Change8
Error1 reports

Fix SerovalMissingReferenceForIdError

in Clerk

Solution

The "SerovalMissingReferenceForIdError" in Clerk often arises when the server attempts to serialize user metadata containing circular references or complex data structures that Seroval (Clerk's serialization library) cannot handle by default. To resolve this, either simplify the problematic metadata fields (e.g., flatten nested objects, remove circular references) or configure Clerk's `serialize` option to use a more robust serialization method like `JSON.stringify` for user metadata. Verify that custom afterAuth/beforeAuth functions are not modifying the clerk object improperly which is creating the error.

Related Issues

Real GitHub issues where developers encountered this error:

Timeline

First reported:Aug 21, 2025
Last reported:Aug 21, 2025

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