Router Act

Router Act Testing

Use this skill when writing or modifying tests that involve prefetch requests, client router navigations, or the segment cache. The createRouterAct utility from test/lib/router-act.ts lets you assert on prefetch and navigation responses in an end-to-end way without coupling to the exact number of requests or the protocol details. This is why most client router-related tests use this pattern.

When NOT to Use act

Don't bother with act if you don't need to instrument the network responses — either to control their timing or to assert on what's included in them. If all you're doing is waiting for some part of the UI to appear after a navigation, regular Playwright helpers like browser.elementById(), browser.elementByCss(), and browser.waitForElementByCss() are sufficient.

Core Principles

1. Use LinkAccordion to control when prefetches happen. Never let links be visible outside an act scope.
2. Prefer 'no-requests' whenever the data should be served from cache. This is the strongest assertion — it proves the cache is working.
3. Avoid retry/polling timers. The act utility exists specifically to replace inherently flaky patterns like retry() loops or setTimeout waits for network activity. If you find yourself wanting to poll, you're probably not using act correctly.
4. Avoid the block feature. It's prone to false negatives. Prefer includes and 'no-requests' assertions instead.

Act API

Config Options

// Assert NO router requests are made (data served from cache).
// Prefer this whenever possible — it's the strongest assertion.
await act(async () => { ... }, 'no-requests')

// Expect at least one response containing this substring
await act(async () => { ... }, { includes: 'Page content' })

// Expect multiple responses (checked in order)
await act(async () => { ... }, [
  { includes: 'First response' },
  { includes: 'Second response' },
])

// Assert the same content appears in two separate responses
await act(async () => { ... }, [
  { includes: 'Repeated content' },
  { includes: 'Repeated content' },
])

// Expect at least one request, don't assert on content
await act(async () => { ... })

How includes Matching Works

• The includes substring is matched against the HTTP response body. Use text content that appears literally in the rendered output (e.g. 'Dynamic content (stale time 60s)').
• Extra responses that don't match any includes assertion are silently ignored — you only need to assert on the responses you care about. This keeps tests decoupled from the exact number of requests the router makes.
• Each includes expectation claims exactly one response. If the same substring appears in N separate responses, provide N separate { includes: '...' } entries.

App Shell requests are ignored by default

When App Shells are enabled (the default when Cache Components is on), a prefetch is split into two phases: an App Shell prefetch — the param/searchParam-independent chrome of the route (layouts, loading boundaries, static shell) — and a separate per-link/per-page data prefetch. The App Shell is conceptually part of the route, not prefetch data, so act ignores App Shell requests for all assertion purposes (they carry a next-router-prefetch: '3' header).

This means you generally do not need to account for the extra App Shell response in your assertions. If a Loading... fallback now arrives in both the App Shell prefetch and the per-link prefetch, you still write a single { includes: 'Loading...' } — the App Shell copy is invisible to matching. Likewise, 'no-requests' still passes even if an App Shell prefetch fires, and block: 'reject' won't match content that appears only in the App Shell.

App Shell requests are still intercepted, fulfilled, and awaited (so the shell is cached and no requests are left in flight) — they just don't participate in includes matching, no-requests, block: 'reject', or the "at least one request" check. An App Shell response that returns an error status (4xx/5xx) still fails the test.

To assert on App Shell responses directly — for tests specifically about App Shell behavior — opt in at the act instance level:

const act = createRouterAct(page, { includeAppShellRequests: true })

With this option, App Shell requests are treated like any other router request. Prefer expressing App Shell behavior through observable outcomes (e.g. an instant navigation rendering the cached shell before the data response arrives) rather than asserting on prefetch content where practical. See test/e2e/app-dir/segment-cache/prefetch-app-shell/prefetch-app-shell.test.ts for the canonical example.

What act Does Internally

act intercepts all router requests — prefetches, navigations, and Server Actions — made during the scope:

1. Installs a Playwright route handler to intercept router requests
2. Runs your scope function
3. Waits for a requestIdleCallback (captures IntersectionObserver-triggered prefetches)
4. Fulfills buffered responses to the browser
5. Repeats steps 3-4 until no more requests arrive
6. Asserts on the responses based on the config

Responses are buffered and only forwarded to the browser after the scope function returns. This means you cannot navigate to a new page and wait for it to render within the same scope — that would deadlock. Trigger the navigation (click the link) and let act handle the rest. Read destination page content after act returns:

await act(
  async () => {
    /* toggle accordion, click link */
  },
  { includes: 'Page content' }
)

// Read content after act returns, not inside the scope
expect(await browser.elementById('my-content').text()).toBe('Page content')

LinkAccordion Pattern

Why LinkAccordion Exists

LinkAccordion controls when <Link> components enter the DOM. A Next.js <Link> triggers a prefetch when it enters the viewport (via IntersectionObserver). By hiding the Link behind a checkbox toggle, you control exactly when prefetches happen — only when you explicitly toggle the accordion inside an act scope.

// components/link-accordion.tsx
'use client'
import Link from 'next/link'
import { useState } from 'react'

export function LinkAccordion({ href, children, prefetch }) {
  const [isVisible, setIsVisible] = useState(false)
  return (
    <>
      <input
        type="checkbox"
        checked={isVisible}
        => setIsVisible(!isVisible)}
        data-link-accordion={href}
      />
      {isVisible ? (
        <Link href={href} prefetch={prefetch}>
          {children}
        </Link>
      ) : (
        `${children} (link is hidden)`
      )}
    </>
  )
}

Standard Navigation Pattern

Always toggle the accordion and click the link inside the same act scope:

await act(
  async () => {
    // 1. Toggle accordion — Link enters DOM, triggers prefetch
    const toggle = await browser.elementByCss(
      'input[data-link-accordion="/target-page"]'
    )
    await toggle.click()

    // 2. Click the now-visible link — triggers navigation
    const link = await browser.elementByCss('a[href="/target-page"]')
    await link.click()
  },
  { includes: 'Expected page content' }
)

Common Sources of Flakiness

Using browser.back() with open accordions

Do not use browser.back() to return to a page where accordions were previously opened. BFCache restores the full React state including useState values, so previously-opened Links are immediately visible. This triggers IntersectionObserver callbacks outside any act scope — if the cached data is stale, uncontrolled re-prefetches fire and break subsequent no-requests assertions.

The only safe use of browser.back()/browser.forward() is when testing BFCache behavior specifically.

Fix: navigate forward to a fresh hub page instead. See Hub Pages.

Using visible <Link> components outside act scopes

Any <Link> visible in the viewport can trigger a prefetch at any time via IntersectionObserver. If this happens outside an act scope, the request is uncontrolled and can interfere with subsequent assertions. Always hide links behind LinkAccordion and only toggle them inside act.

Using retry/polling timers to wait for network activity

retry(), setTimeout, or any polling pattern to wait for prefetches or navigations to settle is inherently flaky. act deterministically waits for all router requests to complete before returning.

Navigating and waiting for render in the same act scope

Responses are buffered until the scope exits. Clicking a link then reading destination content in the same scope deadlocks. Read page content after act returns instead.

Hub Pages

When you need to navigate away from a page and come back to test staleness, use "hub" pages instead of browser.back(). Each hub is a fresh page with its own LinkAccordion components that start closed.

Hub pages use connection() to ensure they are dynamically rendered. This guarantees that navigating to a hub always produces a router request, which lets act properly manage the navigation and wait for the page to fully render before continuing.

Hub page pattern:

// app/my-test/hub-a/page.tsx
import { Suspense } from 'react'
import { connection } from 'next/server'
import { LinkAccordion } from '../../components/link-accordion'

async function Content() {
  await connection()
  return <div id="hub-a-content">Hub a</div>
}

export default function Page() {
  return (
    <>
      <Suspense fallback="Loading...">
        <Content />
      </Suspense>
      <ul>
        <li>
          <LinkAccordion href="/my-test/target-page">Target page</LinkAccordion>
        </li>
      </ul>
    </>
  )
}

Target pages link to hubs via LinkAccordion too:

// On target pages, add LinkAccordion links to hub pages
<LinkAccordion href="/my-test/hub-a">Hub A</LinkAccordion>

Test flow:

// 1. Navigate to target (first visit)
await act(
  async () => {
    /* toggle accordion, click link */
  },
  { includes: 'Target content' }
)

// 2. Navigate to hub-a (fresh page, all accordions closed)
await act(
  async () => {
    const toggle = await browser.elementByCss(
      'input[data-link-accordion="/my-test/hub-a"]'
    )
    await toggle.click()
    const link = await browser.elementByCss('a[href="/my-test/hub-a"]')
    await link.click()
  },
  { includes: 'Hub a' }
)

// 3. Advance time
await page.clock.setFixedTime(startDate + 60 * 1000)

// 4. Navigate back to target from hub (controlled prefetch)
await act(async () => {
  const toggle = await browser.elementByCss(
    'input[data-link-accordion="/my-test/target-page"]'
  )
  await toggle.click()
  const link = await browser.elementByCss('a[href="/my-test/target-page"]')
  await link.click()
}, 'no-requests') // or { includes: '...' } if data is stale

Fake Clock Setup

Segment cache staleness tests use Playwright's clock API to control Date.now():

async function startBrowserWithFakeClock(url: string) {
  let page!: Playwright.Page
  const startDate = Date.now()

  const browser = await next.browser(url, {
    async beforePageLoad(p: Playwright.Page) {
      page = p
      await page.clock.install()
      await page.clock.setFixedTime(startDate)
    },
  })

  const act = createRouterAct(page)
  return { browser, page, act, startDate }
}

• setFixedTime changes Date.now() return value but timers still run in real time
• The segment cache uses Date.now() for staleness checks
• Advancing the clock doesn't trigger IntersectionObserver — only viewport changes do
• setFixedTime does NOT fire pending setTimeout/setInterval callbacks

Reference

• createRouterAct: test/lib/router-act.ts
• LinkAccordion: test/e2e/app-dir/segment-cache/staleness/components/link-accordion.tsx
• Example tests: test/e2e/app-dir/segment-cache/staleness/