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
@@ -88,6 +88,7 @@
   UserInfos,
   AccountUserInfo,
   LoggedInUserInfo,
+  UserInfo,
 } from '../types/user-types.js';
 import {
   useDispatchActionPromise,
@@ -398,16 +399,37 @@
   return threadInfoFromRawThreadInfo(rawThreadInfo, viewerID, userInfos);
 }
 
-function createPendingThreadItem(
+type PendingPersonalThread = {
+  +threadInfo: ThreadInfo,
+  +pendingPersonalThreadUserInfo: UserInfo,
+};
+
+function createPendingPersonalThread(
   loggedInUserInfo: LoggedInUserInfo,
-  user: UserIDAndUsername,
-): ChatThreadItem {
+  userID: string,
+  username: string,
+): PendingPersonalThread {
+  const pendingPersonalThreadUserInfo = {
+    id: userID,
+    username: username,
+  };
+
   const threadInfo = createPendingThread({
     viewerID: loggedInUserInfo.id,
     threadType: threadTypes.PERSONAL,
-    members: [loggedInUserInfo, user],
+    members: [loggedInUserInfo, pendingPersonalThreadUserInfo],
   });
 
+  return { threadInfo, pendingPersonalThreadUserInfo };
+}
+
+function createPendingThreadItem(
+  loggedInUserInfo: LoggedInUserInfo,
+  user: UserIDAndUsername,
+): ChatThreadItem {
+  const { threadInfo, pendingPersonalThreadUserInfo } =
+    createPendingPersonalThread(loggedInUserInfo, user.id, user.username);
+
   return {
     type: 'chatThreadItem',
     threadInfo,
@@ -416,10 +438,7 @@
     lastUpdatedTime: threadInfo.creationTime,
     lastUpdatedTimeIncludingSidebars: threadInfo.creationTime,
     sidebars: [],
-    pendingPersonalThreadUserInfo: {
-      id: user.id,
-      username: user.username,
-    },
+    pendingPersonalThreadUserInfo,
   };
 }