diff --git a/lib/templates/auth.plugin.js b/lib/templates/auth.plugin.js
index 3c73feff2..946ef3020 100644
--- a/lib/templates/auth.plugin.js
+++ b/lib/templates/auth.plugin.js
@@ -1,26 +1,12 @@
 import './auth.middleware'
 import authStore from './auth.store'
 
-export default async function (ctx, inject) {
-  const { store } = ctx
-
-  // Inject $ctx
-  inject('ctx', ctx)
-
+export default async function ({ store, req, res }, inject) {
   // Register auth store module
   store.registerModule('auth', authStore, {
     preserveState: !!store.state.auth,
   })
 
   // Fetch initial state
-  try {
-    await store.dispatch('auth/fetch')
-  } catch (e) {
-    // Not authorized
-    // Check axios module is correctly registered
-    if (!ctx.$axios) {
-      /* eslint-disable no-console */
-      console.error('[@nuxtjs/auth]', 'Please make sure @nuxtjs/axios is added after this module!')
-    }
-  }
+  await store.dispatch('auth/fetch', { req, res })
 }
diff --git a/lib/templates/auth.store.js b/lib/templates/auth.store.js
index a1e7d1941..f62937b12 100644
--- a/lib/templates/auth.store.js
+++ b/lib/templates/auth.store.js
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ export default {
       commit('SET_TOKEN', token)
 
       // Set Authorization token for all axios requests
-      this.$axios.setToken(token, '<%= options.token.type %>');
+      (this.$axios || this.app.$axios).setToken(token, '<%= options.token.type %>')
 
       <% if (options.token.localStorage) { %>
       // Update localStorage
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ export default {
           expires = date.setDate(date.getDate() - 1)
           params.expires = new Date(expires)
         }
-        this.$ctx.res.setHeader('Set-Cookie', Cookie.serialize('<%= options.token.cookieName %>', token, params))
+        this.$res.setHeader('Set-Cookie', Cookie.serialize('<%= options.token.cookieName %>', token, params))
       }
       <% } %>
     },
@@ -95,7 +95,7 @@ export default {
       <% if (options.token.cookie) { %>
       // Try to extract token from cookies
       if (!token) {
-        const cookieStr = process.browser ? document.cookie : this.$ctx.req.headers.cookie
+        const cookieStr = process.browser ? document.cookie : this.$req.headers.cookie
         const cookies = Cookie.parse(cookieStr || '') || {}
         token = cookies['<%= options.token.cookieName %>']
       }
@@ -115,7 +115,11 @@ export default {
 
     <% if (options.user.enabled) { %>
     // Fetch
-    async fetch ({ getters, state, commit, dispatch }, { endpoint = '<%= options.user.endpoint %>' } = {}) {
+    async fetch ({ getters, state, commit, dispatch }, { endpoint = '<%= options.user.endpoint %>', req, res } = {}) {
+      // Backward compability for nuxt RCs which this.app.$ctx.req is not available
+      this.$req = req
+      this.$res = res
+
       <% if (options.token.enabled) { %>
       // Fetch and update latest token
       dispatch('fetchToken')
@@ -128,7 +132,7 @@ export default {
 
       // Try to get user profile
       try {
-        const data = await this.$axios.$<%= options.user.method.toLowerCase() %>(endpoint)
+        const data = await (this.$axios || this.app.$axios).$<%= options.user.method.toLowerCase() %>(endpoint)
         commit('SET_USER', data<%= options.user.propertyName ? ('[\'' + options.user.propertyName + '\']') : '' %>)
       } catch (e) {
         console.error(e)
@@ -143,7 +147,7 @@ export default {
     // Login
     async login ({ dispatch }, { fields, endpoint = '<%= options.login.endpoint %>' } = {}) {
       // Send credentials to API
-      let data = await this.$axios.$post(endpoint, fields)
+      let data = await (this.$axios || this.app.$axios).$post(endpoint, fields)
 
       <% if (options.token.enabled) { %>
       dispatch('updateToken', data['<%= options.token.name %>'])
@@ -159,7 +163,7 @@ export default {
     async logout ({ dispatch, state }, { endpoint = '<%= options.logout.endpoint %>' } = {}) {
       // Server side logout
       try {
-        await this.$axios.$<%= options.logout.method.toLowerCase() %>(endpoint)
+        await (this.$axios || this.app.$axios).$<%= options.logout.method.toLowerCase() %>(endpoint)
       } catch (e) {
         // eslint-disable-next-line no-console
         console.error('Error while logging out', e)