diff --git a/lib/pangea/controllers/user_controller.dart b/lib/pangea/controllers/user_controller.dart
index 2ef0227e5..bf8ce3c11 100644
--- a/lib/pangea/controllers/user_controller.dart
+++ b/lib/pangea/controllers/user_controller.dart
@@ -83,6 +83,15 @@ class UserController extends BaseController {
       createdAt: DateTime.now(),
     );
     final newProfile = Profile(userSettings: userSettings);
+
+    // we don't use the pangea profile anymore, but we still need
+    // it to get access token for the choreographer, so create one
+    await PUserRepo.repoCreatePangeaUser(
+      userID: userId!,
+      dob: dob.toIso8601String(),
+      fullName: fullname!,
+      matrixAccessToken: _matrixAccessToken!,
+    );
     await newProfile.saveProfileData(waitForDataInSync: true);
   }
 
@@ -155,13 +164,25 @@ class UserController extends BaseController {
         _pangeaController.pStoreService.read(PLocalKey.access);
 
     if (localAccessToken == null || needNewJWT(localAccessToken)) {
-      final PangeaProfileResponse? userModel =
-          await PUserRepo.fetchPangeaUserInfo(
+      PangeaProfileResponse? userModel = await PUserRepo.fetchPangeaUserInfo(
         userID: userId!,
         matrixAccessToken: _matrixAccessToken!,
       );
+      // Oops, some accounts were made without creating pangea profiles, so they
+      // don't have access to an access token yet. In that case, create a pangea profile.
       if (userModel?.access == null) {
-        throw ("Trying to get accessToken with null userModel");
+        final dob = profile.userSettings.dateOfBirth;
+        if (dob != null) {
+          userModel = await PUserRepo.repoCreatePangeaUser(
+            userID: userId!,
+            dob: dob.toIso8601String(),
+            fullName: fullname!,
+            matrixAccessToken: _matrixAccessToken!,
+          );
+          if (userModel?.access == null) {
+            throw ("Trying to get accessToken with null userModel");
+          }
+        }
       }
       _pangeaController.pStoreService.save(
         PLocalKey.access,
diff --git a/lib/pangea/repo/user_repo.dart b/lib/pangea/repo/user_repo.dart
index 47caaab0b..244e21c54 100644
--- a/lib/pangea/repo/user_repo.dart
+++ b/lib/pangea/repo/user_repo.dart
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import 'dart:convert';
 import 'dart:developer';
 
 import 'package:fluffychat/pangea/constants/model_keys.dart';
+import 'package:fluffychat/pangea/utils/error_handler.dart';
 import 'package:http/http.dart';
 
 import '../models/user_model.dart';
@@ -10,6 +11,34 @@ import '../network/requests.dart';
 import '../network/urls.dart';
 
 class PUserRepo {
+  static Future<PangeaProfileResponse?> repoCreatePangeaUser({
+    required String userID,
+    required String dob,
+    required fullName,
+    required String matrixAccessToken,
+  }) async {
+    try {
+      final Requests req = Requests(
+        baseUrl: PApiUrls.baseAPI,
+        matrixAccessToken: matrixAccessToken,
+      );
+
+      final Map<String, dynamic> body = {
+        ModelKey.userFullName: fullName,
+        ModelKey.userPangeaUserId: userID,
+        ModelKey.userDateOfBirth: dob,
+      };
+      final resp = await req.post(
+        url: PApiUrls.createUser,
+        body: body,
+      );
+      return PangeaProfileResponse.fromJson(jsonDecode(resp.body));
+    } catch (err, s) {
+      ErrorHandler.logError(e: err, s: s);
+      return null;
+    }
+  }
+
   static Future<PangeaProfileResponse?> fetchPangeaUserInfo({
     required String userID,
     required String matrixAccessToken,