instructure/canvas-lms · error · GraphQL::ExecutionError

Assignment Grade Error

Error message

Assignment Grade Error

What it means

The inner block rescues Assignment::GradeError and converts it to a generic "Assignment Grade Error" GraphQL::ExecutionError. This is Canvas's internal grading failure — an error raised inside the grade/assess pipeline while persisting the grade or assessment artifact.

Solutions

1. Check Canvas logs/production.stacktrace for the original Assignment::GradeError backtrace to find the real cause.
2. Reload the submission and retry once; if the grade was already saved by another grader, skip.
3. Validate rubric data (points, criterion ids) before calling the mutation.

Example fix

// before
rescue Assignment::GradeError
  raise GraphQL::ExecutionError, 'Assignment Grade Error'
// after
rescue Assignment::GradeError => e
  Rails.logger.error("GradeError in save_rubric_assessment: #{e.message}")
  raise GraphQL::ExecutionError, "Assignment Grade Error: #{e.message}"

// validate rubric payload before assess
const totalPoints = criteria.reduce((sum, c) => sum + (c.points ?? 0), 0)
if (!criteria.length || Number.isNaN(totalPoints)) throw new Error('invalid rubric data')

try { await saveRubricAssessment(...) } catch (e) { if (e.message === 'Assignment Grade Error') { logFullError(e); showError('Grading failed; reload and retry') } }

When it happens

Trigger: association.assess or the surrounding grading flow raises Assignment::GradeError — e.g. grade conflicts, invalid grade state, or versioning failures during rubric assessment save.

Common situations: Grading a submission whose grade state changed concurrently (another grader saved first); inconsistent rubric_association points; versioned-submission edge cases.

Understand the failure class

Background: "This is a bug, please report it": internal invariant violations, unreachable panics, and SNH errors explained — this error's family across 47 libraries.

Related errors

• An unexpected error occurred while grading.
• e.message (Assignment::MaxGradersReachedError)
• Not authorized to assess user
• Rubric criteria not descriptive enough
• Rubric not found: #

AI-assisted analysis of instructure/canvas-lms@1c9f0bb801 (2026-09-15). Data as JSON: /api/errors/3bab551580ec95f0. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at app/graphql/mutations/save_rubric_assessment.rb:84

        unless association.user_can_assess_for?(assessor: current_user, assessee: user, assessment_type:)
          raise GraphQL::ExecutionError, "Not authorized to assess user"
        end

        rubric_assessment = association.assess(
          assessor: current_user,
          user:,
          artifact: asset,
          assessment: assessment_details,
          graded_anonymously: input[:graded_anonymously]
        )

        submission.reload
        return { submission:, rubric_assessment:, rubric_association: association }
      end
    rescue Assignment::MaxGradersReachedError => e
      raise GraphQL::ExecutionError, e.message
    rescue Assignment::GradeError
      raise GraphQL::ExecutionError, "Assignment Grade Error"
    end
  rescue ActiveRecord::RecordNotFound => e
    raise GraphQL::ExecutionError, "#{e.model} not found"
  end

  def ensure_adjudication_possible(provisional:, association_object:, grader:, &)
    # Non-assignment association objects crash if they're passed into this
    # controller, since find_asset_for_assessment only exists on assignments.
    # The check here thus serves only to make sure the crash doesn't happen on
    # the call below.
    return yield unless association_object.is_a?(Assignment)

    association_object.ensure_grader_can_adjudicate(
      grader:,
      provisional:,
      occupy_slot: true,
      &
    )

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