Why use Validated Handler on TypingMind?

Because you install it once and use it with any model. Validated Handler is plain Markdown rather than provider-specific code, so the same skill runs on GPT-5, Claude, Gemini, Grok, or a local model — and you can switch model mid-chat without it breaking. TypingMind runs on your own API keys, so you pay providers directly instead of a per-seat subscription, and your skills and chats stay in your own storage.

How do I install Validated Handler in TypingMind?

Open Plugins → Skills → Install from GitHub in TypingMind and paste https://github.com/bobmatnyc/claude-mpm-skills/tree/main/toolchains/nextjs/api/validated-handler. TypingMind reads its SKILL.md and bundles its files and installs it as a skill you can enable per chat.

Which AI models can use Validated Handler?

Any model you connect in TypingMind. AI skills are plain Markdown instructions rather than provider-specific code, so GPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, and local models can all load this skill when a request matches it.

How many AI models can I use with Validated Handler?

As many as you like. As long as a model supports skills, you can use Validated Handler with it — GPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, DeepSeek, Mistral, Llama and more — all on TypingMind with your own API keys.

Is the Validated Handler AI skill free?

Yes. It is published on GitHub by bobmatnyc under the MIT license. You only pay your own AI provider for the tokens you use.

An AI skill is a reusable instruction bundle that teaches an AI model how to do one specific task. It follows the open Agent Skills format: a SKILL.md file with a name and description, plus any scripts, templates or reference files the model may need. The model reads the instructions only when your request matches the skill, so an installed skill costs nothing until it is used.

How are AI skills different from plugins or MCP servers?

A plugin or MCP server gives a model new tools to call — code that runs somewhere and returns a result. An AI skill gives the model knowledge and process instead: how to approach a task, which steps to follow, what good output looks like. Skills are plain Markdown, so they need no server, no API key and no runtime, and they work with any model.

Validated Handler by bobmatnyc — AI Skill for Any LLM

Next.js Validated Handler Pattern

Type-safe API route handler with automatic Zod validation for Next.js App Router.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

Building Next.js API routes (App Router)
Want automatic input validation with Zod
Need consistent error handling across API routes
Want to eliminate boilerplate validation code
Building type-safe APIs with TypeScript

The Problem

Without a validated handler, every API route has repetitive validation code:

typescript
// ❌ REPETITIVE - Every route looks like this
export async function GET(request: NextRequest) {
  try {
    // 1. Parse query params
    const { searchParams } = new URL(request.url);
    const rawPage = searchParams.get('page');
    const rawLimit = searchParams.get('limit');

    // 2. Validate each param manually
    if (!rawPage || isNaN(Number(rawPage))) {
      return NextResponse.json(
        { error: 'Invalid page parameter' },
        { status: 400 }
      );
    }

    if (!rawLimit || isNaN(Number(rawLimit))) {
      return NextResponse.json(
        { error: 'Invalid limit parameter' },
        { status: 400 }
      );
    }

    const page = Number(rawPage);
    const limit = Number(rawLimit);

    // 3. Validate ranges
    if (page < 1) {
      return NextResponse.json(
        { error: 'Page must be >= 1' },
        { status: 400 }
      );
    }

    if (limit < 1 || limit > 100) {
      return NextResponse.json(
        { error: 'Limit must be between 1 and 100' },
        { status: 400 }
      );
    }

    // 4. Finally, business logic
    const data = await fetchData(page, limit);
    return NextResponse.json(data);

  } catch (error) {
    console.error(error);
    return NextResponse.json(
      { error: 'Internal server error' },
      { status: 500 }
    );
  }
}

Problems:

30+ lines of boilerplate per route
Error-prone manual validation
Inconsistent error messages
No type safety
Hard to maintain across 100+ routes

The Solution: validatedHandler

Create a reusable handler that combines Zod validation with Next.js API routes:

typescript
// src/lib/api/handler.ts
import { NextRequest, NextResponse } from 'next/server';
import { z } from 'zod';

type ValidationSource = 'query' | 'body';

export function validatedHandler<T extends z.ZodType>(
  config: {
    input: { schema: T; source: ValidationSource };
  },
  handler: (ctx: { input: z.infer<T>; request: NextRequest }) => Promise<Response>,
) {
  return async (request: NextRequest): Promise<Response> => {
    try {
      // 1. Parse input based on source
      const rawInput = config.input.source === 'query'
        ? Object.fromEntries(new URL(request.url).searchParams)
        : await request.json();

      // 2. Validate with Zod schema
      const result = config.input.schema.safeParse(rawInput);

      if (!result.success) {
        return NextResponse.json({
          error: "Validation failed",
          details: result.error.issues.map(err => ({
            path: err.path.join("."),
            message: err.message,
          })),
        }, { status: 400 });
      }

      // 3. Call handler with typed data
      return await handler({ input: result.data, request });

    } catch (error) {
      console.error('API Error:', error);
      return NextResponse.json(
        { error: "Internal server error" },
        { status: 500 }
      );
    }
  };
}

Usage Example

With validatedHandler, routes become clean and type-safe:

typescript
// src/app/api/schools/route.ts
import { validatedHandler } from '@/lib/api/handler';
import { paginationInputSchema } from '@/lib/api/pagination';
import { z } from 'zod';
import { db } from '@/lib/db';
import { schools } from '@/lib/db/schema';
import { ilike } from 'drizzle-orm';

// Define schema
const getSchoolsSchema = paginationInputSchema.extend({
  keyword: z.string().optional(),
  districtId: z.string().uuid().optional(),
});

// Use validatedHandler - clean and type-safe!
export const GET = validatedHandler({
  input: { source: 'query', schema: getSchoolsSchema }
}, async ({ input }) => {
  // input is fully typed: { page: number, limit: number, keyword?: string, districtId?: string }

  const schoolList = await db.query.schools.findMany({
    where: input.keyword
      ? ilike(schools.name, `%${input.keyword}%`)
      : undefined,
    limit: input.limit,
    offset: (input.page - 1) * input.limit,
  });

  return NextResponse.json(schoolList);
});

Benefits:

✅ Only 15 lines vs 50+ lines
✅ Automatic validation with Zod
✅ Full TypeScript type inference
✅ Consistent error responses
✅ No manual parsing
✅ Single place to maintain validation logic

Core Implementation

Complete Handler Implementation

typescript
// src/lib/api/handler.ts
import { NextRequest, NextResponse } from 'next/server';
import { z } from 'zod';

type ValidationSource = 'query' | 'body';

interface HandlerConfig<T extends z.ZodType> {
  input: {
    schema: T;
    source: ValidationSource;
  };
}

interface HandlerContext<T extends z.ZodType> {
  input: z.infer<T>;
  request: NextRequest;
}

export function validatedHandler<T extends z.ZodType>(
  config: HandlerConfig<T>,
  handler: (ctx: HandlerContext<T>) => Promise<Response>,
) {
  return async (request: NextRequest): Promise<Response> => {
    try {
      // Parse input based on source
      let rawInput: unknown;

      if (config.input.source === 'query') {
        const { searchParams } = new URL(request.url);
        rawInput = Object.fromEntries(searchParams);
      } else if (config.input.source === 'body') {
        rawInput = await request.json();
      }

      // Validate with Zod
      const result = config.input.schema.safeParse(rawInput);

      if (!result.success) {
        return NextResponse.json({
          error: "Validation failed",
          details: result.error.issues.map(err => ({
            path: err.path.join("."),
            message: err.message,
          })),
        }, { status: 400 });
      }

      // Call handler with typed data
      return await handler({
        input: result.data,
        request,
      });

    } catch (error) {
      // Log error for debugging
      console.error('API Error:', error);

      // Return generic error to client
      return NextResponse.json(
        { error: "Internal server error" },
        { status: 500 }
      );
    }
  };
}

Pagination Schema (Reusable)

typescript
// src/lib/api/pagination.ts
import { z } from 'zod';

export const paginationInputSchema = z.object({
  page: z.coerce.number().min(1).default(1),
  limit: z.coerce.number().min(1).max(100).default(10),
});

export type PaginationInput = z.infer<typeof paginationInputSchema>;

export type PaginatedResponse<T> = {
  data: T[];
  page: number;
  limit: number;
  total: number;
  totalPages: number;
  nextPage: number | null;
  previousPage: number | null;
};

export function createPaginatedResponse<T>(
  data: T[],
  total: number,
  page: number,
  limit: number
): PaginatedResponse<T> {
  const totalPages = Math.ceil(total / limit);
  return {
    data,
    page,
    limit,
    total,
    totalPages,
    nextPage: page < totalPages ? page + 1 : null,
    previousPage: page > 1 ? page - 1 : null,
  };
}

Common Patterns

GET Route with Query Params

typescript
// src/app/api/providers/route.ts
import { validatedHandler } from '@/lib/api/handler';
import { paginationInputSchema } from '@/lib/api/pagination';
import { z } from 'zod';

const getProvidersSchema = paginationInputSchema.extend({
  status: z.enum(['active', 'inactive']).optional(),
  specialty: z.string().optional(),
});

export const GET = validatedHandler({
  input: { source: 'query', schema: getProvidersSchema }
}, async ({ input }) => {
  const providers = await db.query.providers.findMany({
    where: buildWhereClause(input),
    limit: input.limit,
    offset: (input.page - 1) * input.limit,
  });

  return NextResponse.json(providers);
});

POST Route with Body Validation

typescript
// src/app/api/providers/route.ts
import { validatedHandler } from '@/lib/api/handler';
import { z } from 'zod';

const createProviderSchema = z.object({
  name: z.string().min(1).max(255),
  email: z.string().email(),
  specialty: z.string().min(1),
  licenseNumber: z.string().optional(),
});

export const POST = validatedHandler({
  input: { source: 'body', schema: createProviderSchema }
}, async ({ input }) => {
  const newProvider = await db.insert(providers)
    .values(input)
    .returning();

  return NextResponse.json(newProvider[0], { status: 201 });
});

Route with Path Parameters

typescript
// src/app/api/providers/[id]/route.ts
import { validatedHandler } from '@/lib/api/handler';
import { z } from 'zod';

const updateProviderSchema = z.object({
  name: z.string().min(1).max(255).optional(),
  email: z.string().email().optional(),
  specialty: z.string().min(1).optional(),
});

export const PATCH = validatedHandler({
  input: { source: 'body', schema: updateProviderSchema }
}, async ({ input, request }) => {
  // Extract path param manually
  const url = new URL(request.url);
  const id = url.pathname.split('/').pop();

  if (!id) {
    return NextResponse.json({ error: 'Invalid ID' }, { status: 400 });
  }

  const updated = await db.update(providers)
    .set(input)
    .where(eq(providers.id, id))
    .returning();

  return NextResponse.json(updated[0]);
});

Route with Authentication

typescript
// src/app/api/providers/route.ts
import { validatedHandler } from '@/lib/api/handler';
import { auth } from '@/lib/auth';
import { z } from 'zod';

const getProvidersSchema = paginationInputSchema.extend({
  status: z.enum(['active', 'inactive']).optional(),
});

export const GET = validatedHandler({
  input: { source: 'query', schema: getProvidersSchema }
}, async ({ input, request }) => {
  // Authentication check
  const session = await auth(request);
  if (!session) {
    return NextResponse.json(
      { error: 'Unauthorized' },
      { status: 401 }
    );
  }

  // Authorization check
  if (!session.user.roles.includes('admin')) {
    return NextResponse.json(
      { error: 'Forbidden' },
      { status: 403 }
    );
  }

  // Business logic
  const providers = await db.query.providers.findMany({
    where: buildWhereClause(input),
    limit: input.limit,
    offset: (input.page - 1) * input.limit,
  });

  return NextResponse.json(providers);
});

Advanced Patterns

Multiple Validation Sources

typescript
// Validate both query and body
const searchSchema = z.object({
  query: z.string(),
});

const filtersSchema = z.object({
  category: z.string().optional(),
  priceMin: z.number().optional(),
  priceMax: z.number().optional(),
});

export const POST = async (request: NextRequest) => {
  // Validate query params
  const queryResult = searchSchema.safeParse(
    Object.fromEntries(new URL(request.url).searchParams)
  );

  if (!queryResult.success) {
    return NextResponse.json({ error: 'Invalid query' }, { status: 400 });
  }

  // Validate body
  const body = await request.json();
  const bodyResult = filtersSchema.safeParse(body);

  if (!bodyResult.success) {
    return NextResponse.json({ error: 'Invalid filters' }, { status: 400 });
  }

  // Use both
  const results = await search(queryResult.data.query, bodyResult.data);
  return NextResponse.json(results);
};

Custom Error Responses

typescript
// src/lib/api/handler.ts (enhanced)
export function validatedHandler<T extends z.ZodType>(
  config: {
    input: { schema: T; source: ValidationSource };
    errorTransform?: (error: z.ZodError) => { error: string; details?: unknown };
  },
  handler: (ctx: { input: z.infer<T>; request: NextRequest }) => Promise<Response>,
) {
  return async (request: NextRequest): Promise<Response> => {
    try {
      const rawInput = config.input.source === 'query'
        ? Object.fromEntries(new URL(request.url).searchParams)
        : await request.json();

      const result = config.input.schema.safeParse(rawInput);

      if (!result.success) {
        const errorResponse = config.errorTransform
          ? config.errorTransform(result.error)
          : {
              error: "Validation failed",
              details: result.error.issues.map(err => ({
                path: err.path.join("."),
                message: err.message,
              })),
            };

        return NextResponse.json(errorResponse, { status: 400 });
      }

      return await handler({ input: result.data, request });
    } catch (error) {
      console.error('API Error:', error);
      return NextResponse.json(
        { error: "Internal server error" },
        { status: 500 }
      );
    }
  };
}

Testing

Unit Tests for Handler

typescript
// src/lib/api/handler.test.ts
import { validatedHandler } from './handler';
import { NextRequest, NextResponse } from 'next/server';
import { z } from 'zod';

describe('validatedHandler', () => {
  it('should validate query params successfully', async () => {
    const schema = z.object({
      page: z.coerce.number(),
    });

    const handler = validatedHandler({
      input: { source: 'query', schema }
    }, async ({ input }) => {
      return NextResponse.json({ page: input.page });
    });

    const request = new NextRequest('http://localhost?page=2');
    const response = await handler(request);
    const data = await response.json();

    expect(data).toEqual({ page: 2 });
  });

  it('should return 400 for invalid input', async () => {
    const schema = z.object({
      page: z.coerce.number().min(1),
    });

    const handler = validatedHandler({
      input: { source: 'query', schema }
    }, async ({ input }) => {
      return NextResponse.json({ page: input.page });
    });

    const request = new NextRequest('http://localhost?page=0');
    const response = await handler(request);

    expect(response.status).toBe(400);
    const data = await response.json();
    expect(data.error).toBe('Validation failed');
  });
});

Integration Tests for API Routes

typescript
// src/app/api/schools/route.test.ts
import { GET } from './route';
import { NextRequest } from 'next/server';

describe('GET /api/schools', () => {
  it('should return paginated schools', async () => {
    const request = new NextRequest('http://localhost/api/schools?page=1&limit=10');
    const response = await GET(request);
    const data = await response.json();

    expect(response.status).toBe(200);
    expect(data).toHaveProperty('data');
    expect(data).toHaveProperty('page', 1);
    expect(data).toHaveProperty('limit', 10);
  });

  it('should validate pagination parameters', async () => {
    const request = new NextRequest('http://localhost/api/schools?page=-1');
    const response = await GET(request);

    expect(response.status).toBe(400);
  });
});

Benefits Summary

Code Reduction

Before: 50+ lines per route with validation
After: 10-15 lines per route
Savings: 70% code reduction

Type Safety

✅ Input types automatically inferred from Zod schema
✅ No any types or type assertions
✅ Compile-time validation of schema usage

Developer Experience

✅ Single place to define validation
✅ Consistent error messages
✅ Clear separation of validation and business logic
✅ Easy to test

Maintainability

✅ DRY principle applied
✅ Changes to validation logic in one place
✅ Reusable schemas across routes
✅ Framework-agnostic pattern (works with Express, Fastify, Hono)

Pattern Variations

For Express.js/Fastify

typescript
export function validatedHandler<T extends z.ZodType>(
  schema: T,
  handler: (input: z.infer<T>, req: Request, res: Response) => Promise<void>
) {
  return async (req: Request, res: Response) => {
    const result = schema.safeParse(req.body);
    if (!result.success) {
      return res.status(400).json({ error: result.error });
    }
    await handler(result.data, req, res);
  };
}

For Hono

typescript
import { Hono } from 'hono';
import { zValidator } from '@hono/zod-validator';

const app = new Hono();

app.get('/schools', zValidator('query', getSchoolsSchema), async (c) => {
  const input = c.req.valid('query');
  const schools = await fetchSchools(input);
  return c.json(schools);
});

Related Skills

toolchains-typescript-validation-zod - Zod validation patterns
toolchains-nextjs-core - Next.js App Router patterns
toolchains-universal-security-api-review - API security testing
universal-verification-pre-merge - Pre-merge verification workflows

Publisher	bobmatnyc
Repository	`claude-mpm-skills`
Skill name	`validated-handler`
Stars	75
Forks	19
Bundled files	1
License	MIT
Links	Skill source Repository

Validated Handler

Overview

Installation

Install in TypingMind

Install in another agent

Use it in TypingMind

Works with any AI model

Skill instructions

Next.js Validated Handler Pattern

When to Use This Skill

The Problem

The Solution: validatedHandler

Usage Example

Core Implementation

Complete Handler Implementation

Pagination Schema (Reusable)

Common Patterns

GET Route with Query Params

POST Route with Body Validation

Route with Path Parameters

Route with Authentication

Advanced Patterns

Multiple Validation Sources

Custom Error Responses

Testing

Unit Tests for Handler

Integration Tests for API Routes

Benefits Summary

Code Reduction

Type Safety

Developer Experience

Maintainability

Pattern Variations

For Express.js/Fastify

For Hono

Related Skills

Bundled files

Frequently asked questions

Set up your own AI workspace now

Overview

Installation

Install in TypingMind

Install in another agent

Use it in TypingMind

Works with any AI model

Skill instructions

Next.js Validated Handler Pattern

When to Use This Skill

The Problem

The Solution: validatedHandler

Usage Example

Core Implementation

Complete Handler Implementation

Pagination Schema (Reusable)

Common Patterns

GET Route with Query Params

POST Route with Body Validation

Route with Path Parameters

Route with Authentication

Advanced Patterns

Multiple Validation Sources

Custom Error Responses

Testing

Unit Tests for Handler

Integration Tests for API Routes

Benefits Summary

Code Reduction

Type Safety

Developer Experience

Maintainability

Pattern Variations

For Express.js/Fastify

For Hono

Related Skills

Bundled files

Frequently asked questions

Related AI Skills

Set up your own AI workspace now