Fix: Surface specific payment error from backend instead of generic fallback by MelvinBot · Pull Request #85154 · Expensify/App

MelvinBot · 2026-03-13T00:56:37Z

Summary

When a payment fails (e.g., report exceeds the $20,000 reimbursement limit), the backend sends a specific, actionable error message via Onyx (e.g., "The reimbursement limit for a single report is $20,000.00. This report will need to be broken into smaller portions in order to be reimbursed."). However, the client-side failureData in getPayMoneyRequestParams() also sets a generic "Unexpected error. Please try again later." on the same reportAction.

After Onyx deep-merges both error entries, getLatestErrorMessageField() picks whichever has the latest timestamp key. Depending on client/server clock synchronization, the generic error may win over the specific backend error.

Fix: Give the client-side fallback error a fixed timestamp of 0, so backend errors (with real timestamps) always take precedence in getLatestErrorMessageField(). The fallback still displays for network failures when no backend error is available.

Fixed Issues

$ https://github.com/Expensify/Expensify/issues/610370
PROPOSAL:

Tests

Verify that no errors appear in the JS console
Verified the existing payMoneyRequest test in IOUTest.ts is compatible — it checks the error value (Object.values(errors).at(0)), not the key, so passing errorKey: 0 does not break it.
Scenario 1 (backend error): Backend returns specific error → errors object contains {0: 'generic', <timestamp>: 'specific'} → getLatestErrorMessageField() picks the real timestamp (larger key) → specific error shown.
Scenario 2 (network failure): No backend response → errors object contains only {0: 'generic'} → generic fallback shown as before.

Offline tests

QA Steps

Verify that no errors appear in the JS console

Find or create a report with total > $20,000
Attempt to pay/reimburse it via ACH
Verify the error message says "The reimbursement limit for a single report is $20,000.00..." instead of "Unexpected error. Please try again later."

PR Author Checklist

Screenshots/Videos

Android: Native

Android: mWeb Chrome

iOS: Native

iOS: mWeb Safari

MacOS: Chrome / Safari

Co-authored-by: Lydia Barclay

…allback When a payment fails (e.g., report exceeds $20,000 reimbursement limit), the backend sends a specific error message via Onyx. However, the client's failureData also sets a generic "Unexpected error. Please try again later." on the same reportAction. After Onyx deep-merges both errors, getLatestErrorMessageField() picks whichever has the latest timestamp key. By giving the client-side fallback error a timestamp of 0, backend errors (with real timestamps) always take precedence. The fallback still displays for network failures when no backend error is available. Fixed Issues: Expensify/Expensify#610370 Co-authored-by: Lydia Barclay <lydiabarclay@users.noreply.github.com>

MelvinBot · 2026-03-13T01:23:23Z

The failing check is unrelated to this PR.

Analysis: The test (job 8) failure is in tests/ui/SessionTest.tsx (Deep linking tests), which tests session/deep-link behavior. This PR only modifies src/libs/actions/IOU/index.ts (changing the error timestamp key for payment failure data) — completely unrelated to deep linking or session management.

Failure details:

should not remember the report path of the last deep link login after signing out and in again — Exceeded timeout of 120000 ms (flaky timeout)
should not reuse the last deep link and log in again when signing out — Can't access .root on unmounted test renderer (cascading failure from the timeout above)

Evidence: The only file changed in this PR is src/libs/actions/IOU/index.ts. The failing test file tests/ui/SessionTest.tsx is not related to IOU/payment logic.

Re-running the failed job now.

melvin-bot · 2026-03-16T18:07:30Z

@grgia Please copy/paste the Reviewer Checklist from here into a new comment on this PR and complete it. If you have the K2 extension, you can simply click: [this button]

deetergp · 2026-03-16T18:13:10Z

@MelvinBot can you pull main into this feature branch?

MelvinBot · 2026-03-16T18:14:45Z

I'd be happy to merge main into this branch, but I can only make changes when directed by the PR author, an assignee, or an existing co-author.

Currently:

Author: MelvinBot
Co-author: lydiabarclay
Assignees: none

To have me merge main, either lydiabarclay can reply with the request tagging me, or a PR assignee/author should add deetergp as an assignee and then retry.

codecov · 2026-03-16T18:55:55Z

Codecov Report

✅ Changes either increased or maintained existing code coverage, great job!

Files with missing lines	Coverage Δ
src/libs/actions/IOU/index.ts	`72.79% <ø> (ø)`
... and 19 files with indirect coverage changes

aimane-chnaif · 2026-03-16T20:55:06Z

Reviewer Checklist

I have verified the author checklist is complete (all boxes are checked off).
I verified the correct issue is linked in the ### Fixed Issues section above
I verified testing steps are clear and they cover the changes made in this PR
- I verified the steps for local testing are in the Tests section
- I verified the steps for Staging and/or Production testing are in the QA steps section
- I verified the steps cover any possible failure scenarios (i.e. verify an input displays the correct error message if the entered data is not correct)
- I turned off my network connection and tested it while offline to ensure it matches the expected behavior (i.e. verify the default avatar icon is displayed if app is offline)
I checked that screenshots or videos are included for tests on all platforms
I included screenshots or videos for tests on all platforms
I verified that the composer does not automatically focus or open the keyboard on mobile unless explicitly intended. This includes checking that returning the app from the background does not unexpectedly open the keyboard.
I verified tests pass on all platforms & I tested again on:
- Android: HybridApp
- Android: mWeb Chrome
- iOS: HybridApp
- iOS: mWeb Safari
- MacOS: Chrome / Safari
- MacOS: Desktop
If there are any errors in the console that are unrelated to this PR, I either fixed them (preferred) or linked to where I reported them in Slack
I verified there are no new alerts related to the canBeMissing param for useOnyx
I verified proper code patterns were followed (see Reviewing the code)
- I verified that any callback methods that were added or modified are named for what the method does and never what callback they handle (i.e. toggleReport and not onIconClick).
- I verified that comments were added to code that is not self explanatory
- I verified that any new or modified comments were clear, correct English, and explained "why" the code was doing something instead of only explaining "what" the code was doing.
- I verified any copy / text shown in the product is localized by adding it to src/languages/* files and using the translation method
- I verified all numbers, amounts, dates and phone numbers shown in the product are using the localization methods
- I verified any copy / text that was added to the app is grammatically correct in English. It adheres to proper capitalization guidelines (note: only the first word of header/labels should be capitalized), and is either coming verbatim from figma or has been approved by marketing (in order to get marketing approval, ask the Bug Zero team member to add the Waiting for copy label to the issue)
- I verified proper file naming conventions were followed for any new files or renamed files. All non-platform specific files are named after what they export and are not named "index.js". All platform-specific files are named for the platform the code supports as outlined in the README.
- I verified the JSDocs style guidelines (in STYLE.md) were followed
If a new code pattern is added I verified it was agreed to be used by multiple Expensify engineers
I verified that this PR follows the guidelines as stated in the Review Guidelines
I verified other components that can be impacted by these changes have been tested, and I retested again (i.e. if the PR modifies a shared library or component like Avatar, I verified the components using Avatar have been tested & I retested again)
I verified all code is DRY (the PR doesn't include any logic written more than once, with the exception of tests)
I verified any variables that can be defined as constants (ie. in CONST.ts or at the top of the file that uses the constant) are defined as such
If a new component is created I verified that:
- A similar component doesn't exist in the codebase
- All props are defined accurately and each prop has a /** comment above it */
- The file is named correctly
- The component has a clear name that is non-ambiguous and the purpose of the component can be inferred from the name alone
- The only data being stored in the state is data necessary for rendering and nothing else
- For Class Components, any internal methods passed to components event handlers are bound to this properly so there are no scoping issues (i.e. for onClick={this.submit} the method this.submit should be bound to this in the constructor)
- Any internal methods bound to this are necessary to be bound (i.e. avoid this.submit = this.submit.bind(this); if this.submit is never passed to a component event handler like onClick)
- All JSX used for rendering exists in the render method
- The component has the minimum amount of code necessary for its purpose, and it is broken down into smaller components in order to separate concerns and functions
If any new file was added I verified that:
- The file has a description of what it does and/or why is needed at the top of the file if the code is not self explanatory
If a new CSS style is added I verified that:
- A similar style doesn't already exist
- The style can't be created with an existing StyleUtils function (i.e. StyleUtils.getBackgroundAndBorderStyle(theme.componentBG)
If the PR modifies code that runs when editing or sending messages, I tested and verified there is no unexpected behavior for all supported markdown - URLs, single line code, code blocks, quotes, headings, bold, strikethrough, and italic.
If the PR modifies a generic component, I tested and verified that those changes do not break usages of that component in the rest of the App (i.e. if a shared library or component like Avatar is modified, I verified that Avatar is working as expected in all cases)
If the PR modifies a component related to any of the existing Storybook stories, I tested and verified all stories for that component are still working as expected.
If the PR modifies a component or page that can be accessed by a direct deeplink, I verified that the code functions as expected when the deeplink is used - from a logged in and logged out account.
If the PR modifies the UI (e.g. new buttons, new UI components, changing the padding/spacing/sizing, moving components, etc) or modifies the form input styles:
- I verified that all the inputs inside a form are aligned with each other.
- I added Design label and/or tagged @Expensify/design so the design team can review the changes.
If a new page is added, I verified it's using the ScrollView component to make it scrollable when more elements are added to the page.
For any bug fix or new feature in this PR, I verified that sufficient unit tests are included to prevent regressions in this flow.
If the main branch was merged into this PR after a review, I tested again and verified the outcome was still expected according to the Test steps.
I have checked off every checkbox in the PR reviewer checklist, including those that don't apply to this PR.

Screenshots/Videos

Android: HybridApp

Android: mWeb Chrome

iOS: HybridApp

iOS: mWeb Safari

MacOS: Chrome / Safari

aimane-chnaif · 2026-03-16T22:09:02Z

src/libs/actions/IOU/index.ts

            value: {
                [optimisticIOUReportAction.reportActionID]: {
-                    errors: getMicroSecondOnyxErrorWithTranslationKey('iou.error.other'),
+                    errors: getMicroSecondOnyxErrorWithTranslationKey('iou.error.other', 0),


@MelvinBot is this existing pattern in the app?

@aimane-chnaif what does this PR do? I don't see how this would dix that error

App/src/libs/ErrorUtils.ts

Lines 42 to 50 in c4db6c4

/**

* Creates an error object with a timestamp (in microseconds) as the key and the translated error message as the value.

* @param error - The translation key for the error message.

*/

function getMicroSecondOnyxErrorWithTranslationKey(error: TranslationPaths, errorKey?: number): Errors {

// eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-deprecated

return {[errorKey ?? DateUtils.getMicroseconds()]: translateLocal(error)};

}

If 0 is passed, 0 ?? DateUtils.getMicroseconds() = 0 so it's saved in Onyx like this:

errors: { 0: "Unexpected error. Please try again later." timestampe_BE: "backend error message" }

Before fix:

errors: { timestamp_FE: "Unexpected error. Please try again later." timestamp_BE: "backend error message" }

So as an edge of timestamp_FE > timestamp_BE (maybe local time is ahead of server time), app shows timestamp_FE value instead of timestamp_BE.

MelvinBot · 2026-03-16T22:12:16Z

The errorKey parameter on getMicroSecondOnyxErrorWithTranslationKey is an existing pattern — it was specifically designed for this purpose (src/libs/ErrorUtils.ts:47-50):

function getMicroSecondOnyxErrorWithTranslationKey(error: TranslationPaths, errorKey?: number): Errors {
    return {[errorKey ?? DateUtils.getMicroseconds()]: translateLocal(error)};
}

There are several existing callers that pass a custom errorKey:

src/libs/actions/IOU/index.ts:1741 — getReceiptError() passes a dynamic errorKey
src/libs/actions/IOU/index.ts:8697 and :8723 — deleteExpense() passes errorKey = DateUtils.getMicroseconds()
src/libs/actions/IOU/SendInvoice.ts:494 — passes a dynamic errorKey

However, passing hardcoded 0 specifically to force lowest-priority ordering is new in this PR. The mechanism it relies on is established — getLatestErrorMessageField (src/libs/ErrorUtils.ts:103) sorts error keys in descending numerical order and picks the highest:

const key = Object.keys(errors).sort().reverse().at(0) ?? '';

So a key of 0 will always lose to any real microsecond timestamp from the backend, which is the intended behavior here.

TL;DR: The errorKey parameter and the timestamp-based error precedence logic are established patterns. Using 0 as the key to create a "lowest priority" fallback is a new application of that pattern, but it works cleanly with the existing infrastructure.

MelvinBot · 2026-03-16T22:18:16Z

Code Review

Verdict: The change looks correct. The one-line fix is minimal, well-targeted, and works cleanly with the existing error infrastructure.

Why it works

The client-side fallback error now gets key "0", while backend errors use real microsecond timestamps (e.g., "1710500000000000"). Since getLatestErrorMessageField (ErrorUtils.ts:103) picks the lexicographically largest key via Object.keys(errors).sort().reverse().at(0), the backend error always wins. On pure network failure (no backend response), "0" is the only key, so the generic fallback still displays correctly.

Verified no edge cases

Error detection: isEmptyValueObject checks !== null && !== undefined, not truthiness — {0: 'message'} is correctly detected as non-empty
Error clearing: clearReportActionErrors uses Object.keys() which returns ['0'] — clearing works correctly
Existing pattern: getErrorsWithTranslationData at ErrorUtils.ts:175 already uses {'0': ...} as a key
Test compatibility: The payMoneyRequest test at IOUTest.ts:6986-6987 checks Object.values(errors).at(0), not keys — remains compatible

One observation (non-blocking)

Five other payment-related flows in the same file use getMicroSecondOnyxErrorWithTranslationKey('iou.error.other') without the 0 fix (around lines 10087, 10323, 10515, 10680, 10964 — approveMoneyRequest, reopenReport, retractReport, unapproveExpenseReport, submitReport). If those backends can also return specific error messages, they may have the same issue. Worth a follow-up ticket if applicable, but not a blocker for this PR since the linked issue is specifically about the payment/reimbursement flow.

chatgpt-codex-connector · 2026-03-16T22:21:22Z

Codex Review: Didn't find any major issues. Swish!

ℹ️ About Codex in GitHub

Codex has been enabled to automatically review pull requests in this repo. Reviews are triggered when you

Open a pull request for review
Mark a draft as ready
Comment "@codex review".

If Codex has suggestions, it will comment; otherwise it will react with 👍.

When you sign up for Codex through ChatGPT, Codex can also answer questions or update the PR, like "@codex address that feedback".

melvin-bot · 2026-03-16T22:32:20Z

🎯 @aimane-chnaif, thanks for reviewing and testing this PR! 🎉

An E/App issue has been created to issue payment here: #85480.

trjExpensify

Makes sense from a product perspective to be more descriptive on the error. 👍

deetergp · 2026-03-17T17:41:14Z

Friendly bump @grgia

deetergp · 2026-03-18T15:54:26Z

Reassigning since @grgia is OOO.

melvin-bot · 2026-03-18T15:55:22Z

@yuwenmemon Please copy/paste the Reviewer Checklist from here into a new comment on this PR and complete it. If you have the K2 extension, you can simply click: [this button]

deetergp · 2026-03-18T15:56:20Z

My mistake, I missed that Georgia commented, It'll have to wait till she's back.

trjExpensify · 2026-03-18T19:40:09Z

Georgia is out all week. Do we really need to wait when there's "comments" not "requested changes"? 🤔

deetergp · 2026-03-18T20:39:21Z

Georgia is out all week. Do we really need to wait when there's "comments" not "requested changes"? 🤔

TBH, I'm not really sure what to do here. Georgia did not request changes, but she didn't approve it either. So right now we have a MelvinBot coded PR, that I took over as an internal engineer, but changed nothing. We then had @aimane-chnaif test and review it, resulting in their approving it. Since I'll I did was pull main and do some testing of my own, I'm going to say my review and approval should push it over the "good enough" line and merge it. 😅

github-actions · 2026-03-18T20:40:31Z

🚧 @deetergp has triggered a test Expensify/App build. You can view the workflow run here.

github-actions · 2026-03-18T20:47:08Z

🧪🧪 Use the links below to test this adhoc build on Android, iOS, and Web. Happy testing! 🧪🧪
Built from App PR #85154.

Android 🤖	iOS 🍎
https://ad-hoc-expensify-cash.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/rock-artifacts/ad-hoc/rock-android-Adhoc-d1fc69a-7c10bda-a51c12ff697dd4f9752a99506f8c1931b9d3415d/index.html	https://ad-hoc-expensify-cash.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/rock-artifacts/ad-hoc/rock-ios-device-AdHoc-d1fc69a-7c10bda-02ea2e7aab87b147feff990ea5fa2eae72ba146d/index.html

Web 🕸️
https://85154.pr-testing.expensify.com

👀 View the workflow run that generated this build 👀

OSBotify · 2026-03-18T20:48:22Z

✋ This PR was not deployed to staging yet because QA is ongoing. It will be automatically deployed to staging after the next production release.

OSBotify · 2026-03-19T20:25:04Z

🚀 Deployed to staging by https://github.com/deetergp in version: 9.3.41-0 🚀

platform	result
🕸 web 🕸	success ✅
🤖 android 🤖	success ✅
🍎 iOS 🍎	success ✅

Bundle Size Analysis (Sentry):

Android
iOS

OSBotify · 2026-03-23T09:27:27Z

🚀 Deployed to production by https://github.com/cristipaval in version: 9.3.41-4 🚀

platform	result
🕸 web 🕸	success ✅
🤖 android 🤖	success ✅
🍎 iOS 🍎	success ✅

blimpich mentioned this pull request Mar 13, 2026

Expense-Unexpected error in 1:1 chat when using pay expense. #85159

Closed

7 tasks

MelvinBot marked this pull request as ready for review March 16, 2026 18:06

MelvinBot requested review from a team as code owners March 16, 2026 18:06

melvin-bot bot requested review from trjExpensify and removed request for a team March 16, 2026 18:06

MelvinBot requested a review from deetergp March 16, 2026 18:06

melvin-bot bot requested review from grgia and removed request for a team March 16, 2026 18:07

Merge branch 'main' into claude-surfacePaymentErrorFromBackend

f53d429

deetergp self-assigned this Mar 16, 2026

deetergp requested a review from aimane-chnaif March 16, 2026 20:54

aimane-chnaif reviewed Mar 16, 2026

View reviewed changes

aimane-chnaif approved these changes Mar 16, 2026

View reviewed changes

melvin-bot bot mentioned this pull request Mar 16, 2026

[Due for Payment 2026-03-26 or later] Payment issue for E/App PR#85154 #85480

Open

trjExpensify approved these changes Mar 17, 2026

View reviewed changes

deetergp removed the request for review from grgia March 18, 2026 15:54

deetergp requested a review from a team March 18, 2026 15:54

melvin-bot bot requested review from yuwenmemon and removed request for a team March 18, 2026 15:55

deetergp removed the request for review from yuwenmemon March 18, 2026 15:55

deetergp approved these changes Mar 18, 2026

View reviewed changes

deetergp merged commit d1fc69a into main Mar 18, 2026
45 of 50 checks passed

deetergp deleted the claude-surfacePaymentErrorFromBackend branch March 18, 2026 20:40

OSBotify mentioned this pull request Mar 19, 2026

Deploy Checklist: New Expensify 2026-03-19 #85862

Closed


	/**
	* Creates an error object with a timestamp (in microseconds) as the key and the translated error message as the value.
	* @param error - The translation key for the error message.
	*/
	function getMicroSecondOnyxErrorWithTranslationKey(error: TranslationPaths, errorKey?: number): Errors {
	// eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-deprecated
	return {[errorKey ?? DateUtils.getMicroseconds()]: translateLocal(error)};
	}

Conversation

MelvinBot commented Mar 13, 2026 • edited by deetergp Loading Uh oh! There was an error while loading. Please reload this page.

Uh oh!

Summary

Fixed Issues

Tests

Offline tests

QA Steps

PR Author Checklist

Screenshots/Videos

Uh oh!

MelvinBot commented Mar 13, 2026

Uh oh!

melvin-bot bot commented Mar 16, 2026

Uh oh!

deetergp commented Mar 16, 2026

Uh oh!

MelvinBot commented Mar 16, 2026

Uh oh!

codecov bot commented Mar 16, 2026 • edited by github-actions bot Loading Uh oh! There was an error while loading. Please reload this page.

Uh oh!

Codecov Report

Uh oh!

aimane-chnaif commented Mar 16, 2026 • edited Loading Uh oh! There was an error while loading. Please reload this page.

Uh oh!

Reviewer Checklist

Screenshots/Videos

Uh oh!

aimane-chnaif Mar 16, 2026

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

Uh oh!

grgia Mar 17, 2026

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

Uh oh!

aimane-chnaif Mar 17, 2026

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

Uh oh!

MelvinBot commented Mar 16, 2026

Uh oh!

MelvinBot commented Mar 16, 2026

Code Review

Why it works

Verified no edge cases

One observation (non-blocking)

Uh oh!

chatgpt-codex-connector bot commented Mar 16, 2026

Uh oh!

melvin-bot bot commented Mar 16, 2026

Uh oh!

trjExpensify left a comment

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

Uh oh!

deetergp commented Mar 17, 2026

Uh oh!

deetergp commented Mar 18, 2026

Uh oh!

melvin-bot bot commented Mar 18, 2026

Uh oh!

deetergp commented Mar 18, 2026

Uh oh!

trjExpensify commented Mar 18, 2026

Uh oh!

deetergp commented Mar 18, 2026

Uh oh!

Uh oh!

github-actions bot commented Mar 18, 2026

Uh oh!

github-actions bot commented Mar 18, 2026

Uh oh!

OSBotify commented Mar 18, 2026

Uh oh!

OSBotify commented Mar 19, 2026

Uh oh!

OSBotify commented Mar 23, 2026

Uh oh!

Reviewers

Assignees

Labels

Projects

Milestone

MelvinBot commented Mar 13, 2026 •

edited by deetergp

Loading

codecov bot commented Mar 16, 2026 •

edited by github-actions bot

Loading

aimane-chnaif commented Mar 16, 2026 •

edited

Loading