What's Missing in Standard NextAuth (Auth.js) Architecture
NextAuth (Auth.js) creates user sessions, but lacks the infrastructure to detect when users first achieve value in your application without custom implementation.
Standard NextAuth (Auth.js) Flow vs Optimized Skene Flow
User signs up via NextAuth (Auth.js)
User record created in your database
No automatic trigger - manual follow-up required
Watch your database 'users' table for new signups using standard API
Detect when user completes first key action (e.g., sharing their first resource) using your database queries
Trigger activation email sequence via Resend with personalized onboarding
Track activation completion and send milestone emails
Visual comparison of the flows:
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How Skene Fixes This
The Skene setup for NextAuth (Auth.js) watches your database events and triggers activation workflows when users hit key milestones. It uses standard API to send personalized onboarding sequences that guide users to their first value moment.
Implementation Comparison
Using Skene Infrastructure
Install via Prompt
@task: Initialize Skene.
@action: Analyze my local code, validating subscription via `npx skene login`, and generate `skene.config.ts` to implement the Activation Loop pattern for NextAuth (Auth.js).Copy Skene Prompt for Cursor
Generated skene.config.ts
// skene.config.ts - The Automated Way
import { defineLoop } from '@skene/sdk';
export default defineLoop({
type: 'activation',
opinion: 'Detect when users complete their first key action and trigger personalized onboarding',
steps: [
{
trigger: {
type: 'database',
table: 'users',
event: 'insert'
},
condition: {
type: 'query',
query: `SELECT * FROM user_actions WHERE user_id = $1 AND action_type = 'first_project_created'`,
timeout: '5m'
},
action: {
type: 'email',
provider: 'resend',
template: 'activation_welcome',
personalization: {
name: '{{user.name}}',
activationLink: '{{user.activation_link}}'
}
}
}
],
recovery: {
retries: 3,
backoff: 'exponential'
}
});