fix(router-core): commit memory-history navigations in Node

[00200200]

🎯 Changes

Fixes #8479.

After #8354, navigate() / commitLocation() treated every Node process as a server render. A router created with createMemoryHistory() then silently did nothing, including in node scripts and test runners that do not set NODE_ENV=test.

The no-op is now limited to:

• isServer: true
• createServerHistory() (what the SSR request handler already uses)
• a router with no history yet

Memory and browser history still commit, including in Node. isServer: true with memory history is unchanged.

✅ Checklist

• I have followed the steps in the Contributing guide.
• I have tested code changes locally with the relevant test commands, or tests do not apply to this pull request.
• I fully understand the code in this pull request, including any code generated with AI assistance.

🚀 Release Impact

• This change affects published code, and I have generated a changeset.
• This change is docs/CI/dev-only (no release).

Summary by CodeRabbit

• Bug Fixes
  • Navigation using memory history now commits location changes when running in Node, keeping router state and history in sync.
  • Navigation remains a no-op for server-request histories and routers explicitly configured for server-side operation.
• Documentation
  • Clarified when navigation commits are skipped during server-side rendering; request redirects should still use the redirect API.

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Navigate logical layers of code changes, visualize relationships, and explore their blast radius.

No actionable comments were generated in the recent review. 🎉

ℹ️ Recent review info

⚙️ Run configuration

Configuration used: Repository: TanStack/router/.coderabbit.yaml

Review profile: CHILL

Plan: Advanced

Run ID: dac6bd44-07b5-4b2b-b68c-002ab7ec8803

📥 Commits

Reviewing files that changed from the base of the PR and between 41ebd28 and 5b94b70.

📒 Files selected for processing (6)

• .changeset/soft-memory-navigate.md
• docs/router/guide/ssr.md
• packages/history/src/index.ts
• packages/history/tests/createServerHistory.test.ts
• packages/router-core/src/router.ts
• packages/router-core/tests/server-history.test.ts

Included review availability: This review used your included allowance. Your plan provides up to 10 included reviews per hour; 9 remain after this review.

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📝 Walkthrough

Walkthrough

Router histories identify server history with an optional marker. Router location commit methods now no-op when the router is server-side, has no history, or uses server history. Tests cover memory-history commits and server-history no-ops.

Changes

Navigation commit behavior

Layer / File(s)	Summary
Identify server history packages/history/src/index.ts, packages/history/tests/createServerHistory.test.ts	RouterHistory adds an optional isServerHistory property, and ServerHistory sets it to true. Tests check the marker on server and memory histories.
Apply the shared commit guard packages/router-core/src/router.ts, packages/router-core/tests/server-history.test.ts, docs/router/guide/ssr.md, .changeset/soft-memory-navigate.md	commitLocation, buildAndCommitLocation, and navigate use a shared no-op check. Tests cover memory-history commits and server-history no-ops. The SSR guide and changeset describe the no-op conditions.

Priority: ➖ Normal

Estimated code review effort: 2 (Simple) | ~10 minutes

Change: Bug fix · Severity of issue fixed: Medium

Suggested reviewers: sheraff

Merge Risk: ⚪ Minimal · up to 5b94b

Memory-history navigation in Node can commit while server-history navigation remains a no-op. No actionable merge-blocking risk is established.

Security Architecture Review

Security architecture risk: 🟡 Moderate · up to 5b94b

Built-in server histories remain protected, but memory and custom histories can now navigate in Node. Applications relying on server-side navigation guards or request-scoped no-op behavior may need to account for the changed behavior. No specific exploit has been established.

Retained concerns

• Medium · security · inferred: Server request isolation now depends on an explicit server option or history marker. An unmarked custom server history can pass the commit guard and run another server load; whether any production consumer does so is unknown.
• Low · security · observed: Newly enabled Node memory-history commits do not invoke registered push/replace blockers when document is absent. This matters if an application treats a blocker as a navigation control; no such security use is established here.
• Low · reliability · inferred: A newly reachable server-mode memory commit can leave its navigation promise pending if server loading throws a non-redirect error before publication. This limits failure containment for callers awaiting navigation.

Security review details

Security Blast Radius

• inferred — The newly reachable work is scoped to routers configured with an unmarked history in Node. A wider request or tenant exposure would depend on how an application constructs, shares, and invokes those routers; that exposure is not established.

Security Findings and Attack Paths

• inferred — If an application lets an untrusted input drive navigation on an unmarked server-side router, navigation can now reach server route execution. The reviewed evidence identifies neither such an input path nor a sensitive application loader.

Trust Boundaries and Controls

• observed — The commit guard trusts router configuration and the history object's marker, not the router's inferred server mode. Built-in server history supplies the marker, and explicit isServer remains a separate control.

Resilience and Maintainability Implications

• observed — Successful history pushes notify subscribers, and commits without subscribers initiate loading. The changed no-op checks run before pending-location and commit-promise mutation.

Hardening Proposals

• proposed — Define the server-side contract for custom histories and Node blockers explicitly, and settle commit promises when a newly permitted server load fails.

🚥 Pre-merge checks | ✅ 4 | ❌ 1

❌ Failed checks (1 warning)

Check name	Status	Explanation	Resolution
Docstring Coverage	⚠️ Warning	Docstring coverage is 0.00% which is insufficient. The required threshold is 80.00%. Docstring coverage is scoped to functions touched by this diff. Analyzed 1 functions across 4 files. (2 skipped: 2 …	Write docstrings for the functions missing them to satisfy the coverage threshold.

✅ Passed checks (4 passed)

Check name	Status	Explanation
Description check	✅ Passed	The description follows the repository template. It explains the cause, scope, behavior, tests, checklist status, and changeset impact.
Title check	✅ Passed	The title clearly and concisely describes the primary change: memory-history navigations now commit in Node.
Linked Issues check	✅ Passed	The change meets the coding requirements in [#8479]. shouldNoOpLocationCommit skips commits only when isServer === true, history is absent, or history.isServerHistory === true. Memory history th…
Out of Scope Changes check	✅ Passed	The changes stay within [#8479]. The server-history marker, router commit guard, focused tests, SSR documentation update, and release changeset all support the Node memory-history fix or preserve serv…

Full details: Docstring Coverage

Explanation

Docstring coverage is 0.00% which is insufficient. The required threshold is 80.00%. Docstring coverage is scoped to functions touched by this diff. Analyzed 1 functions across 4 files. (2 skipped: 2 unsupported.)

• Fix all pre-merge checks with AI

✨ Finishing Touches

🧪 Generate unit tests (beta)

• Create a new PR

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