start-core-middleware

name: start-core/middleware description: >- createMiddleware, request middleware (.server only), server function middleware (.client + .server), context passing via next({ context }), sendContext for client-server transfer, global middleware via createStart in src/start.ts, middleware factories, method order enforcement, fetch override precedence. type: sub-skill library: tanstack-start library_version: '1.166.2' requires: - start-core - start-core/server-functions sources: - TanStack/router:docs/start/framework/react/guide/middleware.md

Middleware

Middleware customizes the behavior of server functions and server routes. It is composable — middleware can depend on other middleware to form a chain.

CRITICAL: TypeScript enforces method order: middleware() → validator() → client() → server(). Wrong order causes type errors. CRITICAL: Validating the shape of sendContext (e.g. z.string().uuid().parse(...)) is NOT authorization. A parsed identifier is a well-formed identifier, not an authorized one. Always re-check access against the session principal before using a client-sent ID as a query key, filter, or path parameter.

Two Types of Middleware

Request middleware cannot depend on server function middleware. Server function middleware can depend on both types.

Request Middleware

Runs on ALL server requests (SSR, server routes, server functions):

// Use @tanstack/<framework>-start for your framework (react, solid, vue)
import { createMiddleware } from '@tanstack/react-start'

const loggingMiddleware = createMiddleware().server(
  async ({ next, context, request }) => {
    console.log('Request:', request.url)
    const result = await next()
    return result
  },
)

Server Function Middleware

Has both client and server phases:

// Use @tanstack/<framework>-start for your framework (react, solid, vue)
import { createMiddleware } from '@tanstack/react-start'

const authMiddleware = createMiddleware({ type: 'function' })
  .client(async ({ next }) => {
    // Runs on client BEFORE the RPC call
    const result = await next()
    // Runs on client AFTER the RPC response
    return result
  })
  .server(async ({ next, context }) => {
    // Runs on server BEFORE the handler
    const result = await next()
    // Runs on server AFTER the handler
    return result
  })

Attaching Middleware to Server Functions

// Use @tanstack/<framework>-start for your framework (react, solid, vue)
import { createServerFn } from '@tanstack/react-start'

const fn = createServerFn()
  .middleware([authMiddleware])
  .handler(async ({ context }) => {
    // context contains data from middleware
    return { user: context.user }
  })

Context Passing via next()

Pass context down the middleware chain:

const authMiddleware = createMiddleware().server(async ({ next, request }) => {
  const session = await getSession(request.headers)
  if (!session) throw new Error('Unauthorized')

  return next({
    context: { session },
  })
})

const roleMiddleware = createMiddleware()
  .middleware([authMiddleware])
  .server(async ({ next, context }) => {
    console.log('Session:', context.session) // typed!
    return next()
  })

Sending Context Between Client and Server

Client → Server (sendContext)

const workspaceMiddleware = createMiddleware({ type: 'function' })
  .client(async ({ next, context }) => {
    return next({
      sendContext: {
        workspaceId: context.workspaceId,
      },
    })
  })
  .server(async ({ next, context }) => {
    // workspaceId available here, but VALIDATE IT
    console.log('Workspace:', context.workspaceId)
    return next()
  })

Server → Client (sendContext in server)

const serverTimer = createMiddleware({ type: 'function' }).server(
  async ({ next }) => {
    return next({
      sendContext: {
        timeFromServer: new Date(),
      },
    })
  },
)

const clientLogger = createMiddleware({ type: 'function' })
  .middleware([serverTimer])
  .client(async ({ next }) => {
    const result = await next()
    console.log('Server time:', result.context.timeFromServer)
    return result
  })

Input Validation in Middleware

import { z } from 'zod'
import { zodValidator } from '@tanstack/zod-adapter'

const workspaceMiddleware = createMiddleware({ type: 'function' })
  .validator(zodValidator(z.object({ workspaceId: z.string() })))
  .server(async ({ next, data }) => {
    console.log('Workspace:', data.workspaceId)
    return next()
  })

Global Middleware

Create src/start.ts to configure global middleware:

// src/start.ts
// Use @tanstack/<framework>-start for your framework (react, solid, vue)
import { createStart, createMiddleware } from '@tanstack/react-start'

const requestLogger = createMiddleware().server(async ({ next, request }) => {
  console.log(`${request.method} ${request.url}`)
  return next()
})

const functionAuth = createMiddleware({ type: 'function' }).server(
  async ({ next }) => {
    // runs for every server function
    return next()
  },
)

export const startInstance = createStart(() => ({
  requestMiddleware: [requestLogger],
  functionMiddleware: [functionAuth],
}))

Using Middleware with Server Routes

All handlers in a route

export const Route = createFileRoute('/api/users')({
  server: {
    middleware: [authMiddleware],
    handlers: {
      GET: async ({ context }) => Response.json(context.user),
      POST: async ({ request }) => {
        /* ... */
      },
    },
  },
})

Specific handlers only

export const Route = createFileRoute('/api/users')({
  server: {
    handlers: ({ createHandlers }) =>
      createHandlers({
        GET: async () => Response.json({ public: true }),
        POST: {
          middleware: [authMiddleware],
          handler: async ({ context }) => {
            return Response.json({ user: context.session.user })
          },
        },
      }),
  },
})

Middleware Factories

Create parameterized middleware for reusable patterns like authorization:

const authMiddleware = createMiddleware().server(async ({ next, request }) => {
  const session = await auth.getSession({ headers: request.headers })
  if (!session) throw new Error('Unauthorized')
  return next({ context: { session } })
})

Attach authMiddleware to every createServerFn that needs auth. Server functions are API endpoints; a route beforeLoad does not protect their data, only the route's UI. Protect the endpoint that reads or mutates private data. See router-core/auth-and-guards and start-core/auth-server-primitives.

type Permissions = Record<string, string[]>

function authorizationMiddleware(permissions: Permissions) {
  return createMiddleware({ type: 'function' })
    .middleware([authMiddleware])
    .server(async ({ next, context }) => {
      const granted = await auth.hasPermission(context.session, permissions)
      if (!granted) throw new Error('Forbidden')
      return next()
    })
}

// Usage
const getClients = createServerFn()
  .middleware([authorizationMiddleware({ client: ['read'] })])
  .handler(async () => {
    return { message: 'The user can read clients.' }
  })

Custom Headers and Fetch

Setting headers from client middleware

const authMiddleware = createMiddleware({ type: 'function' }).client(
  async ({ next }) => {
    return next({
      headers: { Authorization: `Bearer ${getToken()}` },
    })
  },
)

Headers merge across middleware. Later middleware overrides earlier. Call-site headers override all middleware headers.

Custom fetch

// Use @tanstack/<framework>-start for your framework (react, solid, vue)
import type { CustomFetch } from '@tanstack/react-start'

const loggingMiddleware = createMiddleware({ type: 'function' }).client(
  async ({ next }) => {
    const customFetch: CustomFetch = async (url, init) => {
      console.log('Request:', url)
      return fetch(url, init)
    }
    return next({ fetch: customFetch })
  },
)

Fetch precedence (highest to lowest): call site → later middleware → earlier middleware → createStart global → default fetch.

Common Mistakes

1. CRITICAL: Trusting client sendContext — shape check is not access check

sendContext from a client middleware arrives on the server as untrusted client input. Most agents stop after parsing the shape with Zod and assume the value is safe. It isn't: a parsed UUID is some workspace, not the requesting user's workspace. Without a membership check against the session principal, you've built a tenant-walking endpoint.

Layer 1 — WRONG (no validation):

.server(async ({ next, context }) => {
  // SQL-injectable AND tenant-walkable
  await db.query(`SELECT * FROM workspace_${context.workspaceId}`)
  return next()
})

Layer 2 — STILL WRONG (shape only):

.server(async ({ next, context }) => {
  // Looks safe, isn't. UUID is well-formed but the user may not be a member.
  const workspaceId = z.string().uuid().parse(context.workspaceId)
  await db.query('SELECT * FROM workspaces WHERE id = $1', [workspaceId])
  return next()
})

Layer 3 — CORRECT (shape AND access):

.middleware([authMiddleware]) // session loaded from cookie, NOT from sendContext
.server(async ({ next, context }) => {
  const workspaceId = z.string().uuid().parse(context.workspaceId)
  // Verify the session principal can access this workspace.
  const member = await db.memberships.find({
    userId: context.session.userId,
    workspaceId,
  })
  if (!member) throw new Error('Not a member of this workspace')
  await db.query('SELECT * FROM workspaces WHERE id = $1', [workspaceId])
  return next({ context: { workspaceId } })
})

The session itself must come from a server-trusted source (the cookie + DB lookup in authMiddleware), never from sendContext — anything the client can send, the client can lie about. See start-core/auth-server-primitives.

2. MEDIUM: Confusing request vs server function middleware

Request middleware runs on ALL requests (SSR, routes, functions). Server function middleware runs only for createServerFn calls and has .client() method.

3. HIGH: Browser APIs in .client() crash during SSR

During SSR, .client() callbacks run on the server. Browser-only APIs like localStorage or window will throw ReferenceError:

// WRONG — localStorage doesn't exist on the server during SSR
const middleware = createMiddleware({ type: 'function' }).client(
  async ({ next }) => {
    const token = localStorage.getItem('token')
    return next({ sendContext: { token } })
  },
)

// CORRECT — use cookies/headers or guard with typeof window check
const middleware = createMiddleware({ type: 'function' }).client(
  async ({ next }) => {
    const token =
      typeof window !== 'undefined' ? localStorage.getItem('token') : null
    return next({ sendContext: { token } })
  },
)

4. MEDIUM: Wrong method order

// WRONG — type error
createMiddleware({ type: 'function' })
  .server(() => { ... })
  .client(() => { ... })

// CORRECT — middleware → validator → client → server
createMiddleware({ type: 'function' })
  .middleware([dep])
  .validator(schema)
  .client(({ next }) => next())
  .server(({ next }) => next())

Cross-References

• start-core/server-functions — what middleware wraps
• start-core/server-routes — middleware on API endpoints
• start-core/auth-server-primitives — building the authMiddleware factory itself: session cookie reads, OAuth state, CSRF
• router-core/auth-and-guards — routing-side UX guards; data auth belongs in the server function, server route, or API endpoint handler/middleware