tomevault-io Convex + Clerk Authentication
Provider-specific patterns for integrating Clerk with Convex.
Required Configuration
1. auth.config.ts
// convex/auth.config.ts
import { AuthConfig } from 'convex/server';
export default {
providers: [
{
domain: process.env.CLERK_JWT_ISSUER_DOMAIN!,
applicationID: 'convex'
}
]
} satisfies AuthConfig;
CRITICAL: JWT template in Clerk MUST be named exactly convex.
2. Environment Variables
# .env.local (Vite)
VITE_CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY=pk_test_...
# .env.local (Next.js)
NEXT_PUBLIC_CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY=pk_test_...
CLERK_SECRET_KEY=sk_test_...
# Convex Dashboard Environment Variables
CLERK_JWT_ISSUER_DOMAIN=https://verb-noun-00.clerk.accounts.dev
CLERK_WEBHOOK_SECRET=whsec_... # If using webhooks
Client Setup
React (Vite)
// src/main.tsx
import { ClerkProvider, useAuth } from "@clerk/clerk-react";
import { ConvexProviderWithClerk } from "convex/react-clerk";
import { ConvexReactClient } from "convex/react";
const convex = new ConvexReactClient(import.meta.env.VITE_CONVEX_URL);
ReactDOM.createRoot(document.getElementById("root")!).render(
<ClerkProvider publishableKey={import.meta.env.VITE_CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY}>
<ConvexProviderWithClerk client={convex} useAuth={useAuth}>
<App />
</ConvexProviderWithClerk>
</ClerkProvider>
);
Next.js App Router
// components/ConvexClientProvider.tsx
'use client';
import { ReactNode } from 'react';
import { ConvexReactClient } from 'convex/react';
import { ConvexProviderWithClerk } from 'convex/react-clerk';
import { useAuth } from '@clerk/nextjs';
const convex = new ConvexReactClient(process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_CONVEX_URL!);
export default function ConvexClientProvider({ children }: { children: ReactNode }) {
return (
<ConvexProviderWithClerk client={convex} useAuth={useAuth}>
{children}
</ConvexProviderWithClerk>
);
}
// app/layout.tsx
import { ClerkProvider } from '@clerk/nextjs';
import ConvexClientProvider from '@/components/ConvexClientProvider';
export default function RootLayout({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) {
return (
<html>
<body>
<ClerkProvider>
<ConvexClientProvider>{children}</ConvexClientProvider>
</ClerkProvider>
</body>
</html>
);
}
Next.js Middleware
// middleware.ts
import { clerkMiddleware, createRouteMatcher } from '@clerk/nextjs/server';
const isProtectedRoute = createRouteMatcher(['/dashboard(.*)']);
export default clerkMiddleware(async (auth, req) => {
if (isProtectedRoute(req)) {
await auth.protect();
}
});
export const config = {
matcher: ['/((?!.*\\..*|_next).*)', '/', '/(api|trpc)(.*)']
};
UI Components
Use Convex auth components, NOT Clerk's:
// ✅ Correct
import { Authenticated, Unauthenticated, AuthLoading } from 'convex/react';
// ❌ Don't use these for conditional rendering
import { SignedIn, SignedOut } from '@clerk/clerk-react';
import { SignInButton, UserButton } from "@clerk/clerk-react";
import { Authenticated, Unauthenticated } from "convex/react";
function App() {
return (
<>
<Authenticated>
<UserButton />
<Content />
</Authenticated>
<Unauthenticated>
<SignInButton />
</Unauthenticated>
</>
);
}
Clerk Webhooks for User Sync
See WEBHOOKS.md for complete implementation.
Setup in Clerk Dashboard:
- Webhooks > Add Endpoint
- URL:
https://your-deployment.convex.site/clerk-users-webhook - Events: Select all
user.*events - Copy Signing Secret → Convex Dashboard env vars as
CLERK_WEBHOOK_SECRET
Accessing User Info
Client-side (Clerk SDK)
import { useUser } from "@clerk/clerk-react";
function Profile() {
const { user } = useUser();
return <span>Hello, {user?.fullName}</span>;
}
Server-side (Convex functions)
export const myQuery = query({
handler: async (ctx) => {
const identity = await ctx.auth.getUserIdentity();
// identity.name, identity.email, etc.
// Fields depend on Clerk JWT template claims config
}
});
Dev vs Prod Configuration
| Environment | Publishable Key | Issuer Domain |
|---|---|---|
| Development | pk_test_... |
https://verb-noun-00.clerk.accounts.dev |
| Production | pk_live_... |
https://clerk.your-domain.com |
Set different values in Convex Dashboard for dev vs prod deployments.
Clerk-Specific Troubleshooting
| Issue | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Token not generated | JWT template not named "convex" | Rename template to exactly convex |
aud mismatch |
Wrong applicationID | Use applicationID: "convex" |
iss mismatch |
Wrong domain | Copy Frontend API URL from Clerk |
| Webhook fails | Wrong secret | Copy Signing Secret from Clerk webhook |
DO ✅
- Name JWT template exactly
convex - Use
ConvexProviderWithClerkwithuseAuthfrom Clerk - Use
useConvexAuth()not Clerk'suseAuth()for auth state - Use Convex's
<Authenticated>not Clerk's<SignedIn> - Set CLERK_JWT_ISSUER_DOMAIN in Convex Dashboard
DON'T ❌
- Rename the JWT template from "convex"
- Use Clerk's auth hooks to gate Convex queries
- Hardcode the issuer domain (use env var)
- Forget to deploy after changing auth.config.ts
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