What causes "Invalid custom REST template" in Budibase/budibase?

Use one of the supported preset REST template ids (built-in templates) for this import path.

Invalid custom REST template

Error message

Invalid custom REST template

What it means

createImportedRestConnection resolves import metadata for a REST template via getRestTemplateImportInfoRequest. That helper returns null for custom REST templates it cannot translate into a valid import request (e.g. an id that is not a known preset). When the request is null the function throws 'Invalid custom REST template' instead of calling the API with a malformed request.

Source

Thrown at packages/builder/src/settings/pages/connections/_components/createImportedRestConnection.ts:18

import type { RestTemplate, UIIntegration } from "@budibase/types"
import { API } from "@/api"
import { configFromIntegration } from "@/stores/selectors"
import { datasources } from "@/stores/builder/datasources"
import { getRestTemplateImportInfoRequest } from "@/helpers/restTemplates"

export const createImportedRestConnection = async ({
  template,
  integration,
  projectIds,
}: {
  template: RestTemplate
  integration: UIIntegration
  projectIds?: string[]
}) => {
  const request = getRestTemplateImportInfoRequest(undefined, template.id)
  if (!request) {
    throw new Error("Invalid custom REST template")
  }

  const info = await API.getImportInfo(request)
  const config = {
    ...configFromIntegration(integration),
    url: info.servers?.[0]?.url ?? info.url ?? "",
    authConfigs: [],
    staticVariables: info.staticVariables || {},
    defaultHeaders: {},
    defaultQueryParameters: {},
    rejectUnauthorized: true,
    downloadImages: true,
  }

  return await datasources.create({
    integration,
    config,
    name: template.name,

View on GitHub (pinned to a81a902e9a)

Solutions

Use one of the supported preset REST template ids (built-in templates) for this import path.
For custom REST APIs, create the datasource directly with its URL/config instead of going through template import.
Verify template.id is correct and corresponds to a template available in the current environment.

Example fix

// before
await createImportedRestConnection({ template: { id: "my-custom-api" }, integration })
// after
await API.createDatasource({ datasource: { datasourceType: "REST", name: "my-api", config: { url: "https://api.example.com" } } })

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

const request = getRestTemplateImportInfoRequest(undefined, template.id)
if (!request) {
  // route to manual REST datasource creation instead of throwing
  return createManualRestDatasource(integration, template)
}

Type guard

const isPresetTemplate = (t: RestTemplate): t is RestTemplate & { id: PresetRestTemplateId } =>
  PRESET_REST_TEMPLATE_IDS.includes(t.id as PresetRestTemplateId)

Try / catch

try {
  return await createImportedRestConnection({ template, integration })
} catch (e) {
  if (e.message === "Invalid custom REST template") {
    return createManualRestDatasource(integration, template)
  }
  throw e
}

Prevention

Only pass built-in/preset template ids to template-based import helpers.
Use direct datasource creation with explicit URL/config for custom REST APIs.
Validate template.id against the current list of available templates before calling.

When it happens

Trigger: Calling createImportedRestConnection with a RestTemplate whose id is not a recognized preset template — e.g. a user-defined/custom REST template passed where the function expects a built-in template id, with no templateId derived from it.

Common situations: Passing a custom REST connection object instead of a preset template; template ids from older versions or other environments not recognized; automation/scripts replaying saved template configs whose ids no longer exist.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of Budibase/budibase@a81a902e9a (2026-08-29). Data as JSON: /api/errors/a78483c2aaeda5b6. Report an issue: GitHub.