Add Friend rejects usernames typed with a leading @

how to reproduce:

Friends → Add Friend

type a username with the at symbol in front, the way usernames are shown in the app (e.g. “at” + tea)

press Enter or click Send Friend Request

expected: the leading at symbol is ignored. Usernames are displayed with it everywhere (profile, member list, user panel), so that’s how people copy and share them.

actual: you get “Username can only contain letters, numbers, periods, and underscores” and no request is sent. Typing the same name without it works. Leading/trailing spaces are already trimmed correctly, so it’s only the at symbol that isn’t handled.

browser: Brave on Windows 11