Cometchat native troubleshooting

Purpose

Teaches Claude how to diagnose and fix CometChat React Native integration failures. Covers every category of failure I've seen across Expo + bare RN, with an up-front triage flow so Claude asks the right questions before assuming a fix.

Read cometchat-native-core first — most "why doesn't this work" issues trace to the init/login/wrapper chain explained there.

Ground truth: docs/ui-kit/react-native/troubleshooting.mdx, apple-privacy-manifest-guide.mdx, upgrading-from-v4.mdx, and first-hand failure modes from real integrations.

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1. Triage — read project state before guessing

When the user reports a problem, gather facts before proposing a fix. Ask + run these first:

1a. Which framework?

# Expo or bare?
grep -E '"expo":|"expo-router":' package.json
ls -d ios android 2>/dev/null   # bare RN has these dirs at root
ls app.json app.config.js 2>/dev/null

• expo in dependencies + no ios/android folders → Expo managed → route to cometchat-native-expo-patterns
• ios/ + android/ folders at root → bare RN → route to cometchat-native-bare-patterns
• Both (expo + ios/android) → bare-after-prebuild. Treat as bare.

1b. Is the wrapper chain correct?

# Confirm four wrappers in entry file
grep -E "GestureHandlerRootView|SafeAreaProvider|CometChatThemeProvider|CometChatProvider" \
  App.tsx index.js index.ts app/_layout.tsx 2>/dev/null

If any are missing, that's almost certainly the cause. See cometchat-native-core § 3.

1c. Is react-native-gesture-handler imported first?

# Must be line 1 (or 2 with a shebang) of entry
head -5 index.js index.ts App.tsx app/_layout.tsx 2>/dev/null

If the import is missing or below React, swipe gestures and bottom sheets silently break — often only in release builds.

1d. Is init complete before login?

grep -A 10 "CometChatUIKit.init" src/providers/CometChatProvider.tsx 2>/dev/null

Look for the init-then-login sequence with an await or module-level initialized flag. Fire-and-forget init is a common cause of "components don't render."

1e. Pod install state (iOS)

ls ios/Pods/ | head -5 2>/dev/null       # should list dozens of pods
cat ios/Podfile.lock | head -3 2>/dev/null

If ios/Pods/ is missing or sparse, native modules aren't linked. cd ios && pod install && cd .. is the fix.

1f. Package deps

# Check the full UI Kit peer-dep set is installed
for dep in \
  @cometchat/chat-sdk-react-native \
  @cometchat/chat-uikit-react-native \
  react-native-gesture-handler \
  react-native-safe-area-context \
  react-native-svg \
  @react-native-async-storage/async-storage; do
  node -e "try{require.resolve('$dep'); console.log('✓ $dep')}catch(e){console.log('✗ MISSING: $dep')}"
done

Missing peer deps → install + pod install (bare) or expo install (Expo) + rebuild.

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2. Symptom → fix lookup tables

Quick-reference tables. Work through in order; if none match, drop into § 3 deep-dives.

2a. Initialization + login

Symptom	Likely cause	Fix
CometChatUIKit.init() fails silently	Invalid APP_ID / REGION / AUTH_KEY	Re-verify from dashboard → your app → Credentials
Components render nothing after login	init() not awaited before mount	Use the provider pattern from cometchat-native-core § 6 with isReady gating
Blank screen, no errors	Component mounted before init completed	Conditionally render: if (!isReady) return null
getLoggedinUser() returns null	Login not called or session expired	Call CometChatUIKit.login({ uid }) after init resolves
Login fails: "UID not found"	User doesn't exist in CometChat	Create via dashboard, SDK, or REST API. For dev, use cometchat-uid-1 through cometchat-uid-5 (pre-seeded)
"Please wait until the previous login request ends"	login() called concurrently (React StrictMode double-mount / navigation remount)	Use the ensureLoggedIn module-level promise guard from cometchat-native-core § 2
sendTextMessage() fails	Not logged in or invalid receiver	Verify getLoggedinUser() returns a user + receiver user/group object exists
Production build exposes Auth Key	Using authKey in production	Switch to server-minted auth tokens via login({ authToken }). See cometchat-native-production

2b. Gesture handler + wrapper chain

Symptom	Likely cause	Fix
Composer swipe gestures not working	import "react-native-gesture-handler" not at TOP of entry file	Move to line 1 of index.js / index.ts / Expo Router's app/_layout.tsx
BottomSheet doesn't open on swipe	Missing GestureHandlerRootView wrapper	Wrap at app root with <GestureHandlerRootView style={{ flex: 1 }}>
Content overlaps status bar / home indicator	Missing SafeAreaProvider	Wrap inside GestureHandlerRootView with <SafeAreaProvider>
Theme tokens return undefined	Missing CometChatThemeProvider	Add wrapper. See cometchat-native-core § 3 for the full chain
"Couldn't find SafeArea context" error	SafeAreaView used outside SafeAreaProvider	Add SafeAreaProvider at root, or use plain View inside chat screens
Release build: swipe/gesture broken, dev build fine	react-native-gesture-handler not line 1 (some bundlers defer it)	Move to line 1 unconditionally

2c. iOS build failures

Symptom	Likely cause	Fix
No such module 'RNGestureHandler'	Pods not installed	cd ios && pod install && cd .. + rebuild
Undefined symbol: _OBJC_CLASS_$_RNCAsyncStorage	Pods out of sync after npm install	cd ios && pod install && cd ..
TurboModuleRegistry.getEnforcing(...) crash at runtime	Native module not linked	cd ios && pod install && cd .. + reset Metro cache (--reset-cache)
App Store rejection ITMS-91053	Missing Apple Privacy Manifest	Add ios/<App>/PrivacyInfo.xcprivacy with 4 API types. See cometchat-native-bare-patterns § 2c
Simulator build fails: "arm64 excluded"	Architecture mismatch on Apple Silicon	Add EXCLUDED_ARCHS[sdk=iphonesimulator*] post_install in Podfile. See cometchat-native-features § 3c
Camera/mic permission dialog doesn't appear	Missing NSCameraUsageDescription / NSMicrophoneUsageDescription	Add to ios/<App>/Info.plist (bare) or app.json ios.infoPlist (Expo)
iOS build fails: "deployment target too low"	Calls SDK needs 12+	Set IPHONEOS_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET = '12.0' in Podfile post_install
Expo Go crashes: "Main module field cannot be resolved"	Expo Go doesn't support native modules	Use dev builds: npx expo run:ios or eas build --profile development

2d. Android build failures

Symptom	Likely cause	Fix
Could not find :react-native-async-storage_async-storage:	Local Maven repo entry missing	Add to android/build.gradle allprojects.repositories — see cometchat-native-bare-patterns § 3b
Build crashes on launch	compileSdkVersion too low	Set compileSdkVersion to 33+ and minSdkVersion to 24+ in android/app/build.gradle
"Permission denied" when picking photos	Missing Android permissions	Add READ_MEDIA_IMAGES (API 33+) or READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE (API ≤32) to AndroidManifest.xml
"Camera permission denied"	Missing permission in manifest or runtime denial	Add CAMERA to AndroidManifest.xml + verify runtime-grant flow
Gradle sync fails after npm install	Native module autolinking stale	cd android && ./gradlew clean && cd .. then rebuild
Unable to delete file: ...node_modules/...	Metro lockfile on Windows (if cross-OS)	Restart Metro + IDE

2e. Metro / JS runtime

Symptom	Likely cause	Fix
"Unable to resolve module ..." for a dep that IS installed	Metro cache stale	Stop Metro, run with --reset-cache: npx react-native start --reset-cache or npx expo start --clear
Fast Refresh doesn't pick up new deps	Native dep change (requires rebuild)	Restart Metro + rebuild (iOS/Android)
"Maximum update depth exceeded" after theme change	Theme object recreated each render	Define theme at module scope or in useMemo(() => ..., [])
App crashes on first JS load	Entry file error (syntax or import order)	Check index.js — react-native-gesture-handler should be line 1

2f. Theming

Symptom	Likely cause	Fix
Theme overrides don't apply	Missing CometChatThemeProvider wrapper	Add at app root. See cometchat-native-theming § 2
Dark mode doesn't switch when system toggled	mode hardcoded to "light" / "dark"	Omit the mode field to follow system
Custom color shows as fallback	Color not a hex string	Use #RRGGBB format. rgb() / named colors / hsl() break the extendedPrimary auto-derivation
Custom font shows system default (iOS) / crashes (Android)	Font not loaded before render	Gate the provider on font loading (Expo useFonts or bare react-native-asset)
Icon color not changing via imageStyle	Only tintColor, height, width work on default SVG icons	Use tintColor. Other props are ignored for built-in icons
useTheme() returns undefined	Called outside CometChatThemeProvider	Ensure the component is a descendant of the provider

2g. Components

Symptom	Likely cause	Fix
Slot view (TitleView, LeadingView, etc.) renders nothing	Slot returned null / undefined	Slot must return valid JSX
Empty message list despite sent messages	user vs group prop mixed up	Pass exactly one of user OR group — never both, never neither
"Reply in Thread" option does nothing when tapped	Thread panel not wired	Set hideReplyInThreadOption (see cometchat-native-components § 11) OR wire a thread panel (§ 2b)
onItemPress callback not firing	Wrong prop name (RN uses Press not Click)	It's onItemPress, not onItemClick — web and RN diverge here
Conversations list empty but data exists	Wrong request builder	Check conversationsRequestBuilder filters (tags, types)
List components collapse to zero height	Container has no bounded height	Wrap in <View style={{ flex: 1 }}> or explicit height: N. See cometchat-native-placement Hard rule #8
Component renders but data never loads	User/group passed as UID string instead of CometChat.User/Group instance	await CometChat.getUser(uid) first, pass the resolved object

2h. Calling

Symptom	Likely cause	Fix
Call buttons missing from MessageHeader	@cometchat/calls-sdk-react-native not installed	Install + rebuild. See cometchat-native-features § 3
Incoming call UI doesn't show	CometChatIncomingCall not mounted or listener not registered	Register CometChat.addCallListener(...) and mount <CometChatIncomingCall> at app root
Call connects but no audio/video	Missing Podfile settings or Android SDK versions	Check IPHONEOS_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET = 12.0 + Android minSdkVersion = 24
WebRTC errors on load	Missing peer deps	Install react-native-webrtc + @react-native-community/netinfo + react-native-background-timer + react-native-callstats
Call crashes on Android after accept	Permissions denied at runtime	Request RECORD_AUDIO + CAMERA runtime permissions before call
onIncomingCallReceived silent	Listener registered before login completes	Register the listener INSIDE the useEffect that runs after login

2i. Extensions

Symptom	Likely cause	Fix
Polls option missing from composer	Extension not enabled in dashboard	cometchat features enable polls --json or toggle in dashboard → Features
Stickers not rendering	Sticker extension not enabled	Same as above — enable via CLI
Extension enabled but UI doesn't appear	Cached session — hard reload needed	Stop Metro, clear cache (--reset-cache), rebuild
Extension says enabled but auto_wired_in_uikit: false	Needs UIKitSettingsBuilder.setExtensions([...]) before init	Add .setExtensions([new StickersExtension(), ...]) — see cometchat-native-features § 2
Message translation "Translate" option missing	Extension not enabled	Enable MessageTranslation via CLI / dashboard

2j. AI features

Symptom	Likely cause	Fix
AI suggestions don't appear	AI feature not enabled in dashboard	Enable via dashboard → AI → individual feature
Smart Replies not showing	Smart Replies extension off	Enable via CLI: cometchat features enable smart-replies
Conversation Starter missing	Feature off + no conversation context	Enable feature + ensure chat has at least one previous message

2k. Localization

Symptom	Likely cause	Fix
UI text not translated	Language code mismatch	Use full codes like en-US, not short en
Auto-detection not working	react-native-localize missing	Install: npm install react-native-localize + pod install
Custom translations not applied	Missing CometChatI18nProvider	Wrap app inside CometChatThemeProvider with <CometChatI18nProvider>

2l. Events

Symptom	Likely cause	Fix
Listener doesn't fire	Wrong event name	Check docs/events.mdx for exact event names (e.g., ccMessageSent not onMessageSent)
Listener fires twice	Duplicate registration (common with hot reload / remount)	Remove in useEffect cleanup: return () => CometChatUIEventHandler.removeMessageListener(id)
Listener ID collision	Hardcoded ID reused across components	Use a unique constant per component: const LISTENER_ID = "APP_SCREEN_LISTENER"
Call events not received	CometChat.addCallListener registered before login	Move registration into useEffect after login completes

2m. Production / auth tokens

Symptom	Likely cause	Fix
login({ authToken }) fails: "user does not exist"	User not created in CometChat before token mint	Create user server-side via REST API on your signup flow. See cometchat-native-production § 6
Token endpoint returns 401	Backend auth check failing	Verify Authorization: Bearer <jwt> header is attached to the fetch
429 rate limit on token endpoint	Minting tokens too often (e.g. per screen mount)	Cache client-side, reuse until expiry. See cometchat-native-production § 10
SDK disconnects after a few hours	Token expired	Wire onDisconnected listener to re-fetch + re-login. See cometchat-native-production § 5c
CometChatUIKit.loginWithAuthToken not found	Wrong API name	It's CometChatUIKit.login({ authToken }) — same method as dev, different key

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3. Deep dives on common failures

3a. "The most common 'why is my chat blank' bug"

CometChat components fill 100% of their parent's height. If the parent has no bounded height, the components render at 0px and look empty.

Diagnostic:

grep -B5 -A5 "CometChatMessageList\|CometChatConversations" src/**/*.tsx | grep -B2 -A2 "style"

Look for the message list's parent. One of these must be true:

• Parent has flex: 1
• Parent has an explicit height: N
• Parent is a flex column with the list getting flex: 1

Broken example:

<ScrollView>
  <CometChatMessageList user={user} />   {/* ← ScrollView doesn't constrain height */}
</ScrollView>

Fixed:

<View style={{ flex: 1 }}>
  <CometChatMessageList user={user} hideReplyInThreadOption />
</View>

3b. Apple Privacy Manifest rejection (ITMS-91053)

Apple's App Store Connect rejects RN apps that use certain APIs without declaring them in PrivacyInfo.xcprivacy. The CometChat kit (through React Native + react-native-video) triggers 4 of these APIs.

Full manifest content is in cometchat-native-bare-patterns § 2c. Required reason codes:

API	Code
FileTimestamp	C617.1
UserDefaults	CA92.1
SystemBootTime	35F9.1
DiskSpace	E174.1

If the user's rejection email lists OTHER API categories, their app uses additional Apple APIs through other SDKs (analytics, crash reporters, etc.). Add those codes too — the CometChat-specific 4 aren't exhaustive for all apps.

After updating:

1. cd ios && pod install && cd ..
2. Rebuild the archive
3. Resubmit

3c. Metro cache issues (post-dep-install "not found" errors)

Happens when you npm install a native module and Metro's bundler still has the old module graph cached.

# Full reset
watchman watch-del-all 2>/dev/null          # watchman (if installed)
rm -rf $TMPDIR/metro-*                       # Metro cache on macOS
rm -rf $TMPDIR/haste-map-*                   # Haste cache on macOS
rm -rf node_modules
npm install
cd ios && pod install && cd ..               # iOS only
npx react-native start --reset-cache         # bare
# OR for Expo:
npx expo start --clear

If the error persists after a clean cache + pod install, the native module isn't autolinked. Check react-native.config.js for exclusions.

3d. "App crashes on first launch" — entry file order

index.js MUST have import "react-native-gesture-handler" as line 1. Not line 2. Not after a // comment. Not after a "use strict". Literally line 1.

Wrong:

import React from "react";              // ← line 1
import "react-native-gesture-handler";  // ← line 2 — TOO LATE

Right:

import "react-native-gesture-handler";  // ← line 1
import React from "react";

For Expo Router, the same rule applies to app/_layout.tsx.

3e. Push notification issues

Push setup is covered end-to-end in cometchat-native-push. That skill has:

• § 3 APNs p8 setup (Apple Developer portal)
• § 4 FCM setup (Firebase project + service account)
• § 5 CometChat dashboard provider upload (dev + prod for iOS)
• § 7 Client registration with CometChatNotifications.registerPushToken(token, platform, providerId) (the correct API — not CometChat.registerTokenForPushNotification)
• § 9 Foreground display + tap-to-deep-link handlers
• § 12 Troubleshooting table mapping symptoms to fixes (production APNs cert missing, token registered before login, Expo Go can't receive push, etc.)

When diagnosing a push issue, route the user to cometchat-native-push § 12 rather than re-triaging here.

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4. v4 → v5 upgrade gotchas

If the user is upgrading from @cometchat/chat-uikit-react-native@4, these are the common breakages. Full migration guide: docs/upgrading-from-v4.mdx.

v4	v5	Notes
CometChatContext provider	CometChatThemeProvider + CometChatI18nProvider	Split into theme + i18n providers
<CometChatConversationsWithMessages> composite	<CometChatConversations> + navigate to separate screen	Composite component removed; use two-screen navigation pattern
theme prop on components	Theme via CometChatThemeProvider only	Per-component theme prop removed
Palette object	Color tokens under theme.color	Renamed + restructured
onClick callback names	onPress callback names	React Native convention
CometChat.login(uid, authKey)	CometChatUIKit.login({ uid })	Object-form argument
Native deps in peerDependencies	Must explicitly install peer deps	See cometchat-native-core § 9
Single NPM package for calls	Separate @cometchat/calls-sdk-react-native package	Calls broken out

Upgrade sequence

# 1. Update the main kit
npm install @cometchat/chat-uikit-react-native@latest

# 2. Install the full peer-dep set (v5 doesn't auto-install them like v4 did)
npm install @cometchat/chat-sdk-react-native \
  @react-native-async-storage/async-storage \
  @react-native-clipboard/clipboard \
  @react-native-community/datetimepicker \
  react-native-gesture-handler react-native-localize \
  react-native-safe-area-context react-native-svg \
  react-native-video dayjs punycode

# 3. iOS
cd ios && pod install && cd ..

# 4. Android — add the local Maven repo for async-storage
#    (see cometchat-native-bare-patterns § 3b)

# 5. Entry file — add `import "react-native-gesture-handler"` as line 1
#    (new requirement in v5)

# 6. Replace `<CometChatContext>` with the 4-wrapper chain
#    (see cometchat-native-core § 3)

# 7. Split composite components — e.g. `<CometChatConversationsWithMessages>`
#    becomes two screens with navigation

# 8. Rename `onClick*` → `onPress*` throughout

# 9. Replace `Palette` → theme tokens

# 10. Rebuild + test

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5. Escalation — when the above doesn't solve it

If none of the lookup tables or deep dives apply:

1. Read the raw error. RN errors are usually specific ("Module 'X' not found in app 'Y'" is different from "TurboModuleRegistry.getEnforcing").
2. Check the dev console + native logs. For iOS: Xcode → View → Debug Area → Activate Console. For Android: adb logcat | grep -E "cometchat|CometChat|ReactNative".
3. Search the upstream docs MCP (cometchat-docs if installed).
4. Search the sample app (examples/SampleApp/ or examples/SampleAppExpo/) for a working version of the pattern the user is trying.
5. If the issue is a kit bug, file at https://github.com/cometchat/cometchat-uikit-react-native/issues with a minimal repro.

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6. Hard rules (diagnostic best-practice)

1. Don't assume — triage first. § 1 gets the framework, wrapper chain, pod state, and dep list before proposing a fix. A "I don't see messages" could be 10 different things.
2. Don't suggest "try reinstalling node_modules" as a first step. It's rarely the actual fix and it takes minutes; check the entry file, wrapper chain, and pod state first.
3. Always verify against the ground-truth doc (troubleshooting.mdx). If a user's symptom matches a table row, use the doc's fix verbatim — don't paraphrase.
4. Never guess a fix that requires code changes without first gathering facts. Changing code based on a wrong hypothesis wastes user time.
5. When recommending a rebuild, say why + what to rebuild. "pod install + rebuild iOS" is more useful than "try rebuilding."
6. If a symptom matches the Apple Privacy Manifest rejection, always paste the full 4-code XML. Don't describe it; show it.

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Skill routing reference

Skill	When to route
cometchat-native-core	Most "doesn't work" bugs trace back here — init/login/wrapper chain
cometchat-native-components	Wrong prop / slot view / request builder
cometchat-native-placement	Blank chat / bounded-height issues
cometchat-native-expo-patterns	Expo-specific build errors (dev client required, expo install)
cometchat-native-bare-patterns	Bare RN build errors (pod install, Android Maven, privacy manifest)
cometchat-native-theming	Theme not applying, dark mode not switching, font not loading
cometchat-native-features	Calls don't work, extension UI missing after enable
cometchat-native-customization	Formatter not rendering, listener not firing, template not showing
cometchat-native-production	401 on token fetch, user-does-not-exist on login
cometchat-native-troubleshooting	This skill — cross-category diagnosis + v4→v5 upgrade