diff --git a/lib/permissions/special-roles.js b/lib/permissions/special-roles.js
index 383d3785d..ffdeb2c47 100644
--- a/lib/permissions/special-roles.js
+++ b/lib/permissions/special-roles.js
@@ -1,60 +1,68 @@
 // @flow
 
 import _mapValues from 'lodash/fp/mapValues.js';
 import type { TRefinement } from 'tcomb';
 
 import { roleIsAdminRole, roleIsDefaultRole } from '../shared/thread-utils.js';
 import type {
   RawThreadInfo,
   RoleInfo,
 } from '../types/minimally-encoded-thread-permissions-types.js';
 import type { RawThreadInfos } from '../types/thread-types.js';
 import { values } from '../utils/objects.js';
 import { tNumEnum } from '../utils/validation-utils.js';
 
 export const specialRoles = Object.freeze({
   DEFAULT_ROLE: 1,
   ADMIN_ROLE: 2,
 });
 
 export type SpecialRole = $Values<typeof specialRoles>;
 export const specialRoleValidator: TRefinement<number> = tNumEnum(
   values(specialRoles),
 );
 
 export const defaultSpecialRoles = Object.freeze({
   Members: specialRoles.DEFAULT_ROLE,
   Admins: specialRoles.ADMIN_ROLE,
 });
 
 function patchRoleInfoWithSpecialRole(role: RoleInfo): RoleInfo {
+  // We removed the `.isDefault` field from `RoleInfo`, but persisted
+  // `RoleInfo`s will still have the field until this migration.
+  // $FlowIgnore[prop-missing]
+  const { isDefault, ...roleSansIsDefault } = role;
   if (roleIsDefaultRole(role)) {
     return {
-      ...role,
+      ...roleSansIsDefault,
       specialRole: specialRoles.DEFAULT_ROLE,
     };
   } else if (roleIsAdminRole(role)) {
     return {
-      ...role,
+      ...roleSansIsDefault,
       specialRole: specialRoles.ADMIN_ROLE,
     };
+  } else {
+    return {
+      ...roleSansIsDefault,
+      specialRole: null,
+    };
   }
-  return role;
 }
 
 function patchRawThreadInfoWithSpecialRole(
   rawThreadInfo: RawThreadInfo,
 ): RawThreadInfo {
   return {
     ...rawThreadInfo,
     roles: _mapValues(patchRoleInfoWithSpecialRole)(rawThreadInfo.roles),
   };
 }
 
 function patchRawThreadInfosWithSpecialRole(
   rawThreadInfos: RawThreadInfos,
 ): RawThreadInfos {
   return _mapValues(patchRawThreadInfoWithSpecialRole)(rawThreadInfos);
 }
 
 export { patchRoleInfoWithSpecialRole, patchRawThreadInfosWithSpecialRole };
diff --git a/lib/permissions/special-roles.test.js b/lib/permissions/special-roles.test.js
index 7942953f2..e2b6106a3 100644
--- a/lib/permissions/special-roles.test.js
+++ b/lib/permissions/special-roles.test.js
@@ -1,223 +1,223 @@
 // @flow
 
 import {
   patchRawThreadInfosWithSpecialRole,
   patchRoleInfoWithSpecialRole,
   specialRoles,
 } from './special-roles.js';
 import type { RoleInfo } from '../types/minimally-encoded-thread-permissions-types.js';
 import { threadTypes } from '../types/thread-types-enum.js';
 import type { RawThreadInfos } from '../types/thread-types.js';
 
 describe('patchRoleInfoWithSpecialRole', () => {
   it('should correctly set DEFAULT_ROLE', () => {
     const role: RoleInfo = {
       minimallyEncoded: true,
       id: 'roleID',
       name: 'roleName',
       permissions: ['abc', 'def'],
       specialRole: specialRoles.DEFAULT_ROLE,
     };
     const patchedRole = patchRoleInfoWithSpecialRole(role);
     expect(patchedRole.specialRole).toBe(specialRoles.DEFAULT_ROLE);
   });
 
   it('should correctly set ADMIN_ROLE', () => {
     const role: RoleInfo = {
       minimallyEncoded: true,
       id: 'roleID',
       name: 'Admins',
       permissions: ['abc', 'def'],
     };
     const patchedRole = patchRoleInfoWithSpecialRole(role);
     expect(patchedRole.specialRole).toBe(specialRoles.ADMIN_ROLE);
   });
 
   it('should correctly set undefined', () => {
     const role: RoleInfo = {
       minimallyEncoded: true,
       id: 'roleID',
       name: 'BLAH',
       permissions: ['abc', 'def'],
     };
     const patchedRole = patchRoleInfoWithSpecialRole(role);
-    expect(patchedRole.specialRole).toBe(undefined);
+    expect(patchedRole.specialRole).toBe(null);
   });
 });
 
 const rawThreadInfos: RawThreadInfos = {
   '256|1': {
     minimallyEncoded: true,
     id: '256|1',
     type: threadTypes.GENESIS,
     name: 'GENESIS',
     description:
       'This is the first community on Comm. In the future it will be possible to create chats outside of a community, but for now all of these chats get set with GENESIS as their parent. GENESIS is hosted on Ashoat’s keyserver.',
     color: 'c85000',
     creationTime: 1702415956354,
     parentThreadID: null,
     containingThreadID: null,
     community: null,
     members: [
       {
         id: '256',
         role: '256|83796',
         permissions: '3f73ff',
         isSender: false,
         minimallyEncoded: true,
       },
       {
         id: '83809',
         role: '256|83795',
         permissions: '3',
         isSender: false,
         minimallyEncoded: true,
       },
     ],
     roles: {
       '256|83795': {
         id: '256|83795',
         name: 'Members',
         permissions: ['000', '010', '005', '015', '0a7'],
         minimallyEncoded: true,
         specialRole: specialRoles.DEFAULT_ROLE,
       },
       '256|83796': {
         id: '256|83796',
         name: 'Admins',
         permissions: [
           '000',
           '010',
           '020',
           '100',
           '110',
           '030',
           '040',
           '060',
           '050',
           '120',
           '080',
           '090',
           '0c0',
           '070',
           '0d0',
           '0e0',
           '130',
           '140',
           '150',
           '004',
           '014',
           '0a6',
           '0a8',
           '024',
           '034',
           '044',
           '064',
           '054',
           '124',
           '086',
           '096',
           '0c4',
           '074',
           '0b4',
           '0d4',
           '0e4',
           '134',
           '156',
         ],
         minimallyEncoded: true,
       },
     },
     currentUser: {
       role: '256|83795',
       permissions: '3',
       subscription: {
         home: true,
         pushNotifs: true,
       },
       unread: false,
       minimallyEncoded: true,
     },
     repliesCount: 0,
     pinnedCount: 0,
   },
   '256|83814': {
     id: '256|83814',
     type: threadTypes.PRIVATE,
     name: '',
     description:
       'This is your private chat, where you can set reminders and jot notes in private!',
     color: 'aa4b4b',
     creationTime: 1702415964471,
     parentThreadID: '256|1',
     repliesCount: 0,
     containingThreadID: '256|1',
     community: '256|1',
     pinnedCount: 0,
     minimallyEncoded: true,
     members: [
       {
         id: '256',
         role: null,
         permissions: '2c7fff',
         isSender: false,
         minimallyEncoded: true,
       },
       {
         id: '83809',
         role: '256|83815',
         permissions: '3026f',
         isSender: true,
         minimallyEncoded: true,
       },
     ],
     roles: {
       '256|83815': {
         id: '256|83815',
         name: 'NotMembers',
         permissions: [
           '000',
           '010',
           '020',
           '100',
           '110',
           '060',
           '050',
           '090',
           '030',
           '005',
           '015',
           '0a9',
         ],
         minimallyEncoded: true,
       },
     },
     currentUser: {
       role: '256|83815',
       permissions: '3026f',
       subscription: {
         home: true,
         pushNotifs: true,
       },
       unread: false,
       minimallyEncoded: true,
     },
   },
 };
 
 describe('patchRawThreadInfosWithSpecialRole', () => {
   it('should correctly set special roles', () => {
     const patchedRawThreadInfos =
       patchRawThreadInfosWithSpecialRole(rawThreadInfos);
 
     expect(patchedRawThreadInfos['256|1'].roles['256|83795'].specialRole).toBe(
       specialRoles.DEFAULT_ROLE,
     );
     expect(patchedRawThreadInfos['256|1'].roles['256|83796'].specialRole).toBe(
       specialRoles.ADMIN_ROLE,
     );
     expect(
       patchedRawThreadInfos['256|83814'].roles['256|83815'].specialRole,
-    ).toBe(undefined);
+    ).toBe(null);
   });
 });