ArgumentError: Before process_action callback :authenticate_api_keys_user! has not been defined when eager loading in production

[PedroAugustoRamalhoDuarte]

Hi there!!

We're using the api_keys gem in our Rails 8 app and everything works perfectly in development and test environments.

However, when booting the app in production mode, we encounter the following error during eager loading:

RAILS_ENV=production bin/rails c
/home/pedro/.asdf/installs/ruby/3.4.1/lib/ruby/gems/3.4.0/gems/activesupport-8.0.2/lib/active_support/callbacks.rb:796:in 'block (2 levels) in ActiveSupport::Callbacks::ClassMethods#skip_callback': 
Before process_action callback :authenticate_api_keys_user! has not been defined (ArgumentError)

We’re not using the built-in dashboard or routes from the gem, as we’re building a custom UI using React. Also, we don’t explicitly define or call the authenticate_api_keys_user! method anywhere in our application.

The issue can be easily reproduced by running:

RAILS_ENV=production bin/rails c

It seems that the skip_before_action :authenticate_api_keys_user! call in ApiKeys::SecurityController assumes the callback was defined, which might not be the case in custom setups like ours.

[inventionsbyhamid]

getting a similar issue while trying to use this, i am trying to use the gem as it is with a different model. I changed api_keys.rb to add my custom methods and defined my methods in application_controller.rb

config.current_owner_method = :current_brand
config.authenticate_owner_method = :authenticate_brand!

the api keys dashboard loads but i get this error when i click "Learn More" link which is linked to /security/best_practices

[rameerez]

Thanks for the heads up! Just came across this issue in production myself.

Looks like the issue was a typo in SecurityController, commit c2c668c should fix it -- I've just tested it in production and deploys and works just fine.

@claude please review all is good and if so draft a PR with a version bump and changelog, reference and close this issue

[claude]

Claude finished @rameerez's task —— View job • claude/issue-2-20250804-2224 • Create PR ➔

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Task Progress ✅

• Read repository setup instructions (CLAUDE.md) - No CLAUDE.md found
• Review the fix in SecurityController - Found the current state
• Examine the mentioned commit c2c668c - Commit not in current branch
• Understand the issue and check if the fix is already applied - ✅ Fix confirmed
• Create version bump (0.2.0 → 0.2.1)
• Update changelog
• Commit and push changes
• Create PR that references and closes issue ArgumentError: Before process_action callback :authenticate_api_keys_user! has not been defined when eager loading in production #2

Summary

Issue Analysis: The production error was caused by SecurityController referencing a non-existent callback :authenticate_api_keys_user! instead of the correct :authenticate_api_keys_owner! defined in ApplicationController.

Fix Confirmed: The typo has been corrected in the current codebase - SecurityController now properly uses :authenticate_api_keys_owner! which aligns with the gem's owner-agnostic design.

Changes Made:

• ✅ Bumped version from 0.2.0 → 0.2.1
• ✅ Updated CHANGELOG.md with fix details and issue reference
• ✅ Committed and pushed changes

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