[Due for payment 2025-12-26] [$250] LHN - Duplicate Self DM chat displayed in LHN after unreporting an expense

[mitarachim]

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Version Number: v9.2.48-1
Reproducible in staging?: Yes
Reproducible in production?: Yes
If this was caught during regression testing, add the test name, ID and link from BrowserStack: https://test-management.browserstack.com/projects/2219752/folder/13176730/test-cases/41237113
Email or phone of affected tester (no customers): htad26+gdfdd@gmail.com
Issue reported by: Applause Internal Team
Device used: iOS 26.1/iPhone 13
App Component: Left Hand Navigation (LHN)

Action Performed:

1. Log in to the app with a new account
2. During on boarding, choose any onboarding intent except track expense > Finsh the flow
3. Create a new workspace > Submit an expense to the workspace
4. Open the expense report > Remove from report
5. Observe LHN after the expense is moved to Self DM

Expected Result:

Self DM should be displayed only once in LHN

Actual Result:

Duplicate Self DM chats are displayed in the LHN.

Workaround:

Unknown

Platforms:

• Android: App
• Android: mWeb Chrome
• iOS: App
• iOS: mWeb Safari
• iOS: mWeb Chrome
• Windows: Chrome
• MacOS: Chrome / Safari
• MacOS: Desktop

Screenshots/Videos

Bug7000329_1762850610605.2025-11-11_11_21_39.mp4

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Upwork Automation - Do Not Edit

• Upwork Job URL: https://www.upwork.com/jobs/~021990518500162133460
• Upwork Job ID: 1990518500162133460
• Last Price Increase: 2025-11-17

Issue Owner

Current Issue Owner: @CortneyOfstad

[melvin-bot]

Triggered auto assignment to @CortneyOfstad (Bug), see https://stackoverflow.com/c/expensify/questions/14418 for more details. Please add this bug to a GH project, as outlined in the SO.

[dmkt9]

Proposal

Please re-state the problem that we are trying to solve in this issue.

Duplicate Self DM chats are displayed in the LHN.

What is the root cause of that problem?

1. A new optimistic selfDM chat is created if it doesn't already exist:
   

   App/src/libs/actions/Transaction.ts

   Lines 681 to 683 in c51a657

   	if (!existingSelfDMReportID && reportID === CONST.REPORT.UNREPORTED_REPORT_ID) {
   	const currentTime = DateUtils.getDBTime();
   	selfDMReport = buildOptimisticSelfDMReport(currentTime);

2. However, when CHANGE_TRANSACTIONS_REPORT succeeds, the server returns a selfDM chat with a new reportID, resulting in two selfDM chats.

What changes do you think we should make in order to solve the problem?

We should remove the optimistic selfDM chat regardless of whether CHANGE_TRANSACTIONS_REPORT succeeds or fails.

App/src/libs/actions/Transaction.ts

Lines 712 to 755 in c51a657

	// Add success data for self DM report
	successData.push(
	{
	onyxMethod: Onyx.METHOD.MERGE,
	key: `${ONYXKEYS.COLLECTION.REPORT}${selfDMReport.reportID}`,
	value: {
	pendingFields: {
	createChat: null,
	},
	},
	},
	{
	onyxMethod: Onyx.METHOD.MERGE,
	key: `${ONYXKEYS.COLLECTION.REPORT_METADATA}${selfDMReport.reportID}`,
	value: {isOptimisticReport: false},
	},
	{
	onyxMethod: Onyx.METHOD.MERGE,
	key: `${ONYXKEYS.COLLECTION.REPORT_ACTIONS}${selfDMReport.reportID}`,
	value: {
	[selfDMCreatedReportAction.reportActionID]: {
	pendingAction: null,
	},
	},
	},
	);
	// Add failure data for self DM report
	failureData.push(
	{
	onyxMethod: Onyx.METHOD.MERGE,
	key: `${ONYXKEYS.COLLECTION.REPORT}${selfDMReport.reportID}`,
	value: null,
	},
	{
	onyxMethod: Onyx.METHOD.MERGE,
	key: `${ONYXKEYS.COLLECTION.REPORT_METADATA}${selfDMReport.reportID}`,
	value: null,
	},
	{
	onyxMethod: Onyx.METHOD.MERGE,
	key: `${ONYXKEYS.COLLECTION.REPORT_ACTIONS}${selfDMReport.reportID}`,
	value: null,
	},
	);

finallyData.push(
    {
        onyxMethod: Onyx.METHOD.MERGE,
        key: `${ONYXKEYS.COLLECTION.REPORT}${selfDMReport.reportID}`,
        value: null,
    },
    {
        onyxMethod: Onyx.METHOD.MERGE,
        key: `${ONYXKEYS.COLLECTION.REPORT_METADATA}${selfDMReport.reportID}`,
        value: null,
    },
    {
        onyxMethod: Onyx.METHOD.MERGE,
        key: `${ONYXKEYS.COLLECTION.REPORT_ACTIONS}${selfDMReport.reportID}`,
        value: null,
    },
);

App/src/libs/actions/Transaction.ts

Line 1289 in c51a657

failureData,

        failureData,
+       finallyData,

What alternative solutions did you explore? (Optional)

N/A

[nkdengineer]

Proposal

Please re-state the problem that we are trying to solve in this issue.

Duplicate Self DM chats are displayed in the LHN.

What is the root cause of that problem?

A selfDM is created in optimistic data and then the backend returns another selfDM with the different reportID

App/src/libs/actions/Transaction.ts

Lines 681 to 683 in c51a657

	if (!existingSelfDMReportID && reportID === CONST.REPORT.UNREPORTED_REPORT_ID) {
	const currentTime = DateUtils.getDBTime();
	selfDMReport = buildOptimisticSelfDMReport(currentTime);

What changes do you think we should make in order to solve the problem?

Define a new parameter selfDMReportID and set it as the optimistic selfDM's reportID. Then the backend will use this to generate the selfDM report. With this we can ensure the optimistic selfDM and the report is created from the backend is the same.

We can also define selfDMCreatedReportActionID for the created action of the selfDM like we do when deleting the app report

App/src/libs/actions/Report.ts

Lines 5092 to 5096 in 48f5093

	const parameters: DeleteAppReportParams = {
	reportID,
	transactionIDToReportActionAndThreadData: JSON.stringify(transactionIDToReportActionAndThreadData),
	selfDMReportID: selfDMParameters.reportID,
	selfDMCreatedReportActionID: selfDMParameters.createdReportActionID,

selfDMReportID: report === CONST.REPORT.UNREPORTED_REPORT_ID && !existingSelfDMReportID ? selfDMReport?.reportID : undefined,

App/src/libs/actions/Transaction.ts

Line 1280 in c51a657

const parameters: ChangeTransactionsReportParams = {

What alternative solutions did you explore? (Optional)

Reminder: Please use plain English, be brief and avoid jargon. Feel free to use images, charts or pseudo-code if necessary. Do not post large multi-line diffs or write walls of text. Do not create PRs unless you have been hired for this job.

[melvin-bot]

@CortneyOfstad Whoops! This issue is 2 days overdue. Let's get this updated quick!

[CortneyOfstad]

Getting eyes!

[melvin-bot]

Job added to Upwork: https://www.upwork.com/jobs/~021990518500162133460