TMDB Code Generation

Overview

This project uses automatic code generation for TMDB API integration with selective Zod schema generation for optimal performance.

Critical Rule

NEVER manually edit src/_generated/tmdb-server-functions.ts – it is auto-generated.

Always use pnpm codegen:tmdb to regenerate after making changes to endpoint configurations.

Architecture

Selective Zod Schema Generation

The project uses a selective approach to Zod schema generation:

• Performance optimization: 98.7% size reduction (from 16K lines to ~200 lines)
• On-demand schemas: Only generates Zod schemas for endpoints that need them
• AI tool compatibility: Schemas are generated for endpoints requiring OpenAI Structured Outputs validation

When Zod Schemas Are Generated

Zod schemas are only generated for endpoints marked with needsZodSchema: true in endpoints-config.js.

Why selective?

• Most endpoints only need TypeScript types
• Zod schemas are only required for AI tools using OpenAI Structured Outputs
• Dramatically improves developer experience (faster builds, smaller bundles, better IDE performance)

Configuration

Endpoint Configuration File

Location: tooling/tmdb-codegen/endpoints-config.js

export const endpoints = [
  {
    path: "/3/search/movie",
    functionName: "searchMovies",
    needsZodSchema: true, // ✅ Zod schema generated for AI tools
  },
  {
    path: "/3/movie/{movie_id}",
    functionName: "getMovieDetails",
    // ❌ No needsZodSchema flag = TypeScript types only
  },
];

Adding New Endpoints

1. Add endpoint configuration to endpoints-config.js
2. Set needsZodSchema: true only if needed for AI tools
3. Run pnpm codegen:tmdb to regenerate

{
  path: "/3/discover/tv",
  functionName: "discoverTvShows",
  needsZodSchema: false, // Only TS types needed
}

Code Generation Commands

# Full pipeline (TypeScript types + Zod schemas)
pnpm codegen

# Only regenerate TMDB server functions
pnpm codegen:tmdb

# Only regenerate Zod schemas (fast!)
pnpm codegen:zod

Generated Files

Auto-Generated (DO NOT EDIT)

• src/_generated/tmdb-server-functions.ts – Server functions with TypeScript types
• src/_generated/tmdb-zod-schemas.ts – Selective Zod schemas (only for endpoints with needsZodSchema: true)

These files are git-ignored and must be regenerated after cloning:

pnpm codegen:tmdb

How It Works

1. Custom Generator

Location: tooling/tmdb-codegen/generate-selective-zod.js

• Reads endpoints-config.js to find endpoints needing Zod schemas
• Generates hand-crafted Zod schemas (not auto-generated from TypeScript)
• Applies OpenAI compatibility fixes (.nullable().optional())
• Outputs minimal, optimized schemas

2. OpenAI Compatibility

Automatically applies fixes for OpenAI Structured Outputs:

// Generated schema with OpenAI compatibility
export const movieSchema = z.object({
  id: z.number(),
  title: z.string().nullable().optional(), // OpenAI-compatible
  overview: z.string().nullable().optional(),
});

Usage in Code

Importing Server Functions

import { searchMovies, getMovieDetails } from "@/utils/tmdb-server-functions";

// Use in server components
const movies = await searchMovies({ query: "Inception" });

Importing Zod Schemas (for AI tools)

import { movieSearchSchema } from "@/utils/tmdb-zod-schemas";

// Use with OpenAI Structured Outputs
const completion = await openai.chat.completions.create({
  model: "gpt-4",
  messages: [...],
  response_format: zodResponseFormat(movieSearchSchema, "movies"),
});

When to Regenerate

Regenerate TMDB code when:

1. Adding new endpoints – Add to endpoints-config.js, then run pnpm codegen:tmdb
2. Changing endpoint configuration – Modify endpoints-config.js, then regenerate
3. After cloning repository – Generated files are git-ignored
4. Updating TMDB API version – Update base URL, then regenerate

Best Practices

1. Never edit generated files – Always use pnpm codegen:tmdb
2. Minimal Zod schemas – Only set needsZodSchema: true when needed for AI tools
3. Check generation – Verify generated files after running codegen
4. Commit config changes – endpoints-config.js is version-controlled
5. Don’t commit generated files – They’re git-ignored for a reason

Performance Impact

Before Selective Generation

• 16,000+ lines of Zod schemas
• Slow builds and IDE performance
• Large bundle size

After Selective Generation

• ~200 lines of Zod schemas (98.7% reduction)
• Fast builds and responsive IDE
• Minimal bundle impact

Common Workflows

Add New TMDB Endpoint

# 1. Edit configuration
# Add to tooling/tmdb-codegen/endpoints-config.js

# 2. Regenerate
pnpm codegen:tmdb

# 3. Use in code
import { newFunction } from "@/utils/tmdb-server-functions";

Add Zod Schema to Existing Endpoint

# 1. Edit configuration
# Set needsZodSchema: true in endpoints-config.js

# 2. Regenerate Zod schemas only (fast!)
pnpm codegen:zod

# 3. Use schema
import { newSchema } from "@/utils/tmdb-zod-schemas";

Troubleshooting

Generated files missing after clone

pnpm codegen:tmdb

TypeScript errors in generated files

# Regenerate from scratch
rm -rf src/_generated
pnpm codegen:tmdb

Zod schema needed but not generated

Check endpoints-config.js – ensure needsZodSchema: true is set for that endpoint, then regenerate.