Make user_avatar_url nullable in comments: update schema, ensure nullable handling in queries, and prevent errors when avatars are missing.

Author: MartinBraquet

backend/api/package.json

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@compass/api",
-  "version": "1.62.0",
+  "version": "1.62.1",
   "private": true,
   "description": "Backend API endpoints",
   "main": "src/serve.ts",

backend/api/src/create-comment.ts

@@ -33,7 +33,9 @@ export const createComment: APIHandler<'create-comment'> = async (
       creator.id,
       creator.name,
       creator.username,
-      creator.avatarUrl,
+      // Nullable in the DB even though `User.avatarUrl` is typed `string` — see the vote-comment
+      // handler for the same coercion.
+      creator.avatarUrl ?? null,
       userId,
       content,
       replyToCommentId,

backend/api/src/create-vote-comment.ts

@@ -65,7 +65,9 @@ export const createVoteComment: APIHandler<'create-vote-comment'> = async (
       creator.id,
       creator.name,
       creator.username,
-      creator.avatarUrl,
+      // `User.avatarUrl` is typed `string`, but `users.avatar_url` is nullable — coerced explicitly
+      // so a member without an avatar posts a comment instead of a 500.
+      creator.avatarUrl ?? null,
       content,
       parentId,
       stance ?? null,

backend/supabase/migration.sql

@@ -70,4 +70,5 @@ BEGIN;
 \i backend/supabase/migrations/20260808_add_vote_comments.sql
 \i backend/supabase/migrations/20260808_extend_vote_comment_stances.sql
 \i backend/supabase/migrations/20260808_vote_top_arguments.sql
+\i backend/supabase/migrations/20260809_vote_comment_avatar_nullable.sql
 COMMIT;

backend/supabase/migrations/20260809_vote_comment_avatar_nullable.sql

@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+-- `user_avatar_url` was copied as NOT NULL from profile_comments, but `users.avatar_url` is nullable
+-- and `User.avatarUrl` is only typed `string` — TS says it is always there, Postgres disagrees. A
+-- member without an avatar posting an argument hit the constraint and got a 500.
+--
+-- Nullable is also the honest shape now: the comment row is the only avatar source for the thread
+-- (it stopped fetching profiles per comment), and `Avatar` already falls back to an initial when it
+-- has nothing, so "no avatar" needs to be representable rather than rejected.
+ALTER TABLE vote_comments
+    ALTER COLUMN user_avatar_url DROP NOT NULL;
+
+ALTER TABLE profile_comments
+    ALTER COLUMN user_avatar_url DROP NOT NULL;

common/src/supabase/comment.ts

@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ export const convertComment = (row: Row<'profile_comments'>): ProfileComment =>
   createdTime: tsToMillis(row.created_time),
   userName: row.user_name,
   userUsername: row.user_username,
-  userAvatarUrl: row.user_avatar_url,
+  userAvatarUrl: row.user_avatar_url ?? undefined,
   hidden: row.hidden,
   visibility: 'public',
   content: row.content as JSONContent,
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ export const convertVoteComment = (row: Row<'vote_comments'>): VoteComment => ({
   createdTime: tsToMillis(row.created_time),
   userName: row.user_name,
   userUsername: row.user_username,
-  userAvatarUrl: row.user_avatar_url,
+  userAvatarUrl: row.user_avatar_url ?? undefined,
   hidden: row.hidden,
   visibility: 'public',
   content: row.content as JSONContent,

common/src/supabase/schema.ts

@@ -1016,7 +1016,7 @@ export type Database = {
           id: number
           on_user_id: string
           reply_to_comment_id: number | null
-          user_avatar_url: string
+          user_avatar_url: string | null
           user_id: string
           user_name: string
           user_username: string
@@ -1028,7 +1028,7 @@ export type Database = {
           id?: number
           on_user_id: string
           reply_to_comment_id?: number | null
-          user_avatar_url: string
+          user_avatar_url?: string | null
           user_id: string
           user_name: string
           user_username: string
@@ -1040,7 +1040,7 @@ export type Database = {
           id?: number
           on_user_id?: string
           reply_to_comment_id?: number | null
-          user_avatar_url?: string
+          user_avatar_url?: string | null
           user_id?: string
           user_name?: string
           user_username?: string
@@ -1860,7 +1860,7 @@ export type Database = {
           id: number
           reply_to_comment_id: number | null
           stance: string | null
-          user_avatar_url: string
+          user_avatar_url: string | null
           user_id: string
           user_name: string
           user_username: string
@@ -1873,7 +1873,7 @@ export type Database = {
           id?: never
           reply_to_comment_id?: number | null
           stance?: string | null
-          user_avatar_url: string
+          user_avatar_url?: string | null
           user_id: string
           user_name: string
           user_username: string