Error Boundary Generator

Before generating any output, read config/defaults.md and adapt all patterns, imports, and code examples to the user's configured stack.

Process

Scan the React component tree and identify components that need error boundaries.
For each gap, generate an error boundary with a typed fallback component.
For Next.js App Router, generate error.tsx and loading.tsx files where missing.

Identification Rules

Scan for components that:

Fetch data: contain fetch(), useQuery, useSWR, server component async functions, or Prisma calls
Use external services: Stripe, auth providers, third-party SDKs
Have complex state logic: useReducer with many cases, complex useEffect chains
Render user-generated content: dangerouslySetInnerHTML, rich text renderers, markdown parsers
Are page-level route components: page.tsx files in Next.js App Router

Error Types

Generate different fallback UIs based on error type:

Recoverable Errors (retry button)

For data fetching failures, network errors, timeout errors:

"use client";

import { useEffect } from "react";

export default function Error({
  error,
  reset,
}: {
  error: Error & { digest?: string };
  reset: () => void;
}) {
  useEffect(() => {
    console.error(error);
  }, [error]);

  return (
    <div role="alert">
      <h2>Something went wrong</h2>
      <p>We couldn't load this content. Please try again.</p>
      <button onClick={reset}>Try again</button>
    </div>
  );
}

Auth Errors (redirect to login)

For 401/403 responses detected in the error:

"use client";

import { useEffect } from "react";
import { useRouter } from "next/navigation";

export default function Error({ error }: { error: Error }) {
  const router = useRouter();

  useEffect(() => {
    if (error.message.includes("401") || error.message.includes("Unauthorized")) {
      router.push("/login");
    }
  }, [error, router]);

  return (
    <div role="alert">
      <h2>Access denied</h2>
      <p>Please sign in to view this page.</p>
      <button onClick={() => router.push("/login")}>Sign in</button>
    </div>
  );
}

Not Found (404 UI)

Generate not-found.tsx for dynamic routes:

import Link from "next/link";

export default function NotFound() {
  return (
    <div>
      <h2>Not found</h2>
      <p>The requested resource doesn't exist.</p>
      <Link href="/">Go home</Link>
    </div>
  );
}

Server Errors (500 UI)

For global-error.tsx at the app root:

"use client";

export default function GlobalError({
  error,
  reset,
}: {
  error: Error & { digest?: string };
  reset: () => void;
}) {
  return (
    <html>
      <body>
        <div role="alert">
          <h2>Something went wrong</h2>
          <p>An unexpected error occurred. Please try again or contact support.</p>
          {error.digest && <p>Error reference: {error.digest}</p>}
          <button onClick={reset}>Try again</button>
        </div>
      </body>
    </html>
  );
}

Component-Level Error Boundaries

For non-Next.js or for wrapping specific components within a page:

"use client";

import { Component, type ErrorInfo, type ReactNode } from "react";

interface Props {
  children: ReactNode;
  fallback?: ReactNode;
  onError?: (error: Error, errorInfo: ErrorInfo) => void;
}

interface State {
  hasError: boolean;
  error: Error | null;
}

export class ErrorBoundary extends Component<Props, State> {
  state: State = { hasError: false, error: null };

  static getDerivedStateFromError(error: Error): State {
    return { hasError: true, error };
  }

  componentDidCatch(error: Error, errorInfo: ErrorInfo) {
    this.props.onError?.(error, errorInfo);
  }

  render() {
    if (this.state.hasError) {
      return this.props.fallback ?? (
        <div role="alert">
          <p>Something went wrong.</p>
          <button onClick={() => this.setState({ hasError: false, error: null })}>
            Try again
          </button>
        </div>
      );
    }
    return this.props.children;
  }
}

Loading States

Generate loading.tsx alongside error.tsx where missing:

export default function Loading() {
  return (
    <div role="status" aria-busy="true">
      <span>Loading...</span>
    </div>
  );
}

Output Format

## Error Boundary Report

### Gaps Found
| Location | Risk | Reason | Generated |
|----------|------|--------|-----------|
| app/dashboard/page.tsx | High | Fetches data, no error.tsx | error.tsx + loading.tsx |
| components/PaymentForm.tsx | High | Stripe integration | ErrorBoundary wrapper |
| app/posts/[id]/page.tsx | Medium | Dynamic route | not-found.tsx + error.tsx |

### Files Generated
[List of all generated files with their contents]

Reference

See references/error-patterns.md for error boundary placement strategy, Next.js error hierarchy, and logging integration patterns.

error-boundary-generator