safe-action-middleware

name	safe-action-middleware
description	Use when implementing middleware for next-safe-action -- authentication, authorization, logging, rate limiting, error interception, context extension, or creating standalone reusable middleware with createMiddleware()

next-safe-action Middleware

Quick Start

import { createSafeActionClient } from "next-safe-action";

const actionClient = createSafeActionClient();

// Add middleware with .use()
const authClient = actionClient.use(async ({ next }) => {
  const session = await getSession();
  if (!session?.user) {
    throw new Error("Unauthorized");
  }
  // Pass context to the next middleware/action via next({ ctx })
  return next({
    ctx: { userId: session.user.id },
  });
});

How Middleware Works

• .use() adds middleware to the chain — you can call it multiple times
• Each .use() returns a new client instance (immutable chain)
• Middleware executes top-to-bottom (in the order added)
• Results flow bottom-to-top (the deepest middleware/action resolves first)
• Context is accumulated via next({ ctx }) — each level's ctx is deep-merged with the previous

const client = createSafeActionClient()
  .use(async ({ next }) => {
    console.log("1: before"); // Runs 1st
    const result = await next({ ctx: { a: 1 } });
    console.log("1: after"); // Runs 4th
    return result;
  })
  .use(async ({ next, ctx }) => {
    console.log("2: before", ctx.a); // Runs 2nd, ctx.a = 1
    const result = await next({ ctx: { b: 2 } });
    console.log("2: after"); // Runs 3rd
    return result;
  });

// In .action(): ctx = { a: 1, b: 2 }

Middleware Function Signature

async ({
  clientInput, // Raw input from the client (unknown)
  bindArgsClientInputs, // Raw bind args array
  ctx, // Accumulated context from previous middleware
  metadata, // Metadata set via .metadata()
  next, // Call to proceed to next middleware/action
}) => {
  // Optionally extend context
  return next({
    ctx: {
      /* new context properties */
    },
  });
};

Supporting Docs

• Authentication & authorization patterns
• Logging & monitoring middleware
• Standalone reusable middleware with createMiddleware()

Anti-Patterns

// BAD: Forgetting to return next() — action will hang
.use(async ({ next }) => {
  await doSomething();
  next({ ctx: {} }); // Missing return!
})

// GOOD: Always return the result of next()
.use(async ({ next }) => {
  await doSomething();
  return next({ ctx: {} });
})

// BAD: Catching all errors (swallows framework errors like redirect/notFound)
.use(async ({ next }) => {
  try {
    return await next({ ctx: {} });
  } catch (error) {
    return { serverError: "Something went wrong" }; // Swallows redirect!
  }
})

// GOOD: Re-throw framework errors
.use(async ({ next }) => {
  try {
    return await next({ ctx: {} });
  } catch (error) {
    if (error instanceof Error && "digest" in error) {
      throw error; // Let Next.js handle redirects, notFound, etc.
    }
    // Handle other errors
    console.error(error);
    return { serverError: "Something went wrong" };
  }
})