Vercel Releases Starter Kit for Running Full-Featured Next.js Apps in ChatGPT
Executive Summary
Vercel has released a Next.js starter template for the ChatGPT Apps SDK, designed to solve the technical challenges of running modern web applications within ChatGPT's secure, multi-layered iframe architecture. The template provides a series of patches that enable full Next.js functionality, including client-side navigation, React Server Components (RSC), and correct asset loading, which are normally broken by the iframe's security sandbox. This allows developers to deploy their existing or new Next.js applications directly into ChatGPT, gaining distribution to its large user base without having to rebuild their apps from scratch.
Key Takeaways
* Core Problem Solved: ChatGPT's triple-iframe security architecture isolates an embedded app from its true domain, breaking essential web framework features like asset loading, API requests, and client-side routing.
* Solution Provided: A deployable Next.js starter template that automatically applies the necessary patches to make a Next.js application fully functional within the ChatGPT environment.
* Asset & URL Resolution: The solution uses `assetPrefix` in the Next.js config to fix static asset paths and injects an HTML `<base>` tag to correct all other relative URLs (images, API calls).
* Client-Side Navigation: It patches the browser's `window.fetch` API to rewrite requests to the application's true domain, enabling React Server Components and client-side navigation to work seamlessly.
* Security & History: The browser's History API (`pushState`, `replaceState`) is patched to use relative paths, preventing the application's actual URL from leaking and preserving the security of the sandbox.
* CORS Handling: The template includes middleware to automatically add the necessary CORS headers, allowing cross-origin requests required for RSC payloads to succeed.
Strategic Importance
This initiative lowers the barrier to entry for the extensive Next.js developer community to build for the ChatGPT platform, positioning Vercel and Next.js as a primary choice for creating AI-integrated web applications.