From bf55730b27109d286a3cfb8cf0be5feedfa9b24f Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: ChrisCanin <chris@clerk.dev>
Date: Thu, 22 Jan 2026 13:56:39 -0800
Subject: [PATCH 1/2] fix(expo): Make publishableKey prop required and remove
 env var fallbacks

---
 .changeset/kadi-env-var-fix.md                 | 18 ++++++++++++++++++
 packages/expo/src/provider/ClerkProvider.tsx   | 15 +++++++++++----
 .../provider/singleton/createClerkInstance.ts  |  2 +-
 3 files changed, 30 insertions(+), 5 deletions(-)
 create mode 100644 .changeset/kadi-env-var-fix.md

diff --git a/.changeset/kadi-env-var-fix.md b/.changeset/kadi-env-var-fix.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..f77a7331f7d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/kadi-env-var-fix.md
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+---
+"@clerk/expo": major
+---
+
+fix(expo): Make publishableKey prop required and remove env var fallbacks
+
+Made `publishableKey` a required prop in `ClerkProvider` since environment variables inside node_modules are not inlined during production builds. This was causing apps to work in development but crash in production TestFlight/Google Play builds because the env var would be unset.
+
+**Migration:** Pass the publishable key explicitly to ClerkProvider:
+
+```tsx
+// Before (no longer works in production)
+<ClerkProvider>
+
+// After
+const publishableKey = process.env.EXPO_PUBLIC_CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY!;
+<ClerkProvider publishableKey={publishableKey}>
+```
diff --git a/packages/expo/src/provider/ClerkProvider.tsx b/packages/expo/src/provider/ClerkProvider.tsx
index cea114a6e43..6c81616a1fc 100644
--- a/packages/expo/src/provider/ClerkProvider.tsx
+++ b/packages/expo/src/provider/ClerkProvider.tsx
@@ -14,10 +14,17 @@ export type ClerkProviderProps<TUi extends Ui = Ui> = Omit<
   'publishableKey'
 > & {
   /**
-   * Used to override the default EXPO_PUBLIC_CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY env variable if needed.
-   * This is optional for Expo as the ClerkProvider will automatically use the EXPO_PUBLIC_CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY env variable if it exists.
+   * Your Clerk publishable key, available in the Clerk Dashboard.
+   * This is required for React Native / Expo apps. Environment variables inside node_modules
+   * are not inlined during production builds, so the key must be passed explicitly.
+   *
+   * @example
+   * ```tsx
+   * const publishableKey = process.env.EXPO_PUBLIC_CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY!;
+   * <ClerkProvider publishableKey={publishableKey}>
+   * ```
    */
-  publishableKey?: string;
+  publishableKey: string;
   /**
    * The token cache is used to persist the active user's session token. Clerk stores this token in memory by default, however it is recommended to use a token cache for production applications.
    * @see https://clerk.com/docs/quickstarts/expo#configure-the-token-cache-with-expo
@@ -53,7 +60,7 @@ export function ClerkProvider<TUi extends Ui = Ui>(props: ClerkProviderProps<TUi
     __experimental_resourceCache,
     ...rest
   } = props;
-  const pk = publishableKey || process.env.EXPO_PUBLIC_CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY || process.env.CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY || '';
+  const pk = publishableKey;
 
   if (isWeb()) {
     // This is needed in order for useOAuth to work correctly on web.
diff --git a/packages/expo/src/provider/singleton/createClerkInstance.ts b/packages/expo/src/provider/singleton/createClerkInstance.ts
index 79f090aff02..d9319b3e859 100644
--- a/packages/expo/src/provider/singleton/createClerkInstance.ts
+++ b/packages/expo/src/provider/singleton/createClerkInstance.ts
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ let __internal_clerk: HeadlessBrowserClerk | BrowserClerk | undefined;
 export function createClerkInstance(ClerkClass: typeof Clerk) {
   return (options?: BuildClerkOptions): HeadlessBrowserClerk | BrowserClerk => {
     const {
-      publishableKey = process.env.EXPO_PUBLIC_CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY || process.env.CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY || '',
+      publishableKey = '',
       tokenCache = MemoryTokenCache,
       __experimental_resourceCache: createResourceCache,
     } = options || {};

From b23a007cdbfdb2e9670c13475618ce32bc94f551 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: ChrisCanin <chris@clerk.dev>
Date: Thu, 22 Jan 2026 14:17:24 -0800
Subject: [PATCH 2/2] fix(expo): Require publishableKey prop in ClerkProvider
 to prevent production crashes

---
 .changeset/kadi-env-var-fix.md | 13 -------------
 1 file changed, 13 deletions(-)

diff --git a/.changeset/kadi-env-var-fix.md b/.changeset/kadi-env-var-fix.md
index f77a7331f7d..806afaa9405 100644
--- a/.changeset/kadi-env-var-fix.md
+++ b/.changeset/kadi-env-var-fix.md
@@ -3,16 +3,3 @@
 ---
 
 fix(expo): Make publishableKey prop required and remove env var fallbacks
-
-Made `publishableKey` a required prop in `ClerkProvider` since environment variables inside node_modules are not inlined during production builds. This was causing apps to work in development but crash in production TestFlight/Google Play builds because the env var would be unset.
-
-**Migration:** Pass the publishable key explicitly to ClerkProvider:
-
-```tsx
-// Before (no longer works in production)
-<ClerkProvider>
-
-// After
-const publishableKey = process.env.EXPO_PUBLIC_CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY!;
-<ClerkProvider publishableKey={publishableKey}>
-```