Newly pushed array fields do not show form-level errors on submit while existing errors remain

Describe the bug

When using a form-level validator, if the form already has an error and a new array field is added with pushValue, submitting again does not show the new field’s error even though it is invalid.

This happens both with and without canSubmitWhenInvalid. Although, for different reasons I think.

This reproduces with the same submit-driven sequence when the form-level validator is configured as onSubmit and also with e.g. onChange or onBlur.

With onChange/onBlur the missing error will appear when a change/blur happens anywhere in the form.

Your minimal, reproducible example

https://stackblitz.com/edit/vitejs-vite-e4ageewt?file=src%2FApp.tsx

Steps to reproduce

1. Submit empty form.
2. Click Add person.
3. Submit again.
4. The new person field does not show Name is required.

Expected behavior

After the second submit, all invalid fields should show errors, including the newly added array field.

How often does this bug happen?

Every time

Screenshots or Videos

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/f667411d-2f92-4b3d-b37f-cb6191288957

Platform

• OS: Linux
• Browser: Chrome, Firefox
• Version: latest

TanStack Form adapter

react-form

TanStack Form version

1.29.0

TypeScript version

6.0.2

Additional context

Possible cause: for a newly mounted array field with no field-level validator for the active cause, FieldApi.validateSync(cause, errorFromForm) gets an empty validator array. Because the per-field validation loop never runs, the field never reconciles errorFromForm into meta.errorMap. So the form-level validator can report the error, but the new field does not pick it up until some later validation event causes that field state to reconcile.

Here is a small failing test case:

  it('should apply form-level submit errors even when the field has no field-level submit validators', () => {
    const form = new FormApi({
      defaultValues: {
        name: '',
      },
    })

    form.mount()

    const field = new FieldApi({
      form,
      name: 'name',
      defaultMeta: {
        isTouched: true,
      },
    })

    field.mount()

    field.validateSync('submit', {
      onSubmit: 'Name is required',
    })

    expect(field.getMeta().errorMap.onSubmit).toBe('Name is required')
    expect(field.getMeta().errors).toContain('Name is required')
  })

Small hack to make it work as expected:

diff --git a/packages/form-core/src/FieldApi.ts b/packages/form-core/src/FieldApi.ts
--- a/packages/form-core/src/FieldApi.ts
+++ b/packages/form-core/src/FieldApi.ts
@@ -1679,6 +1679,10 @@ export class FieldApi<
       validationLogic:
         this.form.options.validationLogic || defaultValidationLogic,
     })
+
+    const validatesToRun = validates.length
+      ? validates
+      : ([{ cause, validate: undefined }] as typeof validates)
 
     const linkedFields = this.getLinkedFields(cause)
     const linkedFieldValidates = linkedFields.reduce(
@@ -1752,7 +1756,7 @@ export class FieldApi<
         }
       }
 
-      for (const validateObj of validates) {
+      for (const validateObj of validatesToRun) {
         validateFieldFn(this, validateObj)
       }
       for (const fieldValitateObj of linkedFieldValidates) {

With canSubmitWhenInvalid: false I'm guessing it happens due to canSubmit blocking? Maybe that is intended? I think I would still expect validation to run.

Start in packages/form-core/src/FieldApi.ts, focusing on FieldApi.validateSync and the validation loop when no field-level validators exist. Reproduce the submit, add-person, submit sequence from the issue and use the supplied failing test case to verify that form-level errors reach the new field; done means the new array field shows its required error after the second submit.