clerk · mikepitre · Jul 11, 2026
diff --git a/.changeset/calm-clients-start.md b/.changeset/calm-clients-start.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+'@clerk/expo': patch
+---
+
+Reduce redundant native and JavaScript client refreshes during Expo startup.
diff --git a/packages/expo/android/src/main/java/expo/modules/clerk/ClerkExpoModule.kt b/packages/expo/android/src/main/java/expo/modules/clerk/ClerkExpoModule.kt
@@ -215,13 +215,15 @@ class ClerkExpoModule : Module() {
 
         coroutineScope.launch {
             try {
+                val normalizedBearerToken = bearerToken?.trim()?.takeIf { it.isNotEmpty() }
+
                 if (!Clerk.isInitialized.value) {
                     // First-time initialization — write the bearer token to SharedPreferences
                     // before initializing so the SDK boots with the correct client.
-                    if (!bearerToken.isNullOrEmpty()) {
+                    if (normalizedBearerToken != null) {
                         context.getSharedPreferences("clerk_preferences", Context.MODE_PRIVATE)
                             .edit()
-                            .putString("DEVICE_TOKEN", bearerToken)
+                            .putString("DEVICE_TOKEN", normalizedBearerToken)
                             .apply()
                     }
 
@@ -248,7 +250,7 @@ class ClerkExpoModule : Module() {
                         }
                         // If a bearer token was provided, wait for native client state to hydrate
                         // before resolving the configure call.
-                        if (!bearerToken.isNullOrEmpty()) {
+                        if (normalizedBearerToken != null) {
                             withTimeout(5_000L) {
                                 Clerk.clientFlow.first { it != null }
                             }
@@ -270,6 +272,7 @@ class ClerkExpoModule : Module() {
                         promise.reject("E_INIT_FAILED", "Failed to initialize Clerk SDK: ${error.message}", null)
                     } else {
                         configuredPublishableKey = pubKey
+                        lastObservedClientState = clientStateSnapshot()
                         promise.resolve(null)
                     }
                     return@launch
@@ -303,10 +306,13 @@ class ClerkExpoModule : Module() {
                         return@launch
                     }
 
-                    if (!bearerToken.isNullOrEmpty()) {
-                        val result = Clerk.updateDeviceToken(bearerToken)
-                        if (result is ClerkResult.Failure) {
-                            debugLog(TAG, "configure - updateDeviceToken after reconfigure failed: ${result.error}")
+                    if (normalizedBearerToken != null) {
+                        val clientState = clientStateSnapshot()
+                        if (clientState.deviceToken != normalizedBearerToken || clientState.client == null) {
+                            val result = Clerk.updateDeviceToken(normalizedBearerToken)
+                            if (result is ClerkResult.Failure) {
+                                debugLog(TAG, "configure - updateDeviceToken after reconfigure failed: ${result.error}")
+                            }
                         }
 
                         try {
@@ -319,17 +325,28 @@ class ClerkExpoModule : Module() {
                     }
 
                     configuredPublishableKey = pubKey
+                    lastObservedClientState = clientStateSnapshot()
                     promise.resolve(null)
                     return@launch
                 }
 
                 // Already initialized — use the public SDK API to update
                 // the device token and trigger a client/environment refresh.
                 startClientStateObserver()
-                if (!bearerToken.isNullOrEmpty()) {
-                    val result = Clerk.updateDeviceToken(bearerToken)
+                if (normalizedBearerToken != null) {
+                    val clientState = clientStateSnapshot()
+                    val result = if (
+                        clientState.deviceToken != normalizedBearerToken ||
+                        clientState.client == null
+                    ) {
+                        Clerk.updateDeviceToken(normalizedBearerToken)
+                    } else {
+                        // A remounted JS runtime can have the same token while native
+                        // client state is stale, so preserve one refresh in that case.
+                        Clerk.refreshClient()
+                    }
                     if (result is ClerkResult.Failure) {
-                        debugLog(TAG, "configure - updateDeviceToken failed: ${result.error}")
+                        debugLog(TAG, "configure - client refresh failed: ${result.error}")
                     }
 
                     // Wait for client state to hydrate with the new token (up to 5s).
@@ -342,6 +359,7 @@ class ClerkExpoModule : Module() {
                     }
                 }
 
+                lastObservedClientState = clientStateSnapshot()
                 promise.resolve(null)
             } catch (e: Exception) {
                 promise.reject("E_INIT_FAILED", "Failed to initialize Clerk SDK: ${e.message}", e)
@@ -382,6 +400,7 @@ class ClerkExpoModule : Module() {
             try {
                 jsOriginatedClientSyncDepth += 1
                 val previousClientState = clientStateSnapshot()
+                var refreshedClientWhileUpdatingToken = false
 
                 if (didChangeDeviceToken && !deviceToken.isNullOrBlank()) {
                     val currentDeviceToken = try {
@@ -401,6 +420,7 @@ class ClerkExpoModule : Module() {
                                 return@launch
                             }
                             is ClerkResult.Success -> {
+                                refreshedClientWhileUpdatingToken = true
                                 try {
                                     withTimeout(5_000L) {
                                         Clerk.clientFlow.first { it != null }
@@ -413,7 +433,7 @@ class ClerkExpoModule : Module() {
                     }
                 }
 
-                if (didChangeClient || didChangeDeviceToken) {
+                if (!refreshedClientWhileUpdatingToken && (didChangeClient || didChangeDeviceToken)) {
                     when (val result = Clerk.refreshClient()) {
                         is ClerkResult.Failure -> {
                             promise.reject(

diff --git a/packages/expo/ios/ClerkNativeBridge.swift b/packages/expo/ios/ClerkNativeBridge.swift
@@ -48,6 +48,8 @@ final class ClerkNativeBridge {
 
   private var clientObservationGeneration = 0
   private var lastObservedClientState: ClientStateSnapshot?
+  private var configurationDepth = 0
+  private var jsOriginatedClientSyncDepth = 0
 
   private init() {}
 
@@ -74,6 +76,12 @@ final class ClerkNativeBridge {
 
   @MainActor
   func configure(publishableKey: String, bearerToken: String? = nil) async throws {
+    configurationDepth += 1
+    defer {
+      lastObservedClientState = Self.clerkConfigured ? Self.clientStateSnapshot() : nil
+      configurationDepth = max(0, configurationDepth - 1)
+    }
+
     loadThemes()
 
     if Self.shouldReconfigure(for: publishableKey) {
@@ -84,16 +92,21 @@ final class ClerkNativeBridge {
 
       let shouldWaitForClient = try await Self.syncTokenState(bearerToken: bearerToken)
       await Self.waitForLoadedClientIfNeeded(shouldWaitForClient)
-      Self.emitClientChangedIfReceivedToken(bearerToken)
       Self.postConfiguredNotification()
       return
     }
 
     if Self.clerkConfigured {
       startClientObserver()
-      let shouldWaitForClient = try await Self.syncTokenState(bearerToken: bearerToken)
-      await Self.waitForLoadedClientIfNeeded(shouldWaitForClient)
-      Self.emitClientChangedIfReceivedToken(bearerToken)
+      let didUpdateDeviceToken = try await Self.syncTokenState(bearerToken: bearerToken)
+      if didUpdateDeviceToken {
+        await Self.waitForLoadedClient()
+      } else if let token = bearerToken?.trimmingCharacters(in: .whitespacesAndNewlines), !token.isEmpty {
+        // A remounted JS runtime can have the same token while native client
+        // state is stale, so preserve one refresh in that case.
+        _ = try await Clerk.shared.refreshClient()
+        await Self.waitForLoadedClient()
+      }
       return
     }
 
@@ -104,16 +117,9 @@ final class ClerkNativeBridge {
 
     let shouldWaitForClient = try await Self.syncTokenState(bearerToken: bearerToken)
     await Self.waitForLoadedClientIfNeeded(shouldWaitForClient)
-    Self.emitClientChangedIfReceivedToken(bearerToken)
     Self.postConfiguredNotification()
   }
 
-  @MainActor
-  private static func emitClientChangedIfReceivedToken(_ bearerToken: String?) {
-    guard let token = bearerToken, !token.trimmingCharacters(in: .whitespacesAndNewlines).isEmpty else { return }
-    Self.emitClientChanged(Self.clientChangedPayload(changes: .init(client: false, deviceToken: true)))
-  }
-
   @MainActor
   private func startClientObserver(reset: Bool = false) {
     guard reset || clientObservationGeneration == 0 else {
@@ -139,13 +145,15 @@ final class ClerkNativeBridge {
         let newClientState = Self.clientStateSnapshot()
         if let previousClientState = self.lastObservedClientState, newClientState != previousClientState {
           self.lastObservedClientState = newClientState
-          let payload = Self.clientChangedPayload(
-            changes: .init(
-              client: newClientState.client != previousClientState.client,
-              deviceToken: newClientState.deviceToken != previousClientState.deviceToken
+          if self.configurationDepth == 0, self.jsOriginatedClientSyncDepth == 0 {
+            let payload = Self.clientChangedPayload(
+              changes: .init(
+                client: newClientState.client != previousClientState.client,
+                deviceToken: newClientState.deviceToken != previousClientState.deviceToken
+              )
             )
-          )
-          Self.emitClientChanged(payload)
+            Self.emitClientChanged(payload)
+          }
         }
 
         self.observeClient(generation: generation)
@@ -180,8 +188,14 @@ final class ClerkNativeBridge {
 
   @MainActor
   private static func syncTokenState(bearerToken: String?) async throws -> Bool {
-    guard let token = bearerToken, !token.isEmpty else {
-      return Clerk.shared.deviceToken != nil
+    await waitForLoadedClient()
+
+    guard let token = bearerToken?.trimmingCharacters(in: .whitespacesAndNewlines), !token.isEmpty
+    else {
+      return false
+    }
+    guard Clerk.shared.deviceToken != token || Clerk.shared.client == nil else {
+      return false
     }
     _ = try await Clerk.shared.updateDeviceToken(token)
     return true
@@ -281,15 +295,38 @@ final class ClerkNativeBridge {
     guard Self.clerkConfigured else { return }
 
     let previousClientState = Self.clientStateSnapshot()
+    var completedSuccessfully = false
+    jsOriginatedClientSyncDepth += 1
+    defer {
+      let finalClientState = Self.clientStateSnapshot()
+      lastObservedClientState = finalClientState
+      jsOriginatedClientSyncDepth = max(0, jsOriginatedClientSyncDepth - 1)
+
+      if !completedSuccessfully, finalClientState != previousClientState {
+        Self.emitClientChanged(
+          Self.clientChangedPayload(
+            changes: .init(
+              client: finalClientState.client != previousClientState.client,
+              deviceToken: finalClientState.deviceToken != previousClientState.deviceToken
+            )
+          )
+        )
+      }
+    }
+
+    var refreshedClientWhileUpdatingToken = false
 
-    if didChangeDeviceToken, let token = deviceToken?.trimmingCharacters(in: .whitespacesAndNewlines), !token.isEmpty {
+    if didChangeDeviceToken,
+      let token = deviceToken?.trimmingCharacters(in: .whitespacesAndNewlines), !token.isEmpty
+    {
       if Clerk.shared.deviceToken != token {
         _ = try await Clerk.shared.updateDeviceToken(token)
         await Self.waitForLoadedClient()
+        refreshedClientWhileUpdatingToken = true
       }
     }
 
-    if didChangeClient || didChangeDeviceToken {
+    if !refreshedClientWhileUpdatingToken, didChangeClient || didChangeDeviceToken {
       _ = try await Clerk.shared.refreshClient()
       await Self.waitForLoadedClient()
     }
@@ -305,6 +342,7 @@ final class ClerkNativeBridge {
         )
       )
     )
+    completedSuccessfully = true
   }
 
   private static func postConfiguredNotification() {

diff --git a/packages/expo/src/hooks/__tests__/useNativeClientEvents.test.ts b/packages/expo/src/hooks/__tests__/useNativeClientEvents.test.ts
@@ -67,6 +67,22 @@ describe('useNativeClientEvents', () => {
     unmount();
   });
 
+  test('subscribes only while native client events are enabled', () => {
+    const { rerender, unmount } = renderHook(({ enabled }) => useNativeClientEvents(enabled), {
+      initialProps: { enabled: false },
+    });
+
+    expect(mocks.moduleAddListener).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+
+    rerender({ enabled: true });
+    expect(mocks.moduleAddListener).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+
+    rerender({ enabled: false });
+    expect(mocks.remove).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+
+    unmount();
+  });
+
   test('does not subscribe modules without an Expo event emitter', () => {
     mocks.nativeModule = {
       configure: vi.fn(),

diff --git a/packages/expo/src/hooks/useNativeClientEvents.ts b/packages/expo/src/hooks/useNativeClientEvents.ts
@@ -54,10 +54,15 @@ function isNativeClientSnapshot(snapshot: NativeClientSnapshot | undefined): sna
 /**
  * Listens for native client events that should sync JS client state.
  */
-export function useNativeClientEvents(): UseNativeClientEventsReturn {
+export function useNativeClientEvents(enabled = true): UseNativeClientEventsReturn {
   const [nativeClientEvent, setNativeClientEvent] = useState<NativeClientEvent | null>(null);
 
   useEffect(() => {
+    if (!enabled) {
+      setNativeClientEvent(null);
+      return;
+    }
+
     if (!isNativeSupported || !ClerkExpo) {
       return;
     }
@@ -87,7 +92,7 @@ export function useNativeClientEvents(): UseNativeClientEventsReturn {
     return () => {
       subscription?.remove();
     };
-  }, []);
+  }, [enabled]);
 
   return {
     nativeClientEvent,

diff --git a/packages/expo/src/provider/ClerkProvider.tsx b/packages/expo/src/provider/ClerkProvider.tsx
@@ -90,13 +90,15 @@ export function ClerkProvider<TUi extends Ui = Ui>(props: ClerkProviderProps<TUi
     : null;
 
   const suppressJsClientChangedRef = useRef(0);
-  const isMountedRef = useNativeClientBootstrap({
+  const { isMountedRef, isNativeClientReady } = useNativeClientBootstrap({
     publishableKey: pk,
+    nativeRefreshFromJsControllerRef,
     suppressTokenCacheNotificationsRef,
     tokenCache: syncableTokenCache,
     clerkInstance,
   });
   useNativeClientEventSync({
+    enabled: isNativeClientReady,
     clerkInstance,
     isMountedRef,
     nativeRefreshFromJsControllerRef,
@@ -134,6 +136,7 @@ export function ClerkProvider<TUi extends Ui = Ui>(props: ClerkProviderProps<TUi
     >
       {isNative() && (
         <NativeClientSync
+          enabled={isNativeClientReady}
           clerkInstance={clerkInstance}
           nativeRefreshFromJsControllerRef={nativeRefreshFromJsControllerRef}
           suppressJsClientChangedRef={suppressJsClientChangedRef}