, { accessToken }) (no polling, no WebSocket setup)

4. Forgetting "use client". Realtime/trigger hooks cannot run in a server component.

   • Wrong: a Next.js App Router server component using useRealtimeRun
   • Correct: put "use client"; at the top of any component using these hooks.

5. Shipping payload/output you do not render.

   • Wrong: useRealtimeRun(runId, { accessToken }) for a status badge (large payloads over the wire)
   • Correct: useRealtimeRun(runId, { accessToken, skipColumns: ["payload", "output"] })

6. Subscribing before the handle exists.

   • Wrong: useRealtimeRun(handle, { accessToken: handle?.publicAccessToken }) with no guard
   • Correct: add enabled: !!handle so it subscribes only once the trigger returns a handle.

References

Sibling skills:

• trigger-authoring-tasks for the task side: streams.define(), metadata.set(), and wait.createToken.
• trigger-authoring-chat-agent and trigger-chat-agent-advanced for chat agents, which build on these realtime streams.

Reference docs ship beside this skill in the same package, read them locally (no network), pinned to your installed version. The sources: frontmatter above lists every doc this skill draws from, all under @trigger.dev/sdk/docs/. Start with:

• @trigger.dev/sdk/docs/realtime/react-hooks/subscribe.mdx
• @trigger.dev/sdk/docs/realtime/react-hooks/streams.mdx
• @trigger.dev/sdk/docs/realtime/auth.mdx
• @trigger.dev/sdk/docs/realtime/run-object.mdx (the realtime run object differs from the management-API object returned by useRun)

Version

This skill is bundled inside @trigger.dev/sdk and read directly from node_modules, so it always matches your installed SDK version (see the adjacent package.json). The full documentation for these APIs ships alongside it under @trigger.dev/sdk/docs/.