Clerk auth re-enable instructions are confusing: `git revert b44a436` hits conflicts; need a current, step-by-step guide for restoring “Log in to chat”

[m4gent4m00n]

Hi maintainers,

I’m deploying AI Town (Convex + Vercel). On my deployed site the UI shows “Log in to chat” but there is no obvious place to log in, and I can’t interact via chat.

I found the README mention about re-enabling Clerk auth by reverting the commit that removed it (git revert b44a436), but in practice this is not straightforward and the README does not provide enough detail to complete the setup.

What I did

I tried to follow the revert approach exactly. Here is the terminal output:

ashbu@AsusTop:~/dev/ai-town$ git status
On branch maiMind
Your branch is up to date with 'origin/maiMind'.

nothing to commit, working tree clean
ashbu@AsusTop:~/dev/ai-town$ git revert b44a436
Auto-merging convex/world.ts
CONFLICT (content): Merge conflict in convex/world.ts
Auto-merging src/App.tsx
Auto-merging src/components/buttons/InteractButton.tsx
CONFLICT (content): Merge conflict in src/components/buttons/InteractButton.tsx
error: could not revert b44a436... remove clerk
hint: After resolving the conflicts, mark them with
hint: "git add/rm <pathspec>", then run
hint: "git revert --continue".
hint: You can instead skip this commit with "git revert --skip".
hint: To abort and get back to the state before "git revert",
hint: run "git revert --abort".
ashbu@AsusTop:~/dev/ai-town$

So even with a clean working tree, reverting the “remove clerk” commit does not apply cleanly on the current repo state. This makes the README guidance hard to follow for users who just want to enable chat login.

What is confusing / missing

1. The README suggests the revert, but does not explain:

• Which files and changes the revert is expected to restore (frontend sign-in UI, Convex auth config, etc.)
• How to resolve conflicts when the revert does not apply cleanly
• What other steps are required after the revert to make login actually work (Clerk app setup, keys, JWT settings, Convex env, Vercel env)

2. It is not clear how auth setup interacts with customization that most users do early on:

• If a user has already customized agent identities/plans and re-initialized the world, does enabling auth require any special steps or database reset?
• Does auth affect the player record creation or chat permissions in a way that changes how people should seed the world?

Request

Could you please add one of the following to the README (or docs):

Option A: A granular, conflict-safe “revert-based” guide

• Exact steps after git revert b44a436

• A short guide for resolving likely conflicts in the files above (what should be kept vs restored)

• Exact required environment variables and where to set them:

  • local .env.local
  • Convex env for dev and prod
  • Vercel env for preview and prod

• Exact Clerk dashboard steps:

  • create app and choose providers
  • what “JWT Template for Convex” means
  • what value(s) to copy (issuer URL, etc.)
  • what to set in Convex so tokens validate

Option B: A clean “current codebase” integration guide (no revert)
If the revert is expected to conflict on the current repo, a verified step-by-step guide for re-adding Clerk to the current codebase would be much easier for users.

Why this matters

Allowing the user to actually chat (as the “human in the town”) is a huge feature—it transforms AI Town from a toy into something that can act as a serious thinking tool / interactive simulation. Chat interaction is a major part of the promise of AI Town, and “Log in to chat” suggests it is available, but without a working documented login path it leaves a big core feature blocked.

Thanks

[ianmacartney]

Can you do `git show b44a436` to see what the intended changes are, then make those and submit the equivalent as a PR to an authed branch? Then we could change the instructions to `git cherry-pick <your-commit>` as the instructions. Thanks!

…

On Sat, Jan 3, 2026 at 7:56 AM m4gent4m00n ***@***.***> wrote: *m4gent4m00n* created an issue (a16z-infra/ai-town#289) <#289> Hi maintainers, I’m deploying AI Town (Convex + Vercel). On my deployed site the UI shows “Log in to chat” but there is no obvious place to log in, and I can’t interact via chat. I found the README mention about re-enabling Clerk auth by reverting the commit that removed it (git revert b44a436), but in practice this is not straightforward and the README does not provide enough detail to complete the setup. What I did I tried to follow the revert approach exactly. Here is the terminal output: ***@***.***:~/dev/ai-town$ git status On branch maiMind Your branch is up to date with 'origin/maiMind'. nothing to commit, working tree clean ***@***.***:~/dev/ai-town$ git revert b44a436 Auto-merging convex/world.ts CONFLICT (content): Merge conflict in convex/world.ts Auto-merging src/App.tsx Auto-merging src/components/buttons/InteractButton.tsx CONFLICT (content): Merge conflict in src/components/buttons/InteractButton.tsx error: could not revert b44a436... remove clerk hint: After resolving the conflicts, mark them with hint: "git add/rm <pathspec>", then run hint: "git revert --continue". hint: You can instead skip this commit with "git revert --skip". hint: To abort and get back to the state before "git revert", hint: run "git revert --abort". ***@***.***:~/dev/ai-town$ So even with a clean working tree, reverting the “remove clerk” commit does not apply cleanly on the current repo state. This makes the README guidance hard to follow for users who just want to enable chat login. What is confusing / missing 1. The README suggests the revert, but does not explain: - Which files and changes the revert is expected to restore (frontend sign-in UI, Convex auth config, etc.) - How to resolve conflicts when the revert does not apply cleanly - What other steps are required after the revert to make login actually work (Clerk app setup, keys, JWT settings, Convex env, Vercel env) 2. It is not clear how auth setup interacts with customization that most users do early on: - If a user has already customized agent identities/plans and re-initialized the world, does enabling auth require any special steps or database reset? - Does auth affect the player record creation or chat permissions in a way that changes how people should seed the world? Request Could you please add one of the following to the README (or docs): Option A: A granular, conflict-safe “revert-based” guide - Exact steps after git revert b44a436 - A short guide for resolving likely conflicts in the files above (what should be kept vs restored) - Exact required environment variables and where to set them: - local .env.local - Convex env for dev and prod - Vercel env for preview and prod - Exact Clerk dashboard steps: - create app and choose providers - what “JWT Template for Convex” means - what value(s) to copy (issuer URL, etc.) - what to set in Convex so tokens validate Option B: A clean “current codebase” integration guide (no revert) If the revert is expected to conflict on the current repo, a verified step-by-step guide for re-adding Clerk to the current codebase would be much easier for users. Why this matters Allowing the user to actually chat (as the “human in the town”) is a huge feature—it transforms AI Town from a toy into something that can act as a serious thinking tool / interactive simulation. Chat interaction is a major part of the promise of AI Town, and “Log in to chat” suggests it is available, but without a working documented login path it leaves a big core feature blocked. Thanks — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#289>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AACZQW5SNVU2SIQ4BLALRQL4E7RDNAVCNFSM6AAAAACQTC7CJ6VHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43ASLTON2WKOZTG43TQMJZGE4TGMI> . You are receiving this because you are subscribed to this thread.Message ID: ***@***.***>

[harshcoder7]

@ianmacartney Hi, I'd like to take this on. I'll look at the b44a436 diff, apply the changes cleanly to the current codebase, and submit a PR
with updated documentation. Will also include a step-by-step Clerk setup guide.

[harshcoder7]

@ianmacartney
" I've implemented a clean re-enablement of Clerk auth on a dedicated branch (no revert needed). Submitting a PR with the code changes + updated step-by-step setup docs."