RocketChat/Rocket.Chat · error · Meteor.Error

Invalid Selection data provided to the importer.

Error message

Invalid Selection data provided to the importer.

What it means

startImport validates its payload with the ajv type guard `isStartImportParamsPOST` (from @rocket.chat/rest-typings) and throws this message — with no error code — when validation fails. The accepted shape is exactly `{ input: { users?: { all?: boolean; list?: string[] }, channels?: {...}, contacts?: {...} } }`, `input` required, no additional top-level properties.

Source

Thrown at apps/meteor/server/meteor-methods/import/startImport.ts:39

	}

	const instance = new importer.importer(importer, operation); // eslint-disable-line new-cap

	await instance.startImport(input, startedByUserId);
};

declare module '@rocket.chat/ddp-client' {
	// eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/naming-convention
	interface ServerMethods {
		startImport(params: StartImportParamsPOST): void;
	}
}

Meteor.methods<ServerMethods>({
	async startImport({ input }: StartImportParamsPOST) {
		methodDeprecationLogger.method('startImport', '9.0.0', '/v1/startImport');
		if (!input || typeof input !== 'object' || !isStartImportParamsPOST({ input })) {
			throw new Meteor.Error(`Invalid Selection data provided to the importer.`);
		}

		const userId = Meteor.userId();
		// Takes name and object with users / channels selected to import
		if (!userId) {
			throw new Meteor.Error('error-invalid-user', 'Invalid user', 'startImport');
		}

		if (!(await hasPermissionAsync(userId, 'run-import'))) {
			throw new Meteor.Error('error-action-not-allowed', 'Importing is not allowed', 'startImport');
		}

		return executeStartImport({ input }, userId);
	},
});

View on GitHub (pinned to b2c16d5842)

Solutions

  1. Send exactly `{ input: { users: { all, list }, channels: { all, list }, contacts: { all, list } } }` with booleans for `all` and string arrays for `list`
  2. Map the full selection from getImportFileData down to IImporterShortSelection before calling
  3. Validate client-side first with `isStartImportParamsPOST({ input })` from '@rocket.chat/rest-typings'

Example fix

// before
Meteor.call('startImport', selectionFromGetImportFileData); // 'Invalid Selection data provided to the importer.'

// after
const input = {
  users: { all: false, list: selection.users.map((u) => u.user_id) },
  channels: { all: true, list: [] },
};
Meteor.call('startImport', { input });
Defensive patterns

Strategy: type-guard

Validate before calling

import { isStartImportParamsPOST } from '@rocket.chat/rest-typings';

const params = { input: { users: { all: false, list: ['u1'] }, channels: { all: true, list: [] } } };
if (!isStartImportParamsPOST(params)) {
  // inspect isStartImportParamsPOST.errors and fix payload before calling
}
Meteor.call('startImport', params);

Type guard

import { isStartImportParamsPOST } from '@rocket.chat/rest-typings';

const isStartableSelection = (v: unknown): boolean => isStartImportParamsPOST({ input: v });

Try / catch

try {
  await meteorCall('startImport', params);
} catch (e) {
  if (e instanceof Meteor.Error && e.reason === 'Invalid Selection data provided to the importer.') {
    // this error has no code — match on message; log isStartImportParamsPOST.errors
  }
}

Prevention

When it happens

Trigger: Calling `Meteor.call('startImport', payload)` where payload omits `input`, passes extra top-level keys (additionalProperties: false), or puts wrong types inside users/channels/contacts (e.g. `list` as objects instead of string[], `all` as string).

Common situations: Passing the raw selection object from getImportFileData straight through instead of mapping it to the short-selection shape; hand-writing the payload and using `message_ids` or other unlisted keys; older clients sending a shape that the ajv schema later tightened.

Understand the failure class

Background: Schema validation failed / invalid input schema: payload rejected because its shape doesn't match the expected schema — this error's family across 28 libraries.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of RocketChat/Rocket.Chat@b2c16d5842 (2026-08-18). Data as JSON: /api/errors/18bf69eed84a4032. Report an issue: GitHub.