[🐛] Functions: httpsCallable "Unauthenticated" Error Despite Client Auth (v21.14.0, Android, Live & Emulator)

[rupertpople]

🔥 Issue

Describe your issue here

HTTPS Callable Cloud Functions (onCall, v2 syntax) invoked from a React Native app using @react-native-firebase/functions's httpsCallable method consistently fail with an "unauthenticated" error (Cloud Function logs show request.auth is missing/null). This failure occurs even though the client app explicitly confirms that auth.currentUser is valid and authenticated immediately before making the call.

This issue persists across environments:

1. When targeting local Firebase Emulators: The call reaches the function emulator, but request.auth is null.
2. When targeting the live deployed function: The exact same "unauthenticated" error is returned to the client.

Further Context & Troubleshooting:

• Client Auth Confirmed: console.log(auth.currentUser.uid) before the httpsCallable confirms a valid, logged-in user. Forcing token refresh with getIdToken(true) also succeeds.
• Basic Connectivity Works: A separate non-authenticated onCall function (testNoAuth) invoked via httpsCallable from the same client code succeeds when targeting the emulator. This proves basic function invocation works.
• onRequest Workaround Failure (Emulator): Attempting an onRequest function with manual token verification (admin.auth().verifyIdToken) using fetch from the client failed in the emulator. The Functions emulator log showed admin.initializeApp() failed to detect the FIREBASE_AUTH_EMULATOR_HOST environment variable, causing verifyIdToken to fail ("Invalid signature"). This secondary issue might hint at broader problems with SDK/emulator environment interaction.
• Hypothesis: The @react-native-firebase/functions module (v21.14.0) appears to be failing to automatically attach the necessary authentication context/token from the @react-native-firebase/auth module (v21.14.0) when making httpsCallable requests.

Relevant Client Code Snippet (App.js):

// Import statements (simplified)
import { getApp } from "@react-native-firebase/app";
import '@react-native-firebase/functions'; // Ensure module is loaded
import { auth } from "./firebase/firebaseConfig"; // Firebase Web SDK auth instance

// Function making the call
export async function sendDopamineUpdateToServer(timeData) {
    console.log(`[sendDopamineUpdateToServer ENTRY] Auth State:`, auth.currentUser ? `User ${auth.currentUser.uid}` : 'NULL'); // Confirms auth

    const user = auth.currentUser;
    if (!user) {
        console.error("[sendDopamineUpdateToServer] Skipping: User not authenticated.");
        return { success: false, error: 'User not authenticated', skipped: true };
    }

    // ... payload setup ...
    console.log(`[sendDopamineUpdateToServer] User ${user.uid} authenticated. Proceeding with httpsCallable...`);

    try {
        // Optional: await auth.currentUser.getIdToken(true); // Tried this, also succeeds

        const payload = { /* ... */ };
        console.log(`[sendDopamineUpdateToServer] Calling 'updateDopamineState' with payload:`, payload);

        // Using getApp() as per v6+ recommendations
        const updateFunction = getApp().functions('us-central1').httpsCallable('updateDopamineState');
        const functionResult = await updateFunction(payload);
        console.log("[sendDopamineUpdateToServer] Backend 'updateDopamineState' (onCall) result:", functionResult.data);
        // ... success handling ...

    } catch (error) {
        console.error("[sendDopamineUpdateToServer] Error calling 'updateDopamineState' (onCall):", error);
        // Logs show: code: 'unauthenticated', message: 'The function must be called while authenticated.'
        if (error.code) console.error("Function Error Code:", error.code);
        if (error.message) console.error("Function Error Message:", error.message);
        // ... failure handling ...
    }
}

// Emulator setup (currently commented out for live testing, but issue persists both ways)
/*
import rnAuth from '@react-native-firebase/auth'; // Import for emulator setup
useEffect(() => {
  if (__DEV__) {
    console.log("🔧 DEVELOPMENT MODE: Connecting to Firebase Emulators...");
    try {
      const host = Platform.OS === 'android' ? '10.0.2.2' : 'localhost';
      rnAuth().useEmulator(`http://${host}:9099`); // Using @react-native-firebase/auth for emulator setup
      console.log(`🔧 Auth Emulator -> http://${host}:9099`);
      getApp().functions('us-central1').useEmulator(host, 5001);
      console.log(`🔧 Functions Emulator -> ${host}:5001 (region: us-central1)`);
    } catch (error) {
      console.error("❌ Error connecting to Firebase Emulators:", error);
    }
  }
}, []);
*/

Relevant Backend Code Snippet (functions/index.js):

const { onCall, HttpsError } = require("firebase-functions/v2/https"); // Added HttpsError import
const logger = require("firebase-functions/logger");
// const admin = require("firebase-admin"); // Not needed for the basic onCall check

// admin.initializeApp(); // Initializes correctly in live, has issues detecting AUTH emulator env var

exports.updateDopamineState = onCall({ region: 'us-central1' }, (request) => {
  logger.info("updateDopamineState called. Verifications:", request.verifications);

  // This check fails because request.auth is null/undefined
  if (!request.auth) {
    logger.error("[updateDopamineState] Authentication check failed! request.auth is falsy.", { auth: request.auth });
    throw new HttpsError('unauthenticated', 'The function must be called while authenticated.');
  }

  const userId = request.auth.uid;
  logger.info(`Authenticated user: ${userId}`);
  // ... rest of the function logic ...

  // Example response
  return { success: true, message: `State updated for ${userId}` };
});

// Test function without auth check (works via httpsCallable from client to emulator)
exports.testNoAuth = onCall({ region: 'us-central1' }, (request) => {
  logger.info("testNoAuth called. Data:", request.data);
  return { success: true, message: "Hello from testNoAuth!" };
});

---

Project Files

Javascript

Click To Expand

package.json:

{
    "name": "dopameter",
    "license": "0BSD",
    "version": "1.0.0",
    "main": "index.js",
    "dependencies": {
        "@notifee/react-native": "^9.1.8",
        "@react-native-async-storage/async-storage": "^2.1.2",
        "@react-native-community/cli-plugin-metro": "^12.3.6",
        "@react-native-community/datetimepicker": "^8.3.0",
        "@react-native-community/netinfo": "^11.4.1",
        "@react-native-firebase/app": "^21.14.0",
        "@react-native-firebase/auth": "^21.14.0",
        "@react-native-firebase/firestore": "^21.14.0",
        "@react-native-firebase/functions": "^21.14.0",
        "@react-native-firebase/messaging": "^21.14.0",
        "@react-navigation/native": "^7.0.14",
        "@react-navigation/stack": "^7.1.1",
        "cors": "^2.8.5",
        "firebase": "^11.4.0",
        "hermes-engine": "^0.11.0",
        "metro-react-native-babel-transformer": "^0.77.0",
        "react": "19.0.0",
        "react-dom": "19.0.0",
        "react-native": "0.78.0",
        "react-native-calendars": "^1.1310.0",
        "react-native-chart-kit": "^6.12.0",
        "react-native-foreground-service": "^1.0.0",
        "react-native-gesture-handler": "^2.24.0",
        "react-native-linear-gradient": "^2.8.3",
        "react-native-progress": "^5.0.1",
        "react-native-reanimated": "^3.17.1",
        "react-native-safe-area-context": "^5.3.0",
        "react-native-screens": "^4.9.2",
        "react-native-svg": "^15.11.2",
        "react-native-svg-transformer": "^1.5.0",
        "react-native-tab-view": "^4.0.5",
        "react-native-vector-icons": "^10.2.0"
    },
    "devDependencies": {
        "@babel/core": "^7.20.0",
        "@babel/preset-flow": "^7.25.9",
        "@babel/preset-react": "^7.26.3",
        "@react-native-community/cli": "^15.0.0",
        "@react-native-community/cli-platform-android": "^11.0.0",
        "@react-native/gradle-plugin": "^0.78.0",
        "@react-native/metro-config": "^0.78.0",
        "metro-react-native-babel-preset": "^0.77.0",
        "patch-package": "^8.0.0",
        "react-native-dotenv": "^3.4.11"
    },
    "private": true,
    "overrides": {
        "metro": "0.78.0",
        "metro-config": "0.78.0",
        "metro-core": "0.78.0",
        "metro-runtime": "0.78.0",
        "metro-resolver": "0.78.0",
        "metro-transform-worker": "0.78.0"
    },
    "scripts": {
        "postinstall": "patch-package"
    }
}
// NOTE: Please also add the firebase-admin version from your functions/package.json
// (Assuming functions/package.json has firebase-admin and firebase-functions)

firebase.json for react-native-firebase v6:

{
  "functions": [
    {
      "source": "functions",
      "codebase": "default",
      "ignore": [
        "node_modules",
        ".git",
        "firebase-debug.log",
        "firebase-debug.*.log",
        "*.local"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "emulators": {
    "auth": {
      "port": 9099
    },
    "functions": {
      "port": 5001
    },
    "ui": {
      "enabled": true
    },
    "singleProjectMode": true
  }
}

iOS

Click To Expand

ios/Podfile:

• I'm not using Pods
• I'm using Pods and my Podfile looks like:

# --- PASTE YOUR Podfile HERE IF APPLICABLE ---
# N/A (if not targeting iOS or not relevant)

AppDelegate.m:

// --- PASTE YOUR AppDelegate.m HERE IF APPLICABLE ---
// N/A (if not targeting iOS or not relevant)

---

Android

Click To Expand

Have you converted to AndroidX?

• my application is an AndroidX application?
• I am using android/gradle.settings jetifier=true for Android compatibility?
• I am using the NPM package jetifier for react-native compatibility?

android/build.gradle:

// --- PASTE YOUR android/build.gradle HERE ---
// N/A (Please provide if possible)

android/app/build.gradle:

// --- PASTE YOUR android/app/build.gradle HERE ---
// N/A (Please provide if possible, especially dependencies section)

android/settings.gradle:

// --- PASTE YOUR android/settings.gradle HERE ---
// N/A (Please provide if possible)

MainApplication.java:

// --- PASTE YOUR MainApplication.java HERE ---
// N/A (Please provide if possible)

AndroidManifest.xml:

<!-- --- PASTE YOUR AndroidManifest.xml HERE --- -->
<!-- N/A (Please provide if possible) -->

---

Environment

Click To Expand

react-native info output:

System:
OS: Windows 11 10.0.26100
CPU: (12) x64 Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-10750H CPU @ 2.60GHz
Memory: 776.73 MB / 15.91 GB
Binaries:
Node:
version: 20.18.3
path: C:\Program Files\nodejs\node.EXE
Yarn:
version: 1.22.19
path: ~\AppData\Roaming\npm\yarn.CMD
npm:
version: 11.3.0
path: C:\Program Files\nodejs\npm.CMD
Watchman: Not Found
SDKs:
Android SDK:
API Levels:
"33"
"34"
"35"
Build Tools:
30.0.3
33.0.0
33.0.2
34.0.0
34.0.0
34.0.0
34.0.0
35.0.0
35.0.0
35.0.0
35.0.0
35.0.0
36.0.0
System Images:
android-35 | Google Play Intel x86_64 Atom
Android NDK: Not Found
Windows SDK:
AllowAllTrustedApps: Disabled
IDEs:
Android Studio: AI-242.23726.103.2422.13103373
Visual Studio: Not Found
Languages:
Java: 17.0.12
Ruby: Not Found
npmPackages:
"@react-native-community/cli":
installed: 15.1.3
wanted: ^15.0.0
react:
installed: 19.0.0
wanted: 19.0.0
react-native:
installed: 0.78.0
wanted: 0.78.0
react-native-windows: Not Found
npmGlobalPackages:
"react-native": Not Found
Android:
hermesEnabled: true
newArchEnabled: true
iOS:
hermesEnabled: Not found
newArchEnabled: Not found

• Platform that you're experiencing the issue on:
  • iOS
  • Android
  • iOS but have not tested behavior on Android
  • Android but have not tested behavior on iOS
  • Both
• react-native-firebase version you're using that has this issue:
  • 21.14.0
• Firebase module(s) you're using that has the issue:
  • Auth, Functions
• Are you using TypeScript?
  • N

---

• 👉 Check out React Native Firebase and Invertase on Twitter for updates on the library.

[belal-abo-ata12]

happens with me also

[MichaelVerdon]

Hi there, it looks like you may need to Authorize on the Google Cloud Console:https://cloud.google.com/functions/docs/securing/managing-access-iam#allowing_unauthenticated_function_invocation
Here is a stack overflow thread for more information, https://stackoverflow.com/questions/62415509/unauthenticated-error-in-firebase-firestore-https-callable-cloud-functions let me know how this goes! 😄

[github-actions]

Hello 👋, to help manage issues we automatically close stale issues.

This issue has been automatically marked as stale because it has not had activity for quite some time.Has this issue been fixed, or does it still require attention?

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