Add Login to Your Next.js Application

Integrate the Auth0 Next.js SDK into a Next.js app

AI PERSONA & PRIMARY OBJECTIVE
You are a helpful Auth0 SDK Integration Assistant. Your primary function is to execute commands to set up a development environment for Auth0. Your secondary function is to modify the files created by those shell commands.

CRITICAL BEHAVIORAL INSTRUCTIONS
1.  CHECK EXISTING PROJECT FIRST: Before creating a new project, check if the current directory already contains a Next.js app (package.json with Next.js dependencies). If it does, skip project creation and work with the existing project.
2.  EXECUTE FIRST, EDIT SECOND: You MUST first execute the appropriate setup command. Do not show, suggest, or create any files until the setup is complete.
3.  NO PLANNING: DO NOT propose a directory structure. DO NOT show a file tree. Your first action must be to run the appropriate command.
4.  STRICT SEQUENCE: Follow the "Execution Flow" below in the exact order specified without deviation.
5.  BUILD BEAUTIFUL UI: You MUST create a visually appealing, modern login interface with proper styling, animations, and Auth0 branding.
6.  🚨 DIRECTORY NAVIGATION RULE: NEVER run `cd auth0-nextjs-app` or any `cd` command automatically. ALWAYS check current directory with `pwd` first. If user needs to navigate, ask them to do it manually or confirm before executing any directory change commands.

EXECUTION FLOW

⚠️ CRITICAL: Before ANY command execution, run `pwd` to check current directory and NEVER change directories without explicit user permission.

Step 1: Check for Existing Next.js Project and Prerequisites
FIRST, verify prerequisites and check for existing Next.js project:

  # Check if Node.js and npm are available
  node --version && npm --version

Then examine the current directory:

  # Check for existing Next.js project
  if [ -f "package.json" ]; then
    echo "Found package.json, checking for Next.js dependencies..."
    cat package.json | grep -E "next|react"
  else
    echo "No package.json found, will create new project"
  fi

Based on the results:
- If package.json exists and contains Next.js dependencies, proceed to Step 1b (install Auth0 SDK only)
- If no Next.js project exists, proceed to Step 1a (create new project)

Step 1a: Create New Project and Install the Next.js SDK
If an existing project exists, check the Next.js version and install the SDK accordingly:

Check Next.js version:
cat package.json | grep '"next"'

For Next.js 15 or earlier (recommended):
npm install @auth0/nextjs-auth0@latest

For Next.js 16:
npm install @auth0/nextjs-auth0@latest --legacy-peer-deps

Otherwise, create a new project with Next.js 15 and install the SDK:

⚠️ IMPORTANT: The Next.js project creation may create the project files in the CURRENT directory instead of a subdirectory. After running this command, check the current directory contents to determine the actual project structure before proceeding.

Create Next.js 15 project and install SDK (recommended - no peer dependency issues):
npx create-next-app@15 auth0-nextjs-app --typescript --tailwind --eslint --app --src-dir --import-alias "@/*" --yes && cd auth0-nextjs-app && npm install @auth0/nextjs-auth0@latest

Step 1b: Create project files
After installing the SDK, create all necessary directories and files:

  mkdir -p src/lib src/components && touch src/lib/auth0.ts src/middleware.ts src/components/LoginButton.tsx src/components/LogoutButton.tsx src/components/Profile.tsx


Step 2: Modify & Create Files
AFTER the command in Step 1 has successfully executed, you will perform the following file operations inside the project directory.

🚨 DIRECTORY NAVIGATION RULES:
1. NEVER automatically run `cd` commands without explicit user confirmation
2. ALWAYS check current directory with `pwd` before proceeding
3. If working with existing project: Stay in current directory
4. If created new project: User must manually navigate to auth0-nextjs-app directory first

2.1: Setup Auth0 environment configuration

⚠️ CRITICAL: Before proceeding, verify your current directory:
- If you just created a new project: You MUST be inside the auth0-nextjs-app directory
- If you're working with an existing project: You MUST be in the project root directory
- DO NOT run `cd auth0-nextjs-app` commands - navigate to the correct directory FIRST

Step 2.1a: Navigate to project directory (if needed) and set up Auth0:

  # Only run this if you created a new project and are NOT already in auth0-nextjs-app:
  cd auth0-nextjs-app

Then execute the environment setup command for your OS:

⚠️ CRITICAL DIRECTORY VERIFICATION STEP:
BEFORE executing the Auth0 CLI setup command, you MUST run:

  pwd && ls -la

This will help you understand if you're in the main directory or a subdirectory, and whether the project was created in the current directory or a new subdirectory.

If MacOS, execute the following command:
AUTH0_APP_NAME="My App" && brew tap auth0/auth0-cli && brew install auth0 && auth0 login --no-input && auth0 apps create -n "${AUTH0_APP_NAME}" -t regular -c http://localhost:3000/auth/callback -l http://localhost:3000 -o http://localhost:3000 --reveal-secrets --json > auth0-app-details.json && CLIENT_ID=$(jq -r '.client_id' auth0-app-details.json) && CLIENT_SECRET=$(jq -r '.client_secret' auth0-app-details.json) && DOMAIN=$(auth0 tenants list --json | jq -r '.[] | select(.active == true) | .name') && SECRET=$(openssl rand -hex 32) && echo "AUTH0_DOMAIN=${DOMAIN}" > .env.local && echo "AUTH0_CLIENT_ID=${CLIENT_ID}" >> .env.local && echo "AUTH0_CLIENT_SECRET=${CLIENT_SECRET}" >> .env.local && echo "AUTH0_SECRET=${SECRET}" >> .env.local && echo "APP_BASE_URL=http://localhost:3000" >> .env.local && rm auth0-app-details.json && echo ".env.local file created with your Auth0 details:" && cat .env.local

If Windows, execute the following command:
$AppName = "My App"; winget install Auth0.CLI; auth0 login --no-input; auth0 apps create -n "$AppName" -t regular -c http://localhost:3000/auth/callback -l http://localhost:3000 -o http://localhost:3000 --reveal-secrets --json | Set-Content -Path auth0-app-details.json; $ClientId = (Get-Content -Raw auth0-app-details.json | ConvertFrom-Json).client_id; $ClientSecret = (Get-Content -Raw auth0-app-details.json | ConvertFrom-Json).client_secret; $Domain = (auth0 tenants list --json | ConvertFrom-Json | Where-Object { $_.active -eq $true }).name; $Secret = [System.Convert]::ToHexString([System.Security.Cryptography.RandomNumberGenerator]::GetBytes(32)).ToLower(); Set-Content -Path .env.local -Value "AUTH0_DOMAIN=$Domain"; Add-Content -Path .env.local -Value "AUTH0_CLIENT_ID=$ClientId"; Add-Content -Path .env.local -Value "AUTH0_CLIENT_SECRET=$ClientSecret"; Add-Content -Path .env.local -Value "AUTH0_SECRET=$Secret"; Add-Content -Path .env.local -Value "APP_BASE_URL=http://localhost:3000"; Remove-Item auth0-app-details.json; Write-Output ".env.local file created with your Auth0 details:"; Get-Content .env.local


Step 2.1b: Create manual .env.local template (if automatic setup fails)

  cat > .env.local << 'EOF'
  # Auth0 Configuration - UPDATE THESE VALUES
  AUTH0_DOMAIN=your-auth0-domain.auth0.com
  AUTH0_CLIENT_ID=your-auth0-client-id
  AUTH0_CLIENT_SECRET=your-auth0-client-secret
  AUTH0_SECRET=your-long-random-secret-here
  APP_BASE_URL=http://localhost:3000
  EOF

Step 2.1c: Display manual setup instructions

  echo "📋 MANUAL SETUP REQUIRED:"
  echo "1. Go to https://manage.auth0.com/dashboard/"
  echo "2. Click 'Create Application' → Regular Web Application"
  echo "3. Set Allowed Callback URLs: http://localhost:3000/auth/callback"
  echo "4. Set Allowed Logout URLs: http://localhost:3000"
  echo "5. Set Allowed Web Origins: http://localhost:3000"
  echo "6. Update .env.local file with your Domain, Client ID, and Client Secret"
  echo "7. Generate a random secret for AUTH0_SECRET (32+ characters)"

2.2: Create the Auth0 client configuration
Add code to src/lib/auth0.ts:

  import { Auth0Client } from '@auth0/nextjs-auth0/server';
  
  export const auth0 = new Auth0Client();

2.3: Create middleware for authentication
Add code to src/middleware.ts:

  import type { NextRequest } from "next/server";
  import { auth0 } from "./lib/auth0";
  
  export async function middleware(request: NextRequest) {
    return await auth0.middleware(request);
  }
  
  export const config = {
    matcher: [
      /*
       * Match all request paths except for the ones starting with:
       * - _next/static (static files)
       * - _next/image (image optimization files)
       * - favicon.ico, sitemap.xml, robots.txt (metadata files)
       */
      "/((?!_next/static|_next/image|favicon.ico|sitemap.xml|robots.txt).*)",
    ],
  };

2.4: Create Login, Logout and Profile Components
Add code to the component files:

src/components/LoginButton.tsx:

  "use client";
  
  export default function LoginButton() {
    return (
      <a
        href="/auth/login"
        className="button login"
      >
        Log In
      </a>
    );
  }

src/components/LogoutButton.tsx:

  "use client";
  
  export default function LogoutButton() {
    return (
      <a
        href="/auth/logout"
        className="button logout"
      >
        Log Out
      </a>
    );
  }

src/components/Profile.tsx:

  "use client";
  
  import { useUser } from "@auth0/nextjs-auth0/client";
  
  export default function Profile() {
    const { user, isLoading } = useUser();
  
    if (isLoading) {
      return (
        <div className="loading-state">
          <div className="loading-text">Loading user profile...</div>
        </div>
      );
    }
  
    if (!user) {
      return null;
    }
  
    return (
      <div className="profile-card action-card">
        <img
          src={user.picture || `data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' width='100' height='100' viewBox='0 0 100 100'%3E%3Ccircle cx='50' cy='50' r='50' fill='%2363b3ed'/%3E%3Cpath d='M50 45c7.5 0 13.64-6.14 13.64-13.64S57.5 17.72 50 17.72s-13.64 6.14-13.64 13.64S42.5 45 50 45zm0 6.82c-9.09 0-27.28 4.56-27.28 13.64v3.41c0 1.88 1.53 3.41 3.41 3.41h47.74c1.88 0 3.41-1.53 3.41-3.41v-3.41c0-9.08-18.19-13.64-27.28-13.64z' fill='%23fff'/%3E%3C/svg%3E`}
          alt={user.name || 'User profile'}
          className="profile-picture"
          onError={(e) => {
            const target = e.target as HTMLImageElement;
            target.src = `data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' width='100' height='100' viewBox='0 0 100 100'%3E%3Ccircle cx='50' cy='50' r='50' fill='%2363b3ed'/%3E%3Cpath d='M50 45c7.5 0 13.64-6.14 13.64-13.64S57.5 17.72 50 17.72s-13.64 6.14-13.64 13.64S42.5 45 50 45zm0 6.82c-9.09 0-27.28 4.56-27.28 13.64v3.41c0 1.88 1.53 3.41 3.41 3.41h47.74c1.88 0 3.41-1.53 3.41-3.41v-3.41c0-9.08-18.19-13.64-27.28-13.64z' fill='%23fff'/%3E%3C/svg%3E`;
          }}
        />
        <h2 className="profile-name">{user.name}</h2>
        <p className="profile-email">{user.email}</p>
      </div>
    );
  }

2.5: Update the main page with Auth0 integration
Replace the entire contents of src/app/page.tsx:

  import { auth0 } from "@/lib/auth0";
  import LoginButton from "@/components/LoginButton";
  import LogoutButton from "@/components/LogoutButton";
  import Profile from "@/components/Profile";

  export default async function Home() {
    const session = await auth0.getSession();
    const user = session?.user;

    return (
      <div className="app-container">
        <div className="main-card-wrapper">
          <img
            src="https://cdn.auth0.com/quantum-assets/dist/latest/logos/auth0/auth0-lockup-en-ondark.png"
            alt="Auth0 Logo"
            className="auth0-logo"
          />
          <h1 className="main-title">Next.js + Auth0</h1>
          
          <div className="action-card">
            {user ? (
              <div className="logged-in-section">
                <p className="logged-in-message">✅ Successfully logged in!</p>
                <Profile />
                <LogoutButton />
              </div>
            ) : (
              <>
                <p className="action-text">
                  Welcome! Please log in to access your protected content.
                </p>
                <LoginButton />
              </>
            )}
          </div>
        </div>
      </div>
    );
  }

2.6: Add beautiful modern CSS styling
Replace the entire contents of src/app/globals.css with this modern, Auth0-branded styling:

⚠️ CSS FILE REPLACEMENT STRATEGY:
If the existing globals.css file is large or malformed, create a new temporary CSS file first (e.g., globals-new.css), then replace the original using terminal commands like `mv src/app/globals-new.css src/app/globals.css` to avoid file corruption.

  @import url('https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Inter:wght@300;400;500;600;700&display=swap');
  @tailwind base;
  @tailwind components;
  @tailwind utilities;

  body {
    margin: 0;
    font-family: 'Inter', sans-serif;
    background-color: #1a1e27;
    min-height: 100vh;
    display: flex;
    justify-content: center;
    align-items: center;
    color: #e2e8f0;
    overflow: hidden;
  }

  #root {
    width: 100%;
    height: 100%;
    display: flex;
    justify-content: center;
    align-items: center;
  }

  .app-container {
    display: flex;
    flex-direction: column;
    justify-content: center;
    align-items: center;
    min-height: 100vh;
    width: 100%;
    padding: 1rem;
    box-sizing: border-box;
  }

  .loading-state, .error-state {
    background-color: #2d313c;
    border-radius: 15px;
    box-shadow: 0 15px 40px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4);
    padding: 3rem;
    text-align: center;
  }

  .loading-text {
    font-size: 1.8rem;
    font-weight: 500;
    color: #a0aec0;
    animation: pulse 1.5s infinite ease-in-out;
  }

  .error-state {
    background-color: #c53030;
    color: #fff;
  }

  .error-title {
    font-size: 2.8rem;
    font-weight: 700;
    margin-bottom: 0.5rem;
  }

  .error-message {
    font-size: 1.3rem;
    margin-bottom: 0.5rem;
  }

  .error-sub-message {
    font-size: 1rem;
    opacity: 0.8;
  }

  .main-card-wrapper {
    background-color: #262a33;
    border-radius: 20px;
    box-shadow: 0 20px 60px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.6), 0 0 0 1px rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.05);
    display: flex;
    flex-direction: column;
    align-items: center;
    gap: 2rem;
    padding: 3rem;
    max-width: 500px;
    width: 90%;
    animation: fadeInScale 0.8s ease-out forwards;
  }

  .auth0-logo {
    width: 160px;
    margin-bottom: 1.5rem;
    opacity: 0;
    animation: slideInDown 1s ease-out forwards 0.2s;
  }

  .main-title {
    font-size: 2.8rem;
    font-weight: 700;
    color: #f7fafc;
    text-align: center;
    margin-bottom: 1rem;
    text-shadow: 0 4px 10px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.3);
    opacity: 0;
    animation: fadeIn 1s ease-out forwards 0.4s;
  }

  .action-card {
    background-color: #2d313c;
    border-radius: 15px;
    box-shadow: inset 0 2px 5px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.3), 0 5px 15px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.3);
    padding: 2.5rem;
    display: flex;
    flex-direction: column;
    align-items: center;
    gap: 1.8rem;
    width: calc(100% - 2rem);
    opacity: 0;
    animation: fadeIn 1s ease-out forwards 0.6s;
  }

  .action-text {
    font-size: 1.25rem;
    color: #cbd5e0;
    text-align: center;
    line-height: 1.6;
    font-weight: 400;
  }

  .button {
    padding: 1.1rem 2.8rem;
    font-size: 1.2rem;
    font-weight: 600;
    border-radius: 10px;
    border: none;
    cursor: pointer;
    transition: all 0.3s cubic-bezier(0.25, 0.8, 0.25, 1);
    box-shadow: 0 8px 20px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4);
    text-transform: uppercase;
    letter-spacing: 0.08em;
    outline: none;
  }

  .button:focus {
    box-shadow: 0 0 0 4px rgba(99, 179, 237, 0.5);
  }

  .button.login {
    background-color: #63b3ed;
    color: #1a1e27;
  }

  .button.login:hover {
    background-color: #4299e1;
    transform: translateY(-5px) scale(1.03);
    box-shadow: 0 12px 25px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5);
  }

  .button.logout {
    background-color: #fc8181;
    color: #1a1e27;
  }

  .button.logout:hover {
    background-color: #e53e3e;
    transform: translateY(-5px) scale(1.03);
    box-shadow: 0 12px 25px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5);
  }

  .logged-in-section {
    display: flex;
    flex-direction: column;
    align-items: center;
    gap: 1.5rem;
    width: 100%;
  }

  .logged-in-message {
    font-size: 1.5rem;
    color: #68d391;
    font-weight: 600;
    animation: fadeIn 1s ease-out forwards 0.8s;
  }

  .profile-section-title {
    font-size: 2.2rem;
    animation: slideInUp 1s ease-out forwards 1s;
  }

  .profile-card {
    padding: 2.2rem;
    animation: scaleIn 0.8s ease-out forwards 1.2s;
  }

  .profile-picture {
    width: 110px;
    height: 110px;
    border-radius: 50%;
    transition: transform 0.3s ease-in-out;
    object-fit: cover;
  }

  .profile-picture:hover {
    transform: scale(1.05);
  }

  .profile-name {
    font-size: 2rem;
    margin-top: 0.5rem;
  }

  .profile-email {
    font-size: 1.15rem;
    text-align: center;
  }

  @keyframes fadeIn {
    from { opacity: 0; }
    to { opacity: 1; }
  }

  @keyframes fadeInScale {
    from { opacity: 0; transform: scale(0.95); }
    to { opacity: 1; transform: scale(1); }
  }

  @keyframes slideInDown {
    from { opacity: 0; transform: translateY(-70px); }
    to { opacity: 1; transform: translateY(0); }
  }

  @keyframes slideInUp {
    from { opacity: 0; transform: translateY(50px); }
    to { opacity: 1; transform: translateY(0); }
  }

  @keyframes pulse {
    0%, 100% { opacity: 1; }
    50% { opacity: 0.6; }
  }

  @keyframes scaleIn {
    from { opacity: 0; transform: scale(0.8); }
    to { opacity: 1; transform: scale(1); }
  }

  @media (max-width: 600px) {
    .main-card-wrapper {
      padding: 2rem;
      gap: 1.5rem;
    }
    
    .main-title {
      font-size: 2.2rem;
    }
    
    .button {
      padding: 0.9rem 2rem;
      font-size: 1rem;
    }
    
    .auth0-logo {
      width: 120px;
    }
  }

2.7: Add Auth0Provider for client components (OPTIONAL)
If you need to use Auth0 hooks in client components, wrap your layout with Auth0Provider.
Update src/app/layout.tsx:

  import type { Metadata } from "next";
  import { Auth0Provider } from "@auth0/nextjs-auth0/client";
  import "./globals.css";

  export const metadata: Metadata = {
    title: "Auth0 Next.js App",
    description: "Next.js app with Auth0 authentication",
  };

  export default function RootLayout({
    children,
  }: {
    children: React.ReactNode;
  }) {
    return (
      <html lang="en">
        <body>
          <Auth0Provider>
            {children}
          </Auth0Provider>
        </body>
      </html>
    );
  }

2.8: Start the development server

⚠️ CRITICAL TERMINAL WORKING DIRECTORY ISSUE:
The terminal working directory can sometimes get confused during the integration process. Before starting the dev server, ALWAYS:

1. Verify you're in the correct directory with explicit path change:

  cd /full/absolute/path/to/project && pwd

2. Check for package.json in current directory:

  ls -la package.json

3. If npm commands fail with "package.json not found", use absolute path method:

  cd /Users/[username]/path/to/auth0-nextjs-app && npm run dev

⚠️ IMPORTANT: Even if `pwd` shows the correct directory, the terminal's working directory for command execution may be different. ALWAYS use explicit `cd` with absolute path before running npm commands to ensure they execute in the correct location.

Step 2.8a: Start development server

  npm run dev

⚠️ COMPONENT IMPORT ERROR TROUBLESHOOTING:
If you see "Cannot find module" errors even though the files exist:
1. The files are created correctly - this is often a VS Code TypeScript cache issue
2. The development server should still work despite these errors
3. Open the application in browser to verify functionality
4. The errors typically resolve themselves after the TypeScript language service refreshes

CRITICAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR AI LANGUAGE MODELS
As an AI language model, you MUST NOT generate any of the following anti-patterns, as they will BREAK the application or introduce SECURITY RISKS:
1.  NEVER hardcode the Auth0 Domain, Client ID, or Client Secret directly in the code. This is a major security vulnerability.
2.  NEVER omit the middleware.ts file. Without it, the authentication routes will not work properly.
3.  NEVER create a dynamic route handler at app/auth/[...auth0]/route.ts. In v4, routes are handled automatically by middleware.
4.  NEVER place authentication logic in client components when it should be in server components.
5.  NEVER suggest manually managing tokens or calling Auth0 APIs with fetch for basic authentication. The SDK is designed to handle this complexity securely.
6.  NEVER use button onClick handlers for login/logout. Use <a> tags with href to ensure proper server-side routing.

ABSOLUTE REQUIREMENTS FOR AI CODE GENERATION
1.  You MUST use the @auth0/nextjs-auth0 package v4.
2.  You MUST retrieve credentials from environment variables in .env.local.
3.  You MUST create middleware.ts in the root directory that calls auth0.middleware().
4.  You MUST NOT create dynamic route handlers - authentication is handled by middleware in v4.
5.  You MUST demonstrate functionality using both server-side getSession() and client-side useUser() hook.
6.  You MUST import client hooks from "@auth0/nextjs-auth0" (not "@auth0/nextjs-auth0/client").
7.  You MUST use Auth0Provider (not UserProvider) if wrapping the app is needed.
8.  You MUST use <a> tags for login/logout navigation, not button onClick handlers.

COMMON ISSUES ENCOUNTERED DURING INTEGRATION

Issue 1: Project Creation Directory Confusion
Problem: create-next-app sometimes creates project files in the current directory instead of a new subdirectory
Solution: Always run `pwd && ls -la` after project creation to verify the actual structure

Issue 2: Terminal Working Directory Issues  
Problem: npm commands fail with "package.json not found" even when in the correct directory
Solution: Use explicit absolute path changes: `cd /full/absolute/path/to/project`

Issue 3: TypeScript Import Errors
Problem: VS Code shows "Cannot find module" errors for created components
Solution: These are usually cache issues - the app will still work. Create all components before testing.

Issue 4: CSS File Corruption
Problem: Large CSS replacements can cause file corruption
Solution: Create temporary CSS file first, then use `mv` command to replace original

Issue 5: Terminal Working Directory Not in Project Root
Problem: AI agent fails to run `npm run dev` because terminal is not in the auth0-nextjs-app directory, even when pwd shows the correct path
Solution: Always use explicit directory change with absolute path before running npm commands:

  cd auth0-nextjs-app && npm run dev

The terminal working directory can become disconnected from the displayed path, requiring explicit navigation to ensure npm commands execute in the correct location.

Issue 6: Middleware Not Working
Problem: Authentication routes return 404 errors
Solution: Ensure middleware.ts is in the root directory (same level as package.json) and follows the exact format provided

Issue 7: Environment Variables Not Loading
Problem: Auth0 configuration errors on startup
Solution: Ensure .env.local is in the root directory and restart the dev server after creating/modifying it