diff --git a/Tusker/Screens/Onboarding/OnboardingViewController.swift b/Tusker/Screens/Onboarding/OnboardingViewController.swift
index b94a9a4cde..fe13b67dd9 100644
--- a/Tusker/Screens/Onboarding/OnboardingViewController.swift
+++ b/Tusker/Screens/Onboarding/OnboardingViewController.swift
@@ -68,13 +68,16 @@ extension OnboardingViewController: InstanceSelectorTableViewControllerDelegate
                     let authCode = item.value else { return }
                 
                 mastodonController.authorize(authorizationCode: authCode) { (accessToken) in
-                    let accountInfo = LocalData.shared.addAccount(instanceURL: instanceURL, clientID: clientID, clientSecret: clientSecret, username: nil, accessToken: accessToken)
-                    mastodonController.accountInfo = accountInfo
+                    // construct a temporary UserAccountInfo instance for the MastodonController to use to fetch it's own account
+                    let tempAccountInfo = LocalData.UserAccountInfo(id: "temp", instanceURL: instanceURL, clientID: clientID, clientSecret: clientSecret, username: nil, accessToken: accessToken)
+                    mastodonController.accountInfo = tempAccountInfo
                     
                     mastodonController.getOwnAccount { (account) in
-                        LocalData.shared.setUsername(for: accountInfo, username: account.username)
-                        
                         DispatchQueue.main.async {
+                            // this needs to happen on the main thread because it publishes a new value for the ObservableObject
+                            let accountInfo = LocalData.shared.addAccount(instanceURL: instanceURL, clientID: clientID, clientSecret: clientSecret, username: account.username, accessToken: accessToken)
+                            mastodonController.accountInfo = accountInfo
+                            
                             self.onboardingDelegate?.didFinishOnboarding(account: accountInfo)
                         }
                     }