What causes "This is an enterprise feature" in RocketChat/Rocket.Chat?

Install/renew an Enterprise license that includes the message-read-receipt module.

RocketChat/Rocket.Chat · error · Meteor.Error

error-action-not-allowed

error-action-not-allowed

Error message

This is an enterprise feature

What it means

Meteor.Error('error-action-not-allowed', 'This is an enterprise feature') thrown by chat.getMessageReadReceipts when License.hasModule('message-read-receipt') is false. The endpoint exists on all builds but only serves requests on licensed Enterprise workspaces; otherwise it rejects with 403-shaped not-allowed.

Solutions

Install/renew an Enterprise license that includes the message-read-receipt module.
Feature-detect before use (GET /v1/license or check the module list) and hide read-receipt UI on unlicensed workspaces.
If read receipts are not essential, remove the call on Community deployments.

Example fix

// before
const { receipts } = await GET('chat.getMessageReadReceipts')({ messageId }); // 403 on CE

// after
const { modules } = await GET('license')();
if (!modules.includes('message-read-receipt')) throw new Error('Feature not licensed');
const { receipts } = await GET('chat.getMessageReadReceipts')({ messageId });

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

const hasReadReceiptModule = async (): Promise<boolean> =>
	(await GET('license')()).modules.includes('message-read-receipt');

Type guard

const isEnterpriseFeatureError = (error: unknown): boolean =>
	Boolean(error && typeof error === 'object' && 'error' in error && (error as { error?: string }).error === 'error-action-not-allowed' && /enterprise feature/i.test(String((error as { reason?: string }).reason ?? '')));

Try / catch

try {
	const { receipts } = await GET('chat.getMessageReadReceipts')({ messageId });
} catch (error) {
	if (isEnterpriseFeatureError(error)) {
		hideReadReceiptsUI(); // unlicensed workspace — degrade gracefully, do not retry
		return;
	}
	throw error;
}

Prevention

Feature-detect the license module before showing read-receipt affordances.
Keep a licensed test workspace for EE integration tests.
Watch license expiry: hasModule flips off when renewals lapse.

When it happens

Trigger: GET /v1/chat.getMessageReadReceipts?messageId=... on a Community workspace or one whose license does not include the message-read-receipt module.

Common situations: Apps/integrations written against EE features and deployed to Community; trial license expiring so hasModule flips to false; feature flags not purchased.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of RocketChat/Rocket.Chat@b2c16d5842 (2026-08-18). Data as JSON: /api/errors/c60b58ad4f3d26f4. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at apps/meteor/ee/server/api/chat.ts:52

	},
	required: ['receipts', 'success'],
	additionalProperties: false,
});

API.v1.get(
	'chat.getMessageReadReceipts',
	{
		authRequired: true,
		query: isChatGetMessageReadReceiptsProps,
		response: {
			200: getMessageReadReceiptsResponseSchema,
			400: validateBadRequestErrorResponse,
			401: validateUnauthorizedErrorResponse,
		},
	},
	async function action() {
		if (!License.hasModule('message-read-receipt')) {
			throw new Meteor.Error('error-action-not-allowed', 'This is an enterprise feature');
		}

		const { messageId } = this.queryParams;

		return API.v1.success({
			receipts: await getReadReceiptsFunction(messageId, this.userId),
		});
	},
);

View on GitHub (pinned to b2c16d5842)