error: "No OTP session found and no auto-initiate flag" or "Grid sign-in did not create OTP session" before the Grid sign-in process has time to complete on android app

[lopeselio]

OTP Screen Error After Logout and Re-login with Different Account

Description

After logging out of one account and signing in with a different Google account, the OTP verification screen appears immediately (as intended), but shows an error: "No OTP session found and no auto-initiate flag" or "Grid sign-in did not create OTP session" before the Grid sign-in process has time to complete.

Type of Issue

• Bug
• Feature Request
• Documentation
• Question

Steps to Reproduce

1. Sign in with Google account A
2. Complete Grid wallet setup (OTP verification)
3. Log out from account A
4. Sign in with Google account B (different account)
5. Expected: OTP screen appears with preloader, then OTP input after Grid sign-in completes
6. Actual: OTP screen appears but shows error immediately before Grid sign-in can create the OTP session

Root Cause

A race condition occurs between:

• AuthContext setting the auto-initiate flag and redirecting to OTP screen
• GridContext starting the Grid sign-in process (which has a 500ms delay)
• OTP Screen checking for the OTP session before it's created

The OTP screen was checking for the session/flag too early and stopping polling prematurely, causing the error to appear before GridContext had time to:

1. Process the auto-initiate flag (500ms delay)
2. Call the Grid API to start sign-in
3. Store the OTP session in secure storage

Error Messages Observed

❌ [OTP Screen] No OTP session found and no auto-initiate flag

or

❌ [OTP Screen] Grid sign-in did not create OTP session

Expected Behavior

1. User signs in with Google → OTP screen appears immediately
2. Preloader shows: "Setting up your wallet..." with spinner
3. Grid sign-in starts in background (GridContext processes auto-initiate flag)
4. OTP session is created and stored
5. OTP input appears for user to enter code
6. User enters OTP → Wallet loads → Navigate to chat screen

Actual Behavior

1. User signs in with Google → OTP screen appears immediately
2. Error message appears: "Session error. Please sign in again." or "Grid sign-in did not complete"
3. User sees error before Grid sign-in has time to complete
4. Grid sign-in may complete in background, but user already sees error

Technical Details

Files Involved

• apps/client/app/(auth)/verify-otp.tsx - OTP verification screen
• apps/client/contexts/AuthContext.tsx - Sets auto-initiate flag after Google sign-in
• apps/client/contexts/GridContext.tsx - Handles Grid sign-in with 500ms delay

The Race Condition

// Timeline of events:
T+0ms:   User completes Google sign-in
T+0ms:   AuthContext sets GRID_AUTO_INITIATE flag
T+0ms:   Navigation redirects to OTP screen
T+0ms:   OTP screen checks for session → NOT FOUND
T+0ms:   OTP screen checks for flag → FOUND
T+0ms:   OTP screen starts polling
T+500ms: GridContext processes flag (setTimeout delay)
T+500ms: GridContext clears flag (immediately)
T+500ms: GridContext calls initiateGridSignIn()
T+1000ms: Grid API responds with OTP session
T+1000ms: GridContext stores OTP session
T+1000ms: OTP screen polling finds session ✅

Problem: If OTP screen checks happen between T+500ms and T+1000ms, it sees:

• No session (not created yet)
• No flag (cleared by GridContext)
• isSigningInToGrid might be false (not set yet)

This causes the early stop condition to trigger incorrectly.

Proposed Solution

1. Increase minimum polling time: Wait at least 5 seconds before considering early stop
2. Check authentication state: If user is authenticated, keep polling even if flag is cleared
3. Longer timeout: Increase from 15s to 20s to handle slower network conditions
4. Better indicator checking: Check multiple indicators (flag, isSigningInToGrid, authenticated user)
5. Delayed polling start: If no indicators found initially, wait 2 seconds then start polling if indicators appear

Environment

• Platform: Android (emulator)
• Device: Android Emulator
• Flow: Google Sign-In → Grid Wallet Setup

Additional Context

This issue is related to the overall Grid wallet setup flow improvements where:

• OTP screen should appear immediately after Google sign-in
• Grid wallet should load in background during OTP flow
• User should navigate to chat after OTP completion
• Wallet should be ready when user clicks profile (no OTP again)

Related Issues/PRs

• Related to Grid wallet auto-loading improvements Error: Expo: Android Grid sign-in fails (crypto.getRandomValues / network) #89
• Part of unified authentication flow enhancements

PR to fix this issue is at #100

cc: @edgarpavlovsky

[edgarpavlovsky]

@lopeselio - i'm putting together a tg group of mallory developers. do you want to dm me with your tg handle on twitter? i have the same handle on twitter: edgarpavlovsky

[lopeselio]

@lopeselio - i'm putting together a tg group of mallory developers. do you want to dm me with your tg handle on twitter? i have the same handle on twitter: edgarpavlovsky

Hey Edgar, it's the same as Twitter: ElioCodes

Thanks!

[lopeselio]

@lopeselio - i'm putting together a tg group of mallory developers. do you want to dm me with your tg handle on twitter? i have the same handle on twitter: edgarpavlovsky

Hey @edgarpavlovsky checking back to see if there were any updates on the TG group creation