Skill

router-core/search-params

Name: router-core/search-params
Author: TanStack

validate and manage search parameters

Published by TanStack Updated Jul 16

Covers TypeScript Routing TanStack Frontend

Description

validateSearch, search param validation with Zod/Valibot/ArkType adapters, fallback(), search middlewares (retainSearchParams, stripSearchParams), custom serialization (parseSearch, stringifySearch), search param inheritance, loaderDeps for cache keys, reading and writing search params.

SKILL.md

Search Params

TanStack Router treats search params as JSON-first application state. They are automatically parsed from the URL into structured objects (numbers, booleans, arrays, nested objects) and validated via validateSearch on each route.

CRITICAL: When using zodValidator() and Zod v3, use fallback() from @tanstack/zod-adapter, NOT zod's .catch(). Using .catch() with the zod adapter makes the output type unknown, destroying type safety. This does not apply to Valibot or ArkType (which use their own fallback mechanisms). It also does not apply to Zod v4, which should use .catch() and not use the zodValidator(). CRITICAL: Types are fully inferred. Never annotate the return of useSearch().

Setup: Zod Adapter (Recommended)

npm install zod @tanstack/zod-adapter

// src/routes/products.tsx
import { createFileRoute } from '@tanstack/react-router'
import { z } from 'zod'

const productSearchSchema = z.object({
  page: z.number().default(1).catch(1),
  filter: z.string().default(''),
  sort: z.enum(['newest', 'oldest', 'price']).default('newest').catch('newest'),
})

export const Route = createFileRoute('/products')({
  validateSearch: productSearchSchema,
  component: ProductsPage,
})

function ProductsPage() {
  // page: number, filter: string, sort: 'newest' | 'oldest' | 'price'
  // ALL INFERRED — do not annotate
  const { page, filter, sort } = Route.useSearch()

  return (
    <div>
      <p>
        Page {page}, filter: {filter}, sort: {sort}
      </p>
    </div>
  )
}

Reading Search Params

In Route Components: `Route.useSearch()`

function ProductsPage() {
  const { page, sort } = Route.useSearch()
  return <div>Page {page}</div>
}

In Code-Split Components: `getRouteApi()`

import { getRouteApi } from '@tanstack/react-router'

const routeApi = getRouteApi('/products')

function ProductFilters() {
  const { sort } = routeApi.useSearch()
  return <select value={sort}>{/* options */}</select>
}

From Any Component: `useSearch({ from })`

import { useSearch } from '@tanstack/react-router'

function SortIndicator() {
  const { sort } = useSearch({ from: '/products' })
  return <span>Sorted by: {sort}</span>
}

Loose Access: `useSearch({ strict: false })`

function GenericPaginator() {
  const search = useSearch({ strict: false })
  // search.page is number | undefined (union of all routes)
  return <span>Page: {search.page ?? 1}</span>
}

Writing Search Params

Link with Function Form (Preserves Existing Params)

import { Link } from '@tanstack/react-router'

function Pagination() {
  return (
    <Link
      from="/products"
      search={(prev) => ({ ...prev, page: prev.page + 1 })}
    >
      Next Page
    </Link>
  )
}

Link with Object Form (Replaces All Params)

<Link to="/products" search={{ page: 1, filter: '', sort: 'newest' }}>
  Reset
</Link>

Programmatic: `useNavigate()`

import { useNavigate } from '@tanstack/react-router'

function SortDropdown() {
  const navigate = useNavigate({ from: '/products' })

  return (
    <select
      onChange={(e) => {
        navigate({
          search: (prev) => ({ ...prev, sort: e.target.value, page: 1 }),
        })
      }}
    >
      <option value="newest">Newest</option>
      <option value="price">Price</option>
    </select>
  )
}

Search Param Inheritance

Parent route search params are automatically merged into child routes:

// src/routes/shop.tsx — parent defines shared params
import { createFileRoute } from '@tanstack/react-router'
import { z } from 'zod'

const shopSearchSchema = z.object({
  currency: z.enum(['USD', 'EUR']).default('USD').catch('USD'),
})

export const Route = createFileRoute('/shop')({
  validateSearch: shopSearchSchema,
})

// src/routes/shop/products.tsx — child inherits currency
import { createFileRoute } from '@tanstack/react-router'

export const Route = createFileRoute('/shop/products')({
  component: ShopProducts,
})

function ShopProducts() {
  // currency is available here from parent — fully typed
  const { currency } = Route.useSearch()
  return <div>Currency: {currency}</div>
}

Search Middlewares

`retainSearchParams` — Keep Params Across Navigation

import { createRootRoute, retainSearchParams } from '@tanstack/react-router'
import { z } from 'zod'

const rootSearchSchema = z.object({
  debug: z.boolean().optional(),
})

export const Route = createRootRoute({
  validateSearch: rootSearchSchema,
  search: {
    middlewares: [retainSearchParams(['debug'])],
  },
})

`stripSearchParams` — Remove Default Values from URL

import { createFileRoute, stripSearchParams } from '@tanstack/react-router'
import { z } from 'zod'

const defaults = { sort: 'newest', page: 1 }

const searchSchema = z.object({
  sort: z.string().default(defaults.sort),
  page: z.number().default(defaults.page),
})

export const Route = createFileRoute('/items')({
  validateSearch: searchSchema,
  search: {
    middlewares: [stripSearchParams(defaults)],
  },
})

Chaining Middlewares

export const Route = createFileRoute('/search')({
  validateSearch: z.object({
    retainMe: z.string().optional(),
    arrayWithDefaults: z.string().array().default(['foo', 'bar']),
    required: z.string(),
  }),
  search: {
    middlewares: [
      retainSearchParams(['retainMe']),
      stripSearchParams({ arrayWithDefaults: ['foo', 'bar'] }),
    ],
  },
})

Custom Serialization

Override the default JSON serialization at the router level:

import {
  createRouter,
  parseSearchWith,
  stringifySearchWith,
} from '@tanstack/react-router'

const router = createRouter({
  routeTree,
  // Example: use JSURL2 for compact, human-readable URLs
  parseSearch: parseSearchWith(parse),
  stringifySearch: stringifySearchWith(stringify),
})

Using Search Params in Loaders via `loaderDeps`

export const Route = createFileRoute('/products')({
  validateSearch: productSearchSchema,
  // Pick ONLY the params the loader needs — not the entire search object
  loaderDeps: ({ search }) => ({ page: search.page }),
  loader: async ({ deps }) => {
    return fetchProducts({ page: deps.page })
  },
})

Common Mistakes

1. HIGH: Using zod v3's `.catch()` with `zodValidator()` instead of adapter `fallback()`

// WRONG — .catch() with zodValidator makes the type unknown
const schema = z.object({ page: z.number().catch(1) })
validateSearch: zodValidator(schema) // page is typed as unknown!

// CORRECT — fallback() preserves the inferred type
import { fallback } from '@tanstack/zod-adapter'
const schema = z.object({ page: fallback(z.number(), 1) })

Important: This only applies when using Zod v3, not when using Zod v4. For v4, using .catch() is correct.

2. HIGH: Returning entire search object from `loaderDeps`

// WRONG — loader re-runs on ANY search param change
loaderDeps: ({ search }) => search

// CORRECT — loader only re-runs when page changes
loaderDeps: ({ search }) => ({ page: search.page })

3. HIGH: Passing Date objects in search params

// WRONG — Date does not serialize correctly to JSON in URLs
<Link search={{ startDate: new Date() }}>

// CORRECT — convert to ISO string
<Link search={{ startDate: new Date().toISOString() }}>

4. MEDIUM: Parent route missing `validateSearch` blocks inheritance

// WRONG — child cannot access shared params
export const Route = createRootRoute({
  component: RootComponent,
  // no validateSearch!
})

// CORRECT — parent must define validateSearch for children to inherit
export const Route = createRootRoute({
  validateSearch: globalSearchSchema,
  component: RootComponent,
})

5. HIGH (cross-skill): Using search as object instead of function loses params

// WRONG — replaces ALL search params, losing any existing ones
<Link to="." search={{ page: 2 }}>Page 2</Link>

// CORRECT — preserves existing params, updates only page
<Link to="." search={(prev) => ({ ...prev, page: 2 })}>Page 2</Link>

References

Validation Patterns Reference — comprehensive patterns for all validation libraries

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