Convex & WorkOS AuthKit

WorkOS AuthKit is an authentication solution that enables sign-in using passwords, social login providers, email one-time codes, two-factor authentication, and essential user management capabilities.

Get started

Setting up your WorkOS Account

Sign up for WorkOS
Sign up for a free WorkOS account at workos.com/sign-up.
Set up AuthKit
In the WorkOS Dashboard, navigate to Authentication and then to AuthKit. From here, click the Set up AuthKit button to enable AuthKit in your account.
Complete AuthKit setup
Press the Begin setup button with Use AuthKit's customizable hosted UI selected. These options can be filled out however you like until you get to step 4, Add default redirect endpoint URI.
The Redirect URI is the endpoint that WorkOS will return an authorization code to after signing in. This should match your application's domain and port, with /callback as the route. For example, if your application is running at localhost:5173 then the value here should be http://localhost:5173/callback.
Complete the AuthKit setup.
Copy your Client ID
From the get started page under Quick start, find your WORKOS_CLIENT_ID and copy it.
Set an aud claim in your JWT template
Navigate to the JWT template editor under Authentication and then Sessions and press the Manage button under JWT Template. Set a new "aud" claim that will be added to your JWT. This claim is used by Convex to validate that the token is intended for your specific application.
{ "aud": "<YOUR_CLIENT_ID>" }

Convex offers a provider that is specifically for integrating with WorkOS AuthKit called <ConvexProviderWithAuthKit>. It works using WorkOS's authkit-react SDK.

Once you've completed the WorkOS setup above, choose your framework below to continue with the integration.

See the following sections for the WorkOS SDK that you're using:

React - Use this as a starting point if your SDK is not listed
Next.js

React

Example: React with Convex and AuthKit

This guide assumes you have AuthKit setup and have a working React app with Convex. If not follow the Convex React Quickstart first. Then:

Set up CORS in the WorkOS Dashboard
In your WorkOS Dashboard, click Manage under "Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (CORS)" and add your local development domain (e.g., http://localhost:5173 for Vite) to the list. You'll also need to add your production domain when you deploy. This enables your application to authenticate users through WorkOS AuthKit.
Set up your environment variables
In your env file, add your WORKOS_CLIENT_ID and WORKOS_REDIRECT_URI environment variables. If you're using Vite, you'll need to prefix it with VITE_.
Note: These values can be found in your WorkOS Dashboard.
.env.local
# WorkOS AuthKit Configuration VITE_WORKOS_CLIENT_ID=your-workos-client-id-here VITE_WORKOS_REDIRECT_URI=http://localhost:5173/callback

Configure Convex with the WorkOS Client ID

In your app's convex folder, create a new file auth.config.ts with the following code. This is the server-side configuration for validating access tokens.

convex/auth.config.ts
TS
const clientId = process.env.WORKOS_CLIENT_ID;

const authConfig = {
  providers: [
    {
      type: 'customJwt',
      issuer: `https://api.workos.com/`,
      algorithm: 'RS256',
  jwks: `https://api.workos.com/sso/jwks/${clientId}`,
  applicationID: clientId,
    },
    {
      type: 'customJwt',
      issuer: `https://api.workos.com/user_management/${clientId}`,
      algorithm: 'RS256',
      jwks: `https://api.workos.com/sso/jwks/${clientId}`,
      applicationID: clientId,
    },
  ],
};

export default authConfig;

Deploy your changes
Run npx convex dev to automatically sync your configuration to your backend.
You'll see an error and a link to click to fill in the WORKOS_CLIENT_ID environment variable in your Convex deployment. Follow the link, paste in the WorkOS client ID, save, and you should see the npx convex dev command show "Convex functions ready."
npx convex dev
Install AuthKit
In a new terminal window, install the AuthKit React SDK:
npm install @workos-inc/authkit-react @convex-dev/workos

Configure ConvexProviderWithAuthKit

AuthKit and Convex both have provider components that provide authentication and client context to your app.

You should already have <ConvexProvider> wrapping your app. Replace it with <ConvexProviderWithAuthKit>, and pass WorkOS's useAuth() hook to it.

Then, wrap it with <AuthKitProvider>. <AuthKitProvider> requires clientId and redirectUri props, which you can set to VITE_WORKOS_CLIENT_ID and VITE_WORKOS_REDIRECT_URI, respectively.

src/main.tsx
TS
import { StrictMode } from "react";
import { createRoot } from "react-dom/client";
import { AuthKitProvider, useAuth } from "@workos-inc/authkit-react";
import { ConvexReactClient } from "convex/react";
import { ConvexProviderWithAuthKit } from "@convex-dev/workos";
import "./index.css";
import App from "./App.tsx";

const convex = new ConvexReactClient(import.meta.env.VITE_CONVEX_URL);

createRoot(document.getElementById("root")!).render(
  <StrictMode>
    <AuthKitProvider
      clientId={import.meta.env.VITE_WORKOS_CLIENT_ID}
      redirectUri={import.meta.env.VITE_WORKOS_REDIRECT_URI}
    >
      <ConvexProviderWithAuthKit client={convex} useAuth={useAuth}>
        <App />
      </ConvexProviderWithAuthKit>
    </AuthKitProvider>
  </StrictMode>,
);

Show UI based on authentication state

You can control which UI is shown when the user is signed in or signed out using Convex's <Authenticated>, <Unauthenticated> and <AuthLoading> helper components.

It's important to use the useConvexAuth() hook instead of AuthKit's useAuth() hook when you need to check whether the user is logged in or not. The useConvexAuth() hook makes sure that the browser has fetched the auth token needed to make authenticated requests to your Convex backend, and that the Convex backend has validated it.

In the following example, the <Content /> component is a child of <Authenticated>, so its content and any of its child components are guaranteed to have an authenticated user, and Convex queries can require authentication.

src/App.tsx
TS
import { Authenticated, Unauthenticated, useQuery } from 'convex/react';
import { api } from '../convex/_generated/api';
import { useAuth } from '@workos-inc/authkit-react';

export default function App() {
  const { user, signIn, signOut } = useAuth();

  return (
    <div className="p-4"> <div className="flex justify-between items-center mb-4">
        <h1>Convex + AuthKit</h1>
        <button onClick={() => (user ? signOut() : void signIn())}>{user ? 'Sign out' : 'Sign in'}</button>
      </div>
      <Authenticated>
        <Content />
      </Authenticated>
      <Unauthenticated>
        <p>Please sign in to view data</p>
      </Unauthenticated>
    </div>
  );
}

function Content() {
  const data = useQuery(api.myFunctions.listNumbers, { count: 10 });

  if (!data) return <p>Loading...</p>;

  return (
    <div>
      <p>Welcome {data.viewer}!</p>
      <p>Numbers: {data.numbers?.join(', ') || 'None'}</p>
    </div>
  );
}

Use authentication state in your Convex functions

If the client is authenticated, you can access the information stored in the JWT via ctx.auth.getUserIdentity.

If the client isn't authenticated, ctx.auth.getUserIdentity will return null.

Make sure that the component calling this query is a child of <Authenticated> from convex/react. Otherwise, it will throw on page load.

convex/myFunctions.ts
TS
import { v } from "convex/values";
import { query } from "./_generated/server";

export const listNumbers = query({
  args: {
    count: v.number(),
  },
  handler: async (ctx, args) => {
    const numbers = await ctx.db
      .query("numbers")
      // Ordered by _creationTime, return most recent
      .order("desc")
      .take(args.count);
    return {
      viewer: (await ctx.auth.getUserIdentity())?.name ?? null,
      numbers: numbers.reverse().map((number) => number.value),
    };
  },
});

Note: The React template repository includes additional features and functions for a complete working application. This tutorial covers the core integration steps, but the template provides a more comprehensive implementation.

Next.js

Example: Next.js with Convex and AuthKit

This guide assumes you have AuthKit setup and have a working Next.js app with Convex. If not follow the Convex Next.js Quickstart first. Then:

Set up your environment variables

In your env file, add the following environment variables:

.env
# WorkOS AuthKit Configuration
WORKOS_CLIENT_ID=client_your_client_id_here
WORKOS_API_KEY=sk_test_your_api_key_here
WORKOS_COOKIE_PASSWORD=your_secure_password_here_must_be_at_least_32_characters_long
NEXT_PUBLIC_WORKOS_REDIRECT_URI=http://localhost:3000/callback

# Convex Configuration (you don't have to fill these out, they're generated by Convex)
# Deployment used by `npx convex dev`
CONVEX_DEPLOY_KEY=your_convex_deploy_key_here
NEXT_PUBLIC_CONVEX_URL=https://your-convex-url.convex.cloud

Configure Convex with the WorkOS Client ID

In your app's convex folder, create a new file auth.config.ts with the following code. This is the server-side configuration for validating access tokens.

convex/auth.config.ts
TS
const clientId = process.env.WORKOS_CLIENT_ID;

const authConfig = {
  providers: [
    {
      type: 'customJwt',
      issuer: `https://api.workos.com/`,
      algorithm: 'RS256',
      applicationID: clientId,
      jwks: `https://api.workos.com/sso/jwks/${clientId}`,
    },
    {
      type: 'customJwt',
      issuer: `https://api.workos.com/user_management/${clientId}`,
      algorithm: 'RS256',
      jwks: `https://api.workos.com/sso/jwks/${clientId}`,
      applicationID: clientId,
    },
  ],
};

export default authConfig;

Deploy your changes
Run npx convex dev to automatically sync your configuration to your backend.
You'll see an error and a link to click to fill in the WORKOS_CLIENT_ID environment variable in your Convex deployment. Follow the link, paste in the WorkOS client ID, save, and you should see the npx convex dev command show "Convex functions ready."
npx convex dev
Install AuthKit
In a new terminal window, install the AuthKit Next.js SDK:
npm install @workos-inc/authkit-nextjs @convex-dev/workos

Add AuthKit middleware

AuthKit's authkitMiddleware() helper grants you access to user authentication state throughout your app.

Create a middleware.ts file.

In your middleware.ts file, export the authkitMiddleware() helper:

import { authkitMiddleware } from '@workos-inc/authkit-nextjs';

export default authkitMiddleware({
  middlewareAuth: {
    enabled: true,
    unauthenticatedPaths: ['/', '/sign-in', '/sign-up'],
  },
});

export const config = {
  matcher: [
    // Skip Next.js internals and all static files, unless found in search params
    '/((?!_next|[^?]*\\.(?:html?|css|js(?!on)|jpe?g|webp|png|gif|svg|ttf|woff2?|ico|csv|docx?|xlsx?|zip|webmanifest)).*)',
    // Always run for API routes
    '/(api|trpc)(.*)',
  ],
};

Add authentication routes
Create the required authentication routes for WorkOS AuthKit to handle sign-in, sign-up, and callback flows.
These routes enable the authentication flow by providing endpoints for users to sign in, sign up, and return after authentication.
Create the callback route to handle OAuth callbacks:
app/callback/route.ts
TS
import { handleAuth } from '@workos-inc/authkit-nextjs'; export const GET = handleAuth();

Create the sign-in route

app/sign-in/route.ts
TS
import { redirect } from 'next/navigation';
import { getSignInUrl } from '@workos-inc/authkit-nextjs';

export async function GET() {
  const authorizationUrl = await getSignInUrl();
  return redirect(authorizationUrl);
}

Create the sign-up route

To redirect users to WorkOS sign-up:

app/sign-up/route.ts
TS
import { redirect } from 'next/navigation';
import { getSignUpUrl } from '@workos-inc/authkit-nextjs';

export async function GET() {
  const authorizationUrl = await getSignUpUrl();
  return redirect(authorizationUrl);
}

Configure ConvexProviderWithAuthKit

Your Next.js app needs to connect AuthKit authentication with Convex for real-time data. We'll create a single provider component that handles both.

Create the Provider Component

This single component handles:

WorkOS authentication setup
Convex client initialization
Token management between WorkOS and Convex
Loading states and error handling

Create components/ConvexClientProvider.tsx:

components/ConvexClientProvider.tsx
TS
'use client';

import { ReactNode, useCallback, useRef } from 'react';
import { ConvexReactClient } from 'convex/react';
import { ConvexProviderWithAuth } from 'convex/react';
import { AuthKitProvider, useAuth, useAccessToken } from '@workos-inc/authkit-nextjs/components';

const convex = new ConvexReactClient(process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_CONVEX_URL!);

export function ConvexClientProvider({ children }: { children: ReactNode }) {
  return (
    <AuthKitProvider>
      <ConvexProviderWithAuth client={convex} useAuth={useAuthFromAuthKit}>
        {children}
      </ConvexProviderWithAuth>
    </AuthKitProvider>
  );
}

function useAuthFromAuthKit() {
  const { user, loading: isLoading } = useAuth();
  const { accessToken, loading: tokenLoading, error: tokenError } = useAccessToken();
  const loading = (isLoading ?? false) || (tokenLoading ?? false);
  const authenticated = !!user && !!accessToken && !loading;

  const stableAccessToken = useRef<string | null>(null);
  if (accessToken && !tokenError) {
    stableAccessToken.current = accessToken;
  }

  const fetchAccessToken = useCallback(async () => {
    if (stableAccessToken.current && !tokenError) {
      return stableAccessToken.current;
    }
    return null;
  }, [tokenError]);

  return {
    isLoading: loading,
    isAuthenticated: authenticated,
    fetchAccessToken,
  };
}

Add to your layout

Update app/layout.tsx to use the provider:

app/layout.tsx
TS
import type { Metadata } from 'next';
import { Geist, Geist_Mono } from 'next/font/google';
import './globals.css';
import { ConvexClientProvider } from '@/components/ConvexClientProvider';

const geistSans = Geist({
  variable: '--font-geist-sans',
  subsets: ['latin'],
});

const geistMono = Geist_Mono({
  variable: '--font-geist-mono',
  subsets: ['latin'],
});

export const metadata: Metadata = {
  title: 'Create Next App',
  description: 'Generated by create next app',
  icons: {
    icon: '/convex.svg',
  },
};

export default function RootLayout({
  children,
}: Readonly<{
  children: React.ReactNode;
}>) {
  return (
    <html lang="en">
      <body className={`${geistSans.variable} ${geistMono.variable} antialiased`}>
        <ConvexClientProvider>{children}</ConvexClientProvider>
      </body>
    </html>
  );
}

Show UI based on authentication state

You can control which UI is shown when the user is signed in or signed out using Convex's <Authenticated>, <Unauthenticated> and <AuthLoading> helper components. These should be used instead of WorkOS AuthKit's useAuth() loading states and manual authentication checks.

It's important to use the useConvexAuth() hook instead of WorkOS AuthKit's useAuth() hook when you need to check whether the user is logged in or not. The useConvexAuth() hook makes sure that the browser has fetched the auth token needed to make authenticated requests to your Convex backend, and that the Convex backend has validated it.

app/page.tsx
TS
"use client";

import { Authenticated, Unauthenticated, useQuery } from "convex/react";
import { useAuth } from "@workos-inc/authkit-nextjs/components";
import { api } from "../convex/_generated/api";
import Link from "next/link";

export default function Home() {
  const { user, signOut } = useAuth();

  return (
    <div className="p-4">
      <div className="flex justify-between items-center mb-4">
        <h1>Convex + AuthKit</h1>
        <div className="flex gap-2">
          {user ? (
            <button onClick={() => signOut()}>Sign out</button>
          ) : (
            <>
              <Link href="/sign-in">
                <button>Sign in</button>
              </Link>
              <Link href="/sign-up">
                <button>Sign up</button>
              </Link>
            </>
          )}
        </div>
      </div>
      <Authenticated>
        <Content />
      </Authenticated>
      <Unauthenticated>
        <p>Please sign in to view data</p>
      </Unauthenticated>
    </div>
  );
}

function Content() {
  const data = useQuery(api.myFunctions.listNumbers, { count: 10 });

  if (!data) return <p>Loading...</p>;

  return (
    <div>
      <p>Welcome {data.viewer}!</p>
      <p>Numbers: {data.numbers?.join(', ') || 'None'}</p>
    </div>
  );
}

Use authentication state in your Convex functions

If the client is authenticated, you can access the information stored in the JWT via ctx.auth.getUserIdentity.

If the client isn't authenticated, ctx.auth.getUserIdentity will return null.

Make sure that the component calling this query is a child of <Authenticated> from convex/react. Otherwise, it will throw on page load.

convex/myFunctions.ts
TS
import { v } from "convex/values";
import { query } from "./_generated/server";

export const listNumbers = query({
  args: {
    count: v.number(),
  },
  handler: async (ctx, args) => {
    const numbers = await ctx.db
      .query("numbers")
      // Ordered by _creationTime, return most recent
      .order("desc")
      .take(args.count);
    return {
      viewer: (await ctx.auth.getUserIdentity())?.name ?? null,
      numbers: numbers.reverse().map((number) => number.value),
    };
  },
});

Note: The Next.js template repository includes additional features and functions for a complete working application. This tutorial covers the core integration steps, but the template provides a more comprehensive implementation.

Next steps

Accessing user information in functions

See Auth in Functions to learn about how to access information about the authenticated user in your queries, mutations and actions.

See Storing Users in the Convex Database to learn about how to store user information in the Convex database.

Accessing user information client-side

To access the authenticated user's information, use AuthKit's User object, which can be accessed using AuthKit's useAuth() hook. For more information on the User object, see the WorkOS docs.

components/Badge.tsx
TS
export default function Badge() {
  const { user } = useAuth();

  return <span>Logged in as {user.firstName}</span>;
}

Configuring dev and prod instances

To configure a different AuthKit instance between your Convex development and production deployments, you can use environment variables configured on the Convex dashboard.

Configuring the backend

In the WorkOS Dashboard, navigate to the API keys page. Copy your WorkOS Client ID. This Client ID is necessary for Convex to validate access tokens from WorkOS AuthKit. In development, its format will be client_01XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX. In production, it will follow the same format but represent your production WorkOS application.

Paste your WorkOS Client ID into your .env file, set it as the WORKOS_CLIENT_ID environment variable. Note that this environment variable is used server-side and does not need a NEXT_PUBLIC_ prefix.

.env
WORKOS_CLIENT_ID=client_01XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Then, update your convex/auth.config.ts file to use the environment variable:

convex/auth.config.ts
TS
const clientId = process.env.WORKOS_CLIENT_ID;

export default {
  providers: [
    {
      type: "customJwt",
      issuer: `https://api.workos.com/`,
      algorithm: "RS256",
      applicationID: clientId,
      jwks: `https://api.workos.com/sso/jwks/${clientId}`,
    },
    {
      type: "customJwt",
      issuer: `https://api.workos.com/user_management/${clientId}`,
      algorithm: "RS256",
      jwks: `https://api.workos.com/sso/jwks/${clientId}`,
      applicationID: clientId,
    },
  ],
};

Development configuration

In the left sidenav of the Convex dashboard, switch to your development deployment and set the WORKOS_CLIENT_ID environment variable to your development WorkOS Client ID.

Then, to switch your deployment to the new configuration, run npx convex dev.

Production configuration

In the left sidenav of the Convex dashboard, switch to your production deployment and set the WORKOS_CLIENT_ID environment variable to your production WorkOS Client ID.

Then, to switch your deployment to the new configuration, run npx convex deploy.

Configuring WorkOS AuthKit's API keys

WorkOS AuthKit's API keys differ depending on whether they are for development or production. Don't forget to update the environment variables in your .env file as well as your hosting platform, such as Vercel or Netlify.

Development configuration

WorkOS API Key for development follows the format sk_test_.... WorkOS Client ID for development follows the format client_01....

.env.local
WORKOS_CLIENT_ID="client_01XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX"
WORKOS_API_KEY="sk_test_..."
WORKOS_COOKIE_PASSWORD="your_secure_password_here_must_be_at_least_32_characters_long"
NEXT_PUBLIC_WORKOS_REDIRECT_URI="http://localhost:3000/callback"

Production configuration

WorkOS API Key for production follows the format sk_live_.... WorkOS Client ID for production follows the format client_01....

.env
WORKOS_CLIENT_ID="client_01XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX"
WORKOS_API_KEY="sk_live_..."
WORKOS_COOKIE_PASSWORD="your_secure_password_here_must_be_at_least_32_characters_long"
NEXT_PUBLIC_WORKOS_REDIRECT_URI="https://your-domain.com/callback"

Additional WorkOS AuthKit Configuration

WorkOS AuthKit requires additional configuration:

Cookie Password: A secure password used to encrypt session cookies. This must be at least 32 characters long. You can generate a random one with openssl rand -base64 24.

Redirect URI: The URL where users are redirected after authentication. This must be configured in both your environment variables and your WorkOS Dashboard application settings.

Debugging authentication

If a user goes through the WorkOS AuthKit login flow successfully, and after being redirected back to your page, useConvexAuth() returns isAuthenticated: false, it's possible that your backend isn't correctly configured.

The convex/auth.config.ts file contains a list of configured authentication providers. You must run npx convex dev or npx convex deploy after adding a new provider to sync the configuration to your backend.

Common issues with WorkOS AuthKit integration:

Incorrect Client ID: Ensure the WORKOS_CLIENT_ID in your Convex environment matches your WorkOS application
Missing Environment Variables: Verify all required WorkOS environment variables are set in both your local environment and Convex dashboard
Redirect URI Mismatch: Ensure the NEXT_PUBLIC_WORKOS_REDIRECT_URI matches what's configured in your WorkOS Dashboard
Missing aud claim: WorkOS JWTs may not include the aud (audience) claim by default, which Convex requires for token validation. Check your WorkOS Dashboard JWT configuration to ensure the audience claim is properly set to your Client ID

For more thorough debugging steps, see the WorkOS AuthKit documentation or Debugging Authentication.

Under the hood

The authentication flow looks like this under the hood:

The user clicks a login button
The user is redirected to a page where they log in via whatever method you configure in AuthKit
After a successful login AuthKit redirects back to your page, or a different page which you configure via the redirectUri prop.
The AuthKitProvider now knows that the user is authenticated.
The ConvexProviderWithAuthKit fetches an auth token from AuthKit.
The ConvexReactClient passes this token down to your Convex backend to validate
Your Convex backend retrieves the public key from AuthKit to check that the token's signature is valid.
The ConvexReactClient is notified of successful authentication, and ConvexProviderWithAuthKit now knows that the user is authenticated with Convex. useConvexAuth returns isAuthenticated: true and the Authenticated component renders its children.

ConvexProviderWithAuthKit takes care of refetching the token when needed to make sure the user stays authenticated with your backend.

Get started​

Setting up your WorkOS Account​

React​

Next.js​

Next steps​

Accessing user information in functions​

Accessing user information client-side​

Configuring dev and prod instances​

Configuring the backend​

Configuring WorkOS AuthKit's API keys​

Additional WorkOS AuthKit Configuration​

Debugging authentication​

Under the hood​