JetBrains/intellij-community · error · IncorrectOperationException

Cannot create {0} - incorrect {1} template.

Error message

Cannot create {0} - incorrect {1} template.

What it means

Thrown by JavaDirectoryServiceImpl.createInterface() when the internal file template used to create a new interface (JavaTemplateUtil.INTERNAL_INTERFACE_TEMPLATE_NAME) yields a PsiClass that is not an interface. The check is someClass.isInterface() after instantiateClassFromTemplate; failure means the 'interface' keyword was removed from the customized template. It is an IncorrectOperationException aborting the create-from-template action.

Source

Thrown at java/java-impl/src/com/intellij/psi/impl/file/JavaDirectoryServiceImpl.java:106

                              @NotNull String templateName,
                              boolean askForUndefinedVariables) throws IncorrectOperationException {
    return createClass(dir, name, templateName, askForUndefinedVariables, Collections.emptyMap());
  }

  @Override
  public PsiClass createClass(@NotNull PsiDirectory dir,
                              @NotNull String name,
                              @NotNull String templateName,
                              boolean askForUndefinedVariables, final @NotNull Map<String, String> additionalProperties) throws IncorrectOperationException {
    return createClassFromTemplate(dir, name, templateName, askForUndefinedVariables, additionalProperties);
  }

  @Override
  public @NotNull PsiClass createInterface(@NotNull PsiDirectory dir, @NotNull String name) throws IncorrectOperationException {
    String templateName = JavaTemplateUtil.INTERNAL_INTERFACE_TEMPLATE_NAME;
    PsiClass someClass = createClassFromTemplate(dir, name, templateName);
    if (!someClass.isInterface()) {
      throw new IncorrectOperationException(getIncorrectTemplateMessage(templateName, dir.getProject()));
    }
    return someClass;
  }

  @Override
  public @NotNull PsiClass createEnum(@NotNull PsiDirectory dir, @NotNull String name) throws IncorrectOperationException {
    String templateName = JavaTemplateUtil.INTERNAL_ENUM_TEMPLATE_NAME;
    PsiClass someClass = createClassFromTemplate(dir, name, templateName);
    if (!someClass.isEnum()) {
      throw new IncorrectOperationException(getIncorrectTemplateMessage(templateName, dir.getProject()));
    }
    return someClass;
  }

  @Override
  public @NotNull PsiClass createRecord(@NotNull PsiDirectory dir, @NotNull String name) throws IncorrectOperationException {
    String templateName = JavaTemplateUtil.INTERNAL_RECORD_TEMPLATE_NAME;
    PsiClass someClass = createClassFromTemplate(dir, name, templateName);

View on GitHub (pinned to be881553f2)

Solutions

1. Open Settings > Editor > File and Code Templates, find the internal interface template and restore it so it still contains 'interface ${NAME} { ... }'.
2. If unsure which template is broken, reset all file templates to defaults (the templates tab's reset action) and retry creating the interface.
3. Check whether a plugin injects or overrides code templates and disable it temporarily.
4. For plugin authors: ensure you pass JavaTemplateUtil.INTERNAL_INTERFACE_TEMPLATE_NAME and do not customize it to a non-interface.

Example fix

// template before (broken)
#parse("File Header.java")
class ${NAME} {
}
// template after (fixed)
#parse("File Header.java")
public interface ${NAME} {
}

FileTemplate template = FileTemplateManager.getInstance(project).getInternalTemplate(JavaTemplateUtil.INTERNAL_INTERFACE_TEMPLATE_NAME);
String text = template.getText();
if (!text.contains("interface")) {
  // template broken; reset before calling createInterface
}

try { JavaDirectoryService.getInstance().createInterface(dir, name); } catch (IncorrectOperationException e) { /* report template name from message, reset template */ }

When it happens

Trigger: Calling JavaDirectoryService.createInterface(dir, name) or the New > Interface action when the internal interface template (file template used for internal creation) has been edited so it no longer declares an interface (e.g. 'interface ${NAME}' replaced with 'class ${NAME}').

Common situations: A user customized internal code templates via Settings > Editor > File and Code Templates and broke the interface template; a plugin or settings sync shipped a corrupted template; restoring defaults only for some templates after an IDE upgrade.

Related errors

• Cannot create class in invalid package: '{qualifiedName}'
• Cannot create class-file
• Cannot bind to {element}
• error.package.set.position.parsing.error
• No JDK specified

AI-assisted analysis of JetBrains/intellij-community@be881553f2 (2026-08-14). Data as JSON: /api/errors/47c005abbfa2733d. Report an issue: GitHub.