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Expo and Supabase: Match Each Symptom to the Setup Layer

An old Supabase URL, a 42501 error, a missing table, or a failed auth redirect can each point to the wrong layer. Here’s what to check first in Expo.
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If an Expo app uses an old Supabase URL, returns a permission error, cannot see a newly created table, or fails to return from browser-based sign-in, the visible symptom may point you toward the wrong fix. Check the layer responsible first: Expo environment loading, SQL privileges, Supabase’s schema cache, or the app’s deep-link configuration.

1. Expo still uses the old Supabase URL or key

When a changed environment variable appears to have no effect, check whether the running app has actually loaded the new value before changing credentials or client code. Expo’s Supabase guide recommends reloading the app after writing the values. If it still reads the old ones, stop the development server and restart it with npx expo start.

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For an EAS build or update, check the EAS environment selected for that operation. Each build or update reads values from its selected environment, so a correct value in one environment does not establish that another one contains it.

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Check the variable names and keep secrets out of the app

Expo exposes app-readable environment variables with the EXPO_PUBLIC_ prefix. The current Expo guide uses EXPO_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_URL and EXPO_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_PUBLISHABLE_KEY. These values are public to the app; do not put a database password or secret key in its bundle. See Expo’s guide and Supabase’s Expo React Native quickstart.

2. A 42501 error can be a missing SQL grant

A permission error does not automatically mean the row-level security (RLS) policy is wrong. Table access involves distinct checks: the database role needs the relevant SQL privilege, and RLS policies determine which rows that role may access.

In Expo’s documented example, a missing policy returns an empty array, while a missing grant produces an error with error.code set to 42501. The guide’s example grant is:

grant select on public.todos to anon, authenticated;

That grant is appropriate only if those roles should have permission to select from that table. Check the intended access and the relevant policies separately; do not broaden privileges just to make the error disappear.

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3. A new table may not appear in the schema cache immediately

After creating a table, a query may return Could not find the table 'public.todos' in the schema cache. That message can resemble a typo or a migration that did not run, but Supabase also caches database schema information. Expo’s troubleshooting guide says the cache refreshes on its own. Retry after it refreshes; the guide does not specify a fixed wait time.

4. Browser auth finishes, but the app never opens

OAuth, magic-link, signup-confirmation, and password-reset flows can use a browser and then redirect back to the mobile app. If the browser step completes but the app does not receive the redirect, inspect the return path before treating it as a credential problem.

Verify the app scheme and the allowed redirect

Supabase’s native mobile deep-linking guide explains that these flows redirect back to the app. Check that the app has a custom URL scheme and that the redirect URL is configured in Supabase Auth settings. Confirm the values against the actual app configuration and the flow being tested.

Distinguish an integration issue from a general product defect

Individual issue reports describe an Expo Go redirect involving an exp:// IP URL and a problem with an Expo Linking method: Supabase Auth issue #2039 and Supabase issue #31047. They are reports about particular setups, not proof that every Expo runtime or Supabase auth flow has the same defect. Check the current official guide and reproduce the behavior in the target build before attributing it to a product bug.

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Choose setup instructions for your Expo runtime

Supabase’s Expo guide and its separate React Native Auth quickstart describe different setup paths. The Expo guide uses expo-sqlite for local session persistence and Expo-prefixed public environment variables; the React Native quickstart lists AsyncStorage and react-native-url-polyfill. Follow the path that matches your app and runtime rather than combining snippets without checking compatibility: see Expo’s Supabase guide, Supabase’s Expo quickstart, and its React Native Auth quickstart.

Use the symptom to narrow the next check

What you observe Compare or check first
Local app works differently from a cloud build Compare the values loaded by the app with the EAS environment selected for the build or update. Expo guide
Query returns no rows or fails with 42501 Check the SQL grant and RLS policy separately; the documented example distinguishes an empty result for a missing policy from 42501 for a missing grant. Expo guide
Newly created table is missing from the schema cache Allow for the cache to refresh, then retry. No fixed wait time is stated. Expo guide
Browser auth completes but does not return to the app Check the custom scheme, configured redirect URL, and target runtime. Supabase guide

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