diff --git a/common/user.ts b/common/user.ts
index f35cbdaf..0ba23010 100644
--- a/common/user.ts
+++ b/common/user.ts
@@ -1,12 +1,14 @@
 export type User = {
   id: string
-  email: string
+  createdTime: number
+
   name: string
   username: string
-  avatarUrl: string
+  avatarUrl?: string
+
   balance: number
-  createdTime: number
-  lastUpdatedTime: number
   totalPnLCached: number
   creatorVolumeCached: number
 }
+
+export const STARTING_BALANCE = 1000
diff --git a/common/util/random.ts b/common/util/random.ts
index 59ab5ba9..ce2bc54a 100644
--- a/common/util/random.ts
+++ b/common/util/random.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-export const randomString = () => Math.random().toString(16).substr(2, 14)
+export const randomString = (length = 12) =>
+  Math.random()
+    .toString(16)
+    .substring(2, length + 2)
 
 export function createRNG(seed: string) {
   // https://stackoverflow.com/a/47593316/1592933
diff --git a/functions/src/create-user.ts b/functions/src/create-user.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..aba7b8e8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/functions/src/create-user.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+import * as functions from 'firebase-functions'
+import * as admin from 'firebase-admin'
+
+import { STARTING_BALANCE, User } from '../../common/user'
+import { getUser, getUserByUsername } from './utils'
+import { randomString } from '../../common/util/random'
+
+export const createUser = functions
+  .runWith({ minInstances: 1 })
+  .https.onCall(async (_, context) => {
+    const userId = context?.auth?.uid
+    if (!userId) return { status: 'error', message: 'Not authorized' }
+
+    const preexistingUser = await getUser(userId)
+    if (preexistingUser)
+      return {
+        status: 'error',
+        message: 'User already created',
+        user: preexistingUser,
+      }
+
+    const fbUser = await admin.auth().getUser(userId)
+
+    const email = fbUser.email
+    const emailName = email?.replace(/@.*$/, '')
+
+    const name = fbUser.displayName || emailName || 'User' + randomString(4)
+    let username = cleanUsername(name)
+
+    const sameNameUser = await getUserByUsername(username)
+    if (sameNameUser) {
+      username += randomString(4)
+    }
+
+    const avatarUrl = fbUser.photoURL
+
+    const user: User = {
+      id: userId,
+      name,
+      username,
+      avatarUrl,
+      balance: STARTING_BALANCE,
+      createdTime: Date.now(),
+      totalPnLCached: 0,
+      creatorVolumeCached: 0,
+    }
+
+    await firestore.collection('users').doc(userId).create(user)
+    console.log('created user', username, 'firebase id:', userId)
+
+    return { status: 'success', user }
+  })
+
+const cleanUsername = (name: string) => {
+  return name
+    .replace(/\s+/g, '')
+    .normalize('NFD') // split an accented letter in the base letter and the acent
+    .replace(/[\u0300-\u036f]/g, '') // remove all previously split accents
+    .replace(/[^A-Za-z0-9_]/g, '') // remove all chars not letters, numbers and underscores
+}
+
+const firestore = admin.firestore()
diff --git a/functions/src/emails.ts b/functions/src/emails.ts
index d7318caa..3dd0873f 100644
--- a/functions/src/emails.ts
+++ b/functions/src/emails.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+import * as admin from 'firebase-admin'
+
 import { Contract } from '../../common/contract'
 import { User } from '../../common/user'
 import { sendTemplateEmail } from './send-email'
@@ -22,6 +24,10 @@ export const sendMarketResolutionEmail = async (
   const user = await getUser(userId)
   if (!user) return
 
+  const fbUser = await admin.auth().getUser(userId)
+  const email = fbUser.email
+  if (!email) return
+
   const outcome = toDisplayResolution[resolution]
 
   const subject = `Resolved ${outcome}: ${contract.question}`
@@ -39,7 +45,7 @@ export const sendMarketResolutionEmail = async (
   // https://app.mailgun.com/app/sending/domains/mg.manifold.markets/templates/edit/market-resolved/initial
   // Mailgun username: james@mantic.markets
 
-  await sendTemplateEmail(user.email, subject, 'market-resolved', templateData)
+  await sendTemplateEmail(email, subject, 'market-resolved', templateData)
 }
 
 const toDisplayResolution = { YES: 'YES', NO: 'NO', CANCEL: 'N/A', MKT: 'MKT' }
diff --git a/functions/src/index.ts b/functions/src/index.ts
index bc769ea2..534e72cf 100644
--- a/functions/src/index.ts
+++ b/functions/src/index.ts
@@ -9,5 +9,6 @@ export * from './resolve-market'
 export * from './stripe'
 export * from './sell-bet'
 export * from './create-contract'
+export * from './create-user'
 export * from './update-contract-metrics'
 export * from './update-user-metrics'
diff --git a/functions/src/utils.ts b/functions/src/utils.ts
index 887d602c..e6ecd7cf 100644
--- a/functions/src/utils.ts
+++ b/functions/src/utils.ts
@@ -22,6 +22,15 @@ export const getUser = (userId: string) => {
   return getValue<User>('users', userId)
 }
 
+export const getUserByUsername = async (username: string) => {
+  const snap = await firestore
+    .collection('users')
+    .where('username', '==', username)
+    .get()
+
+  return snap.empty ? undefined : (snap.docs[0].data() as User)
+}
+
 const firestore = admin.firestore()
 
 const updateUserBalance = (userId: string, delta: number) => {
diff --git a/web/components/profile-menu.tsx b/web/components/profile-menu.tsx
index b732d059..e97a337e 100644
--- a/web/components/profile-menu.tsx
+++ b/web/components/profile-menu.tsx
@@ -76,7 +76,9 @@ function ProfileSummary(props: { user: User }) {
   return (
     <Col className="avatar items-center sm:flex-row gap-2 sm:gap-0">
       <div className="rounded-full w-10 h-10 sm:mr-4">
-        <Image src={user.avatarUrl} width={40} height={40} />
+        {user.avatarUrl && (
+          <Image src={user.avatarUrl} width={40} height={40} />
+        )}
       </div>
       <div className="truncate text-left" style={{ maxWidth: 170 }}>
         <div className="hidden sm:flex">{user.name}</div>
diff --git a/web/components/user-page.tsx b/web/components/user-page.tsx
index f75dcf7e..4784c295 100644
--- a/web/components/user-page.tsx
+++ b/web/components/user-page.tsx
@@ -43,7 +43,6 @@ function UserCard(props: { user: User; showPrivateInfo?: boolean }) {
 
         {showPrivateInfo && (
           <>
-            <p>{user?.email}</p>
             <p>{formatMoney(user?.balance)}</p>
             <div className="card-actions">
               <button
diff --git a/web/lib/firebase/api-call.ts b/web/lib/firebase/api-call.ts
index 3d541291..a5d80200 100644
--- a/web/lib/firebase/api-call.ts
+++ b/web/lib/firebase/api-call.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import { getFunctions, httpsCallable } from 'firebase/functions'
+import { User } from '../../../common/user'
 
 const functions = getFunctions()
 
@@ -11,3 +12,8 @@ export const placeBet = cloudFunction('placeBet')
 export const resolveMarket = cloudFunction('resolveMarket')
 
 export const sellBet = cloudFunction('sellBet')
+
+export const createUser: () => Promise<User | null> = () =>
+  cloudFunction('createUser')({})
+    .then((r) => (r.data as any)?.user || null)
+    .catch(() => null)
diff --git a/web/lib/firebase/users.ts b/web/lib/firebase/users.ts
index ad276155..0f9ecf98 100644
--- a/web/lib/firebase/users.ts
+++ b/web/lib/firebase/users.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-import { app } from './init'
 import {
   getFirestore,
   doc,
@@ -20,12 +19,12 @@ import {
   signInWithPopup,
 } from 'firebase/auth'
 
+import { app } from './init'
 import { User } from '../../../common/user'
+import { createUser } from './api-call'
 import { getValues, listenForValues } from './utils'
 export type { User }
 
-export const STARTING_BALANCE = 1000
-
 const db = getFirestore(app)
 export const auth = getAuth(app)
 
@@ -55,31 +54,27 @@ export function listenForUser(userId: string, setUser: (user: User) => void) {
 }
 
 const CACHED_USER_KEY = 'CACHED_USER_KEY'
+
+// used to avoid weird race condition
+let createUserPromise: Promise<User | null> | undefined = undefined
+
 export function listenForLogin(onUser: (user: User | null) => void) {
   const cachedUser = localStorage.getItem(CACHED_USER_KEY)
   onUser(cachedUser ? JSON.parse(cachedUser) : null)
 
+  if (!cachedUser) createUser() // warm up cloud function
+
   return onAuthStateChanged(auth, async (fbUser) => {
     if (fbUser) {
-      let user = await getUser(fbUser.uid)
+      let user: User | null = await getUser(fbUser.uid)
+
       if (!user) {
-        // User just created an account; save them to our database.
-        user = {
-          id: fbUser.uid,
-          name: fbUser.displayName || 'Default Name',
-          username:
-            fbUser.displayName?.replace(/\s+/g, '') || 'DefaultUsername',
-          avatarUrl: fbUser.photoURL || '',
-          email: fbUser.email || 'default@blah.com',
-          balance: STARTING_BALANCE,
-          // TODO: use Firestore timestamp?
-          createdTime: Date.now(),
-          lastUpdatedTime: Date.now(),
-          totalPnLCached: 0,
-          creatorVolumeCached: 0,
+        if (!createUserPromise) {
+          createUserPromise = createUser()
         }
-        await setUser(fbUser.uid, user)
+        user = (await createUserPromise) || null
       }
+
       onUser(user)
 
       // Persist to local storage, to reduce login blink next time.
@@ -89,6 +84,7 @@ export function listenForLogin(onUser: (user: User | null) => void) {
       // User logged out; reset to null
       onUser(null)
       localStorage.removeItem(CACHED_USER_KEY)
+      createUserPromise = undefined
     }
   })
 }
diff --git a/web/pages/leaderboards.tsx b/web/pages/leaderboards.tsx
index 30a22185..8f96a7e3 100644
--- a/web/pages/leaderboards.tsx
+++ b/web/pages/leaderboards.tsx
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ function Leaderboard(props: {
                     <Row className="items-center gap-4">
                       <Image
                         className="rounded-full bg-gray-400 flex-shrink-0 ring-8 ring-gray-50"
-                        src={user.avatarUrl}
+                        src={user.avatarUrl || ''}
                         alt=""
                         width={32}
                         height={32}