github-starred/better-auth
2
0
Fork 0
mirror of https://github.com/better-auth/better-auth.git synced 2026-05-23 07:18:56 -05:00
Code Issues 2.5k Packages Projects Releases 112 Wiki Activity

Nextjs, Prisma and generate schema #1929

New Issue
Closed
opened 2026-03-13 09:13:07 -05:00 by GiteaMirror · 2 comments
GiteaMirror commented 2026-03-13 09:13:07 -05:00
Owner
Copy Link

Originally created by @JohnKesko on GitHub (Sep 15, 2025).

Am I misunderstanding something when generating the schema?
npx @better-auth/cli@latest generate - should generate the schema.

My setup with Nextjs:

/project/prisma/schema.prisma

generator client {
  provider = "prisma-client-js"
  output   = "./generated/prisma" <--- will generate to:  /project/prisma/generated/prisma
}

datasource db {
  provider = "postgresql"
  url      = env("DATABASE_URL")
}

/project/app/lib/db.ts

  1. Due to hot reloading and possible port exhaustion in Nextjs, we need db.ts:
import { PrismaClient } from "../prisma/generated/prisma/client";

const globalForPrisma = global as unknown as { prisma: PrismaClient };

export const db = globalForPrisma.prisma || new PrismaClient();

if (process.env.NODE_ENV !== "production") globalForPrisma.prisma = db;
  1. /project/app/lib/auth.ts:
import { betterAuth } from "better-auth";
import { prismaAdapter } from "better-auth/adapters/prisma";
import { db } from "./db";

export const auth = betterAuth({
	database: {
		provider: prismaAdapter(db, {
			provider: "postgresql",
		}),
	},
	emailAndPassword: {
		enabled: true,
	},
});
  1. Generating the schema:
    npx @better-auth/cli generate

Results in:
ERROR [Better Auth]: Failed to initialize database adapter

Doesn't matter if I provide the path to the config:
npx @better-auth/cli generate --config "lib/auth.ts"
ERROR [Better Auth]: Failed to initialize database adapter

Am I missing something obvious?

Originally created by @JohnKesko on GitHub (Sep 15, 2025). Am I misunderstanding something when generating the schema? npx @better-auth/cli@latest generate - should generate the schema. My setup with Nextjs: /project/prisma/schema.prisma ``` generator client { provider = "prisma-client-js" output = "./generated/prisma" <--- will generate to: /project/prisma/generated/prisma } datasource db { provider = "postgresql" url = env("DATABASE_URL") } ``` /project/app/lib/db.ts 1. Due to hot reloading and possible port exhaustion in Nextjs, we need db.ts: ``` import { PrismaClient } from "../prisma/generated/prisma/client"; const globalForPrisma = global as unknown as { prisma: PrismaClient }; export const db = globalForPrisma.prisma || new PrismaClient(); if (process.env.NODE_ENV !== "production") globalForPrisma.prisma = db; ``` 2. /project/app/lib/auth.ts: ``` import { betterAuth } from "better-auth"; import { prismaAdapter } from "better-auth/adapters/prisma"; import { db } from "./db"; export const auth = betterAuth({ database: { provider: prismaAdapter(db, { provider: "postgresql", }), }, emailAndPassword: { enabled: true, }, }); ``` 3. Generating the schema: npx @better-auth/cli generate Results in: ERROR [Better Auth]: Failed to initialize database adapter Doesn't matter if I provide the path to the config: npx @better-auth/cli generate --config "lib/auth.ts" ERROR [Better Auth]: Failed to initialize database adapter Am I missing something obvious?
GiteaMirror added the nextjs label 2026-03-13 09:13:07 -05:00
GiteaMirror commented 2026-03-13 09:13:08 -05:00
Author
Owner
Copy Link

@dosubot[bot] commented on GitHub (Sep 15, 2025):

Hi @JohnKesko! I'm Dosu and I’m helping the better-auth team.

You’re not missing anything obvious—this error is usually caused by the custom output path in your Prisma client generator. The Better Auth CLI expects the Prisma client in its default location. To fix this, remove the output field from your generator client block in schema.prisma, re-generate the Prisma client, and update your imports to use import { PrismaClient } from '@prisma/client' instead of a relative path. Then, re-run npx @better-auth/cli generate and it should work without the adapter error. More details here: GitHub Issue #3736.

Also, make sure your auth instance is exported as a named export (export const auth = ...), not a default export—otherwise, the CLI can’t find it and will throw a similar error. See GitHub Issue #4110.

If you need to keep a custom output path for Prisma, let me know—there are some workarounds, but the default setup is the most reliable for Better Auth CLI.

To reply, just mention @dosu.

How did I do? Good | Irrelevant | Incorrect | Verbose | Hallucination | Report 🐛 | Other  Chat with Dosu Join Discord Share on X

@dosubot[bot] commented on GitHub (Sep 15, 2025): <!-- Greeting --> Hi @JohnKesko! I'm [Dosu](https://go.dosu.dev/dosubot) and I’m helping the better-auth team. <!-- Answer --> You’re not missing anything obvious—this error is usually caused by the custom output path in your Prisma client generator. The Better Auth CLI expects the Prisma client in its default location. To fix this, remove the `output` field from your `generator client` block in `schema.prisma`, re-generate the Prisma client, and update your imports to use `import { PrismaClient } from '@prisma/client'` instead of a relative path. Then, re-run `npx @better-auth/cli generate` and it should work without the adapter error. More details here: [GitHub Issue #3736](https://github.com/better-auth/better-auth/issues/3736). Also, make sure your `auth` instance is exported as a named export (`export const auth = ...`), not a default export—otherwise, the CLI can’t find it and will throw a similar error. See [GitHub Issue #4110](https://github.com/better-auth/better-auth/issues/4110). If you need to keep a custom output path for Prisma, let me know—there are some workarounds, but the default setup is the most reliable for Better Auth CLI. <!-- Dosu Comment Footer --> *To reply, just mention [@dosu](https://go.dosu.dev/dosubot).* --- <sup>How did I do? [Good](https://app.dosu.dev/response-feedback/eabef750-ba1d-42c0-ae26-129cb4bf0636?feedback_type=great_response) | [Irrelevant](https://app.dosu.dev/response-feedback/eabef750-ba1d-42c0-ae26-129cb4bf0636?feedback_type=irrelevant_answer) | [Incorrect](https://app.dosu.dev/response-feedback/eabef750-ba1d-42c0-ae26-129cb4bf0636?feedback_type=incorrect_sources) | [Verbose](https://app.dosu.dev/response-feedback/eabef750-ba1d-42c0-ae26-129cb4bf0636?feedback_type=too_verbose) | [Hallucination](https://app.dosu.dev/response-feedback/eabef750-ba1d-42c0-ae26-129cb4bf0636?feedback_type=hallucination) | [Report 🐛](https://app.dosu.dev/response-feedback/eabef750-ba1d-42c0-ae26-129cb4bf0636?feedback_type=bug_report) | [Other](https://app.dosu.dev/response-feedback/eabef750-ba1d-42c0-ae26-129cb4bf0636?feedback_type=other)</sup>&nbsp;&nbsp;[![Chat with Dosu](https://dosu.dev/dosu-chat-badge.svg)](https://app.dosu.dev/cdda13d9-dd27-4d31-b09a-5d8bec92de21/ask?utm_source=github)&nbsp;[![Join Discord](https://img.shields.io/badge/join-5865F2?logo=discord&logoColor=white&label=)](https://go.dosu.dev/discord-bot)&nbsp;[![Share on X](https://img.shields.io/badge/X-share-black)](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=%40dosu_ai%20helped%20me%20solve%20this%20issue!&url=https%3A//github.com/better-auth/better-auth/issues/4670)
GiteaMirror commented 2026-03-13 09:13:09 -05:00
Author
Owner
Copy Link

@JohnKesko commented on GitHub (Sep 15, 2025):

duplicate #3736

@JohnKesko commented on GitHub (Sep 15, 2025): duplicate #3736
Sign in to join this conversation.
No Branch/Tag Specified
Branches Tags
Labels
Clear labels
adapter
astro
awaiting external contributor
blocked
breaking
breaking change
bug
c-devops
core
credentials
database
dependencies
devops
devtools
docs
documentation
duplicate
elysia
enhancement
enterprise
expo
express
fastify
good first issue
help wanted
hono
identity
infra
integration
invalid
javascript
locked
maintenance
need-more-information
needs: info
needs: repro
nextjs
nuxt
oauth
organization
P0
payments
perf
platform
plugin
pull-request
Mirrored from GitHub Pull Request
 question
ready
regression
remix
security
social-provider
solid
stale
svelte
tanstack-start
tracking
version-bump
vue
wontfix
No Label nextjs
Milestone
No items
No Milestone
Projects
Clear projects
No project
Assignees
Clear assignees
GiteaMirror ninjasurge
No Assignees
1 Participants
Notifications
Due Date
No due date set.
Dependencies

No dependencies set.

Reference: github-starred/better-auth#1929
Delete Branch "%!s()"

Deleting a branch is permanent. Although the deleted branch may continue to exist for a short time before it actually gets removed, it CANNOT be undone in most cases. Continue?