# Set Up Routing

> Use when adding client-side routing to a frontend SPA — wires TanStack Router (typed, file-based, React) or Vue Router (Vue) with lazy route code-splitting, loaders that prefetch into the TanStack Query cache, per-route error + pending UI, and a guard pattern for protected routes.

- Skill: `velimirmueller/set-up-routing` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add velimirmueller/set-up-routing`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/velimirmueller/set-up-routing/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Web & Frontend
- Author: VelimirMueller (https://skillmd.com/u/velimirmueller)
- Updated: 2026-09-22
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/velimirmueller/set-up-routing

---


# Set Up Routing

## 1. Audit current state

```bash
grep -E '"(@tanstack/react-router|react-router|vue-router|@tanstack/router-plugin)"' package.json 2>/dev/null
ls src/routes src/router src/routeTree.gen.ts 2>/dev/null
```

Detect an existing router (react-router, TanStack Router, vue-router). **Prerequisites:** `@/` alias, `set-up-state-management` (loaders prefetch into its query cache), and ideally `set-up-error-boundaries` (route `errorComponent` reuses its `ErrorFallback`).

## 2. Decide what to do
- No router → full setup.
- react-router present, migrating → see `routing-patterns.md` (migration is deliberate, not silent).
- Router present → add the missing pieces (loaders, guards, per-route error UI).

## 3. Detect framework
React → **TanStack Router** (file-based, fully typed). Vue → **Vue Router** (note: `unplugin-vue-router` adds typed file-based routing — see `routing-patterns.md`).

## 4. Install

### React
```bash
pnpm add @tanstack/react-router
pnpm add -D @tanstack/router-plugin
```

### Vue
```bash
pnpm add vue-router
```

## 5. React — TanStack Router (file-based)

Add the router plugin **before** the React plugin in `vite.config.ts`:
```ts
import { tanstackRouter } from '@tanstack/router-plugin/vite';
import react from '@vitejs/plugin-react';
import tailwindcss from '@tailwindcss/vite';

export default defineConfig({
  plugins: [
    tanstackRouter({ target: 'react', autoCodeSplitting: true }),
    react(),
    tailwindcss(),
  ],
});
```

Root route carries the `queryClient` in typed context:
```tsx
// src/routes/__root.tsx
import { createRootRouteWithContext, Outlet } from '@tanstack/react-router';
import type { QueryClient } from '@tanstack/react-query';

export interface RouterContext {
  queryClient: QueryClient;
}

export const Route = createRootRouteWithContext<RouterContext>()({
  component: () => <Outlet />,
});
```

A route prefetches its data in a loader (warming the same cache `useTodos` reads) and renders error/pending UI itself:
```tsx
// src/routes/index.tsx
import { createFileRoute } from '@tanstack/react-router';
import { queryKeys, type Todo, type TodoFilters } from '@/libs/queryKeys';
import { fetcher } from '@/libs/fetcher';
import { ErrorFallback } from '@/components/atoms/ErrorFallback';

const filters: TodoFilters = { status: 'all' };

export const Route = createFileRoute('/')({
  loader: ({ context }) =>
    context.queryClient.ensureQueryData({
      queryKey: queryKeys.todos.list(filters),
      queryFn: () => fetcher<Todo[]>(`/todos?status=${filters.status}`),
    }),
  errorComponent: ({ error }) => <ErrorFallback error={error} />,
  component: () => <h1 className="text-3xl font-bold">Todos</h1>,
});
```

Wire the generated route tree, inject context, and register the type:
```tsx
// src/main.tsx
import { RouterProvider, createRouter } from '@tanstack/react-router';
import { QueryClientProvider } from '@tanstack/react-query';
import { routeTree } from './routeTree.gen';
import { queryClient } from '@/libs/queryClient';

const router = createRouter({
  routeTree,
  context: { queryClient },
  defaultPreload: 'intent', // preload on hover/focus — instant navigation
});

declare module '@tanstack/react-router' {
  interface Register {
    router: typeof router;
  }
}

createRoot(document.getElementById('root')!).render(
  <StrictMode>
    <QueryClientProvider client={queryClient}>
      <RouterProvider router={router} />
    </QueryClientProvider>
  </StrictMode>,
);
```

`autoCodeSplitting` lazy-loads each route; the file-based plugin generates `routeTree.gen.ts` — add `src/routeTree.gen.ts` to `.gitignore`.

## 6. Vue — Vue Router (lazy + guards)

```ts
// src/router/index.ts
import { createRouter, createWebHistory } from 'vue-router';

export const router = createRouter({
  history: createWebHistory(),
  routes: [
    { path: '/', name: 'home', component: () => import('@/components/pages/HomePage.vue') },
    {
      path: '/dashboard',
      name: 'dashboard',
      meta: { requiresAuth: true },
      component: () => import('@/components/pages/DashboardPage.vue'), // lazy
    },
  ],
});
```
```ts
// src/main.ts
app.use(router);
```
Components fetch with the `useTodos` composable; Vue Router's experimental Data Loaders (via `unplugin-vue-router`) bring loader-style prefetch when you want it.

## 7. Protected routes — guard, don't gate in components

```tsx
// React: src/routes/dashboard.tsx
import { createFileRoute, redirect } from '@tanstack/react-router';
import { currentUserQueryOptions } from '@/libs/auth'; // provided by set-up-auth

export const Route = createFileRoute('/dashboard')({
  beforeLoad: async ({ context, location }) => {
    const user = await context.queryClient.ensureQueryData(currentUserQueryOptions);
    if (!user) throw redirect({ to: '/login', search: { redirect: location.href } });
  },
  component: () => <h1>Dashboard</h1>,
});
```
```ts
// Vue: src/router/index.ts
router.beforeEach((to) => {
  if (to.meta.requiresAuth && !isAuthenticated()) return { name: 'login' };
});
```
`currentUserQueryOptions` (React) and the Vue `isAuthenticated()` come from `set-up-auth`; the guard reads the user through the query cache (deduped with the component's `useCurrentUser`). This skill defines the guard *shape*; auth wires the source.

## 8. Verify
```bash
pnpm tsc --noEmit   # typed routes compile
pnpm dev            # navigate; loaders prefetch, hover preloads
```

## References
- ./routing-patterns.md — typed routes, lazy splitting, loader↔Query, guards, per-route error/pending UI, the routes/-vs-atomic-pages decision, react-router migration.
- ../_shared/conventions.md — `@/` alias; the `pages/` vs `routes/` note.
- ../_shared/stack-versions.md — runtime-dep versioning.