Sanity Live + Cache Components (next-sanity@cache-components)

Use next-sanity@cache-components with Next.js 16+ cacheComponents: true to get Partial Prerendering with Sanity Live. This replaces the automatic draftMode() behavior with explicit perspective, stega, and includeDrafts passing.

Canary release -- not yet stable, may have breaking changes in minor/patch releases.

---

1. Install

npm install next-sanity@cache-components --save-exact

Requires next@16+.

---

2. Configure next.config.ts

// next.config.ts
import type {NextConfig} from 'next'
import {sanity} from 'next-sanity/live/cache-life'

const nextConfig: NextConfig = {
  cacheComponents: true,
  cacheLife: {sanity},
}

export default nextConfig

When is cacheLife('sanity') needed?

sanityFetch calls cacheLife internally -- 'use cache' boundaries that call sanityFetch do not need cacheLife('sanity').

The sanity preset is only needed for 'use cache' boundaries that do not call sanityFetch but should match Sanity's revalidation timing (e.g. a cached layout shell). Without it, those boundaries default to revalidating every 15 minutes, which is unnecessary since Sanity Live handles on-demand revalidation.

If the app has no such boundaries, the cacheLife: {sanity} config can be omitted entirely.

---

3. Configure defineLive

strict: true (when using Visual Editing)

Set strict: true when the app uses Visual Editing in Sanity Studio's Presentation Tool -- especially for perspective switching with Content Releases. This ensures the app correctly handles different perspectives by making perspective, stega, and includeDrafts required at every call site (type-enforced).

How to detect: if the app renders <VisualEditing /> from next-sanity/visual-editing anywhere (typically in the root layout), it uses Visual Editing and should set strict: true.

If the app does not use Visual Editing, strict can be omitted -- the defaults (perspective: 'published', stega: false, includeDrafts: false) are sufficient.

// src/sanity/lib/live.ts

import {createClient, type QueryParams} from 'next-sanity'
import {defineLive, resolvePerspectiveFromCookies, type LivePerspective} from 'next-sanity/live'
import {cookies, draftMode} from 'next/headers'

const client = createClient({
  projectId: process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_SANITY_PROJECT_ID!,
  dataset: process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_SANITY_DATASET!,
  useCdn: true,
  apiVersion: 'v2025-03-04',
  stega: {studioUrl: '/studio'},
})

const token = process.env.SANITY_API_READ_TOKEN
if (!token) {
  throw new Error('Missing SANITY_API_READ_TOKEN')
}

export const {sanityFetch, SanityLive} = defineLive({
  client,
  serverToken: token,
  browserToken: token,
  strict: true,
})

When strict: true:

• sanityFetch() requires explicit perspective and stega
• <SanityLive> requires explicit includeDrafts prop
• Missing values produce type errors and runtime errors

---

4. getDynamicFetchOptions Helper

Export this from the same live.ts file. It encapsulates the draftMode() and cookies() calls that cannot be used inside 'use cache' boundaries:

// src/sanity/lib/live.ts (continued)

export interface DynamicFetchOptions {
  perspective: LivePerspective
  stega: boolean
  isDraftMode: boolean
}

export async function getDynamicFetchOptions(): Promise<DynamicFetchOptions> {
  const {isEnabled: isDraftMode} = await draftMode()
  if (!isDraftMode) {
    return {perspective: 'published', stega: false, isDraftMode}
  }

  const jar = await cookies()
  const perspective = await resolvePerspectiveFromCookies({cookies: jar})
  return {perspective: perspective ?? 'drafts', stega: true, isDraftMode}
}

Call this at the top level only -- in layout.tsx or page.tsx. Never call it deep in the component tree (see Prop-Drilling).

---

5. sanityFetchStaticParams Helper

Export a helper for generateStaticParams to avoid repeating boilerplate:

// src/sanity/lib/live.ts (continued)

export async function sanityFetchStaticParams<const QueryString extends string>({
  query,
  params = {},
}: {
  query: QueryString
  params?: QueryParams
}) {
  return client.fetch(query, params, {perspective: 'published', stega: false, useCdn: true})
}

Usage:

export async function generateStaticParams() {
  return sanityFetchStaticParams({query: slugsByTypeQuery, params: {type: 'page'}})
}

---

6. Prop-Drilling

Resolve isDraftMode, perspective, and stega once at the top level and prop-drill them down. This is critical:

1. getDynamicFetchOptions() calls draftMode() -- a dynamic API. Calling it deep in the tree shrinks the static shell and may cause unexpected Suspense fallbacks.
2. In draft mode, getDynamicFetchOptions() calls cookies() -- the calling component must be wrapped in <Suspense>. This complexity belongs at the top level, not in every <Navbar> or <Footer>.

The three-layer pattern (Page -> Dynamic -> Cached) should only exist in layout.tsx and page.tsx. Shared components receive resolved values as props and go straight to their cached layer.

---

7. The Three-Layer Component Pattern

This is the core architecture for every route.

Structure

Page/Layout (Layer 1)
  ├── NOT draft mode → <CachedX perspective="published" stega={false} />  (no Suspense)
  └── draft mode → <Suspense fallback={...}>
                      <DynamicX params={params} />  (Layer 2)
                        └── <CachedX slug={slug} perspective={p} stega={s} />  (Layer 3)

Layer 1: Page Component

Calls draftMode() and branches:

export default async function Page({params}: {params: Promise<{slug: string}>}) {
  const {isEnabled: isDraftMode} = await draftMode()
  if (isDraftMode) {
    return (
      <Suspense
        fallback={
          <Template>
            <LoadingSkeleton />
          </Template>
        }
      >
        <DynamicPage params={params} />
      </Suspense>
    )
  }
  const {slug} = await params
  return <CachedPage slug={slug} perspective="published" stega={false} />
}

• Not in draft mode: await params, render cached directly -- no Suspense, maximizes static shell
• In draft mode: pass the params Promise to <DynamicX> without awaiting -- let it resolve inside the Suspense boundary so the static shell streams immediately

Layer 2: Dynamic Component

Only rendered in the draft mode path. Resolves all async values:

async function DynamicPage({params}: {params: Promise<{slug: string}>}) {
  const {slug} = await params
  const {perspective, stega} = await getDynamicFetchOptions()
  return <CachedPage slug={slug} perspective={perspective} stega={stega} />
}

Layer 3: Cached Component

Has 'use cache' and only receives plain, serializable props:

async function CachedPage({
  slug,
  perspective,
  stega,
}: {slug: string} & Pick<DynamicFetchOptions, 'perspective' | 'stega'>) {
  'use cache'
  const {data} = await sanityFetch({
    query: PAGE_QUERY,
    params: {slug},
    perspective,
    stega,
  })

  return (
    <Template>
      <h1>{data?.title}</h1>
    </Template>
  )
}

Rules

• Never call draftMode(), cookies(), or headers() inside 'use cache'
• notFound() can be called inside 'use cache' -- move it there and remove the old if (!data && !isDraftMode) notFound() guard. In draft mode the Suspense boundary handles the case where a document doesn't exist yet.
• Never wrap cached components in <Suspense> outside draft mode -- unnecessary streaming boundaries shrink the static shell
• Always pass plain values (slug: string) to cached components, not Promises
• Always pass explicit perspective="published" and stega={false} in the non-draft path -- never omit these or make them optional. Every call to a cached component or sanityFetch must have explicit values so cache keys are consistent and stable in production. A mixture of undefined and "published" would create duplicate cache entries for the same content.
• perspective and stega act as cache keys -- published and draft content get separate cache entries automatically

---

8. <SanityLive> -- Pass includeDrafts

With cacheComponents: true, <SanityLive> defaults includeDrafts to false and does not read draftMode() internally. You must pass it explicitly:

<SanityLive includeDrafts={isDraftMode} />

---

9. Layout Example

The root layout resolves draftMode() once and wraps individual dynamic components in their own Suspense boundaries -- no <DynamicLayout> wrapper needed:

// src/app/(site)/layout.tsx

import {draftMode} from 'next/headers'
import {VisualEditing} from 'next-sanity/visual-editing'
import {getDynamicFetchOptions, SanityLive} from '@/sanity/lib/live'
import {Navbar} from '@/components/Navbar'
import {Footer} from '@/components/Footer'
import {Suspense} from 'react'

export default async function SiteLayout({children}: {children: React.ReactNode}) {
  const {isEnabled: isDraftMode} = await draftMode()
  return <CachedLayout isDraftMode={isDraftMode}>{children}</CachedLayout>
}

function CachedLayout({children, isDraftMode}: {children: React.ReactNode; isDraftMode: boolean}) {
  return (
    <div className="flex min-h-screen flex-col">
      {isDraftMode ? (
        <Suspense fallback={<Navbar perspective="published" stega={false} />}>
          <DynamicNavbar />
        </Suspense>
      ) : (
        <Navbar perspective="published" stega={false} />
      )}

      <main>{children}</main>

      {isDraftMode ? (
        <Suspense fallback={<Footer perspective="published" stega={false} />}>
          <DynamicFooter />
        </Suspense>
      ) : (
        <Footer perspective="published" stega={false} />
      )}

      <SanityLive includeDrafts={isDraftMode} />
      {isDraftMode && <VisualEditing />}
    </div>
  )
}

async function DynamicNavbar() {
  const {perspective, stega} = await getDynamicFetchOptions()
  return <Navbar perspective={perspective} stega={stega} />
}

async function DynamicFooter() {
  const {perspective, stega} = await getDynamicFetchOptions()
  return <Footer perspective={perspective} stega={stega} />
}

Key points:

• draftMode() is called once in SiteLayout and the result is passed to <CachedLayout> -- calling draftMode() in a layout does not prevent the layout from being included in the static shell. The <CachedLayout> component ensures the shell HTML is still prerendered.
• Each dynamic component (<Navbar>, <Footer>) gets its own <Suspense> boundary with the published cached version as fallback -- users see cached content while draft content streams in
• <DynamicNavbar> and <DynamicFooter> are thin wrappers defined inline that call getDynamicFetchOptions() and pass the result as props
• The static shell (<div>, <main>, etc.) is never wrapped in Suspense

---

10. Shared Component Example (Navbar)

With prop-drilling, shared components become simple -- no draftMode(), no getDynamicFetchOptions(), no internal Suspense. The layout handles all of that. The component just receives props and renders cached:

// src/components/Navbar.tsx

import {sanityFetch, type DynamicFetchOptions} from '@/sanity/lib/live'
import {settingsQuery} from '@/sanity/lib/queries'

export async function Navbar({
  perspective,
  stega,
}: Pick<DynamicFetchOptions, 'perspective' | 'stega'>) {
  'use cache'
  const {data} = await sanityFetch({query: settingsQuery, perspective, stega})
  return (
    <header className="sticky top-0 z-10 flex items-center gap-4 bg-white/80 px-4 py-4 backdrop-blur">
      {data?.menuItems?.map((item) => (
        <a key={item._key} href={item.slug}>
          {item.title}
        </a>
      ))}
    </header>
  )
}

The layout wraps <Navbar> in <Suspense> when in draft mode (see Layout Example). The Navbar itself doesn't know or care about draft mode.

---

11. Page Example (Dynamic Route)

// src/app/(site)/[slug]/page.tsx

import {draftMode} from 'next/headers'
import {defineQuery} from 'next-sanity'
import {
  getDynamicFetchOptions,
  sanityFetch,
  sanityFetchStaticParams,
  type DynamicFetchOptions,
} from '@/sanity/lib/live'
import {Suspense} from 'react'
import type {Metadata, ResolvingMetadata} from 'next'

const PAGE_QUERY = defineQuery(
  `*[_type == "page" && slug.current == $slug][0]{_id, _type, title, body}`,
)
const SLUGS_QUERY = defineQuery(`*[_type == $type && defined(slug.current)]{"slug": slug.current}`)

type Props = {params: Promise<{slug: string}>}

export async function generateStaticParams() {
  return sanityFetchStaticParams({query: SLUGS_QUERY, params: {type: 'page'}})
}

// --- generateMetadata ---

export async function generateMetadata(
  {params}: Props,
  parent: ResolvingMetadata,
): Promise<Metadata> {
  const {slug} = await params
  const {perspective} = await getDynamicFetchOptions()
  const data = await cachedPageMetadata({slug, perspective})
  return {
    title: data?.title,
  }
}

async function cachedPageMetadata({
  slug,
  perspective,
}: {slug: string} & Pick<DynamicFetchOptions, 'perspective'>) {
  'use cache'
  const {data} = await sanityFetch({
    query: PAGE_QUERY,
    params: {slug},
    perspective,
    stega: false,
  })
  return data
}

// --- Page ---

export default async function PageRoute({params}: Props) {
  const {isEnabled: isDraftMode} = await draftMode()
  if (isDraftMode) {
    return (
      <Suspense fallback={<Template>Loading...</Template>}>
        <DynamicPageRoute params={params} />
      </Suspense>
    )
  }
  const {slug} = await params
  return <CachedPageRoute slug={slug} perspective="published" stega={false} />
}

async function DynamicPageRoute({params}: Props) {
  const {slug} = await params
  const {perspective, stega} = await getDynamicFetchOptions()
  return <CachedPageRoute slug={slug} perspective={perspective} stega={stega} />
}

async function CachedPageRoute({
  slug,
  perspective,
  stega,
}: {slug: string} & Pick<DynamicFetchOptions, 'perspective' | 'stega'>) {
  'use cache'
  const {data} = await sanityFetch({query: PAGE_QUERY, params: {slug}, perspective, stega})
  return (
    <Template>
      <h1>{data?.title}</h1>
    </Template>
  )
}

function Template({children}: {children: React.ReactNode}) {
  return <div className="space-y-6">{children}</div>
}

---

12. generateMetadata Rules

• Always resolve perspective via getDynamicFetchOptions() -- this supports published content in production, drafts in draft mode, and Content Releases perspective switching in Presentation Tool
• Always hard-code stega: false -- stega encoding must never appear in titles, descriptions, or OG metadata
• Delegate to a separate cachedMetadata function with 'use cache' -- do NOT put 'use cache' on generateMetadata itself since it needs to call getDynamicFetchOptions()
• If a query is shared between generateMetadata and a cached component (where stega may be true), you must split into a separate cachedMetadata function. Never reuse a shared cached function that passes stega through.

---

13. Suspense Fallback Strategy

• Preferred: meaningful loading UI using a sync Template component that mirrors the cached component's layout. Better experience in Presentation Tool during Visual Editing. These fallbacks are only visible in draft mode (never in production), so they don't need high-quality designs or pixel-perfect skeletons -- a simple "Loading..." text inside the same layout shell is fine. CLS/web vitals are not affected since production never hits these Suspense boundaries.
• Discouraged: using <CachedX perspective="published" stega={false} /> as the Suspense fallback. While technically possible, this causes problems:
  • Triggers warnings in next dev
  • Shows published content briefly before draft content streams in -- confusing for editors who don't realize they're in a loading state
  • Can cause layout shift when the draft content replaces the published content
  • If no meaningful skeleton exists, use a simple placeholder (e.g. <Template>Loading...</Template>) or fallback={null} rather than stale content
• Extract a Template component for the static HTML shell. Reuse in both the Suspense fallback and the cached component output.

---

14. Key Differences from cacheComponents: false

• sanityFetch no longer reads draftMode() automatically -- pass perspective and stega explicitly
• <SanityLive> no longer reads draftMode() automatically -- pass includeDrafts explicitly
• sanityFetch calls cacheTag() and cacheLife() internally -- no manual cache tag management
• Use sanityFetchStaticParams (or client.fetch() directly) for generateStaticParams -- not sanityFetch
• Remove export const dynamic = 'force-static' -- not needed with cacheComponents
• Move notFound() inside the cached component -- remove old if (!data && !isDraftMode) notFound() guards. In draft mode the Suspense boundary handles documents that don't exist yet

---

Sources:

• EXPERIMENTAL-CACHE-COMPONENTS.md
• Template PR #550
• Template demo