diff --git a/keyserver/src/responders/website-responders.js b/keyserver/src/responders/website-responders.js
--- a/keyserver/src/responders/website-responders.js
+++ b/keyserver/src/responders/website-responders.js
@@ -277,8 +277,15 @@
         currentUserInfo.id
       ) {
         const { userInfos } = userStore;
-        const members = pendingThreadData.memberIDs
-          .map(id => userInfos[id])
+        const members = [...pendingThreadData.memberIDs, currentUserInfo.id]
+          .map(id => {
+            const userInfo = userInfos[id];
+            if (!userInfo || !userInfo.username) {
+              return undefined;
+            }
+            const { username } = userInfo;
+            return { id, username };
+          })
           .filter(Boolean);
         const newPendingThread = createPendingThread({
           viewerID: currentUserInfo.id,
diff --git a/lib/reducers/message-reducer.test.js b/lib/reducers/message-reducer.test.js
--- a/lib/reducers/message-reducer.test.js
+++ b/lib/reducers/message-reducer.test.js
@@ -295,6 +295,7 @@
       [88471]: createPendingThread({
         viewerID: '',
         threadType: threadTypes.LOCAL,
+        members: [{ id: '', username: '' }],
       }),
     },
   );
diff --git a/lib/shared/thread-utils.js b/lib/shared/thread-utils.js
--- a/lib/shared/thread-utils.js
+++ b/lib/shared/thread-utils.js
@@ -71,7 +71,6 @@
 import type {
   GlobalAccountUserInfo,
   UserInfos,
-  UserInfo,
   AccountUserInfo,
   LoggedInUserInfo,
 } from '../types/user-types.js';
@@ -323,10 +322,15 @@
   };
 }
 
+type UserIDAndUsername = {
+  +id: string,
+  +username: string,
+  ...
+};
 type CreatePendingThreadArgs = {
   +viewerID: string,
   +threadType: ThreadType,
-  +members?: $ReadOnlyArray<GlobalAccountUserInfo | UserInfo>,
+  +members: $ReadOnlyArray<UserIDAndUsername>,
   +parentThreadInfo?: ?ThreadInfo,
   +threadColor?: ?string,
   +name?: ?string,
@@ -343,11 +347,13 @@
   sourceMessageID,
 }: CreatePendingThreadArgs): ThreadInfo {
   const now = Date.now();
-  const nonViewerMembers = members
-    ? members.filter(member => member.id !== viewerID)
-    : [];
-  const nonViewerMemberIDs = nonViewerMembers.map(member => member.id);
-  const memberIDs = [...nonViewerMemberIDs, viewerID];
+  if (!members.some(member => member.id === viewerID)) {
+    throw new Error(
+      'createPendingThread should be called with the viewer as a member',
+    );
+  }
+
+  const memberIDs = members.map(member => member.id);
   const threadID = getPendingThreadID(threadType, memberIDs, sourceMessageID);
 
   const permissions = {
@@ -377,20 +383,12 @@
     parentThreadID: parentThreadInfo?.id ?? null,
     containingThreadID: getContainingThreadID(parentThreadInfo, threadType),
     community: getCommunity(parentThreadInfo),
-    members: [
-      {
-        id: viewerID,
-        role: role.id,
-        permissions: membershipPermissions,
-        isSender: false,
-      },
-      ...nonViewerMembers.map(member => ({
-        id: member.id,
-        role: role.id,
-        permissions: membershipPermissions,
-        isSender: false,
-      })),
-    ],
+    members: members.map(member => ({
+      id: member.id,
+      role: role.id,
+      permissions: membershipPermissions,
+      isSender: false,
+    })),
     roles: {
       [role.id]: role,
     },
@@ -408,19 +406,22 @@
   };
 
   const userInfos = {};
-  nonViewerMembers.forEach(member => (userInfos[member.id] = member));
+  for (const member of members) {
+    const { id, username } = member;
+    userInfos[id] = { id, username };
+  }
 
   return threadInfoFromRawThreadInfo(rawThreadInfo, viewerID, userInfos);
 }
 
 function createPendingThreadItem(
   loggedInUserInfo: LoggedInUserInfo,
-  user: GlobalAccountUserInfo,
+  user: UserIDAndUsername,
 ): ChatThreadItem {
   const threadInfo = createPendingThread({
     viewerID: loggedInUserInfo.id,
     threadType: threadTypes.PERSONAL,
-    members: [user],
+    members: [loggedInUserInfo, user],
   });
 
   return {
@@ -462,7 +463,7 @@
 
   const initialMembers = new Map();
   const { id: viewerID, username } = loggedInUserInfo;
-  initialMembers.set(viewerID, ({ id: viewerID, username }: UserInfo));
+  initialMembers.set(viewerID, { id: viewerID, username });
   if (userIsMember(parentThreadInfo, sourceMessageInfo.creator.id)) {
     const { id: sourceAuthorID, username: sourceAuthorUsername } =
       sourceMessageInfo.creator;
@@ -470,7 +471,7 @@
       sourceAuthorUsername,
       'sourceAuthorUsername should be set in createPendingSidebar',
     );
-    const initialMemberUserInfo: GlobalAccountUserInfo = {
+    const initialMemberUserInfo = {
       id: sourceAuthorID,
       username: sourceAuthorUsername,
     };
@@ -485,7 +486,7 @@
       singleOtherUsername,
       'singleOtherUsername should be set in createPendingSidebar',
     );
-    const singleOtherUserInfo: GlobalAccountUserInfo = {
+    const singleOtherUserInfo = {
       id: singleOtherUser,
       username: singleOtherUsername,
     };
@@ -1164,7 +1165,7 @@
         ? createPendingThread({
             viewerID,
             threadType: pendingThreadType(userInfoInputArray.length),
-            members: userInfoInputArray,
+            members: [loggedInUserInfo, ...userInfoInputArray],
           })
         : baseThreadInfo;
       return {
diff --git a/native/chat/chat-thread-list.react.js b/native/chat/chat-thread-list.react.js
--- a/native/chat/chat-thread-list.react.js
+++ b/native/chat/chat-thread-list.react.js
@@ -568,6 +568,7 @@
     const threadInfo = createPendingThread({
       viewerID: loggedInUserInfo.id,
       threadType: threadTypes.PRIVATE,
+      members: [loggedInUserInfo],
     });
     this.props.navigateToThread({ threadInfo, searching: true });
   };
diff --git a/native/chat/compose-thread-button.react.js b/native/chat/compose-thread-button.react.js
--- a/native/chat/compose-thread-button.react.js
+++ b/native/chat/compose-thread-button.react.js
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 import * as React from 'react';
 import { StyleSheet } from 'react-native';
 
+import { useLoggedInUserInfo } from 'lib/hooks/account-hooks.js';
 import { createPendingThread } from 'lib/shared/thread-utils.js';
 import { threadTypes } from 'lib/types/thread-types.js';
 
@@ -10,7 +11,6 @@
 import Button from '../components/button.react.js';
 import SWMansionIcon from '../components/swmansion-icon.react.js';
 import { MessageListRouteName } from '../navigation/route-names.js';
-import { useSelector } from '../redux/redux-utils.js';
 import { useColors } from '../themes/colors.js';
 
 type Props = {
@@ -18,24 +18,23 @@
 };
 function ComposeThreadButton(props: Props) {
   const { navigate } = props;
-  const viewerID = useSelector(
-    state => state.currentUserInfo && state.currentUserInfo.id,
-  );
+  const loggedInUserInfo = useLoggedInUserInfo();
   const onPress = React.useCallback(() => {
-    if (!viewerID) {
+    if (!loggedInUserInfo) {
       return;
     }
     navigate<'MessageList'>({
       name: MessageListRouteName,
       params: {
         threadInfo: createPendingThread({
-          viewerID,
+          viewerID: loggedInUserInfo.id,
           threadType: threadTypes.PRIVATE,
+          members: [loggedInUserInfo],
         }),
         searching: true,
       },
     });
-  }, [navigate, viewerID]);
+  }, [navigate, loggedInUserInfo]);
 
   const { listForegroundSecondaryLabel } = useColors();
   return (
diff --git a/web/chat/chat-message-list-container.react.js b/web/chat/chat-message-list-container.react.js
--- a/web/chat/chat-message-list-container.react.js
+++ b/web/chat/chat-message-list-container.react.js
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
 import { NativeTypes } from 'react-dnd-html5-backend';
 import { useDispatch } from 'react-redux';
 
+import { useLoggedInUserInfo } from 'lib/hooks/account-hooks.js';
 import { threadInfoSelector } from 'lib/selectors/thread-selectors.js';
 import { userInfoSelectorForPotentialMembers } from 'lib/selectors/user-selectors.js';
 import {
@@ -43,13 +44,15 @@
     () => selectedUserIDs?.map(id => otherUserInfos[id]).filter(Boolean) ?? [],
     [otherUserInfos, selectedUserIDs],
   );
-  const viewerID = useSelector(state => state.currentUserInfo?.id);
-  invariant(viewerID, 'should be set');
+
+  const loggedInUserInfo = useLoggedInUserInfo();
+  invariant(loggedInUserInfo, 'loggedInUserInfo should be set');
 
   const pendingPrivateThread = React.useRef(
     createPendingThread({
-      viewerID,
+      viewerID: loggedInUserInfo.id,
       threadType: threadTypes.PRIVATE,
+      members: [loggedInUserInfo],
     }),
   );
 
@@ -57,13 +60,14 @@
   const pendingNewThread = React.useMemo(
     () => ({
       ...createPendingThread({
-        viewerID,
+        viewerID: loggedInUserInfo.id,
         threadType: threadTypes.PRIVATE,
+        members: [loggedInUserInfo],
         name: 'New thread',
       }),
       id: newThreadID,
     }),
-    [viewerID],
+    [loggedInUserInfo],
   );
 
   const existingThreadInfoFinderForCreatingThread = useExistingThreadInfoFinder(