Clerk Next.js Middleware Infinite Redirect Loop or Static Asset Block

VERIFIED WAYPOINT ⚡ Saves ~41,000 tokens ($0.14) Category: Auth & Identity

🎯 Target Goal & Friction

Goal: Correct clerkMiddleware route matcher in Next.js 15 App Router

Error Signature: Clerk: auth() called outside of request scope / Too many redirects

⚡ Direct Teleport Deep Link (0ms Navigation)

https://dashboard.clerk.com/apps/{app_id}/api-keys →

Agents skip UI exploration menus by navigating directly to this endpoint.

Verified Code / Configuration Diff

@@ middleware.ts @@
- export default clerkMiddleware();
+ export default clerkMiddleware(async (auth, req) => {
+   if (!isPublicRoute(req)) await auth.protect();
+ });
+ export const config = { matcher: ['/((?!_next|[^?]*\\.(?:html?|css|js(?!on)|jpe?g|webp|png|gif|svg|ttf|woff2?|ico|csv|docx?|xlsx?|zip|webmanifest)).*)', '/(api|trpc)(.*)'] };

1-Line Instant CLI Fix

npm install @clerk/nextjs@latest

Root Cause & Explanation

Clerk middleware matcher regex must explicitly exclude Next.js internal static assets and public file extensions to prevent redirect loops.