On this page

Logout & reset

Last updated July 22, 2026

Call resetUser() only on real sign-out — never on anonymous page loads. Covers SPA guards and server-rendered logout handlers.

resetUser() clears the cached identity and generates a fresh anonymous $device_id on the next event. Use it only on real sign-out — when someone who was logged in is no longer the active user.

#When to call resetUser()

Call resetUser() only when all three are true:

Auth/session loading has finished (loading === false).
Your app has no signed-in user (user is null — they signed out or the session expired).
The SDK still holds the previous login: vt.getUserState() === 'identified'.

If (1)–(2) hold but (3) is false, the visitor was never logged in — do nothing.

#SPA pattern (client session hook)

// WRONG — wipes anonymous visitors on every reload
useEffect(() => {
  if (!user) window.vt?.resetUser()
}, [user])

// CORRECT — reset only after real sign-out
useEffect(() => {
  if (authLoading) return

  const vt = window.vt
  if (!vt) return

  if (user?.id) {
    vt.identify(user.id, { email: user.email, name: user.name })
  } else if (vt.getUserState() === 'identified') {
    vt.resetUser()
  }
}, [authLoading, user])

typescript

In an explicit logout button handler, you may call vt.resetUser() directly — the reactive guard above covers session expiry without a dedicated navigation.

#Server-rendered apps

When the layout reads the session on the server and passes currentUser to the client:

Identify after vt.init() from window.__currentUser or a server-passed prop on every page load.
Reset in the logout handler only — never in a reactive effect when user is null.

#Quick reference

How the app knows the user	Where to `identify()`	When to `resetUser()`
Server renders user on every HTML response	After `vt.init()` from server-passed user	Logout handler only
Client session hook (Clerk, Supabase, …)	`useEffect` after `loading === false`	`loading === false` and user is null and `getUserState() === 'identified'`
Login handler only (anti-pattern)	—	Never rely on this alone

Stack-specific examples: Identify users → Real-world examples.

#Next step

Verify events after wiring identify and logout.

On this page

Logout & reset

Last updated July 22, 2026

Call resetUser() only on real sign-out — never on anonymous page loads. Covers SPA guards and server-rendered logout handlers.

#When to call resetUser()

Call resetUser() only when all three are true:

Auth/session loading has finished (loading === false).
Your app has no signed-in user (user is null — they signed out or the session expired).
The SDK still holds the previous login: vt.getUserState() === 'identified'.

If (1)–(2) hold but (3) is false, the visitor was never logged in — do nothing.

#SPA pattern (client session hook)

// WRONG — wipes anonymous visitors on every reload
useEffect(() => {
  if (!user) window.vt?.resetUser()
}, [user])

// CORRECT — reset only after real sign-out
useEffect(() => {
  if (authLoading) return

  const vt = window.vt
  if (!vt) return

  if (user?.id) {
    vt.identify(user.id, { email: user.email, name: user.name })
  } else if (vt.getUserState() === 'identified') {
    vt.resetUser()
  }
}, [authLoading, user])

typescript

In an explicit logout button handler, you may call vt.resetUser() directly — the reactive guard above covers session expiry without a dedicated navigation.

#Server-rendered apps

When the layout reads the session on the server and passes currentUser to the client:

Identify after vt.init() from window.__currentUser or a server-passed prop on every page load.
Reset in the logout handler only — never in a reactive effect when user is null.

#Quick reference

How the app knows the user	Where to `identify()`	When to `resetUser()`
Server renders user on every HTML response	After `vt.init()` from server-passed user	Logout handler only
Client session hook (Clerk, Supabase, …)	`useEffect` after `loading === false`	`loading === false` and user is null and `getUserState() === 'identified'`
Login handler only (anti-pattern)	—	Never rely on this alone

Stack-specific examples: Identify users → Real-world examples.

#Next step

Verify events after wiring identify and logout.