# Add customer accounts

Add customer accounts without confusing project access with buyer identity.
A required Storefront token authorizes the project's Storefront surface.
A customer bearer token identifies the signed-in buyer.

## Before you begin

Use a server-side session boundary and a Storefront connection.
Configure the email workflow required for account activation and password recovery.
The [Next.js example](/guides/storefront/nextjs) integrates `@thor-commerce/better-auth-thor` in `src/lib/auth.ts` and account UI under `src/features/account`.
Use those files as an integration example, with your own session and deployment configuration.

## 1. Register and activate

[customerRegister](/api/storefront-graphql/mutations/customer-register) starts registration with the buyer's email.
Your configured email integration delivers the activation instructions.
[customerActivate](/api/storefront-graphql/mutations/customer-activate) uses the activation token and required account details.

Verify delivery and activation in a test account before presenting registration as complete.
Do not assume that accepting the registration mutation means an email provider has delivered a message.
Treat activation and password-reset tokens as secrets.

## 2. Sign in


Storefront API

```graphql
mutation SignIn($input: CustomerAccessTokenCreateInput!) {
  customerAccessTokenCreate(input: $input) {
    customerAccessToken { accessToken refreshToken expiresIn }
    errors { __typename ... on UserError { message } }
  }
}

```


Variables

```json
{
  "input": {
    "email": "buyer@example.com",
    "password": "<customer-password>"
  }
}

```


Check the payload before establishing a local session.
Store the tokens through your server-side session mechanism, and send the access token as a bearer token for authenticated requests.
Keep the project Storefront header as well when required.
Use [customer](/api/storefront-graphql/queries/customer) to retrieve the authenticated profile.

## 3. Refresh and sign out

Use [customerAccessTokenRefresh](/api/storefront-graphql/mutations/customer-access-token-refresh) and replace both stored tokens with the returned pair.
Coordinate concurrent refreshes for one session.
If refresh fails, clear the session and provide a sign-in path.
Never keep retrying an expired credential indefinitely.

On sign-out, clear customer-sensitive UI and cached account data.
Reconcile the current cart before continuing with an anonymous buyer.

## 4. Reconcile the cart after sign-in

Attach the authenticated customer through the supported cart workflow and refresh commercial data.
Customer-group prices can differ from anonymous prices.
The example storefront explicitly handles customer association and cart replication when repricing is needed; this is application behavior you should verify for your own flow.
Do not infer that a changed browser cookie has already repriced an existing cart.

## 5. Add recovery

Use [customerPasswordResetToken](/api/storefront-graphql/mutations/customer-password-reset-token), your email workflow, and [customerPasswordReset](/api/storefront-graphql/mutations/customer-password-reset).
Use neutral confirmation copy that does not disclose account existence.

Test activation, incorrect password, expired session, concurrent refresh, password recovery, sign-out, and group-sensitive prices.
Keep all account responses out of shared public caches.