Update an error summary area via turbo_stream.update

For forms with multiple fields, I like an error summary at the top. With Turbo Streams, you can update just the summary target when validation fails. This is helpful when the form is long and the user might not see inline errors immediately. The serve

ActionCable channel that streams Turbo updates safely

Even with model broadcasts, it’s useful to know how streams map to ActionCable channels. Turbo::StreamsChannel is essentially a channel that streams from a signed stream name. When I need custom behavior, I still follow the same scoping rules: identif

Broadcast job progress updates to a Turbo Frame

Long-running jobs are where Hotwire can feel magical: start an export, then watch progress update live. I give each job a “progress” model, render it in a turbo_frame_tag, and broadcast replacements as the job advances. The job updates percent and sta

Turbo Streams fallback to HTML for older clients

Even in a Hotwire-first app, I keep HTML fallbacks because it makes features robust and keeps endpoints usable for bots and scripts. In controllers, I almost always include format.html alongside format.turbo_stream. For example, on create I return tur

Disable Turbo Drive on external links

Turbo Drive is great for internal navigation, but I disable it for external links or pages that should do a full reload (third-party auth, docs). data-turbo='false' is the simplest switch: it tells Turbo not to intercept the click, so the browser hand

Handle 401 responses in Turbo by forcing a full redirect

When a session expires, Turbo can end up swapping a login page into a frame, which is confusing. A practical fix is to detect 401 responses on the client and trigger a full-page visit (Turbo.visit) to the login URL. This keeps the app consistent and a

Attach custom headers to Turbo fetch requests (stimulus-free)

Sometimes you need to attach a header to every Turbo request (like a feature-flag variant, or a client version). Turbo emits turbo:before-fetch-request, which lets you mutate the outgoing request before it is sent. I keep the handler tiny and global (

Customize Turbo progress bar styling with Tailwind/CSS

Turbo includes a progress bar at the top of the page, and it’s a surprisingly visible part of perceived quality. I like to set the color and height to match the app’s brand. This is pure CSS: target .turbo-progress-bar. You can also make it slightly t

Keep navbar state across Turbo navigations with data-turbo-permanent

Some UI elements should survive navigation: a music player, a search input, or a navbar with an open dropdown. Turbo’s data-turbo-permanent lets you mark a DOM node that shouldn’t be replaced during visits. I use it carefully—permanent nodes can keep

Toast notifications delivered with Turbo Streams

Toasts are a great fit for Turbo Streams because they’re ephemeral UI that doesn’t need a dedicated page. I keep a #toasts container in the layout and turbo_stream.append a toast partial on success events. The toast itself is just HTML with a Stimulus

Custom turbo_stream action tag: highlight an updated element

Turbo gives you a handful of built-in stream actions (append, replace, remove), but sometimes you want behavior like “replace then highlight”. You can implement this as a custom action: send a turbo-stream with action='highlight' and include a templat

Speed up perceived performance with Turbo preload links

Turbo can preload pages on hover (or on touchstart) which makes navigation feel instantaneous. I use data-turbo-preload on links that are likely to be clicked (like list item titles). The server still controls caching and ETags, so it remains safe and