Nuxt Users skill

This skill helps you work with the nuxt-users module: user authentication, authorization, database setup, and CLI for Nuxt 3 and Nuxt 4 apps.

When to use this skill

• User asks to add login, register, or logout to a Nuxt app
• User needs to set up or change the database (SQLite, MySQL, PostgreSQL) for nuxt-users
• User wants to run CLI commands: npx nuxt-users migrate, npx nuxt-users create-user
• User needs to configure permissions, roles, or public routes (whitelist)
• User is customizing password validation, session duration, or mailer (password reset)
• User is using composables like useAuthentication, useUsers, usePublicPaths, or usePasswordValidation
• User is styling or integrating components like NUsersLoginForm, NUsersLogoutLink, NUsersProfileInfo, NUsersResetPasswordForm, NUsersList, NUsersUserForm

Step-by-step: initial setup

1. Install the module and peer dependencies

   npm install nuxt-users
   npm install db0 better-sqlite3 bcrypt nodemailer
   

   For MySQL or PostgreSQL, install the corresponding driver (mysql2 or pg) instead of or in addition to better-sqlite3 as required.

2. Register the module in nuxt.config.ts

   export default defineNuxtConfig({
     modules: ['nuxt-users']
   })
   

3. Run migrations From the project root (where nuxt.config.ts lives):

   npx nuxt-users migrate
   

4. Create at least one user

   npx nuxt-users create-user -e admin@example.com -n "Admin User" -p password123 -r admin
   

   Flags: -e email, -n name, -p password, -r role (optional).

5. Configure permissions (required for protected routes) Without auth.permissions, authenticated users cannot access protected routes. Prefer early configuration:

   export default defineNuxtConfig({
     modules: ['nuxt-users'],
     nuxtUsers: {
       auth: {
         permissions: {
           admin: ['*'],
           user: ['/profile', '/api/nuxt-users/me']
         }
       }
     }
   })
   

6. Use login in a page

   • Use the NUsersLoginForm component and handle @success by calling login(user) from useAuthentication().
   • Optionally redirect after login (e.g. navigateTo('/')).

Configuration reference (nuxt.config.ts)

All options live under nuxtUsers in nuxt.config.ts.

Area	Key	Notes
Database	connector.name	'sqlite' | 'mysql' | 'postgresql'
Database	connector.options	path (SQLite), or host, port, user, password, database (MySQL/PostgreSQL)
API	apiBasePath	Default '/api/nuxt-users'
Tables	tables.users, tables.personalAccessTokens, tables.passwordResetTokens, tables.migrations	Custom table names
Mailer	mailer	Nodemailer config for password reset emails
URLs	passwordResetUrl, emailConfirmationUrl	Paths for redirects
Auth	auth.whitelist	Public routes (e.g. ['/register']); /login is always public
Auth	auth.tokenExpiration	Minutes (default 1440)
Auth	auth.rememberMeExpiration	Days (default 30)
Auth	auth.permissions	Role → paths (e.g. admin: ['*'], user: ['/profile'])
Auth	auth.google	Google OAuth: clientId, clientSecret, callbackUrl, etc.
Password	passwordValidation	minLength, requireUppercase, requireLowercase, requireNumbers, requireSpecialChars, preventCommonPasswords
Data	hardDelete	true = hard delete, false = soft delete (default)
Locale	locale.default, locale.texts, locale.fallbackLocale	Localization

Runtime config is also supported: use runtimeConfig.nuxtUsers for env-based or server-only settings. The CLI merges that when loadNuxt succeeds from the project root. If loadNuxt fails (no nuxt.config, output-only deploy, or missing nuxt/@nuxt/kit under --omit=dev), the CLI falls back to DB_* env vars and defaults for other options — custom tables / passwordValidation from config may not apply. See docs/user-guide/configuration.md (CLI sections).

CLI commands

Run from the project root so nuxt.config.ts (and optionally .env) are found.

• Migrations

  npx nuxt-users migrate
  

• Create user

  npx nuxt-users create-user -e <email> -n "<name>" -p <password> [-r <role>]
  

• Legacy/table creation (if needed for older setups)

  npx nuxt-users create-users-table
  npx nuxt-users create-personal-access-tokens-table
  npx nuxt-users create-password-reset-tokens-table
  npx nuxt-users create-migrations-table
  

Production: The CLI is not inside .output/ alone; you need nuxt-users (and peers) installed where you run Node. npx may download the package if absent. A package.json script ("nuxt-users": "nuxt-users") uses the local binary. Full config requires the app root with nuxt.config and resolvable @nuxt/kit; build-only or omit=dev deploys often hit env fallback (DB_*) instead — see configuration docs.

Composables (auto-imported)

• useAuthentication() — user, isAuthenticated, login(user, rememberMe?), logout(), fetchUser(useSSR?), initializeUser()
• useUsers() — Admin: users, pagination, loading, error, fetchUsers(page?, limit?), updateUser, addUser, removeUser(userId)
• usePublicPaths() — getPublicPaths(), getAccessiblePaths(), isPublicPath(path), isAccessiblePath(path, method?)
• usePasswordValidation(moduleOptions?, options?) — validate(password), isValid, errors, strength, score, clearValidation()
• useNuxtUsersLocale() — t(key, params?), currentLocale, fallbackLocale

Components

• NUsersLoginForm — Login form; use @success to call login(user) from useAuthentication()
• NUsersLogoutLink — Logout link/button
• NUsersProfileInfo — Display profile
• NUsersResetPasswordForm — Password reset form
• NUsersList — List users (admin)
• NUsersUserForm — Create/edit user form

Common edge cases

1. Users get redirected to login on protected routes
   Configure nuxtUsers.auth.permissions so each role has access to the routes they need (e.g. admin: ['*'], user: ['/profile']).

2. CLI says config not found or uses wrong tables / password rules
   Run the CLI from the directory that contains nuxt.config. If you only deploy .output/ or run with nuxt omitted from production, loadNuxt may fail and the CLI uses DB_* fallback with defaults for non-connector options. Set DB_* (and see docs) or run the CLI from CI with a full app checkout.

3. Migrations table missing
   Run npx nuxt-users migrate once from the project root. The module will warn at runtime if the migrations table is missing.

4. Password validation too strict
   Adjust nuxtUsers.passwordValidation (e.g. lower minLength, set requireUppercase/requireNumbers/requireSpecialChars to false). Do not disable all checks in production without good reason.

5. Database driver errors
   Install the correct peer: SQLite → better-sqlite3, MySQL → mysql2, PostgreSQL → pg. Ensure connector.name and connector.options match the driver and environment (e.g. correct host, port, credentials).

6. Google OAuth
   Set nuxtUsers.auth.google with clientId, clientSecret, and optionally callbackUrl, successRedirect, errorRedirect, scopes, allowAutoRegistration.

File references

• Project LLM context and config types: llms.txt in the repo root
• Full docs: https://nuxt-users.webmania.cc/
• Getting started and examples: ../../docs/user-guide/getting-started.md, ../../docs/examples/basic-setup.md
• Authorization: ../../docs/user-guide/authorization.md
• Configuration details: ../../docs/user-guide/configuration.md

Keep nuxtUsers config and permissions in sync with the app’s roles and routes; use guard clauses and early returns when implementing custom auth logic.