Nope, you _do_ need an explicit null

Author: timdorr

docs/usage/nextjs.mdx

@@ -181,7 +181,7 @@ export default function StoreProvider({
   children: React.ReactNode
 }) {
   // highlight-start
-  const storeRef = useRef<AppStore>(null)
+  const storeRef = useRef<AppStore | null>(null)
   if (!storeRef.current) {
     // Create the store instance the first time this renders
     storeRef.current = makeStore()