fix(backend): Derive origin from request URL

[brkalow]

Description

Fixes an issue where if the origin header is not present, the cross origin check would not properly execute. The origin header is actually not sent in many cases, and so I wasn't seeing this handshake case trigger when I was expecting it to. The origin that we really want is the request URL's origin, and so I've switched to using that value.

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

• Bug Fixes
  • Improved detection of request origin to address issues with cross-origin requests in the Clerk SDK backend.
• Chores
  • Updated internal documentation to reflect the patch update.
  • Adjusted test cases to better align with the updated origin detection logic.

[changeset-bot]

🦋 Changeset detected

Latest commit: 0635999

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

This PR includes changesets to release 11 packages

Name	Type
@clerk/backend	Patch
@clerk/agent-toolkit	Patch
@clerk/astro	Patch
@clerk/express	Patch
@clerk/fastify	Patch
@clerk/nextjs	Patch
@clerk/nuxt	Patch
@clerk/react-router	Patch
@clerk/remix	Patch
@clerk/tanstack-react-start	Patch
@clerk/testing	Patch

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[coderabbitai]

📝 Walkthrough

Walkthrough

A new changeset file was added to document a patch update for the @clerk/backend package, specifically addressing an issue with the Clerk SDK's detection of request origins. In the test suite for request authentication, the origin header was removed from three test cases, and a host header was added to one. In the authenticateContext.ts file, the isCrossOriginReferrer() method was updated to use this.clerkUrl.origin instead of this.origin for determining the origin of requests, with no changes to exported or public entity declarations.

Estimated code review effort

🎯 2 (Simple) | ⏱️ ~7 minutes

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📜 Recent review details

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📥 Commits

Reviewing files that changed from the base of the PR and between 3290039 and 0635999.

📒 Files selected for processing (3)

• .changeset/tidy-windows-travel.md (1 hunks)
• packages/backend/src/tokens/__tests__/request.test.ts (1 hunks)
• packages/backend/src/tokens/authenticateContext.ts (2 hunks)

🧰 Additional context used

📓 Path-based instructions (10)

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• packages/backend/src/tokens/authenticateContext.ts

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packages/**/*.{ts,tsx}

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• packages/backend/src/tokens/authenticateContext.ts

packages/**/*.{ts,tsx,d.ts}

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• packages/backend/src/tokens/authenticateContext.ts

**/*.{ts,tsx}

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Use proper TypeScript error types

**/*.{ts,tsx}: Always define explicit return types for functions, especially public APIs
Use proper type annotations for variables and parameters where inference isn't clear
Avoid any type - prefer unknown when type is uncertain, then narrow with type guards
Use interface for object shapes that might be extended
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Prefer readonly properties for immutable data structures
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Files:

• packages/backend/src/tokens/__tests__/request.test.ts
• packages/backend/src/tokens/authenticateContext.ts

packages/**/*.{test,spec}.{js,jsx,ts,tsx}

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• packages/backend/src/tokens/__tests__/request.test.ts

**/*.{js,ts,tsx,jsx}

📄 CodeRabbit Inference Engine (.cursor/rules/monorepo.mdc)

Support multiple Clerk environment variables (CLERK_, NEXT_PUBLIC_CLERK_, etc.) for configuration.

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• packages/backend/src/tokens/__tests__/request.test.ts
• packages/backend/src/tokens/authenticateContext.ts

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**/*

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**/*: If there are no tests added or modified as part of the PR, please suggest that tests be added to cover the changes.

Whenever reviewing a pull request, if there are any changes that could impact security, always tag @clerk/security in the PR.

Security-impacting changes include, but are not limited to:

• Changes to authentication logic or mechanisms (e.g. login, session handling, token issuance)
• Any modification to access control, authorization checks, or role-based permissions
• Introduction or modification of hashing algorithms, signature verification, or cryptographic primitives
• Handling of sensitive data (e.g. passwords, tokens, secrets, PII)
• Integration with external identity providers (e.g. SSO, OAuth, OpenID Connect)
• Modifications to security headers, cookie flags, CORS policies, or CSRF protections
• Bypass mechanisms (e.g. feature flags, testing overrides) that could weaken protections
• Changes to rate limiting, abuse prevention, or input validation

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Files:

• packages/backend/src/tokens/__tests__/request.test.ts
• packages/backend/src/tokens/authenticateContext.ts

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🔇 Additional comments (4)

.changeset/tidy-windows-travel.md (1)

1-6: LGTM! Changeset properly documents the origin detection fix.

The changeset correctly categorizes this as a patch-level update and provides a clear description of the issue being fixed.

packages/backend/src/tokens/__tests__/request.test.ts (1)

1469-1469: Good test alignment with the implementation fix.

The addition of the host header correctly aligns with the implementation change where origin is now derived from the request URL (this.clerkUrl.origin) rather than from the origin header (this.origin). This ensures the test properly validates the same-origin scenario.

packages/backend/src/tokens/authenticateContext.ts (2)

187-187: Consistent application of the origin detection fix.

The comparison logic now properly uses the URL-derived origin instead of the potentially missing origin header, ensuring consistent cross-origin detection behavior.

---

177-177: Approve: Origin detection change is robust and fully tested.

The switch from this.origin to this.clerkUrl.origin is safe and reliable—deriveUrlFromHeaders in clerkRequest.ts constructs clerkUrl.origin from the request URL (including forwarded-host/proto headers), and the existing tests cover all relevant scenarios.

• packages/backend/src/tokens/authenticateContext.ts (lines 177 & 187) now correctly use this.clerkUrl.origin.
• Verification: clerkRequest tests confirm proper handling of forwarded headers, query parameters, and URL fragments.

Please tag @clerk/security for a final security audit.

---

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commit: 0635999

[jacekradko]

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