fix(expo): Make publishableKey prop required and remove env var fallb… #7655

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
- publishableKey prop on ClerkProvider is now required (previously optional).
- Environment variable fallbacks are no longer used — you must provide the publishableKey explicitly at configuration time.
- Migration: update app initialization to pass the publishableKey directly to ClerkProvider from your app configuration.

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

…acks

changeset-bot · 2026-01-22T22:10:27Z

🦋 Changeset detected

Latest commit: b23a007

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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Click here if you're a maintainer who wants to add another changeset to this PR

vercel · 2026-01-22T22:10:28Z

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Project	Deployment	Review	Updated (UTC)
clerk-js-sandbox	Ready	Preview, Comment	Jan 22, 2026 10:18pm

pkg-pr-new · 2026-01-22T22:13:43Z

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commit: b23a007

…uire-publishablekey-prop

coderabbitai · 2026-01-22T22:15:40Z

📝 Walkthrough

Walkthrough

This pull request makes the publishableKey prop required on ClerkProvider and removes runtime environment-variable fallbacks. The provider and related initialization no longer read EXPO_PUBLIC_CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY/CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY; instead the key must be passed explicitly. The default publishable key used during singleton initialization was changed from environment-variable fallbacks to an empty string. A changeset documents this breaking change and includes 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 clearly describes the main change: making publishableKey required and removing environment variable fallbacks, which aligns with the core modification across all three files.
Linked Issues check	✅ Passed	The pull request implementation fully addresses MOBILE-393 objectives by making publishableKey required in ClerkProviderProps and removing all environment variable fallbacks from both ClerkProvider and createClerkInstance.
Out of Scope Changes check	✅ Passed	All changes are directly related to the stated objective of making publishableKey required and removing environment variable fallbacks; no unrelated modifications are present.

_{✏️ Tip: You can configure your own custom pre-merge checks in the settings.}

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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 · 2026-01-23T20:23:38Z

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

+"@clerk/expo": major
+---
+
+fix(expo): Make publishableKey prop required and remove env var fallbacks


Suggested change

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

The `publishableKey` prop is now required in `ClerkProvider`. Previously, the prop was optional and would fall back to `EXPO_PUBLIC_CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY` or `CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY` environment variables.

Environment variables inside `node_modules` are not inlined during production builds in React Native/Expo, which could cause apps to crash in production when the publishable key is undefined.

You must now explicitly pass the `publishableKey` prop to `ClerkProvider`:

```tsx

const publishableKey = process.env.EXPO_PUBLIC_CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY!;

<ClerkProvider publishableKey={publishableKey}>

{/* Your app */}

</ClerkProvider>

wobsoriano

Looking good! Let's provide a clear migration instruction

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

vercel bot deployed to Preview January 22, 2026 22:14 View deployment

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

b23a007

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fix(expo): Make publishableKey prop required and remove env var fallb… #7655

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-fix(expo): Make publishableKey prop required and remove env var fallbacks
+The `publishableKey` prop is now required in `ClerkProvider`. Previously, the prop was optional and would fall back to `EXPO_PUBLIC_CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY` or `CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY` environment variables.
+Environment variables inside `node_modules` are not inlined during production builds in React Native/Expo, which could cause apps to crash in production when the publishable key is undefined.
+You must now explicitly pass the `publishableKey` prop to `ClerkProvider`:
+```tsx
+const publishableKey = process.env.EXPO_PUBLIC_CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY!;
+<ClerkProvider publishableKey={publishableKey}>
+  {/* Your app */}
+</ClerkProvider>

fix(expo): Make publishableKey prop required and remove env var fallb… #7655

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