Nextjs Zustand

Covers skipHydration with the persist middleware plus manual rehydration in useEffect to avoid SSR mismatches, useShallow for array/object selectors, and SOLID file organization (store.ts, store-provider.tsx, use-store.ts). States explicitly that Zustand is Client-Components-only — never used in Server Components (fetch data directly there instead) and never used to persist auth tokens (use httpOnly cookies). Does not cover server state caching (see nextjs-tanstack-query for that).

Zustand for Next.js 16

Minimal, scalable state management with React 18+ useSyncExternalStore.

Agent Workflow (MANDATORY)

Before ANY implementation, use TeamCreate to spawn 3 agents:

1. explore-codebase - Analyze existing stores and state patterns
2. research-expert - Verify latest Zustand v5 docs via Context7/Exa
3. mcp__context7__query-docs - Check middleware and TypeScript patterns

After implementation, run sniper for validation.

Overview

When to Use

• Managing client-side state in Next.js App Router applications
• Need global state across Client Components only
• Persisting state to localStorage/sessionStorage
• Building UI state (modals, sidebars, theme, cart)
• Replacing React Context for complex state

Why Zustand v5

Critical Rules

1. Client Components ONLY - Never use Zustand in Server Components
2. Context pattern for App Router - Avoid global stores (request isolation)
3. useShallow for arrays/objects - Prevent unnecessary re-renders
4. skipHydration with persist - Required for SSR compatibility
5. Currying syntax v5 - create<State>()((set) => ({...}))
6. SOLID paths - Stores in modules/[feature]/src/stores/

SOLID Architecture

Module Structure

Stores organized by feature module:

• modules/cores/stores/ - Shared stores (theme, ui)
• modules/auth/src/stores/ - Auth state
• modules/cart/src/stores/ - Cart state
• modules/[feature]/src/interfaces/ - Store types

File Organization

Key Concepts

Store Creation (v5 Syntax)

Double parentheses required for TypeScript inference. Currying pattern ensures full type safety.

Context-Based Stores

For Next.js App Router, wrap stores in Context to prevent request-sharing. Use createStore from zustand/vanilla with useRef for initialization.

Middleware Composition

Stack middlewares: devtools → persist → immer. Order matters for TypeScript types.

Hydration Handling

Use skipHydration: true with persist middleware. Manually rehydrate in useEffect to avoid SSR mismatches.

Reference Guide

Best Practices

1. Selector pattern - Always use useStore((s) => s.field) for performance
2. useShallow - Wrap array/object selectors to prevent re-renders
3. Separate stores - One store per domain (auth, cart, ui, theme)
4. Server data elsewhere - Use TanStack Query for server state
5. DevTools in dev only - Wrap devtools in process.env check
6. Partialize persist - Only persist necessary fields, never tokens

Forbidden Patterns