diff --git a/.changeset/salty-windows-crash.md b/.changeset/salty-windows-crash.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..62980c1c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/salty-windows-crash.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+"create-better-t-stack": patch
+---
+
+TanStack Router checks for auth in the beforeLoad function of a Route
diff --git a/apps/cli/templates/auth/web/react/tanstack-router/src/components/sign-in-form.tsx b/apps/cli/templates/auth/web/react/tanstack-router/src/components/sign-in-form.tsx
index 65bfab25..6d3e47df 100644
--- a/apps/cli/templates/auth/web/react/tanstack-router/src/components/sign-in-form.tsx
+++ b/apps/cli/templates/auth/web/react/tanstack-router/src/components/sign-in-form.tsx
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import { authClient } from "@/lib/auth-client";
 import { useForm } from "@tanstack/react-form";
-import { useNavigate } from "@tanstack/react-router";
+import { useNavigate, useSearch } from "@tanstack/react-router";
 import { toast } from "sonner";
 import z from "zod";
 import Loader from "./loader";
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ export default function SignInForm({
 }: {
 	onSwitchToSignUp: () => void;
 }) {
+  const search = useSearch({ from: "/login" });
 	const navigate = useNavigate({
 		from: "/",
 	});
@@ -32,7 +33,7 @@ export default function SignInForm({
 				{
 					onSuccess: () => {
 						navigate({
-							to: "/dashboard",
+							to: search.redirect,
 						});
 						toast.success("Sign in successful");
 					},
diff --git a/apps/cli/templates/auth/web/react/tanstack-router/src/components/sign-up-form.tsx b/apps/cli/templates/auth/web/react/tanstack-router/src/components/sign-up-form.tsx
index 3bd480f0..826fbeea 100644
--- a/apps/cli/templates/auth/web/react/tanstack-router/src/components/sign-up-form.tsx
+++ b/apps/cli/templates/auth/web/react/tanstack-router/src/components/sign-up-form.tsx
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import { authClient } from "@/lib/auth-client";
 import { useForm } from "@tanstack/react-form";
-import { useNavigate } from "@tanstack/react-router";
+import { useNavigate, useSearch } from "@tanstack/react-router";
 import { toast } from "sonner";
 import z from "zod";
 import Loader from "./loader";
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ export default function SignUpForm({
 }: {
 	onSwitchToSignIn: () => void;
 }) {
+	const search = useSearch({ from: "/login" });
 	const navigate = useNavigate({
 		from: "/",
 	});
@@ -34,7 +35,7 @@ export default function SignUpForm({
 				{
 					onSuccess: () => {
 						navigate({
-							to: "/dashboard",
+							to: search.redirect,
 						});
 						toast.success("Sign up successful");
 					},
diff --git a/apps/cli/templates/auth/web/react/tanstack-router/src/routes/_auth.tsx b/apps/cli/templates/auth/web/react/tanstack-router/src/routes/_auth.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..83cc6e20
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/cli/templates/auth/web/react/tanstack-router/src/routes/_auth.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+import { createFileRoute, Outlet, redirect } from "@tanstack/react-router";
+
+export const Route = createFileRoute("/_auth")({
+  beforeLoad: async ({ context }) => {
+    if (!context.user) {
+      throw redirect({
+        to: "/login",
+        search: {
+          redirect: `${location.pathname}${location.search}${location.hash}`,
+        },
+      });
+    }
+  },
+  component: () => <Outlet />,
+});
diff --git a/apps/cli/templates/auth/web/react/tanstack-router/src/routes/dashboard.tsx.hbs b/apps/cli/templates/auth/web/react/tanstack-router/src/routes/_auth/dashboard.tsx.hbs
similarity index 78%
rename from apps/cli/templates/auth/web/react/tanstack-router/src/routes/dashboard.tsx.hbs
rename to apps/cli/templates/auth/web/react/tanstack-router/src/routes/_auth/dashboard.tsx.hbs
index 3ae44b6f..97e2dc27 100644
--- a/apps/cli/templates/auth/web/react/tanstack-router/src/routes/dashboard.tsx.hbs
+++ b/apps/cli/templates/auth/web/react/tanstack-router/src/routes/_auth/dashboard.tsx.hbs
@@ -9,32 +9,22 @@ import { trpc } from "@/utils/trpc";
 import { useQuery } from "@tanstack/react-query";
 {{/if}}
 import { createFileRoute } from "@tanstack/react-router";
-import { useEffect } from "react";
 
-export const Route = createFileRoute("/dashboard")({
+export const Route = createFileRoute("/_auth/dashboard")({
   component: RouteComponent,
 });
 
 function RouteComponent() {
   const { data: session, isPending } = authClient.useSession();
-
-  const navigate = Route.useNavigate();
-
   {{#if (eq api "orpc")}}
+
   const privateData = useQuery(orpc.privateData.queryOptions());
   {{/if}}
   {{#if (eq api "trpc")}}
+
   const privateData = useQuery(trpc.privateData.queryOptions());
   {{/if}}
 
-  useEffect(() => {
-    if (!session && !isPending) {
-      navigate({
-        to: "/login",
-      });
-    }
-  }, [session, isPending]);
-
   if (isPending) {
     return <div>Loading...</div>;
   }
diff --git a/apps/cli/templates/auth/web/react/tanstack-router/src/routes/login.tsx b/apps/cli/templates/auth/web/react/tanstack-router/src/routes/login.tsx
index 81dc6a0a..cc602ee6 100644
--- a/apps/cli/templates/auth/web/react/tanstack-router/src/routes/login.tsx
+++ b/apps/cli/templates/auth/web/react/tanstack-router/src/routes/login.tsx
@@ -1,9 +1,20 @@
 import SignInForm from "@/components/sign-in-form";
 import SignUpForm from "@/components/sign-up-form";
-import { createFileRoute } from "@tanstack/react-router";
+import { createFileRoute, redirect } from "@tanstack/react-router";
 import { useState } from "react";
+import { z } from "zod";
+
+const fallbackRedirect = "/dashboard";
 
 export const Route = createFileRoute("/login")({
+  validateSearch: z.object({
+    redirect: z.string().default(fallbackRedirect),
+  }),
+  beforeLoad: async ({ context, search }) => {
+    if (context.user) {
+      throw redirect({ to: search.redirect });
+    }
+  },
   component: RouteComponent,
 });
 
diff --git a/apps/cli/templates/frontend/react/tanstack-router/src/main.tsx.hbs b/apps/cli/templates/frontend/react/tanstack-router/src/main.tsx.hbs
index 2596dae6..f4cff79b 100644
--- a/apps/cli/templates/frontend/react/tanstack-router/src/main.tsx.hbs
+++ b/apps/cli/templates/frontend/react/tanstack-router/src/main.tsx.hbs
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ const router = createRouter({
   defaultPreload: "intent",
   defaultPendingComponent: () => <Loader />,
   {{#if (eq api "orpc")}}
-  context: { orpc, queryClient },
+  context: { orpc, queryClient{{#if auth}}, user: null{{/if}} },
   Wrap: function WrapComponent({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) {
     return (
       <QueryClientProvider client={queryClient}>
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ const router = createRouter({
     );
   },
   {{else if (eq api "trpc")}}
-  context: { trpc, queryClient },
+  context: { trpc, queryClient{{#if auth}}, user: null{{/if}} },
   Wrap: function WrapComponent({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) {
     return (
       <QueryClientProvider client={queryClient}>
@@ -44,7 +44,9 @@ const router = createRouter({
     return <ConvexProvider client={convex}>{children}</ConvexProvider>;
   },
   {{else}}
-  context: {},
+  context: {
+    {{#if auth}}user: null{{/if}}
+    },
   {{/if}}
 });
 
diff --git a/apps/cli/templates/frontend/react/tanstack-router/src/routes/__root.tsx.hbs b/apps/cli/templates/frontend/react/tanstack-router/src/routes/__root.tsx.hbs
index 03c3d2f7..752415d5 100644
--- a/apps/cli/templates/frontend/react/tanstack-router/src/routes/__root.tsx.hbs
+++ b/apps/cli/templates/frontend/react/tanstack-router/src/routes/__root.tsx.hbs
@@ -17,6 +17,10 @@ import type { trpc } from "@/utils/trpc";
 import type { QueryClient } from "@tanstack/react-query";
 import { ReactQueryDevtools } from "@tanstack/react-query-devtools";
 {{/if}}
+{{#if auth}}
+import { authClient } from "@/lib/auth-client";
+import type { User } from "better-auth";
+{{/if}}
 import {
   HeadContent,
   Outlet,
@@ -30,17 +34,38 @@ import "../index.css";
 export interface RouterAppContext {
   orpc: typeof orpc;
   queryClient: QueryClient;
+  {{#if auth}}
+  user: User | null;
+  {{/if}}
 }
 {{else if (eq api "trpc")}}
 export interface RouterAppContext {
   trpc: typeof trpc;
   queryClient: QueryClient;
+  {{#if auth}}
+  user: User | null;
+  {{/if}}
 }
 {{else}}
-export interface RouterAppContext {}
+export interface RouterAppContext {
+  {{#if auth}}
+  user: User | null;
+  {{/if}}
+}
 {{/if}}
 
 export const Route = createRootRouteWithContext<RouterAppContext>()({
+  {{#if auth}}
+  beforeLoad: async () => {
+    try {
+      const session = await authClient.getSession();
+      return { user: session.data?.user ?? null };
+    } catch (error) {
+      console.error('Failed to fetch user session:', error);
+      return { user: null };
+    }
+  },
+  {{/if}}
   component: RootComponent,
   head: () => ({
     meta: [
@@ -65,8 +90,8 @@ function RootComponent() {
   const isFetching = useRouterState({
     select: (s) => s.isLoading,
   });
-
   {{#if (eq api "orpc")}}
+
   const [client] = useState<RouterClient<typeof appRouter>>(() => createORPCClient(link));
   const [orpcUtils] = useState(() => createTanstackQueryUtils(client));
   {{/if}}