fix(expo): Make publishableKey prop required and remove env var fallb… by chriscanin · Pull Request #7655 · clerk/javascript

chriscanin · 2026-01-22T22:10:22Z

Description

Make publishableKey a required prop since env vars in node_modules aren't inlined in production builds
Fixes issue reported by Kadi regarding TestFlight/Google Play crashes

https://linear.app/clerk/issue/MOBILE-393/remove-env-var-fallback-require-publishablekey-prop

Checklist

pnpm test runs as expected.
pnpm build runs as expected.
(If applicable) JSDoc comments have been added or updated for any package exports
(If applicable) Documentation has been updated

Type of change

Summary by CodeRabbit

Breaking Changes
- The publishableKey prop on ClerkProvider is now required (was optional).
- Environment variable fallbacks for the publishable key are removed — supply the key explicitly when configuring ClerkProvider.
- Migration: update app initialization to pass your publishable key directly into ClerkProvider.

_{✏️ Tip: You can customize this high-level summary in your review settings.}

…acks

changeset-bot · 2026-01-22T22:10:27Z

🦋 Changeset detected

Latest commit: 7cae015

The changes in this PR will be included in the next version bump.

This PR includes changesets to release 1 package

Name	Type
@clerk/expo	Major

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vercel · 2026-01-22T22:10:28Z

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Project	Deployment	Review	Updated (UTC)
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pkg-pr-new · 2026-01-22T22:13:43Z

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commit: 7cae015

…uire-publishablekey-prop

coderabbitai · 2026-01-22T22:15:40Z

📝 Walkthrough

Walkthrough

The PR makes publishableKey a required prop on ClerkProvider and removes runtime environment-variable fallbacks (EXPO_PUBLIC_CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY / CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY). Initialization now uses the explicit prop value; the singleton default publishable key was changed from environment-variable fallbacks to an empty string. A changeset documents this breaking change and provides migration guidance.

🚥 Pre-merge checks | ✅ 4 | ❌ 1

❌ Failed checks (1 warning)

Check name	Status	Explanation	Resolution
Docstring Coverage	⚠️ Warning	Docstring coverage is 0.00% which is insufficient. The required threshold is 80.00%.	Write docstrings for the functions missing them to satisfy the coverage threshold.

✅ Passed checks (4 passed)

Check name	Status	Explanation
Description Check	✅ Passed	Check skipped - CodeRabbit’s high-level summary is enabled.
Title check	✅ Passed	The title accurately summarizes the main change: making publishableKey required and removing environment variable fallbacks, which directly addresses the primary objective.
Linked Issues check	✅ Passed	The pull request fully implements the MOBILE-393 objective: publishableKey is now required in ClerkProviderProps, environment variable fallbacks are removed, and the fix addresses production build crashes.
Out of Scope Changes check	✅ Passed	All changes directly address MOBILE-393 requirements: ClerkProvider prop updates, environment variable fallback removal, and createClerkInstance default changes. No out-of-scope modifications detected.

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…oduction crashes

coderabbitai

Actionable comments posted: 0

Caution

Some comments are outside the diff and can’t be posted inline due to platform limitations.

⚠️ Outside diff range comments (1)

packages/expo/src/provider/singleton/createClerkInstance.ts (1)

30-40: Add regression tests for required publishableKey behavior.

This is a breaking change removing env fallbacks; please add/adjust tests to cover missing-key errors and instance reuse to prevent regressions before merge. As per coding guidelines, add tests for this change.

wobsoriano

Looking good! Let's provide a clear migration instruction

Co-authored-by: Robert Soriano <sorianorobertc@gmail.com>

…uire-publishablekey-prop

coderabbitai

Actionable comments posted: 1

🤖 Fix all issues with AI agents

In @.changeset/kadi-env-var-fix.md:
- Around line 11-16: Replace the unchecked non-null assertion on
process.env.EXPO_PUBLIC_CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY by validating it before use: read
process.env.EXPO_PUBLIC_CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY into publishableKey, check that
publishableKey is defined/non-empty and if not either throw a clear error (with
context) or provide a safe fallback, and only then pass publishableKey into
<ClerkProvider> so the app won't crash at runtime; locate the usage by the
publishableKey variable and the <ClerkProvider> component to apply the check.

coderabbitai · 2026-01-26T16:16:05Z

+```tsx
+const publishableKey = process.env.EXPO_PUBLIC_CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY!;
+
+<ClerkProvider publishableKey={publishableKey}>
+  {/* Your app */}
+</ClerkProvider>


⚠️ Potential issue | 🔴 Critical

Add validation to prevent undefined publishableKey.

The migration example uses the non-null assertion operator (!) without validation. If EXPO_PUBLIC_CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY is not set, the app will crash—exactly the issue this PR aims to prevent.

✅ Proposed fix with proper error handling

-const publishableKey = process.env.EXPO_PUBLIC_CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY!; +const publishableKey = process.env.EXPO_PUBLIC_CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY; + +if (!publishableKey) { + throw new Error('Missing Publishable Key. Please set EXPO_PUBLIC_CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY in your .env file.'); +} <ClerkProvider publishableKey={publishableKey}> {/* Your app */} </ClerkProvider>

🤖 Prompt for AI Agents

In @.changeset/kadi-env-var-fix.md around lines 11 - 16, Replace the unchecked non-null assertion on process.env.EXPO_PUBLIC_CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY by validating it before use: read process.env.EXPO_PUBLIC_CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY into publishableKey, check that publishableKey is defined/non-empty and if not either throw a clear error (with context) or provide a safe fallback, and only then pass publishableKey into <ClerkProvider> so the app won't crash at runtime; locate the usage by the publishableKey variable and the <ClerkProvider> component to apply the check.

wobsoriano · 2026-01-27T16:27:03Z

!allow-major

wobsoriano

Awesome, thank you for fixing this!

chriscanin · 2026-01-28T17:25:33Z

Hi @SarahSoutoul I realized this morning that we will need a docs update because of this change, as the docs currently show examples where the publishable key is not passed to the clerkprovider. That is now required.

Added a docs PR here:
clerk/clerk-docs#3008

fix(expo): Make publishableKey prop required and remove env var fallb…

bf55730

…acks

chriscanin requested review from mikepitre and wobsoriano January 22, 2026 22:10

github-actions Bot added expo core-3 labels Jan 22, 2026

Merge branch 'main' into chris/mobile-393-remove-env-var-fallback-req…

d2cd516

…uire-publishablekey-prop

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fix(expo): Require publishableKey prop in ClerkProvider to prevent pr…

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…oduction crashes

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wobsoriano reviewed Jan 23, 2026

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Comment thread .changeset/kadi-env-var-fix.md Outdated

wobsoriano requested changes Jan 23, 2026

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chriscanin and others added 2 commits January 26, 2026 08:11

Update .changeset/kadi-env-var-fix.md

4a993eb

Co-authored-by: Robert Soriano <sorianorobertc@gmail.com>

Merge branch 'main' into chris/mobile-393-remove-env-var-fallback-req…

7cae015

…uire-publishablekey-prop

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wobsoriano approved these changes Jan 27, 2026

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wobsoriano merged commit cc799e6 into main Jan 27, 2026
39 of 42 checks passed

wobsoriano deleted the chris/mobile-393-remove-env-var-fallback-require-publishablekey-prop branch January 27, 2026 16:28

chriscanin mentioned this pull request Jan 28, 2026

Add publishableKey validation to ClerkProvider examples in Expo docum… clerk/clerk-docs#3008

Merged

chriscanin self-assigned this Feb 4, 2026

jjcavallo5 mentioned this pull request Feb 20, 2026

Expo: Pass publishableKey Prop to Clerk Provider clerk/clerk-docs#3122

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chriscanin mentioned this pull request May 20, 2026

fix(expo): Fix expo-auth-session import leak and env var detection #8607

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