Agent skill
clerk-local-dev-loop
Set up local development workflow with Clerk. Use when configuring development environment, testing auth locally, or setting up hot reload with Clerk. Trigger with phrases like "clerk local dev", "clerk development", "test clerk locally", "clerk dev environment".
Install this agent skill to your Project
npx add-skill https://github.com/jeremylongshore/claude-code-plugins-plus-skills/tree/main/plugins/saas-packs/clerk-pack/skills/clerk-local-dev-loop
SKILL.md
Clerk Local Dev Loop
Overview
Configure an efficient local development workflow with Clerk authentication, including test users, hot reload, and mock auth for unit tests.
Prerequisites
- Clerk SDK installed (
clerk-install-authcompleted) - Development instance created in Clerk Dashboard
- Node.js development environment
Instructions
Step 1: Configure Development Instance
Create a separate Clerk development instance to isolate test data from production.
# .env.local — use test keys (pk_test_ / sk_test_)
NEXT_PUBLIC_CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY=pk_test_...
CLERK_SECRET_KEY=sk_test_...
# Optional: Enable Clerk debug logging
CLERK_DEBUG=true
Clerk development instances provide:
- No email verification required
- Test phone numbers accepted
- Relaxed rate limits
- OAuth with test credentials
Step 2: Set Up Test Users
// scripts/seed-test-users.ts
import { createClerkClient } from '@clerk/backend'
const clerk = createClerkClient({ secretKey: process.env.CLERK_SECRET_KEY! })
async function seedTestUsers() {
const users = [
{ emailAddress: ['admin@test.com'], password: 'test1234', firstName: 'Admin', lastName: 'User' },
{ emailAddress: ['member@test.com'], password: 'test1234', firstName: 'Member', lastName: 'User' },
]
for (const user of users) {
try {
await clerk.users.createUser(user)
console.log(`Created: ${user.emailAddress[0]}`)
} catch (err: any) {
if (err.status === 422) {
console.log(`Already exists: ${user.emailAddress[0]}`)
} else {
throw err
}
}
}
}
seedTestUsers()
Run with:
npx tsx scripts/seed-test-users.ts
Step 3: Configure Hot Reload
// next.config.ts — ensure Clerk works with hot reload
const nextConfig = {
// Clerk SDK is compatible with Turbopack
experimental: {
// turbo: {}, // Uncomment if using Turbopack
},
// Prevent Clerk SDK from being bundled incorrectly
serverExternalPackages: ['@clerk/backend'],
}
export default nextConfig
# Start dev server with HTTPS (required for some Clerk features)
npx next dev --experimental-https
Step 4: Development Scripts
// package.json scripts
{
"scripts": {
"dev": "next dev",
"dev:https": "next dev --experimental-https",
"dev:seed": "tsx scripts/seed-test-users.ts",
"dev:tunnel": "ngrok http 3000",
"dev:webhook": "ngrok http 3000 --log stdout"
}
}
Step 5: Mock Authentication for Tests
// test/helpers/clerk-mock.ts
import { vi } from 'vitest'
export function mockClerkAuth(overrides: { userId?: string; orgId?: string } = {}) {
const mockAuth = {
userId: overrides.userId || 'user_test_123',
orgId: overrides.orgId || null,
getToken: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue('mock_token'),
has: vi.fn().mockReturnValue(true),
}
vi.mock('@clerk/nextjs/server', () => ({
auth: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(mockAuth),
currentUser: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue({
id: mockAuth.userId,
firstName: 'Test',
lastName: 'User',
emailAddresses: [{ emailAddress: 'test@test.com' }],
}),
clerkMiddleware: vi.fn(() => (req: any, res: any, next: any) => next()),
}))
return mockAuth
}
// test/api/data.test.ts
import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach } from 'vitest'
import { mockClerkAuth } from '../helpers/clerk-mock'
describe('GET /api/data', () => {
beforeEach(() => {
mockClerkAuth({ userId: 'user_test_123' })
})
it('returns data for authenticated user', async () => {
const res = await fetch('/api/data')
expect(res.status).toBe(200)
})
})
Output
- Development instance with test keys configured
- Test users seeded via script
- HTTPS dev server running for Clerk compatibility
- Vitest mock helpers for auth in unit tests
Error Handling
| Error | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Dev/prod key mismatch | Using pk_live_ in dev |
Switch to pk_test_ / sk_test_ keys |
| SSL required | Clerk needs HTTPS locally | Run next dev --experimental-https |
| Cookies not set | Wrong domain config | Check Clerk Dashboard domain settings |
| Session not persisting | Browser storage issue | Clear cookies, check localhost domain |
Examples
Playwright Auth Fixture for E2E Tests
// e2e/fixtures/auth.ts
import { test as base } from '@playwright/test'
export const test = base.extend({
authenticatedPage: async ({ page }, use) => {
await page.goto('/sign-in')
await page.fill('input[name="identifier"]', 'admin@test.com')
await page.click('button:has-text("Continue")')
await page.fill('input[name="password"]', 'test1234')
await page.click('button:has-text("Continue")')
await page.waitForURL('/dashboard')
await use(page)
},
})
Resources
Next Steps
Proceed to clerk-sdk-patterns for common SDK usage patterns.
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