/iblai-auth
Add ibl.ai SSO authentication to a vanilla Next.js app. After completion, unauthenticated users are redirected to login.iblai.app and returned with a session -- no API tokens to manage.
Do NOT ask the user for their platform key. The CLI reads PLATFORM from iblai.env automatically. If iblai.env exists with a real PLATFORM value, just run iblai add auth (no flag needed). Otherwise use the placeholder:
iblai add auth --platform your-platformIf .env.local already has NEXT_PUBLIC_MAIN_TENANT_KEY set to a real value (not a placeholder like your-main-platform, your-tenant, your-platform, your-tenant-key, test-tenant, main, or empty), keep that value.
iblai.env is NOT a .env.local replacement — it only holds the 3 shorthand variables (DOMAIN, PLATFORM, TOKEN). Next.js still reads its runtime env vars from .env.local.
Use pnpm as the default package manager. Fall back to npm if pnpm is not installed. The generated app should live in the current directory, not in a subdirectory.
Project names MUST be all lowercase — npm rejects package names with capital letters. If the user gives a name like MyApp, convert it to my-app before passing to create-next-app, iblai startapp, or --app-name. Allowed: lowercase letters, digits, -, _.
When building a navbar or header, do NOT display the platform name. Use the ibl.ai logo instead.
Follow the component hierarchy: use ibl.ai SDK components (@iblai/iblai-js) first, then shadcn/ui for everything else (npx shadcn@latest add <component>). Do NOT write custom components when an ibl.ai or shadcn equivalent exists. Both share the same Tailwind theme and render in ibl.ai brand colors automatically.
Follow BRAND.md for colors, typography, spacing, and component styles.
Common setup (brand, conventions, env files, verification): see docs/skill-setup.md.
Step 0: Start from vibe-starter? (new projects)
Before running this skill, ask the user:
Are you starting a new project from scratch? If so, vibe-starter (https://github.com/iblai/vibe-starter/tree/spa) is a pre-wired Next.js 16 + Tailwind v4 + shadcn/ui template with ibl.ai SSO auth, a responsive navbar, and profile/account/notifications pages already in place. Want to use that instead?
If yes, clone into a temp directory and copy into the current directory before installing (running pnpm install inside the cloned subdirectory causes hardlink issues):
git clone -b spa https://github.com/iblai/vibe-starter.git vibe-starter-init
cp -a vibe-starter-init/. . && rm -rf vibe-starter-init
pnpm installIf they prefer to wire auth into an existing app, continue below.
Prerequisites
Already have auth? If you used iblai startapp agent, auth is already set up -- skip this skill.
Want a complete app from scratch? Create in a temp directory and copy back:
iblai startapp agent -o iblai-init
cp -a iblai-init/<app-name>/. . && rm -rf iblai-init
rm -rf node_modules && pnpm install
cp .env.example .env.local
pnpm devIf iblai.env has PLATFORM, the CLI reads it automatically. Otherwise pass --platform your-platform.
This skill is for adding auth to a vanilla Next.js app or an existing project.
- Next.js 14+ with App Router (
app/directory) - Node.js 18+
iblaiCLI available (iblai --version)
Installing the CLI
If iblai is not available:
pip (recommended):
pip install iblai-app-clinpx:
npx @iblai/cli --version
# Use npx @iblai/cli as prefix: npx @iblai/cli add auth --platform your-main-platformBuild from source -- macOS / Linux (Python 3.11+, pip, git, make):
git clone https://github.com/iblai/iblai-app-cli.git
cd iblai-app-cli
make -C .iblai install
cd - # back to your projectIf iblai is not found after install, add ~/.local/bin to your PATH:
export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"To make permanent, add the line to ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc.
Build from source -- Windows (Python 3.11+, pip, git):
git clone https://github.com/iblai/iblai-app-cli.git
cd iblai-app-cli
pip install -e .iblai/
cd -If iblai is not found, ensure Python Scripts is in your PATH. Typically at %APPDATA%\Python\Python311\Scripts\.
Check for CLI Updates
Before running any iblai command, ensure the CLI is up to date. Run iblai --version to check the current version, then upgrade directly:
- pip:
pip install --upgrade iblai-app-cli - npm:
npm install -g @iblai/cli@latest
This is safe to run even if already at the latest version.
Step 1: Check Environment
Before proceeding, check for a iblai.env in the project root. Look for PLATFORM, DOMAIN, and TOKEN variables. If the file does not exist or is missing these variables, tell the user: "You need an iblai.env with your platform configuration. Download the template and fill in your values: curl -o iblai.env https://raw.githubusercontent.com/iblai/vibe/refs/heads/main/iblai.env"
If PLATFORM is set to a real value (not your-platform or your-main-platform), the CLI will read it automatically — no --platform flag needed in Step 3. Otherwise use the placeholder.
Step 2: Customize Auth Interface
STOP here. You MUST ask the user these questions before proceeding to Step 3. Do NOT skip this step.
Fetch platform name
First, read PLATFORM and TOKEN from iblai.env, then fetch the platform metadata to get the platform name:
curl -s "https://api.{domain}/dm/api/core/orgs/{platform}/metadata/" \
-H "Authorization: Api-Token {token}"Use the platform_name field from the response as the auth title.
Ask the user
Ask these two questions together:
- "Briefly describe what your app does"
- "Do you want a navbar with logo, page links, notification bell, and profile dropdown?"
If the user says yes to the navbar, run /iblai-navbar after Step 8 (Replace Default Home Page).
If the user skips or doesn't want to answer, use the platform name as AUTH_DISPLAY_TITLE and leave AUTH_DISPLAY_DESCRIPTION empty. If the user provides a description, generate a headline and tagline from it.
Use https://ibl.ai/images/iblai-logo.png as the default logo (favicon, display logo, and side panel logo).
Remaining fields use fixed defaults:
- Footer credit — Always
"Powered by {{logo}}"(the{{logo}}placeholder renders the ibl.ai logo) - Privacy policy URL — Always
"https://ibl.ai/privacy-policy" - Terms of use URL — Always
"https://ibl.ai/terms-of-use" - Display images — Leave empty (
[]) - Password-only login — Default
false
Save to iblai.env
After generating the fields, append them to iblai.env so the user can review and edit before the API call:
# Auth interface (edit before proceeding)
AUTH_TITLE=<platform_name from API>
AUTH_LOGO=https://ibl.ai/images/iblai-logo.png
AUTH_DISPLAY_TITLE=<platform_name from API>
AUTH_DISPLAY_DESCRIPTION=
AUTH_FOOTER_CREDIT=Powered by {{logo}}
AUTH_PRIVACY_POLICY_URL=https://ibl.ai/privacy-policy
AUTH_TERMS_OF_USE_URL=https://ibl.ai/terms-of-use
AUTH_PASSWORD_ONLY=falseTell the user: "I've saved the generated auth settings to iblai.env. Review them and edit if needed, then let me know to continue."
STOP and wait for the user to confirm before proceeding with the API calls. Re-read iblai.env to pick up any edits the user made.
After confirmation, use PLATFORM and TOKEN from iblai.env for all API calls. All API requests use this header:
Authorization: Api-Token <token>Upload images first
If AUTH_LOGO is a local file path, upload it via:
curl -X POST "https://api.{domain}/dm/api/core/platforms/{platform}/public-image-assets/" \
-H "Authorization: Api-Token {token}" \
-F "image=@{file_path}" \
-F "category={category}"Upload the logo three times with different categories. If AUTH_LOGO is already a URL (like the default), use it directly in the metadata payload without uploading.
| Image | Category |
|---|---|
| Favicon | auth_spa_favicon |
| Display logo | auth_spa_logo |
| Side panel logo | auth_spa_slide_panel_logo |
| Display images (each) | auth_spa_display_image |
The POST response returns a JSON object. Extract the file field — that is the URL to use in the metadata payload.
If the user provided a URL (not a local file), use it directly in the metadata payload without uploading.
PUT the metadata
After all images are uploaded, assemble the payload and PUT to:
PUT https://api.{domain}/dm/api/core/orgs/{platform}/metadata/
Authorization: Api-Token {token}
Content-Type: application/jsonThe payload has two identical keys — auth_web_skillsai and auth_web_mentorai — both containing the same configuration:
{
"auth_web_skillsai": {
"title": "User's Title",
"favicon": "https://...uploaded-logo-url...",
"display_logo": "https://...uploaded-logo-url...",
"footer_credit": "Powered by {{logo}}",
"display_images": [],
"terms_of_use_url": "https://ibl.ai/terms-of-use",
"display_title_info": "Generated headline",
"privacy_policy_url": "https://ibl.ai/privacy-policy",
"display_description_info": "Generated description",
"display_slide_panel_logo": "https://...uploaded-logo-url...",
"authorize_only_password_login": false
},
"auth_web_mentorai": {
"title": "User's Title",
"favicon": "https://...uploaded-logo-url...",
"display_logo": "https://...uploaded-logo-url...",
"footer_credit": "Powered by {{logo}}",
"display_images": [],
"terms_of_use_url": "https://ibl.ai/terms-of-use",
"display_title_info": "Generated headline",
"privacy_policy_url": "https://ibl.ai/privacy-policy",
"display_description_info": "Generated description",
"display_slide_panel_logo": "https://...uploaded-logo-url...",
"authorize_only_password_login": false
}
}Always use ibl.ai's privacy policy and terms of use URLs. Generate the headline and description from the user's app description. Set authorize_only_password_login to false.
After a successful PUT (200), tell the user: "Your login page has been customized! Changes will appear on your next login at https://login.{domain}".
Step 3: Run the Generator
cd your-nextjs-app
# If iblai.env has PLATFORM, the CLI reads it automatically
iblai add auth
# Or pass explicitly (overrides iblai.env)
iblai add auth --platform your-platform
# Or via npx (when published)
npx @iblai/cli add auth --platform your-platformThe platform key sets NEXT_PUBLIC_MAIN_TENANT_KEY in .env.local. The CLI reads PLATFORM from iblai.env automatically. Pass --platform only if you want to override it or don't have an iblai.env.
The generator creates 7 files and patches next.config, globals.css, and .env.local. It auto-detects src/ directory layout and places files accordingly.
Step 4: Install Dependencies and Add Test Script
pnpm installThe generator adds these to package.json:
@iblai/iblai-js-- SDK (auth, data layer, UI components)@reduxjs/toolkit+react-redux-- state management (SDK uses RTK Query)sonner-- toast notificationslucide-react-- icons
If package.json does not already have a "test" script (or it still has the default create-next-app placeholder), add vitest:
pnpm add -D vitestThen set the test script in package.json:
"scripts": {
"test": "vitest run"
}Step 5: Wire Providers into Layout
Open app/layout.tsx and wrap {children} with the generated IblaiProviders. Add viewport-fit=cover to the metadata so mobile builds (iOS/Android) respect safe area insets and don't overlap with the status bar.
If you have no existing providers:
import type { Metadata, Viewport } from "next";
import { IblaiProviders } from "@/providers/iblai-providers";
export const metadata: Metadata = {
title: "My App",
};
export const viewport: Viewport = {
width: "device-width",
initialScale: 1,
viewportFit: "cover",
};
export default function RootLayout({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) {
return (
<html lang="en">
<body>
<IblaiProviders>{children}</IblaiProviders>
</body>
</html>
);
}If you have existing providers (e.g., custom contexts):
import type { Metadata, Viewport } from "next";
import { IblaiProviders } from "@/providers/iblai-providers";
import { MyProvider } from "./my-provider";
export const metadata: Metadata = {
title: "My App",
};
export const viewport: Viewport = {
width: "device-width",
initialScale: 1,
viewportFit: "cover",
};
export default function RootLayout({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) {
return (
<html lang="en">
<body>
<IblaiProviders>
<MyProvider>
{children}
</MyProvider>
</IblaiProviders>
</body>
</html>
);
}IblaiProviders must be the outermost provider -- it contains Redux, Auth, and Tenant providers that other components depend on. Place your own providers inside it.
Step 6: Configure Environment
If the CLI read PLATFORM from iblai.env or you passed --platform, the platform key is already set in .env.local. Verify with:
iblai config showOtherwise, edit .env.local (created by the generator) or use the CLI:
iblai config set NEXT_PUBLIC_MAIN_TENANT_KEY your-main-platformThe default API URLs point to iblai.app and are set automatically.
Step 7: Import SDK Styles
Verify app/globals.css has the SDK imports (the generator patches this automatically):
@import '@iblai/iblai-js/web-containers/styles';
@source "../node_modules/@iblai/iblai-js/dist/web-containers/source";If these lines are missing, add them near the top of globals.css.
Step 8: Replace Default Home Page
After adding auth, check if app/page.tsx still has the default Next.js content (look for next/image, vercel.svg, Vercel, or Get started by editing). If it does, replace it with the ibl.ai home page:
iblai add homepageIf the user has already customized their home page, skip this step.
Step 9: Navbar
If the user said yes to the navbar question in Step 2, run /iblai-navbar now before starting the dev server.
Step 10: Start Dev Server
Start the dev server so the user can see the result:
pnpm dev- Open http://localhost:3000
- You should be redirected to https://login.iblai.app
- Log in (or create a free account)
- You'll be returned to your app with a fully authenticated session
- Check browser localStorage -- you should see
axd_token,userData,tenants
What Was Generated
| File | Purpose |
|---|---|
app/sso-login-complete/page.tsx | SSO callback -- stores tokens from URL into localStorage |
lib/iblai/config.ts | Environment variable accessors (API URLs, platform key, auth URL) |
lib/iblai/storage-service.ts | localStorage wrapper implementing the SDK's StorageService interface |
lib/iblai/auth-utils.ts | redirectToAuthSpa(), hasNonExpiredAuthToken(), handleLogout() |
store/iblai-store.ts | Redux store with coreApiSlice, mentorReducer, mentorMiddleware |
providers/iblai-providers.tsx | Provider chain: ReduxProvider > AuthProvider > TenantProvider |
What Was Patched
next.config.ts-- webpackresolve.aliasto deduplicate@reduxjs/toolkit,turbopack: {}for Next.js 16+. Without the dedup, SDK components use a differentReactReduxContextand RTK Query hooks silently returnundefinedwith zero HTTP requests.globals.css-- SDK base styles import..env.local-- API URLs, auth URL, platform key, WebSocket URL.
Advanced: Route Groups
For production apps, consider moving the SSO callback outside the auth providers using Next.js route groups:
app/
├── (auth)/
│ └── sso-login-complete/page.tsx ← Outside providers (no AuthProvider wrapper)
└── (app)/
├── layout.tsx ← IblaiProviders wraps only this group
└── page.tsxThis prevents the SSO callback deadlock where AuthProvider blocks rendering before tokens are stored. The generator places the callback at app/sso-login-complete/ (flat, no route group) which works for simple apps.
For the route group pattern, see the reference implementation: https://github.com/iblai/iblai-app-cli/tree/main/examples/iblai-agent-app
Troubleshooting
"Unknown server error" with custom-domains on localhost
The SDK calls /api/custom-domains?domain=localhost as part of platform detection. This fails on localhost but is harmless -- the platform is resolved from NEXT_PUBLIC_MAIN_TENANT_KEY in .env.local instead. You can safely ignore this console error during local development.
SDK components show undefined / no API requests
@reduxjs/toolkit must be deduplicated in next.config.ts. Without the webpack alias, the SDK's components use a different ReactReduxContext than your app's StoreProvider, so RTK Query hooks silently return undefined.
Verify your next.config has:
config.resolve.alias['@reduxjs/toolkit'] = rtkDir;Auth redirect loops
The SSO callback page (app/sso-login-complete/page.tsx) must NOT be wrapped by AuthProvider. If it is, AuthProvider detects "no tokens" and redirects to login before the callback can store the tokens -- creating an infinite loop.
If this happens, use the route group pattern described above to separate the SSO callback from the authenticated routes.
Blank screen after login
Check that .env.local has NEXT_PUBLIC_MAIN_TENANT_KEY set. Without it, the platform resolution falls back to custom-domain detection which fails on localhost, leaving the app in a broken state.
Next Steps
After auth is set up, add more features:
iblai add chat # AI chat widget (requires agent ID)Other features are built using skills -- ask your AI assistant to use:
| Skill | What It Adds |
|---|---|
/iblai-chat | AI chat widget |
/iblai-profile | User profile dropdown + settings page |
/iblai-account | Account/organization settings page |
/iblai-analytics | Analytics dashboard page |
/iblai-notification | Notification bell + center page |
For the complete reference implementation with all features: https://github.com/iblai/iblai-app-cli/tree/main/examples/iblai-agent-app
Brand guidelines: BRAND.md