Rules - Type badge can be set to Allow or Block when there is no merchant restriction

[applause-bot]

If you haven’t already, check out our contributing guidelines for onboarding and email contributors@expensify.com to request to join our Slack channel!

---

Version Number: 9.4.17-2
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: #93185
Email or phone of affected tester (no customers): applausetester+ssndjois2jd1@applause.expensifail.com
Issue reported by: Applause Internal Team
Bug source: Exploratory - Significant User Experience Deterioration
Device used: Mac 26.5 / Chrome
App Component: Workspace Settings

Action Performed:

Precondition:

• Paste Onyx.merge('betas', ['rulesRevamp']); in console.
• Enable Expensify Card and Rules.
• Workspace has at least one Expensify card.

1. Go to staging.new.expensify.com
2. Go to workspace settings > Rules.
3. Go to Card restrictions.
4. Click Add rule > Restrict card spend.
5. Click Card > select any card > Save.
6. Click Max amount > enter amount > Save.
7. Click Save rule.
   → Type badge shows Allow.
8. Open the created rule.
9. Select Block > Save rule.
   → Type badge shows Block.
10. Open the created rule.
    → Restrict merchants shows Off when the badge is Block.

Expected Result:

In Step 7, Type badge should show Max badge when there is no merchant restriction in card spend.

Actual Result:

In Step 7, Type badge shows Allow badge when there is no merchant restriction in card spend.
In Step 8, Type badge is Block after setting merchant restriction to Block but it shows Off when the rule details page is opened again in Step 10.

Workaround:

Unknown

Platforms:

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

Screenshots/Videos

Bug7188838_1782227987561.32.mp4

View all open jobs on GitHub

Applause Internal Information
Exported by: Julia Ponikarchuk
Bug ID: 7188838

Issue Owner

Current Issue Owner: @situchan

[applause-bot]

While Applause doesn't embed attachments for this bug, here are the links for quick view:
https://platform.applause.com/services/links/v1/external/798f02f6c520ecbc33e6840647abbefcabfc5ae15f68cfc5a55d87fb4280aea4

[melvin-bot]

You have been assigned to this deploy blocker because you recently merged this PR: #93185

[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.

[MelvinBot]

Proposal

Posted by MelvinBot 🤖 (confidence: High — code-traced, frontend-only)

What is the root cause of that problem?

A spend rule's Allow/Block action is a single field that only has meaning when the rule actually restricts merchants/categories, but two different views interpret it inconsistently, and the action is persisted even when there is no merchant restriction.

There is no "Off" action value — CONST.SPEND_RULES.ACTION is only allow / block. "Off" is a UI-only state derived from the absence of merchants/categories.

Symptom 1 — badge shows "Allow" instead of "Max" (Step 7):
A max-amount-only rule is saved with action defaulted to allow (SpendRulesUtils.ts:116). The table type badge is derived directly from that action — useExpensifyCardRulesList.ts:71 sets isBlock = action === BLOCK, and PolicyRulesPageRevamp.tsx:169-170 sets actionLabel = isBlock ? 'Block' : 'Allow'. There is no branch for "no merchant restriction → show the actual constraint (Max)", so it falls through to "Allow". Note getSpendRuleSummaryParts already computes a neutral "Max" badge for the max-amount part — the table just isn't using it.

Symptom 2 — table shows "Block" but detail page reopens as "Off" (Steps 9-10):
Selecting "Block" without adding any merchant persists action: block with empty merchant filters. The table reads action → shows Block. But the detail page derives the toggle state from merchant presence only — SpendRulePageBase.tsx:91-94 sets isRestrictMerchantsOff = true because there are no merchant names — so reopening shows Off. The two views disagree because one trusts action and the other trusts merchant presence.

Evidence chain

• Action constant has no "Off": CONST/index.ts:4862-4865
• Save defaults null action to allow: SpendRulesUtils.ts:116
• Table badge derived from action only: useExpensifyCardRulesList.ts:71, PolicyRulesPageRevamp.tsx:169-170
• Table row only renders a binary error/success badge (CircleSlash/Checkmark) — no neutral state: WorkspaceSpendRulesTableRow.tsx:94-126
• Detail page "Off" derived from merchant presence: SpendRulePageBase.tsx:91-94; save keeps/clears merchants by toggle state: SpendRulePageBase.tsx:205-210
• "Max" badge already exists in summary parts: SpendRulesUtils.ts:292-298

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

Make the type badge merchant-restriction-aware and consistent with the detail page:

1. Table badge (primary fix): When a rule has no merchant/category restriction, do not label it Allow/Block. Instead show the badge that reflects the rule's actual primary constraint — i.e. the neutral "Max" badge that getSpendRuleSummaryParts already produces. Derive actionLabel/variant in useExpensifyCardRulesList.ts / PolicyRulesPageRevamp.tsx from the rule's primary summary part instead of from action alone.

2. Table row support for a neutral badge: WorkspaceSpendRulesTableRow.tsx currently renders only a binary error(Block)/success(Allow) badge. Add a third neutral state for "Max" (no error/success styling, neutral icon), driven by the summary-part variant.

3. Eliminate the data inconsistency: When the merchant-restriction toggle is "Off", don't persist a misleading action. In saveRule, when isRestrictMerchantsOff is true, also normalize restrictionAction back to the default so a re-opened rule's table badge and detail toggle agree. This fixes the "Block in table, Off in detail" mismatch in Steps 9-10.

What alternative solutions did you explore? (Optional)

Alternative explanation considered and ruled out: that getSpendRuleFormValuesFromCardRule mis-parses the stored AST. It parses correctly (restrictionAction = cardRule.action); the inconsistency is purely in how the table vs detail page decide what to display from the same stored data — confirming a display/model mismatch rather than a parse bug.

---

Next Steps for Contributor+ team:
To accept: @MelvinBot implement [this](https://github.com/Expensify/App/issues/94356) to create a draft PR.
To refine: @MelvinBot <your feedback>
To reject: Explain why you are rejecting Melvin's proposal.