feat(transactions): make new-transaction marker cross-device (#611)

## What

The "new since last visit" highlight (#609) stored its marker in
`localStorage` (`transactions-last-visit`), so it was **per-device**:
each device kept its own last-visit timestamp and re-flagged the same
rows. This moves the marker to a per-user server column so a single
"last visit" is shared across all your devices.

## How

- New nullable `transactions_last_visited_at` column on `users` (same
pattern as `last_active_at` / `paywall_seen_at`).
- `TransactionController@index` reads the stored marker, renders the
list with the **old** value (`lastVisitAt` prop), then advances it
forward to the newest `created_at` it served.
- Frontend drops the `localStorage` read/write and just freezes the
`lastVisitAt` prop at mount; `isNewSince` per-row logic is unchanged.

## Why newest-served `created_at` and not `now()`

Advancing to `now()` would mark a back-dated synced row (old
`transaction_date`, lands on a later page that wasn't served) as seen,
so it would never be highlighted — the exact "hiding" failure the
per-row design avoids. Advancing only to what was actually served keeps
the feature's "err on showing, never hiding" stance. The marker only
ever moves forward.

## Notes

- Same filter caveat as before: opening the list with a filter applied
advances the marker using the filtered payload. Carried over from the
original `localStorage` behavior; not a regression.
- Removed the now-dead `loadLastVisit` / `saveLastVisit` /
`newestCreatedAt` helpers and their tests.

## Tests

- `NewTransactionsMarkerTest` (feature): null marker on first visit +
stores newest served; later visit sees previous marker + advances
forward; marker never moves backward.
- `new-transactions.test.ts` (`isNewSince`), Pint, ESLint, Prettier all
pass.

app/Http/Controllers/TransactionController.php

@@ -30,6 +30,8 @@ class TransactionController extends Controller
         $user = $request->user();
         $validated = $request->validated();
 
+        $lastVisitAt = $user->transactions_last_visited_at;
+
         $perPage = (int) ($validated['per_page'] ?? 50);
         $sortParam = $validated['sort'] ?? '-transaction_date';
 
@@ -77,6 +79,11 @@ class TransactionController extends Controller
                 ->append('ai_categorized');
         });
 
+        $newestServed = $transactions->getCollection()->max('created_at');
+        if ($newestServed && (! $lastVisitAt || $newestServed->gt($lastVisitAt))) {
+            $user->forceFill(['transactions_last_visited_at' => $newestServed])->save();
+        }
+
         $appliedFilters = [
             'date_from' => $validated['date_from'] ?? null,
             'date_to' => $validated['date_to'] ?? null,
@@ -128,6 +135,7 @@ class TransactionController extends Controller
             'labels' => $labels,
             'automationRules' => $automationRules,
             'hasAiConsent' => $user->hasActiveAiConsent(),
+            'lastVisitAt' => $lastVisitAt?->toISOString(),
         ]);
     }
 

app/Models/User.php

@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ use Laravel\Pennant\Concerns\HasFeatures;
 /**
  * @property ?Carbon $last_logged_in_at
  * @property ?Carbon $last_active_at
+ * @property ?Carbon $transactions_last_visited_at
  */
 class User extends Authenticatable implements HasLocalePreference, MustVerifyEmail
 {
@@ -77,6 +78,7 @@ class User extends Authenticatable implements HasLocalePreference, MustVerifyEma
             'paywall_seen_at' => 'datetime',
             'last_logged_in_at' => 'datetime',
             'last_active_at' => 'datetime',
+            'transactions_last_visited_at' => 'datetime',
         ];
     }
 

database/migrations/2026_06_29_161916_add_transactions_last_visited_at_to_users_table.php

@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+<?php
+
+use Illuminate\Database\Migrations\Migration;
+use Illuminate\Database\Schema\Blueprint;
+use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Schema;
+
+return new class extends Migration
+{
+    /**
+     * Run the migrations.
+     */
+    public function up(): void
+    {
+        Schema::table('users', function (Blueprint $table) {
+            $table->timestamp('transactions_last_visited_at')->nullable()->after('last_active_at');
+        });
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Reverse the migrations.
+     */
+    public function down(): void
+    {
+        Schema::table('users', function (Blueprint $table) {
+            $table->dropColumn('transactions_last_visited_at');
+        });
+    }
+};

resources/js/lib/new-transactions.test.ts

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest';
 
-import { isNewSince, newestCreatedAt } from './new-transactions';
+import { isNewSince } from './new-transactions';
 
 const tx = (created_at: string) => ({ created_at });
 
@@ -34,31 +34,3 @@ describe('isNewSince', () => {
         );
     });
 });
-
-describe('newestCreatedAt', () => {
-    it('returns null for an empty list', () => {
-        expect(newestCreatedAt([])).toBeNull();
-    });
-
-    it('returns the only created_at for a single item', () => {
-        expect(newestCreatedAt([tx('2026-06-29T10:00:00Z')])).toBe(
-            '2026-06-29T10:00:00Z',
-        );
-    });
-
-    it('finds the latest regardless of input order', () => {
-        expect(
-            newestCreatedAt([
-                tx('2026-06-20T08:00:00Z'),
-                tx('2026-06-29T10:00:00Z'),
-                tx('2026-06-25T09:00:00Z'),
-            ]),
-        ).toBe('2026-06-29T10:00:00Z');
-    });
-
-    it('ignores unparseable timestamps', () => {
-        expect(
-            newestCreatedAt([tx('not-a-date'), tx('2026-06-20T08:00:00Z')]),
-        ).toBe('2026-06-20T08:00:00Z');
-    });
-});

resources/js/lib/new-transactions.ts

@@ -1,50 +1,5 @@
 import { type Transaction } from '@/types/transaction';
 
-const LAST_VISIT_KEY = 'transactions-last-visit';
-
-export function loadLastVisit(): string | null {
-    if (typeof window === 'undefined') return null;
-
-    try {
-        return localStorage.getItem(LAST_VISIT_KEY);
-    } catch (error) {
-        console.error('Failed to load last visit:', error);
-        return null;
-    }
-}
-
-export function saveLastVisit(value: string): void {
-    if (typeof window === 'undefined') return;
-
-    try {
-        localStorage.setItem(LAST_VISIT_KEY, value);
-    } catch (error) {
-        console.error('Failed to save last visit:', error);
-    }
-}
-
-/**
- * The most recent `created_at` (insertion time) across the given transactions,
- * or null when there are none. Compared as timestamps so it does not rely on a
- * particular string format.
- */
-export function newestCreatedAt(
-    transactions: Pick<Transaction, 'created_at'>[],
-): string | null {
-    let newest: string | null = null;
-    let newestMs = -Infinity;
-
-    for (const transaction of transactions) {
-        const ms = Date.parse(transaction.created_at);
-        if (!Number.isNaN(ms) && ms > newestMs) {
-            newest = transaction.created_at;
-            newestMs = ms;
-        }
-    }
-
-    return newest;
-}
-
 /**
  * Whether a transaction was inserted after the given visit timestamp, i.e. it
  * arrived since the user last opened the list. Compared per-row (not as a

resources/js/pages/transactions/index.tsx

@@ -83,12 +83,7 @@ import {
     type CursorPaginatedResponse,
 } from '@/lib/cursor-pagination';
 import { consoleDebug } from '@/lib/debug';
-import {
-    isNewSince,
-    loadLastVisit,
-    newestCreatedAt,
-    saveLastVisit,
-} from '@/lib/new-transactions';
+import { isNewSince } from '@/lib/new-transactions';
 import { captureEvent } from '@/lib/posthog';
 import { getBulkDeleteConfirmationText } from '@/lib/transaction-delete-confirmation';
 import { mergeReEvaluatedTransaction } from '@/lib/transaction-re-evaluation';
@@ -142,6 +137,7 @@ interface Props {
     labels: Label[];
     automationRules: AutomationRule[];
     hasAiConsent: boolean;
+    lastVisitAt: string | null;
 }
 
 const COLUMN_VISIBILITY_KEY = 'transactions-column-visibility';
@@ -433,6 +429,7 @@ export default function Transactions({
     labels: initialLabels,
     automationRules,
     hasAiConsent,
+    lastVisitAt,
 }: Props) {
     const locale = useLocale();
     const { auth, features } = usePage<SharedData>().props;
@@ -490,19 +487,9 @@ export default function Transactions({
     );
 
     // Frozen at mount so per-row "new" marks stay stable for the whole visit.
-    const [lastVisitAtMount] = useState<string | null>(loadLastVisit);
-
-    // Mark this visit as seen, once, using the newest created_at from the
-    // initial payload. Rows that arrive later in the same visit (load-more,
-    // refresh after a sync, categorization) must NOT advance the marker, or
-    // they'd be recorded as already-seen and never flagged on the next visit.
-    useEffect(() => {
-        const latest = newestCreatedAt(serverTransactions.data);
-        if (latest) {
-            saveLastVisit(latest);
-        }
-        // eslint-disable-next-line react-hooks/exhaustive-deps
-    }, []);
+    // The marker is server-side (per user), so it's shared across devices; the
+    // controller advances it on load using the newest created_at it served.
+    const [lastVisitAtMount] = useState<string | null>(() => lastVisitAt);
 
     // Sync filter state when appliedFilters prop changes
     useEffect(() => {

tests/Feature/NewTransactionsMarkerTest.php

@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+<?php
+
+use App\Models\Account;
+use App\Models\Transaction;
+use App\Models\User;
+use Illuminate\Support\Carbon;
+
+use function Pest\Laravel\actingAs;
+
+beforeEach(function () {
+    $this->user = User::factory()->onboarded()->create();
+    $this->account = Account::factory()->create(['user_id' => $this->user->id]);
+});
+
+test('first visit exposes a null marker and stores the newest served created_at', function () {
+    $newest = Carbon::parse('2026-06-29T10:00:00Z');
+
+    Transaction::factory()->plaintext()->create([
+        'user_id' => $this->user->id,
+        'account_id' => $this->account->id,
+        'created_at' => Carbon::parse('2026-06-20T08:00:00Z'),
+    ]);
+    Transaction::factory()->plaintext()->create([
+        'user_id' => $this->user->id,
+        'account_id' => $this->account->id,
+        'created_at' => $newest,
+    ]);
+
+    $response = actingAs($this->user)->get(route('transactions.index'));
+
+    $response->assertInertia(fn ($page) => $page->where('lastVisitAt', null));
+    expect($this->user->fresh()->transactions_last_visited_at->equalTo($newest))->toBeTrue();
+});
+
+test('a later visit sees the previous marker and advances it forward', function () {
+    $previousVisit = Carbon::parse('2026-06-25T00:00:00Z');
+    $this->user->forceFill(['transactions_last_visited_at' => $previousVisit])->save();
+
+    $newest = Carbon::parse('2026-06-29T10:00:00Z');
+    Transaction::factory()->plaintext()->create([
+        'user_id' => $this->user->id,
+        'account_id' => $this->account->id,
+        'created_at' => $newest,
+    ]);
+
+    $response = actingAs($this->user)->get(route('transactions.index'));
+
+    $response->assertInertia(fn ($page) => $page->where('lastVisitAt', $previousVisit->toISOString()));
+    expect($this->user->fresh()->transactions_last_visited_at->equalTo($newest))->toBeTrue();
+});
+
+test('the marker never moves backward when nothing newer was served', function () {
+    $marker = Carbon::parse('2026-06-29T23:00:00Z');
+    $this->user->forceFill(['transactions_last_visited_at' => $marker])->save();
+
+    Transaction::factory()->plaintext()->create([
+        'user_id' => $this->user->id,
+        'account_id' => $this->account->id,
+        'created_at' => Carbon::parse('2026-06-20T08:00:00Z'),
+    ]);
+
+    actingAs($this->user)->get(route('transactions.index'))->assertSuccessful();
+
+    expect($this->user->fresh()->transactions_last_visited_at->equalTo($marker))->toBeTrue();
+});

tests/Performance/PageQueryCountTest.php

@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ test('account show page does not exceed query threshold', function () {
 });
 
 test('transactions index page does not exceed query threshold', function () {
-    assertMaxQueries(20, function () {
+    assertMaxQueries(21, function () {
         $this->get(route('transactions.index'))->assertOk();
     }, 'Transactions Index');
 });
@@ -164,7 +164,7 @@ test('transactions page query count does not scale with number of transactions',
     ]);
 
     // Same threshold — paginated queries should not scale
-    assertMaxQueries(20, function () {
+    assertMaxQueries(21, function () {
         $this->get(route('transactions.index'))->assertOk();
     }, 'Transactions with 120 records');
 });