[Due for payment 2025-12-26] [$250] The 'navigation' object hasn't been initialized yet" console error

@QichenZhu

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Version Number: 9.2.67-4
Reproducible in staging?: Y
Reproducible in production?: Y
If this was caught during regression testing, add the test name, ID and link from TestRail:
Email or phone of affected tester (no customers):
Logs: https://stackoverflow.com/c/expensify/questions/4856
Expensify/Expensify Issue URL:
Issue reported by: @QichenZhu
Slack conversation (hyperlinked to channel name): #Expensify Bugs

Action Performed:

Navigate to https://staging.new.expensify.com/
Login with valid credentials and observe console log

Expected Result:

No error in console during signin

Actual Result:

The 'navigation' object hasn't been initialized yet" console error displayed

Workaround:

Unknown

Platforms:

Select the officially supported platforms where the issue was reproduced:

Platforms Tested:

On which of our officially supported platforms was this issue tested:

Screenshots/Videos

Add any screenshot/video evidence

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thelullabyy | Contributor | 109826079

Issue Owner

Current Issue Owner: @dylanexpensify

@dylanexpensify

Triggered auto assignment to @dylanexpensify (Bug), see https://stackoverflow.com/c/expensify/questions/14418 for more details. Please add this bug to a GH project, as outlined in the SO.

Proposal

Please re-state the problem that we are trying to solve in this issue.

The 'navigation' object hasn't been initialized yet" console error displayed

What is the root cause of that problem?

We don't check if navigationRef is ready or not before calling it

App/src/components/WideRHPContextProvider/getVisibleRHPRouteKeys.ts

Line 10 in 98233f1

function getVisibleWideRHPKeys(allWideRHPKeys: string[]) {

So it throws err when trying to access

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

We should safe handling when navigation is not yet initialized first here

    if (!navigationRef.isReady()) {
        return [];
    }

Could do similar these places (and other places use navigation) as well

App/src/libs/Navigation/helpers/isRoutePreloaded.ts

Line 5 in fa5e06d

    
           export default function isRoutePreloaded(routeName: keyof AuthScreensParamList) {

App/src/libs/Navigation/Navigation.ts

Line 125 in 98233f1

function getActiveRoute(): string {

What alternative solutions did you explore? (Optional)

Reminder: Please use plain English, be brief and avoid jargon. Feel free to use images, charts or pseudo-code if necessary. Do not post large multi-line diffs or write walls of text. Do not create PRs unless you have been hired for this job.

Proposal

Please re-state the problem that we are trying to solve in this issue.

During sign-in, a console error appears: "The 'navigation' object hasn't been initialized yet". This error occurs when navigation functions try to access the navigation state before the NavigationContainer is ready.

What is the root cause of that problem?

Several Navigation functions in App/src/libs/Navigation/Navigation.ts access navigation state without checking if navigation is ready first. These functions call navigationRef.getState() or navigationRef.getRootState() during sign-in before the NavigationContainer has finished initializing.

The affected functions are:

getTopmostReportId - calls navigationRef.getState() without checking readiness
getTopmostReportActionId - calls navigationRef.getState() without checking readiness
getActiveRoute - calls navigationRef.getRootState() without checking readiness
getReportRouteByID - calls navigationRef.getRootState() without checking readiness
isOnboardingFlow - calls navigationRef.getRootState() without checking readiness
isValidateLoginFlow - calls navigationRef.getRootState() without checking readiness
resetToHome - calls navigationRef.getRootState() without checking readiness
getVisibleWideRHPKeys in App/src/components/WideRHPContextProvider/getVisibleRHPRouteKeys.ts - calls navigationRef.getRootState() without checking readiness

When these functions are called during the sign-in process or during component initialization (which happens early in the app lifecycle), the navigation ref may not be ready yet, causing React Navigation to throw the error.

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

Add navigation readiness checks to all affected functions in App/src/libs/Navigation/Navigation.ts:

1. getTopmostReportId and getTopmostReportActionId:

// Before:
const getTopmostReportId = (state = navigationRef.getState()) => getTopmostReportParams(state)?.reportID;
const getTopmostReportActionId = (state = navigationRef.getState()) => getTopmostReportParams(state)?.reportActionID;

// After:
const getTopmostReportId = (state = navigationRef.isReady() ? navigationRef.getState() : undefined) => getTopmostReportParams(state)?.reportID;
const getTopmostReportActionId = (state = navigationRef.isReady() ? navigationRef.getState() : undefined) => getTopmostReportParams(state)?.reportActionID;

2. getActiveRoute:

// Before:
function getActiveRoute(): string {
    const currentRoute = navigationRef.current && navigationRef.current.getCurrentRoute();
    if (!currentRoute?.name) {
        return '';
    }
    const routeFromState = getPathFromState(navigationRef.getRootState(), linkingConfig.config);
    if (routeFromState) {
        return routeFromState;
    }
    return '';
}

// After:
function getActiveRoute(): string {
    // Safe handling when navigation is not yet initialized
    if (!navigationRef.isReady()) {
        return '';
    }
    const currentRoute = navigationRef.current && navigationRef.current.getCurrentRoute();
    if (!currentRoute?.name) {
        return '';
    }
    const routeFromState = getPathFromState(navigationRef.getRootState(), linkingConfig.config);
    if (routeFromState) {
        return routeFromState;
    }
    return '';
}

3. getReportRouteByID:

// Before:
function getReportRouteByID(reportID?: string, routes: NavigationRoute[] = navigationRef.getRootState().routes): NavigationRoute | null {
    if (!reportID || !routes?.length) {
        return null;
    }
    // ... rest of function
}

// After:
function getReportRouteByID(reportID?: string, routes?: NavigationRoute[]): NavigationRoute | null {
    // Safe handling when navigation is not yet initialized
    if (!navigationRef.isReady()) {
        return null;
    }
    const routesToSearch = routes ?? navigationRef.getRootState().routes;
    if (!reportID || !routesToSearch?.length) {
        return null;
    }
    // ... rest of function
}

4. isOnboardingFlow:

// Before:
function isOnboardingFlow() {
    const state = navigationRef.getRootState();
    const currentFocusedRoute = findFocusedRoute(state);
    return isOnboardingFlowName(currentFocusedRoute?.name);
}

// After:
function isOnboardingFlow() {
    // Safe handling when navigation is not yet initialized
    if (!navigationRef.isReady()) {
        return false;
    }
    const state = navigationRef.getRootState();
    const currentFocusedRoute = findFocusedRoute(state);
    return isOnboardingFlowName(currentFocusedRoute?.name);
}

5. isValidateLoginFlow:

// Before:
function isValidateLoginFlow() {
    const state = navigationRef.getRootState();
    const currentFocusedRoute = findFocusedRoute(state);
    return currentFocusedRoute?.name === SCREENS.VALIDATE_LOGIN;
}

// After:
function isValidateLoginFlow() {
    // Safe handling when navigation is not yet initialized
    if (!navigationRef.isReady()) {
        return false;
    }
    const state = navigationRef.getRootState();
    const currentFocusedRoute = findFocusedRoute(state);
    return currentFocusedRoute?.name === SCREENS.VALIDATE_LOGIN;
}

6. resetToHome:

// Before:
function resetToHome() {
    const isNarrowLayout = getIsNarrowLayout();
    const rootState = navigationRef.getRootState();
    // ... rest of function
}

// After:
function resetToHome() {
    // Safe handling when navigation is not yet initialized
    if (!navigationRef.isReady()) {
        return;
    }
    const isNarrowLayout = getIsNarrowLayout();
    const rootState = navigationRef.getRootState();
    // ... rest of function
}

7. getVisibleWideRHPKeys:

// Before:
function getVisibleWideRHPKeys(allWideRHPKeys: string[]) {
    const rootState = navigationRef.getRootState();
    if (!rootState) {
        return [];
    }
    // ... rest of function
}

// After:
function getVisibleWideRHPKeys(allWideRHPKeys: string[]) {
    // Safe handling when navigation is not yet initialized
    if (!navigationRef.isReady()) {
        return [];
    }
    const rootState = navigationRef.getRootState();
    if (!rootState) {
        return [];
    }
    // ... rest of function
}

This pattern already exists in the codebase - getReportRHPActiveRoute function demonstrates the correct approach with a readiness check and safe return value.

What alternative solutions did you explore? (Optional)

None

Demo

This error is no longer visible.

Proposal

Please re-state the problem that we are trying to solve in this issue.

There's a console error "Navigation object hasn't been initialized yet"

What is the root cause of that problem?

The console error comes from React Navigation, when we call navigationRef.getRootState() before React Navigation has mounted here

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

We need to add a check navigationRef.isReady() before Navigating

function getVisibleWideRHPKeys(allWideRHPKeys: string[]) {
    if (!navigationRef.isReady()) {
        return [];
    }
    const rootState = navigationRef.getRootState();

    if (!rootState) {
        return [];
    }

What alternative solutions did you explore? (Optional)

Or we can replace the direct call with a safe check so the function returns early when Navigation is not ready

// before
const rootState = navigationRef.getRootState();

// after
const rootState = navigationRef.current?.getRootState?.();
if (!rootState) {
  return [];
}

Reminder: Please use plain English, be brief and avoid jargon. Feel free to use images, charts or pseudo-code if necessary. Do not post large multi-line diffs or write walls of text. Do not create PRs unless you have been hired for this job.

Job added to Upwork: https://www.upwork.com/jobs/~021997004322612288913

@hungvu193

Triggered auto assignment to Contributor-plus team member for initial proposal review - @hungvu193 (External)

@hungvu193

The solution for this issue has been 🚀 deployed to production 🚀 in version 9.2.84-8 and is now subject to a 7-day regression period 📆. Here is the list of pull requests that resolve this issue:

The 'navigation' object hasn't been initialized yet" console error #77792

If no regressions arise, payment will be issued on 2025-12-26. 🎊

For reference, here are some details about the assignees on this issue:

@hungvu193 requires payment through NewDot Manual Requests
@thelullabyy requires payment automatic offer (Contributor)

@hungvu193

@hungvu193 @dylanexpensify The PR fixing this issue has been merged! The following checklist (instructions) will need to be completed before the issue can be closed. Please copy/paste the BugZero Checklist from here into a new comment on this GH and complete it. If you have the K2 extension, you can simply click: [this button]

Issue not reproducible during KI retests. (First week)

BugZero Checklist:

[Contributor] The offending PR has been commented on, pointing out the bug it caused and why, so the author and reviewers can learn from the mistake.

Link to comment: https://github.com/Expensify/App/pull/76163/changes#r2650135674
[Contributor] If the regression was CRITICAL (e.g. interrupts a core flow) A discussion in #expensify-open-source has been started about whether any other steps should be taken (e.g. updating the PR review checklist) in order to catch this type of bug sooner.

Link to discussion: N/A
[Contributor] If it was decided to create a regression test for the bug, please propose the regression test steps using the template below to ensure the same bug will not reach production again.

Test:

Login with any account.
Verify that there's no error console The 'navigation' object hasn't been initialized yet"

Do we agree 👍 or 👎

@dylanexpensify

@dylanexpensify Huh... This is 4 days overdue. Who can take care of this?

@dylanexpensify

@dylanexpensify Still overdue 6 days?! Let's take care of this!

@thelullabyy

Payment summary:

Contributor: @thelullabyy $250 via Upwork
Contributor+: @hungvu193 $250 via NewDot

Please apply/request!

@hungvu193

@hungvu193 has submitted payment for this report on ND here.

SO: https://stackoverflowteams.com/c/expensify/questions/7582

Vendor found in VML: True. Status: Active
Amount requested: $250.00 (Matches the payment summary here: [Due for payment 2025-12-26] [$250] The 'navigation' object hasn't been initialized yet" console error #76536 (comment).)
I, @twisterdotcom am not already the BZ assignee. I have approved this payment.

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Run ID: 00040eee-2001-a9d0-9e36-c8e78537d684

Can we reopen this issue? It happens every time I open the Android and iOS apps.

Simulator.Screen.Recording.-.iPhone.17.-.2026-10-21.at.14.42.34.mov

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[Due for payment 2025-12-26] [$250] The 'navigation' object hasn't been initialized yet" console error #76536

Action Performed:

Expected Result:

Actual Result:

Workaround:

Platforms:

Screenshots/Videos

Proposal

Please re-state the problem that we are trying to solve in this issue.

What is the root cause of that problem?

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

What alternative solutions did you explore? (Optional)

Proposal

Please re-state the problem that we are trying to solve in this issue.

What is the root cause of that problem?

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

What alternative solutions did you explore? (Optional)

Demo

Proposal

Please re-state the problem that we are trying to solve in this issue.

What is the root cause of that problem?

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

What alternative solutions did you explore? (Optional)

22 remaining items

BugZero Checklist:

Test:

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[Due for payment 2025-12-26] [$250] The 'navigation' object hasn't been initialized yet" console error #76536

Description

Action Performed:

Expected Result:

Actual Result:

Workaround:

Platforms:

Screenshots/Videos

Activity

melvin-bot commented on Dec 2, 2025

thelullabyy commented on Dec 2, 2025

Proposal

Please re-state the problem that we are trying to solve in this issue.

What is the root cause of that problem?

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

What alternative solutions did you explore? (Optional)

abbasifaizan70 commented on Dec 2, 2025

Proposal

Please re-state the problem that we are trying to solve in this issue.

What is the root cause of that problem?

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

What alternative solutions did you explore? (Optional)

Demo

PiyushChandra17 commented on Dec 3, 2025

Proposal

Please re-state the problem that we are trying to solve in this issue.

What is the root cause of that problem?

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

What alternative solutions did you explore? (Optional)

melvin-bot commented on Dec 5, 2025

melvin-bot commented on Dec 5, 2025

22 remaining items

melvin-bot commented on Dec 19, 2025

melvin-bot commented on Dec 19, 2025

mvtglobally commented on Dec 20, 2025

hungvu193 commented on Dec 29, 2025

BugZero Checklist:

Test:

melvin-bot commented on Dec 31, 2025

melvin-bot commented on Jan 2, 2026

dylanexpensify commented on Jan 5, 2026

twisterdotcom commented on Jan 7, 2026

QichenZhu commented on Oct 21, 2026

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