From 37fc52d85bf363ede18f265ee93f418d4e782b82 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Jannis Braun <151788261+TheZwiss@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Tue, 31 Mar 2026 05:08:22 +0200
Subject: [PATCH] fix(migration): require at least one stub in merge pair to
 prevent false positives

Two real accounts from the same remote instance sharing a 1-on-1 DM
are different people, not duplicates. The shared DM is a legitimate
relay. Only merge when at least one user has passwordHash =
'!federation-replicated' (a relay-created stub).
---
 packages/server/src/db/migrate.ts | 13 ++++++++++++-
 1 file changed, 12 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/packages/server/src/db/migrate.ts b/packages/server/src/db/migrate.ts
index 06a34f91..35aa53ba 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/db/migrate.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/db/migrate.ts
@@ -698,8 +698,12 @@ export function runMigrations(db: Database.Database): void {
   // different homeUserId (e.g., auth registration vs S2S relay). Now that
   // homeInstance is normalized to bare domain, we can detect and merge duplicates.
   //
+  // Safety guard: at least one user in the pair must be a stub
+  // (passwordHash = '!federation-replicated'). Two real accounts from the same
+  // instance are different people who share a relayed DM, not duplicates.
+  //
   // Detection criteria (at least one must match, PLUS same homeInstance domain):
-  // 1. Shared 1-on-1 DM membership (strongest signal)
+  // 1. Shared 1-on-1 DM membership (only when at least one is a stub)
   // 2. Username cross-reference (one's homeUserId in the other's username base)
   // 3. homeUserId cross-match (same homeUserId, missed due to old format mismatch)
   //
@@ -738,6 +742,13 @@ export function runMigrations(db: Database.Database): void {
       for (let j = i + 1; j < users.length; j++) {
         const a = users[i]!;
         const b = users[j]!;
+
+        // Safety guard: at least one must be a stub. Two real accounts from the
+        // same instance are different people (they share relayed DMs, not identities).
+        const aIsStub = a.password_hash === '!federation-replicated';
+        const bIsStub = b.password_hash === '!federation-replicated';
+        if (!aIsStub && !bIsStub) continue;
+
         let reason: string | null = null;
 
         // Criterion 1: shared 1-on-1 DM membership