defineNuxtRouteMiddleware in definePageMeta
Why can't I use defineNuxtRouteMiddleware in a definePageMeta ?
Don't give me the alternatives I know about it, I want to do specifically that
2 Replies
Hi @Omnislash. I'm kapa.ai, your friendly support bot. I will try to answer your question by searching through the knowledge base. :wave:
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You cannot use defineNuxtRouteMiddleware directly inside definePageMeta because defineNuxtRouteMiddleware is specifically designed to define named or global middleware files within the middleware/ directory, not as an inline function within a page's definePageMeta. The Nuxt documentation and migration guides consistently show that defineNuxtRouteMiddleware is used to export middleware from a file in the middleware/ directory, and not as a function to be called or referenced inside definePageMeta.
When you define middleware inline in definePageMeta, you simply provide a function (the navigation guard signature), not a call to defineNuxtRouteMiddleware. The defineNuxtRouteMiddleware helper is a wrapper for registering named middleware files, not for use as an inline middleware definition. This is also reflected in the API and usage examples, which show that the middleware property in definePageMeta accepts either a function (for anonymous middleware) or a string/array of strings (for named middleware), but not the result of defineNuxtRouteMiddleware.
Additionally, the Nuxt Bridge and core documentation explicitly state that defineNuxtRouteMiddleware is not supported outside of the middleware directory, reinforcing that its intended use is for file-based middleware registration, not for inline or page-level middleware definition Plugins and Middleware (Bridge) Directory Structure: Middleware.
In summary: defineNuxtRouteMiddleware is a file-based helper for named/global middleware, not for use inside definePageMeta, which expects either a function or a string/array referencing named middleware. This is a design choice in Nuxt's architecture and is documented as such.
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