Expense - Duplicated expense is created in Self-DM #100642

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1. gleitebr

   added this to #expensify-bugson Sep 8, 2026
2. applause-bot

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   DailyKSv2KSv2

   BugSomething is broken. Auto assigns a BugZero manager.Something is broken. Auto assigns a BugZero manager.

   on Sep 8, 2026
3. applause-bot commented on Sep 8, 2026

   

   applause-botBot

   on Sep 8, 2026

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   While Applause doesn't embed attachments for this bug, here are the links for quick view:
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4. MelvinBot commented on Sep 8, 2026

   

   MelvinBot

   on Sep 8, 2026

   Last edited by MelvinBot

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   Proposal

   This is not a bug — the duplicate landing in the Self-DM is the intended behavior, and PR #98960 did not cause it. The "Expected Result" in this report (and step 7 of that PR's test steps) was written against behavior that #98396 deliberately changed on 2026-08-21.

   What is the root cause of that problem?

   A Self-DM expense is unreported (transaction.reportID === '0'), and duplicateExpenseTransaction now intentionally mirrors the source: an unreported source duplicates as unreported, even when the user has a workspace.

   The rule is stated in the code comment itself — src/libs/actions/IOU/Duplicate.ts:853-855:

   // A duplicate mirrors the source, so an unreported source stays unreported even when a workspace is available
   const isSourceUnreported = !transaction.reportID || transaction.reportID === CONST.REPORT.UNREPORTED_REPORT_ID;

   That flag routes the duplicate to trackExpense instead of requestMoney at Duplicate.ts:903, which puts the copy back in the Self-DM. A unit test asserts exactly this: tests/actions/IOUTest/DuplicateTest.ts:2383 — "should call trackExpense when the source expense is unreported even though a targetPolicy is provided".

   #98960 only threaded an already-false value (isDraftChatReport: false) through the same call. It is a no-op for this flow, which is why the report reproduces on production too — #98396 shipped 18 days earlier.

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

   No App code change. Instead:

   1. Close this issue as not-a-bug.
   2. Correct step 7 of refactor: remove isDraftReport and require isDraftChatReport in the track-expense flow #98960's test steps to: "Verify the duplicated expense is created in the Self-DM and stays unreported." Leaving it as-is will keep generating this same QA report.

   If product has since decided a Self-DM duplicate should land in the workspace chat, that is a new product change against #98396, not a fix here — and it needs backend coordination, because the same rule is enforced server-side (Web-Expensify counterpart of that PR). Flagging that for an internal engineer rather than proposing an App-only patch.

   What alternative solutions did you explore? (Optional)

   Evidence chain and alternatives ruled out

   Why a Self-DM expense is unreported. In getTrackExpenseInformation, shouldUseMoneyReport is false for a Self-DM chat (TrackExpense.ts:1051), so the transaction is written with reportID: CONST.REPORT.UNREPORTED_REPORT_ID (TrackExpense.ts:1117). That makes isSourceUnreported true.

   Ruled out: "targetPolicy is missing, so the workspace branch is unreachable." Every call site passes the default workspace and its expense chat — useExpenseActions.ts:275-277, MoneyRequestHeaderSecondaryActions.tsx:288-290, useBulkDuplicateAction.ts:88-91. For a user with a workspace, targetPolicy is defined. isSourceUnreported is what routes to the Self-DM.

   Ruled out: PR #98960 regressed it. That PR replaced isDraftChatReport ?? isDraftReport(chatReport?.reportID) with the explicit param. In the duplicate flow report is undefined, so chatReport resolves to the Self-DM, and REPORT_DRAFT Onyx entries are only ever written for draft workspace chats (via saveReportDraft in the workspace-creation flows). The old fallback evaluated to false — identical to the new explicit false. Its only effect is gating the buildPolicyData workspace-creation block, which was skipped before and is skipped now.

   Timeline. #98396 "Keep a duplicated expense unreported when the source is unreported" merged 2026-08-21 (touched Duplicate.ts + DuplicateTest.ts). #98189 later moved the comment/const but did not change routing. #98960 merged 2026-09-08, hours before this report.

   Known design smell (not this bug). reportID === '0' cannot distinguish "expense lives in a Self-DM" from "workspace expense that was unreported", and shouldDuplicateSelfDMExpense also feeds buildDuplicateTransactionParams/getDuplicateRequestType, which downgrade GPS distance to manual distance. Any future change to the routing rule should split those two concerns into separate booleans.

   Web reproduction (dev NewDot)

   I reproduced the flow: created a $25 "Coffee Shop" expense in the Self-DM, then More → Duplicate expense. The duplicate was created in the same Self-DM — its Report field shows the Self-DM, not a workspace chat.

   

   Caveat, stated plainly: the test account had no workspaces (screenshot), so this run only exercises the !targetPolicy half of the condition. The isSourceUnreported half — a workspace exists and the duplicate still stays in the Self-DM — is covered by the unit test at DuplicateTest.ts:2383 rather than by my run. No console errors.

   Possibly related issues

   • [$175] [Exploratory] Expense - Duplicate negative deleted manual expense appear positive in Workspace chat #97940 — [Exploratory] Expense - Duplicate negative deleted manual expense appear positive in Workspace chat (also duplicate-routing behavior, different symptom)
   • [Due for payment 2026-09-16] [$125] [Exploratory] 91651-GPS-Duplicating GPS expense shows unexpected error. #91814 — [$125] [Exploratory] 91651-GPS-Duplicating GPS expense shows unexpected error (touches the same getDuplicateRequestType GPS→manual path)

   Neither is a duplicate of this report.

   ---

   Next Steps for Contributor+ team:
   To accept: @MelvinBot implement [this](https://github.com/Expensify/App/issues/100642) to create a draft PR.
   To refine: @MelvinBot <your feedback>
   To reject: Explain why you are rejecting Melvin's proposal.

   ---

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5. MelvinBot

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   ExternalAdded to denote the issue can be worked on by a contributorAdded to denote the issue can be worked on by a contributor

   on Sep 8, 2026
6. melvin-bot

   assigned

   brunovjk

   on Sep 8, 2026
7. melvin-bot commented on Sep 8, 2026

   

   melvin-botBot

   on Sep 8, 2026 – with Melvin Bot

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   Triggered auto assignment to Contributor-plus team member for initial proposal review - @brunovjk (External)
8. melvin-bot commented on Sep 8, 2026

   

   melvin-botBot

   on Sep 8, 2026 – with Melvin Bot

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   Unable to auto-create job on Upwork. The BZ team member should create it manually for this issue.
9. mountiny

   assigned

   daledah

   ,

   pecanoro

   and

   DylanDylann

   and unassigned

   brunovjk

   on Sep 9, 2026
10. mountiny commented on Sep 9, 2026

    

    mountiny

    on Sep 9, 2026

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    @daledah this looks like a follow up to your PR, can you take a look please
11. daledah commented on Sep 10, 2026

    

    daledah

    on Sep 10, 2026

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    duplicateExpenseTransaction chose trackExpense vs requestMoney from targetPolicy alone, and every caller passes the default workspace, so duplicating an unreported expense always put the copy on a report. It now checks the source too, so an unreported source stays unreported. The backend half is https://github.com/Expensify/Web-Expensify/pull/55303.

    @mountiny This isn't a regression from my PR - it's the intended behavior of #98396.

    I think we can close this as expected behavior
12. mountiny

    closed this as completedon Sep 11, 2026
13. github-project-automation

    moved this to Done in #expensify-bugson Sep 11, 2026