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react-doctor/nextjs-error-boundary-missing-use-client

Add `'use client'` as the first statement of error.tsx / global-error.tsx so the error boundary becomes a Client Component.

Status
Active
Category
Next.js
Assessment
Evidence-required risk
Required evidence
source code
Default configuration
Enabled
Default severity
error
Show technical metadata
Scope
Next.js
Active when
framework=nextjs and capabilities=nextjs
Requirements
nextjs
Tags
test-noise
Priority
68 (P2)
Source
oxlint-plugin-react-doctor
Rule set
oxlint-plugin-react-doctor 0.9.3 (prompt schema 2)
On this page

Validation prompt

Confirm the detector match and collect the required evidence before deciding whether an edit is warranted.

Fires on the Program node when the normalized filename matches BOTH APP_DIRECTORY_PATTERN (contains the substring /app/) and ERROR_BOUNDARY_FILE_PATTERN (/(error|global-error)\.(?:tsx?|jsx?|mts|mjs)$: leading slash plus the exact basename error or global-error, anchored at end) AND hasDirective is false, i.e. no top-level ExpressionStatement in the Program body is a string Literal whose value is exactly 'use client'. Without that directive the App Router boundary is a Server Component and silently fails to catch errors or render fallback UI, so confirm.

Suppress when: the path contains the substrings app and error but the basename is NOT exactly error/global-error, so ERROR_BOUNDARY_FILE_PATTERN never matches and the rule does NOT fire: e.g. /app/error-utils.ts, /app/app-error.tsx, /app/app-errors.tsx, or /app/components/error/index.tsx (the slug error appears as a directory, not the basename); these need no directive and must be suppressed if ever surfaced. Note the rule has NO pages-router exclusion logic: a real Pages Router /pages/error.tsx escapes only because it lacks the /app/ substring, while /app/pages/error.tsx WOULD fire and is a true positive, not an FP.

Evidence boundary

The diagnostic proves only that the detector’s modeled source pattern matched. It does not prove runtime impact, product intent, rendered failure, or that one remediation is correct.

Establish the environment, repository policy, exceptions, and required rendered or runtime evidence before deciding the occurrence.

Record one outcome:

  • Confirmed failure: The required evidence establishes the violation.
  • Rejected: A documented exception or false-positive predicate applies.
  • Needs evidence: Named evidence can still be collected.
  • Unavailable: Required evidence cannot be collected in this run.
  • Waived with evidence: An authorized, scoped exception applies to an established failure.
  • Observation: The review records an optional tradeoff without claiming a defect.

A waiver records its scope, authority, evidence, and review condition. It is not a pass or false positive.

Default severity is registry metadata. Use the occurrence’s JSON severity after repository configuration when ordering real findings.

Fix prompt

Apply this candidate correction only after the required evidence confirms the risk.

Add the directive as the very first statement of the file, before any imports: a standalone string statement 'use client' on its own line at the top of error.tsx / global-error.tsx. Keep the default-exported boundary component (which receives { error, reset }) as-is; the directive alone makes it a Client Component so it can hold the error state and render the reset fallback. For global-error.tsx remember it must also render its own <html> and <body>. See https://nextjs.org/docs/app/api-reference/file-conventions/error

Repository-wide copy prompt

Use this repository-wide prompt only after validating each occurrence. For one occurrence, use the guidance above.

Show repository-wide prompt

Fix every confirmed react-doctor/nextjs-error-boundary-missing-use-client diagnostic in the current repository.

Required change:

  • Add the directive as the very first statement of the file, before any imports: a standalone string statement 'use client' on its own line at the top of error.tsx / global-error.tsx. Keep the default-exported boundary component (which receives { error, reset }) as-is; the directive alone makes it a Client Component so it can hold the error state and render the reset fallback. For global-error.tsx remember it must also render its own <html> and <body>. See https://nextjs.org/docs/app/api-reference/file-conventions/error.

Validation before editing:

Fires on the Program node when the normalized filename matches BOTH APP_DIRECTORY_PATTERN (contains the substring /app/) and ERROR_BOUNDARY_FILE_PATTERN (/(error|global-error)\.(?:tsx?|jsx?|mts|mjs)$: leading slash plus the exact basename error or global-error, anchored at end) AND hasDirective is false, i.e. no top-level ExpressionStatement in the Program body is a string Literal whose value is exactly 'use client'. Without that directive the App Router boundary is a Server Component and silently fails to catch errors or render fallback UI, so confirm.

Suppress when: the path contains the substrings app and error but the basename is NOT exactly error/global-error, so ERROR_BOUNDARY_FILE_PATTERN never matches and the rule does NOT fire: e.g. /app/error-utils.ts, /app/app-error.tsx, /app/app-errors.tsx, or /app/components/error/index.tsx (the slug error appears as a directory, not the basename); these need no directive and must be suppressed if ever surfaced. Note the rule has NO pages-router exclusion logic: a real Pages Router /pages/error.tsx escapes only because it lacks the /app/ substring, while /app/pages/error.tsx WOULD fire and is a true positive, not an FP.

Constraints:

  • Make the smallest change that fixes the root cause.
  • Preserve behavior and interfaces unrelated to this diagnostic.
  • Reuse existing project components, utilities, and conventions.
  • Do not introduce render-phase side effects, render-phase state updates, or Hooks rule violations.
  • Adapt identifiers and framework details instead of copying blindly.
  • Do not disable the rule or suppress matching code.
  • Confirm this rule is enabled for the project: framework=nextjs and capabilities=nextjs.

Assessment:

  • Record detector evidence, applicability facts, assumptions, missing evidence, and the rule class for this occurrence.
  • Return one outcome: Confirmed failure, Rejected, Needs evidence, Unavailable, Waived with evidence, or Observation.
  • A waiver records the established failure, scope, authority, evidence, and review or expiry condition. It is not a pass or false positive.

Verification:

  • Run focused tests for the changed behavior.
  • Run React Doctor and confirm this diagnostic no longer appears from changed code.
  • Run an unfiltered scan of the affected scope before claiming no cross-category regression.
  • Report the files changed and any checks you could not run.