payloadcms/payload · error · Error

Unauthorized

Error message

Unauthorized

What it means

The render-widget server function throws `Error('Unauthorized')` when `req.user` is absent. On-demand widget rendering is an authenticated admin operation that reads dashboard widget configs and the request's locale, so anonymous requests are rejected before any widget is located or rendered.

Solutions

1. Ensure the user is logged in before widgets attempt to render on demand.
2. Confirm the auth cookie is forwarded with the render-widget request.
3. Verify the auth strategy populates `req.user` for admin routes.
4. Re-authenticate and retry; note a missing widget returns a friendly placeholder, but a missing user throws.

if (!req.user) {
  // skip on-demand widget render or prompt re-login
}

function isAuthenticated<
  R extends { user?: unknown },
>(req: R): req is R & { user: NonNullable<R['user']> } {
  return !!req.user
}

try {
  await renderWidget(args)
} catch (err) {
  if (err instanceof Error && err.message === 'Unauthorized') {
    // prompt re-login; widget render can be retried once authenticated
  } else {
    throw err
  }
}

When it happens

Trigger: Dashboard widget render fired after session timeout, programmatic widget rendering without an authenticated session, auth cookie not forwarded to the server function, custom auth strategy that does not set `req.user`.

Common situations: Idle sessions that lapse during dashboard use, cross-origin widget requests without credentials, auth misconfiguration, proxies stripping cookies.

Understand the failure class

• Authentication and authorization failures — expired tokens, bad credentials, and missing scopes.

Related errors

• Unauthorized
• Unauthorized, you must be logged in to make this request.
• Unauthorized
• Unauthorized
• Unauthorized, you must be logged in to make this request.

AI-assisted analysis of payloadcms/payload@00c58b35c0 (2026-08-12). Data as JSON: /api/errors/6c1f473a85c4a15f. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at packages/ui/src/views/Dashboard/Default/ModularDashboard/renderWidget/renderWidgetServerFn.ts:32

   * The slug of the widget to render
   */
  widgetSlug: string
}

export type RenderWidgetServerFnReturnType = {
  component: React.ReactNode
}

/**
 * Server function to render a widget on-demand.
 * Similar to render-field but specifically for dashboard widgets.
 */
export const renderWidgetHandler: ServerFunction<
  RenderWidgetServerFnArgs,
  RenderWidgetServerFnReturnType
> = ({ cookies, locale, permissions, req, widgetData, widgetSlug }) => {
  if (!req.user) {
    throw new Error('Unauthorized')
  }

  const { widgets } = req.payload.config.admin.dashboard
  const { importMap } = req.payload

  // Find the widget configuration
  const widgetConfig = widgets.find((widget) => widget.slug === widgetSlug)

  if (!widgetConfig) {
    return {
      component: React.createElement(
        'div',
        {
          style: {
            background: 'var(--color-bg-secondary)',
            border: 'var(--stroke-width-small) solid var(--color-border)',
            borderRadius: 'var(--radius-medium)',
            color: 'var(--color-text)',

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