Nuxt 4 Core Fundamentals Skill

Nuxt 4 Core Fundamentals

Project setup, configuration, routing, SEO, and error handling for Nuxt 4 applications.

Quick Reference

Version Requirements

| Package | Minimum | Recommended | |---------|---------|-------------| | nuxt | 4.0.0 | 4.2.x | | vue | 3.5.0 | 3.5.x | | nitro | 2.10.0 | 2.12.x | | vite | 6.0.0 | 6.2.x | | typescript | 5.0.0 | 5.x |

Key Commands

# Create new project
bunx nuxi@latest init my-app

# Development
bun run dev

# Build for production
bun run build

# Preview production build
bun run preview

# Type checking
bun run postinstall  # Generates .nuxt directory
bunx nuxi typecheck

# Add a page/component/composable
bunx nuxi add page about
bunx nuxi add component MyButton
bunx nuxi add composable useAuth

Secure Installation

Scaffolding tools like bunx nuxi init download and execute remote code. Before running, follow supply chain security best practices:

Block post-install scripts — npm config set ignore-scripts true (or Bun: disabled by default)
Cooldown period — Wait 7 days for new package versions to be vetted by the community
Audit before installing — Run socket package score npm <pkg> or use socket npm install <pkg> to check packages

Load the dependency-upgrade skill for full security configuration including Socket CLI integration, cooldown setup, lockfile validation, and CI enforcement.

Directory Structure (Nuxt v4)

my-nuxt-app/
├── app/                    # Default srcDir in v4
│   ├── assets/             # Build-processed assets (CSS, images)
│   ├── components/         # Auto-imported Vue components
│   ├── composables/        # Auto-imported composables
│   ├── layouts/            # Layout components
│   ├── middleware/         # Route middleware
│   ├── pages/              # File-based routing
│   ├── plugins/            # Nuxt plugins
│   ├── utils/              # Auto-imported utility functions
│   ├── app.vue             # Main app component
│   ├── app.config.ts       # App-level runtime config
│   ├── error.vue           # Error page component
│   └── router.options.ts   # Router configuration
│
├── server/                 # Server-side code (Nitro)
│   ├── api/                # API endpoints
│   ├── middleware/         # Server middleware
│   ├── plugins/            # Nitro plugins
│   ├── routes/             # Server routes
│   └── utils/              # Server utilities
│
├── public/                 # Static assets (served from root)
├── shared/                 # Shared code (app + server)
├── content/                # Nuxt Content files (if using)
├── layers/                 # Nuxt layers
├── modules/                # Local modules
├── .nuxt/                  # Generated files (git ignored)
├── .output/                # Build output (git ignored)
├── nuxt.config.ts          # Nuxt configuration
├── tsconfig.json           # TypeScript configuration
└── package.json            # Dependencies

Key Change in v4: The app/ directory is now the default srcDir. All app code goes in app/, server code stays in server/.

When to Load References

Load references/configuration-deep.md when:

Configuring advanced nuxt.config.ts options
Setting up modules and plugins
Customizing Vite or Nitro configuration
Configuring experimental features

Load references/routing-advanced.md when:

Implementing complex routing patterns
Creating route middleware with authentication
Using catch-all routes or optional parameters
Configuring router options

Load references/plugins-architecture.md when:

Creating Nuxt plugins
Injecting global utilities or composables
Integrating third-party libraries
Understanding plugin execution order

Configuration

Basic nuxt.config.ts

export default defineNuxtConfig({
  // Enable Nuxt 4 features
  future: {
    compatibilityVersion: 4
  },

  // Development tools
  devtools: { enabled: true },

  // Modules
  modules: [
    '@nuxt/ui',
    '@nuxt/content',
    '@nuxt/image'
  ],

  // Runtime config (environment variables)
  runtimeConfig: {
    // Server-only (not exposed to client)
    apiSecret: process.env.API_SECRET,
    databaseUrl: process.env.DATABASE_URL,

    // Public (client + server)
    public: {
      apiBase: process.env.API_BASE || 'https://api.example.com',
      appName: 'My App'
    }
  },

  // App config
  app: {
    head: {
      title: 'My Nuxt App',
      meta: [
        { charset: 'utf-8' },
        { name: 'viewport', content: 'width=device-width, initial-scale=1' }
      ]
    }
  },

  // Nitro config (server)
  nitro: {
    preset: 'cloudflare-pages'
  },

  // TypeScript
  typescript: {
    strict: true,
    typeCheck: true
  }
})

Runtime Config Usage

// In composables or components
const config = useRuntimeConfig()

// Public values (client + server)
const apiBase = config.public.apiBase

// Server-only values (only in server/)
const apiSecret = config.apiSecret  // undefined on client!

Critical Rule: Always use useRuntimeConfig() instead of process.env for environment variables in production.

App Config vs Runtime Config

| Feature | App Config | Runtime Config | |---------|------------|----------------| | Location | app.config.ts | nuxt.config.ts | | Hot reload | Yes | No | | Secrets | No | Yes (server-only) | | Use case | UI settings, themes | API keys, URLs |

// app/app.config.ts - UI settings (hot-reloadable)
export default defineAppConfig({
  theme: {
    primaryColor: '#3490dc'
  },
  ui: {
    rounded: 'lg'
  }
})

// Usage
const appConfig = useAppConfig()
const color = appConfig.theme.primaryColor

Routing

File-Based Routing

app/pages/
├── index.vue              → /
├── about.vue              → /about
├── users/
│   ├── index.vue          → /users
│   └── [id].vue           → /users/:id
└── blog/
    ├── index.vue          → /blog
    ├── [slug].vue         → /blog/:slug
    └── [...slug].vue      → /blog/* (catch-all)

Dynamic Routes

<!-- app/pages/users/[id].vue -->
<script setup lang="ts">
const route = useRoute()

// Get route params
const userId = route.params.id

// Reactive (updates when route changes)
const userId = computed(() => route.params.id)

// Fetch user data
const { data: user } = await useFetch(`/api/users/${userId.value}`)
</script>

<template>
  <div>
    <h1>{{ user?.name }}</h1>
  </div>
</template>

Navigation

<script setup>
const goToUser = (id: string) => {
  navigateTo(`/users/${id}`)
}

const goBack = () => {
  navigateTo(-1)  // Go back in history
}

// With options
const goToLogin = () => {
  navigateTo('/login', {
    replace: true,  // Replace current history entry
    external: false // Internal navigation
  })
}
</script>

<template>
  <!-- Declarative navigation -->
  <NuxtLink to="/about">About</NuxtLink>
  <NuxtLink :to="`/users/${user.id}`">View User</NuxtLink>

  <!-- Prefetching (default: on hover) -->
  <NuxtLink to="/dashboard" prefetch>Dashboard</NuxtLink>

  <!-- No prefetch -->
  <NuxtLink to="/admin" :prefetch="false">Admin</NuxtLink>
</template>

Route Middleware

// app/middleware/auth.ts
export default defineNuxtRouteMiddleware((to, from) => {
  const { isAuthenticated } = useAuth()

  if (!isAuthenticated.value) {
    return navigateTo('/login')
  }
})

<!-- app/pages/dashboard.vue -->
<script setup lang="ts">
definePageMeta({
  middleware: 'auth'
})
</script>

Global Middleware

// app/middleware/analytics.global.ts
export default defineNuxtRouteMiddleware((to, from) => {
  // Runs on every route change
  if (import.meta.client) {
    window.gtag?.('event', 'page_view', {
      page_path: to.path
    })
  }
})

Page Meta

<script setup lang="ts">
definePageMeta({
  title: 'Dashboard',
  middleware: ['auth'],
  layout: 'admin',
  pageTransition: { name: 'fade' },
  keepalive: true
})
</script>

SEO & Meta Tags

useSeoMeta (Recommended)

<script setup lang="ts">
useSeoMeta({
  title: 'My Page Title',
  description: 'Page description for search engines',
  ogTitle: 'My Page Title',
  ogDescription: 'Page description',
  ogImage: 'https://example.com/og-image.jpg',
  ogUrl: 'https://example.com/my-page',
  twitterCard: 'summary_large_image',
  twitterTitle: 'My Page Title',
  twitterDescription: 'Page description',
  twitterImage: 'https://example.com/og-image.jpg'
})
</script>

useHead (More Control)

<script setup lang="ts">
useHead({
  title: 'My Page Title',
  meta: [
    { name: 'description', content: 'Page description' },
    { property: 'og:title', content: 'My Page Title' }
  ],
  link: [
    { rel: 'canonical', href: 'https://example.com/my-page' }
  ],
  script: [
    { src: 'https://example.com/script.js', defer: true }
  ]
})
</script>

Dynamic Meta Tags

<script setup lang="ts">
const { data: post } = await useFetch(`/api/posts/${route.params.slug}`)

useSeoMeta({
  title: () => post.value?.title,
  description: () => post.value?.excerpt,
  ogImage: () => post.value?.image
})
</script>

Title Template

// nuxt.config.ts
export default defineNuxtConfig({
  app: {
    head: {
      titleTemplate: '%s | My App'  // "Page Title | My App"
    }
  }
})

Error Handling

Error Page

<!-- app/error.vue -->
<script setup lang="ts">
import type { NuxtError } from '#app'

const props = defineProps<{
  error: NuxtError
}>()

const handleError = () => {
  clearError({ redirect: '/' })
}
</script>

<template>
  <div class="error-page">
    <h1>{{ error.statusCode }}</h1>
    <p>{{ error.message }}</p>
    <button @click="handleError">Go Home</button>
  </div>
</template>

Error Boundaries (Component-Level)

<template>
  <NuxtErrorBoundary @error="handleError">
    <template #error="{ error, clearError }">
      <div class="error-container">
        <h2>Something went wrong</h2>
        <p>{{ error.message }}</p>
        <button @click="clearError">Try again</button>
      </div>
    </template>

    <!-- Your component content -->
    <MyComponent />
  </NuxtErrorBoundary>
</template>

<script setup>
const handleError = (error: Error) => {
  console.error('Component error:', error)
  // Send to error tracking service
}
</script>

Throwing Errors

// In pages or components
throw createError({
  statusCode: 404,
  statusMessage: 'Page Not Found',
  fatal: true  // Shows error page, stops rendering
})

// Non-fatal error (shows inline)
throw createError({
  statusCode: 400,
  message: 'Invalid input'
})

API Error Handling

const { data, error } = await useFetch('/api/users')

if (error.value) {
  // Handle error gracefully
  showError({
    statusCode: error.value.statusCode,
    message: error.value.message
  })
}

Common Anti-Patterns

Using process.env Instead of Runtime Config

// WRONG - Won't work in production!
const apiUrl = process.env.API_URL

// CORRECT
const config = useRuntimeConfig()
const apiUrl = config.public.apiBase

Missing Middleware Guards

// WRONG - No return, middleware continues
export default defineNuxtRouteMiddleware((to) => {
  const { isAuthenticated } = useAuth()
  if (!isAuthenticated.value) {
    navigateTo('/login')  // Missing return!
  }
})

// CORRECT
export default defineNuxtRouteMiddleware((to) => {
  const { isAuthenticated } = useAuth()
  if (!isAuthenticated.value) {
    return navigateTo('/login')  // Return stops middleware chain
  }
})

Non-Reactive Route Params

// WRONG - Not reactive
const userId = route.params.id

// CORRECT - Reactive
const userId = computed(() => route.params.id)

Troubleshooting

Build Errors / Type Errors:

rm -rf .nuxt .output node_modules/.vite && bun install && bun run dev

Route Not Found:

Check file is in app/pages/ (not root pages/)
Verify file extension is .vue
Check for typos in dynamic params [id].vue

Middleware Not Running:

Ensure file has .global.ts suffix for global middleware
Check definePageMeta({ middleware: 'name' }) matches filename
Verify middleware returns navigateTo() or nothing

Meta Tags Not Updating:

Use reactive values: title: () => post.value?.title
Ensure useSeoMeta is called in <script setup>

Related Skills

nuxt-data: Composables, data fetching, state management
nuxt-server: Server routes, API patterns, database integration
nuxt-production: Performance, testing, deployment
nuxt-ui-v4: Nuxt UI component library

Templates Available

See templates/ directory for:

Production-ready nuxt.config.ts
app.vue with proper structure
Middleware examples

Version: 4.0.0 | Last Updated: 2025-12-28 | License: MIT

Agent Skills: Nuxt 4 Core Fundamentals

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