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

feature flag is disabled

Error message

feature flag is disabled

What it means

CreateInstitutionalTag checks the institutional_tags feature flag on the domain root account before doing anything. If the flag is off, it raises this GraphQL::ExecutionError. This is a deliberate gate: the institutional tagging feature is not enabled for the account, so the mutation must not run.

Solutions

  1. Enable the feature flag: rails console -> root_account.enable_feature!(:institutional_tags) or Account > Settings > Feature Options.
  2. Confirm context[:domain_root_account] is the account you enabled the flag on.
  3. Check flag definition (allowed/hidden, environment overrides in feature flags yml).
  4. If flag should already be on, verify no caching issue — restart or clear feature-flag caches.

Example fix

// before
root_account.feature_enabled?(:institutional_tags) # => false
// after (console)
Account.default.set_feature_flag!('institutional_tags', 'on') # then retry mutation
Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

// client-side gate before the mutation call
if (!account.featureFlags.includes('institutional_tags')) {
  throw new Error('institutional_tags feature flag is not enabled for this account');
}

Type guard

function institutionalTagsEnabled(account) {
  return Boolean(account && account.featureFlags && account.featureFlags.includes('institutional_tags'));
}

Try / catch

try {
  await createInstitutionalTag({ variables })
} catch (e) {
  if (e.message === 'feature flag is disabled') {
    // surface an admin-facing 'enable institutional tags' hint instead of retrying
  }
}

Prevention

When it happens

Trigger: Calling createInstitutionalTag on any account where root_account.feature_enabled?(:institutional_tags) is false — typically staging/production accounts without the flag, or environments where the FF was never applied.

Common situations: Testing the new institutional-tags feature locally without enabling the flag; an environment (beta/prod) where the rollout has not happened; calling the mutation on a root account different from the one the flag was set on; feature flag later rolled back.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of instructure/canvas-lms@1c9f0bb801 (2026-09-15). Data as JSON: /api/errors/6fb6124036d19825. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at app/graphql/mutations/create_institutional_tag.rb:36

# with this program. If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
#

# NOTE: Depends on InstitutionalTag and InstitutionalTagCategory models

module Mutations
  class CreateInstitutionalTag < BaseMutation
    argument :category_id,
             ID,
             required: true,
             prepare: GraphQLHelpers.relay_or_legacy_id_prepare_func("InstitutionalTagCategory")
    argument :description, String, required: true
    argument :name,        String, required: true

    field :institutional_tag, Types::InstitutionalTagType, null: true

    def resolve(input:)
      root_account = context[:domain_root_account]
      raise GraphQL::ExecutionError, "feature flag is disabled" unless root_account.feature_enabled?(:institutional_tags)
      raise GraphQL::ExecutionError, "not authorized" unless root_account.grants_right?(current_user, session, :manage_institutional_tags_create)

      category = root_account.institutional_tag_categories.where(workflow_state: "active").find_by(id: input[:category_id])
      raise GraphQL::ExecutionError, "not found" unless category

      max_tags = DynamicSettings.find("institutional_tags")["max_tags_per_category", failsafe: nil]&.to_i || 50
      if category.institutional_tags.where(workflow_state: "active").count >= max_tags
        raise GraphQL::ExecutionError, "category has reached the maximum number of tags"
      end

      tag = category.institutional_tags.new(
        name: input[:name],
        description: input[:description],
        root_account:
      )

      if tag.save
        { institutional_tag: tag }

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