Troubleshooting common Jira DataSync errors – 400, 401, 404, 410, 429 and 500

Error Code Quick Reference

Below is a summary table of the different error codes and quick solutions, followed by detailed explanations for each error:

Detailed Error Descriptions and Solutions

1. (400) Bad Request: Summary field 'summary' cannot be set

This error indicates that the Summary field is not correctly mapped for the artifact being synced.

Resolution Steps:

1. Use an API key in the Password field instead of your regular Atlassian password.

2. Download and run the Jira Data Synchronization Configuration Helper tool.

3. Verify that Standard Field Mapping is fully completed for the artifact type (Incidents, Requirements, or Tasks).

4. Turn ON the Auto Map Users toggle in the configuration settings.

If the error persists in the Event Log after completing these steps, log a support ticket with our team with the full error stack trace.

2. (400) Bad Request: {"errorMessages":[],"errors":{"rankBeforeIssue":"expected Object"}}

This error occurs when the Priority field is not defined or is left blank in Spira for certain synced products.

Resolution Steps:

• Map the Jira default Priority field (not a custom field) in Spira.

• Ensure no synced artifacts in Spira have their Priority field left blank.

3. (401) Unauthorized: Basic authentication with passwords is deprecated

Atlassian has deprecated the use of plain-text passwords for REST API authentication in favor of API tokens.

Resolution Steps:

• Generate an API token in your Atlassian account settings.

• Enter your Jira username/email and paste the token into the Password/API Key field in the DataSync configuration.

4. (403) Forbidden: Basic auth with password is not allowed on this instance

This indicates that Jira is actively rejecting basic password authentication over the REST API.

Resolution Steps:

• Switch your authentication method in the DataSync tool to use an API token rather than a password (see KB464: Integration with Jira Cloud - Atlassian has deprecated use of passwords).

• For Jira Data Center / Server instances where API tokens are not in use, verify that basic HTTP authentication is permitted by your Jira security settings and reverse proxy.

5. (403) Forbidden: No Link Issue Permission for issue XYZ

The user account configured in DataSync does not have sufficient project rights to establish issue links in Jira.

Resolution Steps:

• Go to the permission scheme of the target Jira project and grant the Link Issues permission to the DataSync service account or role.

• If you do not have Jira project administration rights, request that your Jira administrator update the permission scheme.

6. (404) Not Found (General)

A generic 404 error indicates that the DataSync plugin cannot reach the Jira REST API endpoints at the configured address.

Resolution Steps:

• Check the Jira server URL configured in the DataSync profile.

• Ensure the URL is valid, protocol-complete (https://), and does not contain trailing slashes (e.g., use https://yourcompany.atlassian.net rather than https://yourcompany.atlassian.net/).

7. (404) Not Found: Project with Key 'KEYNAME' either does not exist or you do not have permissions

This error occurs when a Spira artifact is mapped to a Spira Release, but the corresponding Release/Version does not exist in Jira (or exists but was created manually and is not mapped).

Resolution Steps:

• Option A (Recommended): Ensure the DataSync service account has the Administer Projects permission in Jira so it can create missing versions automatically.

• Option B: Map all Spira incidents to a single placeholder/dummy release that is manually linked to a Jira version so incoming items are not rejected.

9. (404) Not Found: {"errorMessages":["Issue Does Not Exist"]}

In Jira Server and Data Center 9.0+, Atlassian removed the /createmeta REST API endpoint previously used by older sync plugins to discover project metadata.

Resolution Steps:

• Refer to KB687: Jira Server 9.0 and Later Breaking API Changes for update requirements.

• Review Atlassian's notice on the change: createmeta REST endpoint to be removed.

9. (410) Gone

An HTTP 410 status code indicates that the requested resource in Jira has been permanently deleted and is no longer available via the REST API.

Resolution Steps:

• Check whether the specific issue, custom field, or project previously linked to Spira was permanently purged from the Jira trash/recycle bin.

• Clear or remap the linked Jira ID in Spira for the affected item to allow the sync to treat it as a fresh record or disconnect it from the deleted Jira entity.

10. (429) Too Many Requests

Error 429 indicates that your Jira instance has rejected the request because the rate limit has been exceeded or instance safety thresholds were triggered.

Common Causes and Solutions:

• Jira Rate Limiting: Jira Data Center rate-limits REST API clients when request thresholds are breached. Contact your Jira administrator to exempt the DataSync service account from rate limits or increase its query allowances (Atlassian: Improving instance stability with rate limiting).

• Issue Volume Limits: This status can occur if the synced Jira project contains more than 1,000 issues within certain search or sync scopes (Atlassian Community Discussion).

• Reach out to your Atlassian administrator to adjust your instance API rate-limiting thresholds for the synchronization account.

11. (500) Internal Server Error

A 500 error signifies an unhandled exception or crash inside Jira itself while processing a valid request from the DataSync plugin.

Resolution Steps:

• Check your Jira application logs around the timestamp of the synchronization failure.

• Because 500 errors originate from within Jira's server processing, share the relevant log stack trace with Atlassian Support or your internal Jira administrator.