fix(clerk-js): Type method returns with ClerkError

[dstaley]

Description

This PR replaces the Promise<{ error: unknown }> return type for the new SignIn and SignUp APIs with Promise<{ error: ClerkError | null }>.

It also updates some of the errors used by SignInFuture to use ClerkRuntimeError and other ClerkError-based errors where appropriate.

Checklist

• pnpm test runs as expected.
• pnpm build runs as expected.
• (If applicable) JSDoc comments have been added or updated for any package exports
• (If applicable) Documentation has been updated

Type of change

• 🐛 Bug fix
• 🌟 New feature
• 🔨 Breaking change
• 📖 Refactoring / dependency upgrade / documentation
• other:

Summary by CodeRabbit

• New Features

  • Authentication flows now return consistently typed errors (ClerkError | null) instead of generic unknown, improving error clarity and handling.

• Bug Fixes

  • Improved and standardized error messages and codes across sign-in/sign-up and multi-factor flows.
  • Added pre-flight validations to prevent invalid operations.
  • Refined passkey/WebAuthn error handling.
  • Ensure client state refresh after successful finalization.

[changeset-bot]

🦋 Changeset detected

Latest commit: f9ad025

The changes in this PR will be included in the next version bump.

This PR includes changesets to release 3 packages

Name	Type
@clerk/clerk-js	Patch
@clerk/chrome-extension	Patch
@clerk/clerk-expo	Patch

Not sure what this means? Click here to learn what changesets are.

Click here if you're a maintainer who wants to add another changeset to this PR

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Project	Deployment	Preview	Comments	Updated (UTC)
clerk-js-sandbox	Ready	Preview	Comment	Nov 13, 2025 7:43pm

[coderabbitai]

Walkthrough

Tightens error typing and error handling in authentication resources: replaces error: unknown with error: ClerkError | null in SignIn/SignUp and runAsyncResourceTask, adds ClerkError imports, introduces ClerkRuntimeError/ClerkWebAuthnError usage, adds preflight validations, and adjusts finalize control flow to pre-check and reload client after success.

Changes

Cohort / File(s)	Summary
Changeset \.changeset/deep-wombats-retire.md``	Added a patch changeset entry documenting the type return change for @clerk/clerk-js.
SignIn resource updates packages/clerk-js/src/core/resources/SignIn.ts	Replaced error: unknown returns with `error: ClerkError
SignUp resource type updates packages/clerk-js/src/core/resources/SignUp.ts	Replaced error: unknown returns with `error: ClerkError
Utility function update packages/clerk-js/src/utils/runAsyncResourceTask.ts	Tightened return type to `Promise<{ result?: T; error: ClerkError

Sequence Diagram(s)

sequenceDiagram
  participant Client
  participant SignIn as SignInFuture
  participant Runner as runAsyncResourceTask
  participant API as Backend
  Note over Client,SignIn: Old flow (simplified)
  Client->>SignIn: finalize(params?)
  SignIn->>Runner: run task (no pre-check)
  Runner->>API: finalize request
  API-->>Runner: response
  Runner-->>SignIn: result / error
  SignIn-->>Client: returns result (no forced reload)

  Note over Client,SignIn: New flow (high-level, changed interactions)
  Client->>SignIn: finalize(params?)
  SignIn-->>SignIn: preflight check (e.g., createdSessionId)  %%#lightblue
  alt preflight fails
    SignIn-->>Client: returns { error: ClerkRuntimeError }  %%#ffdddd
  else preflight ok
    SignIn->>Runner: run task
    Runner->>API: finalize request
    API-->>Runner: response
    Runner-->>SignIn: { result / error: ClerkError | null }
    SignIn-->>Client: returns result
    SignIn-->>Client: trigger client.reload() after success  %%#ddffdd
  end

Loading

Estimated code review effort

🎯 3 (Moderate) | ⏱️ ~20 minutes

• Heterogeneous changes: mostly consistent type updates but SignIn contains logic changes (runtime errors, preflight checks, finalize control-flow).
• Review focus:
  • Confirm SignIn runtime errors use correct error types and codes.
  • Verify finalize pre-check and client.reload placement and side effects.
  • Ensure runAsyncResourceTask return type aligns with callers.
  • Check exported method signatures remain source-compatible.

Poem

🐇 I hopped through code, made errors precise,

unknown was chased, ClerkError’s quite nice.
New guards and checks, a tidy new trail—
Type-sure and snappy, a rabbit-approved tale 🥕

Pre-merge checks and finishing touches

✅ Passed checks (3 passed)

Check name	Status	Explanation
Title check	✅ Passed	The PR title accurately describes the main change: replacing unknown error types with ClerkError type across method returns in clerk-js.
Docstring Coverage	✅ Passed	Docstring coverage is 100.00% which is sufficient. The required threshold is 80.00%.
Description Check	✅ Passed	Check skipped - CodeRabbit’s high-level summary is enabled.

✨ Finishing touches

• 📝 Generate docstrings

🧪 Generate unit tests (beta)

• Create PR with unit tests
• Post copyable unit tests in a comment
• Commit unit tests in branch ds.fix/signals-clerkerror

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commit: f9ad025