React Router SDK: Introduce middleware; update clerkClient usage

[wobsoriano]

🔎 Previews:

• https://clerk.com/docs/pr/rob-react-router-v2/react-router/getting-started/quickstart
• https://clerk.com/docs/pr/rob-react-router-v2/js-backend/getting-started/quickstart
• https://clerk.com/docs/pr/rob-react-router-v2/react-router/guides/users/reading
• https://clerk.com/docs/pr/rob-react-router-v2/react-router/guides/development/verifying-oauth-access-tokens
• https://clerk.com/docs/pr/rob-react-router-v2/guides/sessions/session-tokens
• https://clerk.com/docs/pr/rob-react-router-v2/guides/sessions/customize-session-tokens
• https://clerk.com/docs/pr/rob-react-router-v2/reference/react-router/overview
• https://clerk.com/docs/pr/rob-react-router-v2/reference/react-router/clerk-middleware
• https://clerk.com/docs/pr/rob-react-router-v2/reference/react-router/root-auth-loader

What does this solve?

• We introduced Clerk Middleware in React Router. See DX guide for more info. It's backwards compatible, so existing users should still be able to use the SDK without the clerkMiddleware() but will get a warning in the console.
• clerk/javascript PR feat(react-router): Introduce middleware and context javascript#6660

What changed?

• Updated quickstart to include clerkMiddleware() installation
• Updated all @clerk/react-router/ssr.server imports to `@clerk/react-router/server
• Removed the options from rootAuthLoader() as it's required to have it in the middleware instead

Checklist

• I have clicked on "Files changed" and performed a thorough self-review
• All existing checks pass

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Project	Deployment	Preview	Updated (UTC)
clerk-docs	Ready	Preview	Oct 7, 2025 9:50pm

[wobsoriano]

@alexisintech @SarahSoutoul what could possibly be my error here? Not able to build on Vercel 👀

[SarahSoutoul]

@alexisintech @SarahSoutoul what could possibly be my error here? Not able to build on Vercel 👀

Hey @wobsoriano - we had the recent restructure of our docs, and your changes included some old paths. Fixed them here: docs review. The deployment is still failing because the Root Auth Loader page is still referencing the root-auth-loader-options hash but you removed that section. I kept it because I wasn't sure if that was on purpose or not. If it is, then that hash needs to be removed for things to pass.

[wobsoriano]

If it is, then that hash needs to be removed for things to pass.

@SarahSoutoul yes, that thing isn't needed anymore 🙏🏼

[SarahSoutoul]

Member

@wobsoriano Hmm so do you wanna remove that whole Pass configuration options section, cause we could remove the hash from that sentence: To pass configuration [options](#root-auth-loader-options) to rootAuthLoader(), you can pass an optional argument to the rootAuthLoader() function..

But them, it doesn't make much sense, as like the user might wonder "what configuration options?".

[SarahSoutoul]

Reviewed everything. I noticed two things but wanted to check with you both on what you think @alexisintech @wobsoriano:

1. The clerkMiddleware() options section lists out an organizationSyncOptions? property with the foillowing type: OrganizationSyncOptions | undefined. However, when I click on it, it doesn't lead to anything, as there is no section in that page titled OrganizationSyncOptions. When I checked the Next.js clerkMiddleware page, I saw that the section is present there. So my question is do we want to duplicate that section on the React Router clerkMiddleware page (create a partial for e.g.), or do we want the user to be navigated to that section in the Next.js clerkMiddleware page? This is the case for other SDKs that have a clerkMiddleware page. That property just leads nowhere when clicked.

2. The second thing is regarding the Protect routes section that is present on most clerkMiddleware guides/ pages. Do we want to bring it in the React Router one or is it not applicable?

[SarahSoutoul]

This is more of a note to self, but we'll need to update the React Router onboarding docs if I'm not mistaken?

[wobsoriano]

@SarahSoutoul

1. Opened a PR (merged) on our JS repo to accept that option in React Router's clerkMiddleware(), as we actually don't accept it currently, but the underlying authenticateRequest() does. I think we can duplicate the page as a partial.

2. Yeah, definitely adding that "protect routes" section would be useful for React Router as well!

[alexisintech]

@SarahSoutoul

1. Opened a PR (merged) on our JS repo to accept that option in React Router's clerkMiddleware(), as we actually don't accept it currently, but the underlying authenticateRequest() does. I think we can duplicate the page as a partial.
2. Yeah, definitely adding that "protect routes" section would be useful for React Router as well!

agree - duplicate the section with a partial.

[alexisintech]

going to work on these action items now!

[alexisintech]

now, we just need to add some protect routes examples - @wobsoriano do you mind spinning up these examples?