[Due for payment 2026-05-20] [Due for payment 2026-05-15] [Due for payment 2026-05-13] User stuck in Join a workspace loop

[mitarachim]

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Version Number: v9.3.67-1
Reproducible in staging?: Yes
Reproducible in production?: N/A - new feature, doesn't exist in prod
If this was caught during regression testing, add the test name, ID and link from BrowserStack: #87283
Email or phone of affected tester (no customers): N/A
Issue reported by: Applause Internal Team
Bug source: Pull Request QA execution
Device used: Windows 11, Chrome
App Component: Other

Action Performed:

Precondition:

• Navigate to https://temp-mail.io/ and select Change > Domain > ruutukf.com > Click random > Get it.
• The user has a non‑existing account with the @ruutukf.com domain.

1. Go to https://staging.new.expensify.com/Home
2. Sign up with a new account using the ruutukf.com domain.
3. Enter any name and click Continue.
4. Enter the MC sent to your Inbox.
5. Click Skip for now.
6. Click Get paid back by my employer > Join now

Expected Result:

After completing the Join a workspace flow, the user should be redirected to the workspace, and the flow should not repeat.

Actual Result:

After completing the Join a workspace flow, the user is trapped in a loop and repeatedly prompted to join a workspace again.

Workaround:

Unknown

Platforms:

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

Screenshots/Videos

Bug7145452_1778021150603.zJadVayswo.mp4

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Issue Owner

Current Issue Owner: @hungvu193

[melvin-bot]

You have been assigned to this deploy blocker because you recently merged this PR: #87283

[melvin-bot]

💬 A slack conversation has been started in #expensify-open-source

[github-actions]

👋 Friendly reminder that deploy blockers are time-sensitive ⏱ issues! Check out the open `StagingDeployCash` deploy checklist to see the list of PRs included in this release, then work quickly to do one of the following:

1. Identify the pull request that introduced this issue and revert it.
2. Find someone who can quickly fix the issue.
3. Fix the issue yourself.

[OSBotify]

Investigation Summary

Classification: Frontend bug
Causing PR: #87283 - "Create Submit workspace during onboarding and include in join-workspace flow" by @abzokhattab (High confidence)
Related Issues: N/A

Recommendation: REVERT

PR #87283 introduced the "join a workspace" loop for new users during onboarding. The PR is clearly identified as the bug source (cited directly in the issue), was merged to staging on 2026-05-05, and the issue is not reproducible in production — making a clean revert the appropriate action.

Assigned: @abzokhattab (PR author), @hungvu193 and @iwiznia (approving reviewers)
Labels: Removed DeployBlocker (backend deploy label) — this is a frontend bug requiring a fix in Expensify/App, not the backend. DeployBlockerCash retained.

Detailed Analysis

Evidence

• The issue body explicitly links to PR feat: Submit workspace creation + onboarding flow (Wave 2) #87283 under "Bug source: Pull Request QA execution".
• The melvin-bot comment confirms: "You have been assigned to this deploy blocker because you recently merged this PR: feat: Submit workspace creation + onboarding flow (Wave 2) #87283".
• PR feat: Submit workspace creation + onboarding flow (Wave 2) #87283 was merged on 2026-05-05 and is listed in the current StagingDeployCash checklist (entry Show a tab indicator when there are any unread messages #54 in chronological order), matching the staging-only reproduction (not in production).
• The bug is reported as a new feature ("doesn't exist in prod") — consistent with staging-only regression from this PR.

Verification

• The affected code path is the "Join a workspace" onboarding screen and the post-onboarding navigation for EMPLOYER-purpose users.
• PR feat: Submit workspace creation + onboarding flow (Wave 2) #87283 directly modifies src/pages/OnboardingWorkspaces/BaseOnboardingWorkspaces.tsx and src/libs/navigateAfterOnboarding.ts — the exact files governing the onboarding workspace join flow and post-join navigation.
• The PR also modifies src/libs/actions/Welcome/index.ts, src/hooks/useAutoCreateSubmitWorkspace.ts, and the OnboardingFlow — all central to the reported loop.

Root Cause

PR #87283 added a new SUBMIT_2026 beta-gated flow where users selecting "Get paid back by my employer" during onboarding are routed through a "join workspace" screen. The bug manifests as an infinite loop after the user clicks "Join Now": after completeOnboarding() is called and navigateToSubmitWorkspaceAfterOnboardingWithMicrotaskQueue fires, the OnboardingGuard appears to re-evaluate before hasCompletedGuidedSetupFlow is durably updated in Onyx, causing it to redirect the user back to the onboarding workspaces screen repeatedly. The PR's description even notes it was intended to "fix infinite onboarding loop for unvalidated private-domain users," but the fix is incomplete — the loop still occurs for non-validated public-domain users going through the "Join Now" path.