Cloudflare Turnstile
Status: Production Ready ✅ Last Updated: 2026-01-21 Dependencies: None (optional: @marsidev/react-turnstile for React) Latest Versions: @marsidev/react-turnstile@1.4.1, turnstile-types@1.2.3
Recent Updates (2025):
December 2025: @marsidev/react-turnstile v1.4.1 fixes race condition in script loading August 2025: v1.3.0 adds rerenderOnCallbackChange prop for React closure issues March 2025: Upgraded Turnstile Analytics with TopN statistics (7 dimensions: hostnames, browsers, countries, user agents, ASNs, OS, source IPs), anomaly detection, enhanced bot behavior monitoring January 2025: Brief remoteip validation enforcement (resolved, but highlights importance of correct IP passing) 2025: WCAG 2.1 AA compliance, Free plan (20 widgets, 7-day analytics), Enterprise features (unlimited widgets, ephemeral IDs, any hostname support, 30-day analytics, offlabel branding) Quick Start (5 Minutes)
1. Create widget: https://dash.cloudflare.com/?to=/:account/turnstile
Copy sitekey (public) and secret key (private)
2. Add widget to frontend
3. Validate token server-side (Cloudflare Workers)
const formData = await request.formData() const token = formData.get('cf-turnstile-response')
const verifyFormData = new FormData() verifyFormData.append('secret', env.TURNSTILE_SECRET_KEY) verifyFormData.append('response', token) verifyFormData.append('remoteip', request.headers.get('CF-Connecting-IP')) // REQUIRED - see Critical Rules
const result = await fetch( 'https://challenges.cloudflare.com/turnstile/v0/siteverify', { method: 'POST', body: verifyFormData } )
const outcome = await result.json() if (!outcome.success) return new Response('Invalid', { status: 401 })
CRITICAL:
Token expires in 5 minutes, single-use only ALWAYS validate server-side (Siteverify API required) Never proxy/cache api.js (must load from Cloudflare CDN) Use different widgets for dev/staging/production Rendering Modes
Implicit (auto-render on page load):
Explicit (programmatic control for SPAs):
const widgetId = turnstile.render('#container', { sitekey: 'YOUR_SITE_KEY' }) turnstile.reset(widgetId) // Reset widget turnstile.getResponse(widgetId) // Get token
React (using @marsidev/react-turnstile):
import { Turnstile } from '@marsidev/react-turnstile'
Critical Rules Always Do
✅ Call Siteverify API - Server-side validation is mandatory ✅ Use HTTPS - Never validate over HTTP ✅ Protect secret keys - Never expose in frontend code ✅ Handle token expiration - Tokens expire after 5 minutes ✅ Implement error callbacks - Handle failures gracefully ✅ Use dummy keys for testing - Test sitekey: 1x00000000000000000000AA ✅ Set reasonable timeouts - Don't wait indefinitely for validation ✅ Validate action/hostname - Check additional fields when specified ✅ Rotate keys periodically - Use dashboard or API to rotate secrets ✅ Monitor analytics - Track solve rates and failures ✅ Always pass client IP to Siteverify - Use CF-Connecting-IP header (Workers) or X-Forwarded-For (Node.js). Cloudflare briefly enforced strict remoteip validation in Jan 2025, causing widespread failures for sites not passing correct IP
Never Do
❌ Skip server validation - Client-side only = security vulnerability ❌ Proxy api.js script - Must load from Cloudflare CDN ❌ Reuse tokens - Each token is single-use only ❌ Use GET requests - Siteverify only accepts POST ❌ Expose secret key - Keep secrets in backend environment only ❌ Trust client-side validation - Tokens can be forged ❌ Cache api.js - Future updates will break your integration ❌ Use production keys in tests - Use dummy keys instead ❌ Ignore error callbacks - Always handle failures
Known Issues Prevention
This skill prevents 15 documented issues:
Issue #1: Missing Server-Side Validation
Error: Zero token validation in Turnstile Analytics dashboard Source: https://developers.cloudflare.com/turnstile/get-started/ Why It Happens: Developers only implement client-side widget, skip Siteverify call Prevention: All templates include mandatory server-side validation with Siteverify API
Issue #2: Token Expiration (5 Minutes)
Error: success: false for valid tokens submitted after delay Source: https://developers.cloudflare.com/turnstile/get-started/server-side-validation Why It Happens: Tokens expire 300 seconds after generation Prevention: Templates document TTL and implement token refresh on expiration
Issue #3: Secret Key Exposed in Frontend
Error: Security bypass - attackers can validate their own tokens Source: https://developers.cloudflare.com/turnstile/get-started/server-side-validation Why It Happens: Secret key hardcoded in JavaScript or visible in source Prevention: All templates show backend-only validation with environment variables
Issue #4: GET Request to Siteverify
Error: API returns 405 Method Not Allowed Source: https://developers.cloudflare.com/turnstile/migration/recaptcha Why It Happens: reCAPTCHA supports GET, Turnstile requires POST Prevention: Templates use POST with FormData or JSON body
Issue #5: Content Security Policy Blocking
Error: Error 200500 - "Loading error: The iframe could not be loaded" Source: https://developers.cloudflare.com/turnstile/troubleshooting/client-side-errors/error-codes Why It Happens: CSP blocks challenges.cloudflare.com iframe Prevention: Skill includes CSP configuration reference and check-csp.sh script
Issue #6: Widget Crash (Error 300030)
Error: Generic client execution error for legitimate users Source: https://community.cloudflare.com/t/turnstile-is-frequently-generating-300x-errors/700903 Why It Happens: Unknown - appears to be Cloudflare-side issue (2025) Prevention: Templates implement error callbacks, retry logic, and fallback handling
Issue #7: Configuration Error (Error 600010)
Error: Widget fails with "configuration error" Source: https://community.cloudflare.com/t/repeated-cloudflare-turnstile-error-600010/644578 Why It Happens: Missing or deleted hostname in widget configuration Prevention: Templates document hostname allowlist requirement and verification steps
Issue #8: Safari 18 / macOS 15 "Hide IP" Issue
Error: Error 300010 when Safari's "Hide IP address" is enabled Source: https://community.cloudflare.com/t/turnstile-is-frequently-generating-300x-errors/700903 Why It Happens: Privacy settings interfere with challenge signals Prevention: Error handling reference documents Safari workaround (disable Hide IP)
Issue #9: Brave Browser Confetti Animation Failure
Error: Verification fails during success animation Source: https://github.com/brave/brave-browser/issues/45608 (April 2025) Why It Happens: Brave shields block animation scripts Prevention: Templates handle success before animation completes
Issue #10: Next.js + Jest Incompatibility
Error: @marsidev/react-turnstile breaks Jest tests Source: https://github.com/marsidev/react-turnstile/issues/112 (Oct 2025) Why It Happens: Module resolution issues with Jest Prevention: Testing guide includes Jest mocking patterns and dummy sitekey usage
Issue #11: localhost Not in Allowlist
Error: Error 110200 - "Unknown domain: Domain not allowed" Source: https://developers.cloudflare.com/turnstile/troubleshooting/client-side-errors/error-codes Why It Happens: Production widget used in development without localhost in allowlist Prevention: Templates use dummy test keys for dev, document localhost allowlist requirement
Issue #12: Token Reuse Attempt
Error: success: false with "token already spent" error Source: https://developers.cloudflare.com/turnstile/troubleshooting/testing Why It Happens: Each token can only be validated once. Turnstile tokens are single-use - after validation (success OR failure), the token is consumed and cannot be revalidated. Developers must explicitly call turnstile.reset() to generate a new token for subsequent submissions. Prevention: Templates document single-use constraint and token refresh patterns
// CRITICAL: Reset widget after validation to get new token const turnstileRef = useRef(null)
async function handleSubmit(e) { e.preventDefault() const token = formData.get('cf-turnstile-response')
const result = await fetch('/api/submit', { method: 'POST', body: JSON.stringify({ token }) })
// Reset widget regardless of success/failure // Token is consumed either way if (turnstileRef.current) { turnstile.reset(turnstileRef.current) } }
Issue #13: Error 106010 - Chrome/Edge First-Load Failure
Error: 106010 - "Generic parameter error" on first widget load in Chrome/Edge browsers Source: Cloudflare Error Codes, Community Report Why It Happens: Unknown browser-specific issue affecting Chrome and Edge on first page load. Console shows 400 error to https://challenges.cloudflare.com/cdn-cgi/challenge-platform. Firefox is not affected. Subsequent page reloads work correctly. Prevention: Implement error callback with auto-retry logic
turnstile.render('#container', { sitekey: SITE_KEY, retry: 'auto', 'retry-interval': 8000, 'error-callback': (errorCode) => { if (errorCode === '106010') { console.warn('Chrome/Edge first-load issue (106010), auto-retrying...') // Auto-retry will handle it } } })
Workaround: Widget works correctly after page reload. Auto-retry setting resolves in most cases. Test in Incognito mode to rule out browser extensions. Review CSP rules to ensure Cloudflare Turnstile endpoints are allowed.
Issue #14: Multiple Widgets Visual Status Stuck (Community-sourced)
Error: Widget displays "Pending..." status even after successful token generation Source: GitHub Issue #119 Why It Happens: CSS repaint issue when rendering multiple
Note: This is a visual-only issue, not a validation failure. The token is correctly generated and functional.
Issue #15: Jest Compatibility with @marsidev/react-turnstile (Updated Dec 2025)
Error: Jest encountered an unexpected token when importing @marsidev/react-turnstile Source: GitHub Issue #114, GitHub Issue #112 Why It Happens: ESM module resolution issues with Jest 30.2.0 (latest as of Dec 2025). Issue #112 closed as "not planned" by maintainer. Jest users are stuck; Vitest migration works. Prevention: Mock the Turnstile component in Jest setup OR migrate to Vitest
// Option 1: Jest mocking (jest.setup.ts) jest.mock('@marsidev/react-turnstile', () => ({ Turnstile: () =>
, }))// Option 2: transformIgnorePatterns in jest.config.js module.exports = { transformIgnorePatterns: [ 'node_modules/(?!(@marsidev/react-turnstile)/)' ] }
// Option 3 (Recommended): Migrate to Vitest // Vitest handles ESM modules correctly without mocking
Status: Maintainer closed issue as "not planned". Recommend migrating to Vitest for new projects.
Configuration
wrangler.jsonc:
{ "vars": { "TURNSTILE_SITE_KEY": "1x00000000000000000000AA" }, "secrets": ["TURNSTILE_SECRET_KEY"] // Run: wrangler secret put TURNSTILE_SECRET_KEY }
Required CSP:
Common Patterns Pattern 1: Hono + Cloudflare Workers import { Hono } from 'hono'
type Bindings = { TURNSTILE_SECRET_KEY: string TURNSTILE_SITE_KEY: string }
const app = new Hono<{ Bindings: Bindings }>()
app.post('/api/login', async (c) => { const body = await c.req.formData() const token = body.get('cf-turnstile-response')
if (!token) { return c.text('Missing Turnstile token', 400) }
// Validate token const verifyFormData = new FormData() verifyFormData.append('secret', c.env.TURNSTILE_SECRET_KEY) verifyFormData.append('response', token.toString()) verifyFormData.append('remoteip', c.req.header('CF-Connecting-IP') || '') // CRITICAL - always pass client IP
const verifyResult = await fetch( 'https://challenges.cloudflare.com/turnstile/v0/siteverify', { method: 'POST', body: verifyFormData, } )
const outcome = await verifyResult.json<{ success: boolean }>()
if (!outcome.success) { return c.text('Invalid Turnstile token', 401) }
// Process login return c.json({ message: 'Login successful' }) })
export default app
When to use: API routes in Cloudflare Workers with Hono framework
Pattern 2: React + Next.js App Router 'use client'
import { Turnstile } from '@marsidev/react-turnstile' import { useState } from 'react'
export function ContactForm() {
const [token, setToken] = useState
async function handleSubmit(e: React.FormEvent
if (!token) {
setError('Please complete the challenge')
return
}
const formData = new FormData(e.currentTarget)
formData.append('cf-turnstile-response', token)
const response = await fetch('/api/contact', {
method: 'POST',
body: formData,
})
if (!response.ok) {
setError('Submission failed')
return
}
// Success
}
return (