How to Fix Clerk Auth Error in AI-Built Apps
Clerk authentication fails with cryptic errors during sign-in, token verification, or middleware. AI-generated Clerk integrations often misconfigure environment variables or middleware order.
Error messages you might see
ClerkJS: Token verification failed. Could not verify session token.Error: Clerk: auth() was called but Clerk can't detect usage of clerkMiddleware()Why this happens in AI-generated code
Missing or incorrect environment variables
AI code references wrong env variable names or mixes up publishable key and secret key.
Middleware not applied to correct routes
ClerkMiddleware is configured but doesn't match the routes that need authentication.
Clock skew in token verification
Server time is out of sync, causing JWT tokens to appear expired or not-yet-valid.
How to fix it
Verify environment variables
Ensure `NEXT_PUBLIC_CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY` and `CLERK_SECRET_KEY` are set correctly. Never prefix the secret key with NEXT_PUBLIC_.
Configure middleware matcher correctly
Export a `config` with a `matcher` array that covers all routes needing auth but excludes public assets and API webhooks.
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Frequently asked questions
Why does Clerk work locally but not in production?
Environment variables are often missing in production. Check your hosting platform's env configuration matches your .env.local.
How do I protect API routes with Clerk?
Use `auth()` from `@clerk/nextjs/server` in your API route handler to get the authenticated user's ID.
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