NeahNew/MARK_ALL_READ_CACHE_ISSUE.md

Mark All As Read - Cache Issue Analysis

Date: 2026-01-01
Issue: After marking all as read, list is empty but count still shows 66

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🔍 Problem Analysis

Current Flow

1. User clicks "Mark all as read"
2. markAllAsRead() is called
3. Fetches notifications: this.getNotifications(userId, 1, 1000)
   • ⚠️ PROBLEM: This goes through NotificationService.getNotifications()
   • ⚠️ PROBLEM: Which uses CACHED data if available
   • ⚠️ PROBLEM: Cached notifications still have isRead: false
4. Filters unread: Gets 66 unread from cached data
5. Marks each as read: Calls Leantime API for each
6. Invalidates cache: After marking completes
7. Count is fetched: But might use stale cache or be fetched before invalidation

The Issue

Cache Race Condition:

• markAllAsRead uses cached notifications (which are stale)
• Marks them as read in Leantime
• Invalidates cache
• But count might be fetched from cache before invalidation completes
• Or count cache might not be properly invalidated

Why List is Empty:

• After marking, all notifications are read
• List might filter to show only unread
• So list is empty (correct behavior)
• But count still shows 66 (stale cache)

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🔧 Root Causes

1. Using Cached Data in markAllAsRead

Current Code:

// In markAllAsRead
const allNotifications = await this.getNotifications(userId, 1, 1000);

Problem: getNotifications() uses cache, so we're working with stale data.

Solution: Fetch directly from Leantime API, bypassing cache.

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2. Cache Invalidation Timing

Current Flow:

1. Mark all as read (uses cached data)
2. Invalidate cache
3. Count is fetched (might use stale cache if fetched too soon)

Problem: Race condition between invalidation and count fetch.

Solution:

• Invalidate cache before marking (or fetch fresh data)
• Force immediate count refresh after marking
• Add delay before count fetch to ensure cache is cleared

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3. Count Cache Not Properly Invalidated

Current Code:

if (success) {
  await this.invalidateCache(userId);
}

Problem: If markAllAsRead fails partially, cache might not be invalidated.

Solution: Always invalidate cache, even on partial success.

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✅ Recommended Fixes

Fix 1: Bypass Cache in markAllAsRead

Change: Fetch notifications directly from Leantime API, not through cached service.

Implementation:

• Add a method to fetch notifications directly from adapter (bypassing cache)
• Or add a forceRefresh parameter to getNotifications
• Or fetch directly in markAllAsRead using Leantime API

Fix 2: Always Invalidate Cache

Change: Invalidate cache even if some notifications fail to mark.

Implementation:

• Invalidate cache if any notifications were successfully marked
• Not just if all succeeded

Fix 3: Force Fresh Count After Marking

Change: After marking, force an immediate fresh count fetch.

Implementation:

• After markAllAsRead completes, immediately call getNotificationCount() with cache bypass
• Or add a delay before count fetch to ensure cache is cleared

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📊 Expected Behavior After Fixes

After Mark All As Read

Before:

• List: Empty (all read) ✅
• Count: 66 (stale cache) ❌

After:

• List: Empty (all read) ✅
• Count: 0 (fresh data) ✅

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🎯 Next Steps

1. Fix cache usage in markAllAsRead: Fetch fresh data, not cached
2. Improve cache invalidation: Always invalidate, even on partial success
3. Force count refresh: Immediately fetch fresh count after marking
4. Test: Verify count updates correctly after marking

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Status: Analysis complete. Ready to implement fixes.