hcengineering/platform · error · PlatformError

platform.status.SocialIdAlreadyExists

platform.status.SocialIdAlreadyExists

Error message

throw new PlatformError(
          new Status(Severity.ERROR, platform.status.SocialIdAlreadyExists, { value: email, type: SocialIdType.EMAIL })
        )

What it means

addEmailSocialId checks whether the normalized email already exists as a verified EMAIL social id. Per the documented policy, if the social id exists and is verified — for this or another account — it throws platform.status.SocialIdAlreadyExists carrying the value and type. Unverified duplicates are reclaimed/moved instead of erroring; only verified ones collide.

Source

Thrown at server/account/src/operations.ts:2905

  if (account == null) {
    throw new PlatformError(new Status(Severity.ERROR, platform.status.AccountNotFound, { account }))
  }

  const normalizedEmail = normalizeValue(email)
  const existing = await db.socialId.findOne({ type: SocialIdType.EMAIL, value: normalizedEmail })

  // This schema should be applied to all types in general, they should only differ by the verification process.
  // If none exists, create a new one and proceed to verification
  // If exists only for person without account - will be able to merge person to the account, proceed to verification
  // If exists for this account but not verified - proceed to verification right away
  // If exists for this account and verified - throw an error (already exists)
  // If exists for another account and not verified - will move only this id to the current account, proceed to verification
  // If exists for another account and verified - throw an error for now, support merge accounts later, maybe through a different procedure
  let targetSocialId: SocialId
  if (existing != null) {
    if (existing.verifiedOn != null) {
      throw new PlatformError(
        new Status(Severity.ERROR, platform.status.SocialIdAlreadyExists, { value: email, type: SocialIdType.EMAIL })
      )
    }
    targetSocialId = existing
  } else {
    const newSocialId = {
      type: SocialIdType.EMAIL,
      value: normalizedEmail,
      personUuid: account
    }
    const _id = await db.socialId.insertOne(newSocialId)
    targetSocialId = { ...newSocialId, _id, key: buildSocialIdString(newSocialId) }
  }

  return await sendOtp(ctx, db, branding, targetSocialId)
}

async function addHulyAssistantSocialId (

View on GitHub (pinned to 63e28dc964)

Solutions

  1. Sign in with the existing account that owns this verified email instead of adding it to another account.
  2. Choose a different, unregistered email address.
  3. If the old account is yours and unreachable, use password recovery or account merge/support procedure, then retry.
  4. Verify with an email lookup which account owns the address before attempting to link it.

Example fix

// before
await accountClient.addEmailSocialId(token, { email: 'user@example.com' }) // already verified elsewhere
// after
const owner = await findAccountByEmail('user@example.com')
if (owner != null) {
  showNotice('This email is already registered. Sign in or recover that account.')
  return
}
await accountClient.addEmailSocialId(token, { email: 'user@example.com' })
Defensive patterns

Strategy: try-catch

Validate before calling

// Pre-check whether the email is already registered/verified elsewhere
const existing = await lookupAccountByEmail(email)
if (existing != null && existing.verified) {
  showNotice('This email is already registered. Sign in instead.')
  return
}

Type guard

function isUnclaimed (s: SocialId | null): s is null | (SocialId & { verifiedOn: null }) {
  return s == null || s.verifiedOn == null
}

Try / catch

try {
  await accountClient.addEmailSocialId(token, { email })
} catch (err) {
  if (err instanceof PlatformError && err.status.code === platform.status.SocialIdAlreadyExists) {
    showError('This email is already verified on another account. Sign in with it or use a different email.')
  } else throw err
}

Prevention

When it happens

Trigger: Adding an email that is already verified on another account (email reused after old signup), or re-adding an email the same account already verified. Also duplicate signup flows racing where one verification completed first.

Common situations: User forgot an old account with that email exists; trying to link a work email already bound to a colleague's account; test emails reused across accounts; password-manager autofill filling an already-registered email.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of hcengineering/platform@63e28dc964 (2026-08-29). Data as JSON: /api/errors/381acfab9cb4c6fa. Report an issue: GitHub.