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Skill 05 · Sanity Best Practices
Subchapter 5.13
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Best for: All new Next.js projects.
The Studio is its own app, living alongside the Next.js app in the same repo:
your-project/
├── studio/ # Sanity Studio (standalone)
└── web/ # Next.js frontendWhy standalone instead of embedding the Studio in the Next.js app:
sanity dev and sanity build run on Vite and are dramatically faster (10-30x) than compiling the Studio through next dev / next build.sanity dev, TypeGen regenerates types as queries change. Embedded Studios can’t hook into next dev, so you must re-run sanity typegen generate manually after every query edit.Setup:
next dev (localhost:3000) and sanity dev (localhost:3333).npx sanity cors add http://localhost:3000 --credentials (repeat for your production URL), or via Sanity Manage (opens in a new tab).project-structure.md rule for detailed structure.The Studio can be mounted inside the Next.js app at /app/studio/[[...tool]]/page.tsx via next-sanity/studio. Avoid this for new projects: it slows builds, ties every Studio update to an app deploy, and rules out auto-updates and TypeGen watch mode. For maintaining or migrating an existing embedded Studio, see section 5.
We use defineLive (next-sanity v11+) to enable real-time content updates and Visual Editing automatically.
import { defineLive } from 'next-sanity/live'
import { client } from './client'
export const { sanityFetch, SanityLive } = defineLive({
client: client.withConfig({
apiVersion: '2026-02-01'
}),
serverToken: process.env.SANITY_API_READ_TOKEN,
browserToken: process.env.SANITY_API_READ_TOKEN,
})You must render <SanityLive /> in the root layout to enable real-time updates.
import { SanityLive } from '@/sanity/lib/live'
import { VisualEditing } from 'next-sanity/visual-editing'
import { draftMode } from 'next/headers'
export default async function RootLayout({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) {
return (
<html lang="en">
<body>
{children}
<SanityLive />
{(await draftMode()).isEnabled && <VisualEditing />}
</body>
</html>
)
}Use defineLive by default. It handles fetching, caching, and invalidation automatically. Only implement manual caching when you need fine-grained control.
| Scenario | Approach |
|---|---|
| Real-time updates, Visual Editing | defineLive (default) |
| Static marketing pages, rarely updated | Time-based revalidation |
| Blog posts, products with frequent edits | Tag-based revalidation |
| Critical accuracy (stock levels, prices) | Path-based + short revalidation |
See every fetch with cache HIT/MISS status:
// next.config.ts
const nextConfig: NextConfig = {
logging: {
fetches: {
fullUrl: true,
},
},
};Console output shows cache status:
GET /posts 200 in 39ms
│ GET https://...apicdn.sanity.io/... 200 in 5ms (cache hit)| Setting | Speed | Freshness | Use When |
|---|---|---|---|
useCdn: true | Fast | May have brief delay | Default for all runtime fetches |
useCdn: false | Slower | Guaranteed fresh | generateStaticParams, webhooks |
Override per-request:
// For static generation, use API directly
export async function generateStaticParams() {
const slugs = await client
.withConfig({ useCdn: false })
.fetch(SLUGS_QUERY);
return slugs;
}For manual caching control, create a wrapper:
// src/sanity/lib/client.ts
export async function sanityFetch<const QueryString extends string>({
query,
params = {},
revalidate = 60,
tags = [],
}: {
query: QueryString;
params?: QueryParams;
revalidate?: number | false;
tags?: string[];
}) {
return client.fetch(query, params, {
next: {
revalidate: tags.length ? false : revalidate,
tags,
},
});
}Simple and predictable. Good for content that changes infrequently.
const posts = await sanityFetch({
query: POSTS_QUERY,
revalidate: 3600, // Revalidate every hour
});The “Typo Problem”: With time-based only, content authors may wait up to an hour to see changes. Use webhooks for instant updates.
Surgically revalidate specific routes when documents change.
1. Create API Route:
// src/app/api/revalidate/path/route.ts
import { revalidatePath } from 'next/cache';
import { type NextRequest, NextResponse } from 'next/server';
import { parseBody } from 'next-sanity/webhook';
type WebhookPayload = { path?: string };
export async function POST(req: NextRequest) {
try {
const { isValidSignature, body } = await parseBody<WebhookPayload>(
req,
process.env.SANITY_REVALIDATE_SECRET,
true // Add delay to allow CDN to update
);
if (!isValidSignature) {
return new Response('Invalid signature', { status: 401 });
}
if (!body?.path) {
return new Response('Missing path', { status: 400 });
}
revalidatePath(body.path);
return NextResponse.json({ revalidated: body.path });
} catch (err) {
return new Response((err as Error).message, { status: 500 });
}
}2. Create GROQ-Powered Webhook:
https://yoursite.com/api/revalidate/path_type in ["post"]{ "path": "/posts/" + slug.current }SANITY_REVALIDATE_SECRET to webhook and .env.local“Update once, revalidate everywhere” — best for referenced content.
1. Tag Your Queries:
// Posts index - revalidate when ANY post, author, or category changes
const posts = await sanityFetch({
query: POSTS_QUERY,
tags: ['post', 'author', 'category'],
});
// Individual post - more granular, includes slug-specific tag
const post = await sanityFetch({
query: POST_QUERY,
params,
tags: [`post:${params.slug}`, 'author', 'category'],
});2. Create API Route:
// src/app/api/revalidate/tag/route.ts
import { revalidateTag } from 'next/cache';
import { type NextRequest, NextResponse } from 'next/server';
import { parseBody } from 'next-sanity/webhook';
type WebhookPayload = { tags: string[] };
export async function POST(req: NextRequest) {
try {
const { isValidSignature, body } = await parseBody<WebhookPayload>(
req,
process.env.SANITY_REVALIDATE_SECRET,
true
);
if (!isValidSignature) {
return new Response('Invalid signature', { status: 401 });
}
if (!Array.isArray(body?.tags) || !body.tags.length) {
return new Response('Missing tags', { status: 400 });
}
body.tags.forEach((tag) => revalidateTag(tag));
return NextResponse.json({ revalidated: body.tags });
} catch (err) {
return new Response((err as Error).message, { status: 500 });
}
}3. Create GROQ-Powered Webhook:
https://yoursite.com/api/revalidate/tag_type in ["post", "author", "category"]{ "tags": [_type, _type + ":" + slug.current] }Webhooks fire before Sanity CDN updates. If you see stale data:
true as third arg to parseBodyuseCdn: false in client config (use sparingly)Visual Editing injects invisible characters into strings to enable click-to-edit.
If a string field controls logic (alignment, colors, IDs), you must clean it before comparing.
import { stegaClean } from "@sanity/client/stega";
export function Layout({ align }: { align: string }) {
// ❌ Bad: Will fail in Edit Mode due to invisible chars
// if (align === 'center') ...
// ✅ Good: Clean the value first
const cleanAlign = stegaClean(align);
return <div className={cleanAlign === 'center' ? 'mx-auto' : ''} />
}Never let Stega characters leak into <head> tags. Always set stega: false for metadata fetching.
export async function generateMetadata({ params }) {
const { data } = await sanityFetch({
query: SEO_QUERY,
params: await params,
stega: false // 👈 Critical for SEO
})
return { title: data?.title }
}When generating static params, fetch only published content and disable stega.
export async function generateStaticParams() {
const { data } = await sanityFetch({
query: SLUGS_QUERY,
perspective: 'published', // 👈 No drafts
stega: false
})
return data
}Create the Studio as its own app from the repo root — not inside the Next.js app folder, where the CLI would switch to its embedded flow:
npm create sanity@latest -- --project <projectId> --dataset production --template clean --typescript --output-path studioRun it with npm run dev inside studio/ (defaults to http://localhost:3333 (opens in a new tab)). For Visual Editing, point the Presentation Tool’s previewUrl.origin at the Next.js app (see visual-editing.md).
Embedded Studios (<NextStudio /> mounted at a route like /app/studio/[[...tool]]/page.tsx) keep working, but migrating to a standalone Studio is recommended:
projectId and dataset.sanity.config.ts, sanity.cli.ts, and your schema types into it./app/studio/[[...tool]]/ route from the Next.js app. Keep next-sanity — the app still needs it for fetching, Live Content, and Visual Editing.previewUrl.origin to the app’s URL.Enable Presentation Tool and Visual Editing by setting up a draft mode route.
src/app/api/draft-mode/enable/route.ts:
import { client } from '@/sanity/lib/client'
import { defineEnableDraftMode } from 'next-sanity/draft-mode'
import { token } from '@/sanity/lib/token' // Helper to get token
export const { GET } = defineEnableDraftMode({
client: client.withConfig({ token }),
})Use notFound() for missing documents. Common errors:
| Error | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| 401 Unauthorized | Invalid/missing token | Check SANITY_API_READ_TOKEN |
| 403 Forbidden | CORS not configured | Add URL to CORS origins |
| Query syntax error | Invalid GROQ | Test in Vision plugin first |
| Empty result | Wrong filter/params | Log params, check _type spelling |
import { notFound } from 'next/navigation'
export default async function PostPage({ params }: Props) {
const { data } = await sanityFetch({ query: POST_QUERY, params: await params })
if (!data) notFound()
return <Post data={data} />
}For faster live editing in the Presentation Tool, use usePresentationQuery to fetch only the specific block being edited, rather than re-rendering the entire page.
This is especially valuable for pages with many Page Builder blocks or complex Portable Text.
'use client'
import { usePresentationQuery } from 'next-sanity/hooks'
import { HERO_PRESENTATION_QUERY } from '@/sanity/lib/queries'
type HeroProps = {
_key: string
documentId: string
title: string
subtitle?: string
// ... other initial props from page query
}
export function Hero({ _key, documentId, title, subtitle, ...rest }: HeroProps) {
// Fetch block-specific data for faster updates in Presentation Tool
const { data } = usePresentationQuery({
query: HERO_PRESENTATION_QUERY,
params: { documentId, blockKey: _key },
})
// Use presentation data if available, fallback to initial server props
const blockData = data?.heroBlock || { title, subtitle, ...rest }
return (
<section>
<h1>{blockData.title}</h1>
{blockData.subtitle && <p>{blockData.subtitle}</p>}
</section>
)
}Create a query that targets the specific block by _key:
// queries.ts
export const HERO_PRESENTATION_QUERY = defineQuery(`
*[_id == $documentId][0]{
_id,
_type,
"heroBlock": pageBuilder[_key == $blockKey && _type == "hero"][0]{
title,
subtitle,
image,
theme,
// Include all fields the component needs
}
}
`)Your PageBuilder component needs to pass documentId to each block:
export function PageBuilder({ content, documentId }: { content: Block[]; documentId: string }) {
return (
<main>
{content.map((block) => {
switch (block._type) {
case "hero":
return <Hero key={block._key} documentId={documentId} {...block} />
// ... other blocks
}
})}
</main>
)
}The same pattern works for custom blocks inside Portable Text:
export const PTE_IMAGE_PRESENTATION_QUERY = defineQuery(`
*[_id == $documentId][0]{
"pteImageBlock": body[_key == $blockKey && _type == "pteImage"][0]{
image,
caption,
alt
}
}
`)See also: visual-editing.md for the conceptual overview and page-builder.md for full Page Builder patterns.
For listing pages with many entries, use offset-based pagination with a count query.
GROQ slice bounds ([start...end]) must be constant numbers, not $params. Validate the page bounds in application code and interpolate them directly into the query string.
// Total count for pagination UI
export const ARTICLES_COUNT_QUERY = defineQuery(`
count(*[_type == "article" && defined(slug.current)])
`);
// Paginated listing — validated integers interpolated into the slice
function articlesQuery(start: number, end: number) {
return defineQuery(`
*[_type == "article" && defined(slug.current)]
| order(date desc) [${start}...${end}] {
_id, title, "slug": slug.current, date
}
`);
}const ENTRIES_PER_PAGE = 10;
export default async function BlogPage({
searchParams
}: {
searchParams: Promise<{ page?: string }>
}) {
const { page: pageParam } = await searchParams;
const page = Math.max(1, parseInt(pageParam || "1") || 1);
const start = (page - 1) * ENTRIES_PER_PAGE;
const end = start + ENTRIES_PER_PAGE;
const [{ data: articles }, { data: total }] = await Promise.all([
sanityFetch({ query: articlesQuery(start, end) }),
sanityFetch({ query: ARTICLES_COUNT_QUERY })
]);
const totalPages = Math.ceil(total / ENTRIES_PER_PAGE);
return (
<main>
{articles.map(article => (
<ArticleCard key={article._id} article={article} />
))}
<Pagination current={page} total={totalPages} />
</main>
);
}