Try: bypass_sign_in(user) *

I was also having issues with the config settings not seeming to work and found that sign_in(user, bypass: true) was deprecated eons ago. See: https://github.com/heartcombo/devise/commit/2044fffa25d781fcbaf090e7728b48b65c854ccb

* this may not solve your root issue, but it should address the most immediate issue.