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3d9988e
docs: plan the v2 restructuring and record its decisions
RedStar071 Oct 17, 2026
c555d8e
chore(skills): add v2 stack skills from the skilld registry
RedStar071 Oct 17, 2026
52d869e
refactor: move the runtime packages under packages/core
RedStar071 Oct 17, 2026
f91ef28
refactor: rename the dashboard app to apps/web
RedStar071 Oct 17, 2026
cfaabb3
build: publish every package as ESM only
RedStar071 Oct 17, 2026
23af397
feat(ui): share design tokens and the UnoCSS setup across apps
RedStar071 Oct 17, 2026
ea3d751
fix(deps): repair dangling peer ids in the lockfile
RedStar071 Oct 18, 2026
c3db25b
test: give the Nuxt test environment time to boot
RedStar071 Oct 18, 2026
6e61c0f
feat(forge): add the forges-based source-control boundary
RedStar071 Oct 18, 2026
6b5aac1
ci(zizmor): audit only the repository's own workflows and actions
RedStar071 Oct 18, 2026
228b021
fix(forge): redact the credentials of environment connections
RedStar071 Oct 18, 2026
19abe9d
feat: lead the marketing home with evidence, drop unsupported claims …
RedStar071 Oct 18, 2026
5dd10d1
feat(auth): add passkeys, 2FA and org API keys on Better Auth 1.7 (#72)
RedStar071 Oct 19, 2026
6bbce62
feat(dashboard): split the sign-in pages into form and brand panel (#73)
RedStar071 Oct 19, 2026
dccc43b
ci: deploy the marketing and docs sites to Cloudflare Workers (#79)
RedStar071 Oct 19, 2026
f1cbf6f
fix(api): refuse runs the selected runner cannot hold to the network …
RedStar071 Oct 20, 2026
8a2d5c5
fix(web): deliver magic links and second-factor codes by mail
RedStar071 Oct 20, 2026
256f444
feat(web): add the second-factor verification page
RedStar071 Oct 20, 2026
fc9ed62
fix(web): keep the sign-in destination through the second factor
RedStar071 Oct 20, 2026
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192 changes: 192 additions & 0 deletions .agents/skills/better-auth-best-practices/SKILL.md
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---
name: better-auth-best-practices
description: Configure Better Auth server and client, set up database adapters, manage sessions, add plugins, and handle environment variables. Use when users mention Better Auth, betterauth, auth.ts, or need to set up TypeScript authentication with email/password, OAuth, or plugin configuration.
---

# Better Auth Integration Guide

## Documentation Version

Use documentation that matches the Better Auth version installed in the project. APIs and plugin names can differ across maintained release lines.

1. Prefer a version explicitly named by the user.
2. Otherwise, inspect the resolved `better-auth` version in the lockfile, falling back to the package manifest when no lockfile is available.
3. When the Better Auth MCP is available, call `get_doc` with `/llms.txt` to resolve that package version to a documentation identifier. Pass the identifier to every `search_docs` call and pass result paths to `get_doc` unchanged.
4. Without MCP, start at [better-auth.com/llms.txt](https://better-auth.com/llms.txt) and follow the matching version index.
5. Use the latest documentation only when the project version cannot be determined or the user explicitly asks about the latest release or an upgrade.

When planning an upgrade, separate guidance for the currently installed version from guidance for the target version.

---

## Setup Workflow

1. Install: `npm install better-auth`
2. Set env vars: `BETTER_AUTH_SECRET` and `BETTER_AUTH_URL`
3. Create `auth.ts` with database + config
4. Create route handler for your framework
5. Run migrations:
- **Built-in adapter:** `npx auth@latest migrate`
- **Drizzle:** `npx auth@latest generate --output src/db/auth-schema.ts` then `npx drizzle-kit push` (dev) or `npx drizzle-kit generate && npx drizzle-kit migrate` (prod)
- **Prisma:** `npx auth@latest generate --output prisma/schema.prisma` then `npx prisma migrate dev`
6. Verify: call `GET /api/auth/ok` — should return `{ status: "ok" }`

---

## Quick Reference

### Environment Variables
- `BETTER_AUTH_SECRET` - Encryption secret (min 32 chars). Generate: `openssl rand -base64 32`
- `BETTER_AUTH_URL` - Base URL (e.g., `https://example.com`)

Only define `baseURL`/`secret` in config if env vars are NOT set.

### File Location
CLI looks for `auth.ts` in: `./`, `./lib`, `./utils`, or under `./src`. Use `--config` for custom path.

### CLI Commands
- `npx auth@latest migrate` - Apply schema (built-in adapter)
- `npx auth@latest generate` - Generate schema for Prisma/Drizzle
- `npx auth@latest mcp --cursor` - Add MCP to AI tools

**Re-run after adding/changing plugins.**

---

## Core Config Options

| Option | Notes |
|--------|-------|
| `appName` | Optional display name |
| `baseURL` | Only if `BETTER_AUTH_URL` not set |
| `basePath` | Default `/api/auth`. Set `/` for root. |
| `secret` | Only if `BETTER_AUTH_SECRET` not set |
| `database` | Required for most features. See adapters docs. |
| `secondaryStorage` | Redis/KV for sessions & rate limits |
| `emailAndPassword` | `{ enabled: true }` to activate |
| `socialProviders` | `{ google: { clientId, clientSecret }, ... }` |
| `plugins` | Array of plugins |
| `trustedOrigins` | CSRF whitelist |

---

## Database

**Direct connections:** Pass `pg.Pool`, `mysql2` pool, `better-sqlite3`, or `bun:sqlite` instance. For Postgres, also supports `postgres` (postgres.js) and `@neondatabase/serverless`.

**ORM adapters:** Import from `better-auth/adapters/drizzle`, `better-auth/adapters/prisma`, `better-auth/adapters/mongodb`.

**Drizzle provider values:** `"pg"` (PostgreSQL), `"mysql"` (MySQL), `"sqlite"` (SQLite). Must match the driver used.

**Critical:** Better Auth uses adapter model names, NOT underlying table names. If Prisma model is `User` mapping to table `users`, use `modelName: "user"` (Prisma reference), not `"users"`.

---

## Session Management

**Storage priority:**
1. If `secondaryStorage` defined → sessions go there (not DB)
2. Set `session.storeSessionInDatabase: true` to also persist to DB
3. No database + `cookieCache` → fully stateless mode

**Cookie cache strategies:**
- `compact` (default) - Base64url + HMAC. Smallest.
- `jwt` - Standard JWT. Readable but signed.
- `jwe` - Encrypted. Maximum security.

**Key options:** `session.expiresIn` (default 7 days), `session.updateAge` (refresh interval), `session.cookieCache.maxAge`, `session.cookieCache.version` (change to invalidate all sessions).

---

## User & Account Config

**User:** `user.modelName`, `user.fields` (column mapping), `user.additionalFields`, `user.changeEmail.enabled` (disabled by default), `user.deleteUser.enabled` (disabled by default).

**Account:** `account.modelName`, `account.accountLinking.enabled`, `account.storeAccountCookie` (for stateless OAuth).

**Required for registration:** `email` and `name` fields.

---

## Email Flows

- `emailVerification.sendVerificationEmail` - Must be defined for verification to work
- `emailVerification.sendOnSignUp` / `sendOnSignIn` - Auto-send triggers
- `emailAndPassword.sendResetPassword` - Password reset email handler

---

## Security

**In `advanced`:**
- `useSecureCookies` - Force HTTPS cookies
- `disableCSRFCheck` - ⚠️ Security risk
- `disableOriginCheck` - ⚠️ Security risk
- `crossSubDomainCookies.enabled` - Share cookies across subdomains
- `ipAddress.ipAddressHeaders` - Custom IP headers for proxies
- `database.generateId` - Custom ID generation or `"serial"`/`"uuid"`/`false`

**Rate limiting:** `rateLimit.enabled`, `rateLimit.window`, `rateLimit.max`, `rateLimit.storage` ("memory" | "database" | "secondary-storage").

---

## Hooks

**Endpoint hooks:** `hooks.before` / `hooks.after` - Array of `{ matcher, handler }`. Use `createAuthMiddleware`. Access `ctx.path`, `ctx.context.returned` (after), `ctx.context.session`.

**Database hooks:** `databaseHooks.user.create.before/after`, same for `session`, `account`. Useful for adding default values or post-creation actions.

**Hook context (`ctx.context`):** `session`, `secret`, `authCookies`, `password.hash()`/`verify()`, `adapter`, `internalAdapter`, `generateId()`, `tables`, `baseURL`.

---

## Plugins

**Import from dedicated paths for tree-shaking:**
```
import { twoFactor } from "better-auth/plugins/two-factor"
```
NOT `from "better-auth/plugins"`.

**Popular plugins:** `twoFactor`, `organization`, `passkey`, `magicLink`, `emailOtp`, `username`, `phoneNumber`, `admin`, `apiKey`, `bearer`, `jwt`, `multiSession`, `sso`, `oauthProvider`, `oidcProvider`, `openAPI`, `genericOAuth`.

Client plugins go in `createAuthClient({ plugins: [...] })`.

---

## Client

Import from: `better-auth/client` (vanilla), `better-auth/react`, `better-auth/vue`, `better-auth/svelte`, `better-auth/solid`.

Key methods: `signUp.email()`, `signIn.email()`, `signIn.social()`, `signOut()`, `useSession()`, `getSession()`, `revokeSession()`, `revokeSessions()`.

---

## Type Safety

Infer types: `typeof auth.$Infer.Session`, `typeof auth.$Infer.Session.user`.

For separate client/server projects: `createAuthClient<typeof auth>()`.

---

## Common Gotchas

1. **Model vs table name** - Config uses ORM model name, not DB table name
2. **Plugin schema** - Re-run CLI after adding plugins
3. **Secondary storage** - Sessions go there by default, not DB
4. **Cookie cache** - Custom session fields NOT cached, always re-fetched
5. **Stateless mode** - No DB = session in cookie only, logout on cache expiry
6. **Change email flow** - Sends to current email first, then new email
7. **Drizzle: db not initialized** - `drizzleAdapter(db, ...)` requires a `db` instance from `drizzle()`. See `create-auth` skill for setup examples (node-postgres, postgres.js, Neon).
8. **Drizzle: missing drizzle.config.ts** - `drizzle-kit` commands require a `drizzle.config.ts` pointing to the generated schema file and DB credentials.

---

## Resources

- [Docs](https://better-auth.com/docs)
- [Options Reference](https://better-auth.com/docs/reference/options)
- [LLMs.txt](https://better-auth.com/llms.txt)
- [GitHub](https://github.com/better-auth/better-auth)
- [Init Options Source](https://github.com/better-auth/better-auth/blob/main/packages/core/src/types/init-options.ts)
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