mongodb/node-mongodb-native · error · MongoInvalidArgumentError

MongoClient bulkWrite does not currently support automatic e

Error message

MongoClient bulkWrite does not currently support automatic encryption.

What it means

Thrown by MongoClient.bulkWrite() (the client-level bulk write across namespaces) when the client was constructed with an autoEncrypter (CSFLE/Queryable Encryption auto-encryption enabled). Client-side field-level encryption cannot currently intercept client-level bulk writes, so the combination is explicitly rejected as MongoInvalidArgumentError before any network call.

Source

Thrown at src/mongo_client.ts:580

    return this.s.bsonOptions;
  }

  get timeoutMS(): number | undefined {
    return this.s.options.timeoutMS;
  }

  /**
   * Executes a client bulk write operation, available on server 8.0+.
   * @param models - The client bulk write models.
   * @param options - The client bulk write options.
   * @returns A ClientBulkWriteResult for acknowledged writes and ok: 1 for unacknowledged writes.
   */
  async bulkWrite<SchemaMap extends Record<string, Document> = Record<string, Document>>(
    models: ReadonlyArray<ClientBulkWriteModel<SchemaMap>>,
    options?: ClientBulkWriteOptions
  ): Promise<ClientBulkWriteResult> {
    if (this.autoEncrypter) {
      throw new MongoInvalidArgumentError(
        'MongoClient bulkWrite does not currently support automatic encryption.'
      );
    }
    // We do not need schema type information past this point ("as any" is fine)
    return await new ClientBulkWriteExecutor(
      this,
      models as any,
      resolveOptions(this, options)
    ).execute();
  }

  /**
   * An optional method to verify a handful of assumptions that are generally useful at application boot-time before using a MongoClient.
   * For detailed information about the connect process see the MongoClient.connect static method documentation.
   *
   * @param url - The MongoDB connection string (supports `mongodb://` and `mongodb+srv://` schemes)
   * @param options - Optional configuration options for the client
   *

View on GitHub (pinned to 3366c21a63)

Solutions

1. Use a SEPARATE MongoClient without autoEncryption for client.bulkWrite(), keeping encryption on the per-collection client.
2. Fall back to per-collection collection.bulkWrite() on the encrypted client (auto-encryption IS supported there).
3. Disable autoEncryption for the workload that needs client.bulkWrite() if encryption is not mandatory for those writes.

Example fix

// before
const client = new MongoClient(uri, { autoEncryption: { ... } });
await client.bulkWrite(models); // throws

// after
const encClient = new MongoClient(uri, { autoEncryption: { ... } });
const plainClient = new MongoClient(uri);
await plainClient.bulkWrite(models);

function canClientBulkWrite(client) {
  return !client.autoEncrypter;
}

function hasAutoEncryption(client): boolean {
  return !!client.s.options.autoEncryption;
}

try { await client.bulkWrite(models); } catch (e) {
  if (e instanceof MongoInvalidArgumentError && /automatic encryption/.test(e.message)) {
    await plainClient.bulkWrite(models); // separate non-encrypting client
    return;
  }
  throw e;
}

When it happens

Trigger: Constructing MongoClient with autoEncryption: { ... } in options and then calling client.bulkWrite(models). Using a shared encrypted client for the new bulkWrite API.

Common situations: Adopting the client.bulkWrite() API (server 8.0+) on an app already using CSFLE for compliance; shared client factories that attach autoEncryption to every client.

Related errors

• No AutoEncrypter available for encryption
• Update document requires atomic operators
• Replacement document must not use atomic operators
• Bulk find operation must specify a selector
• Operation must be an object with an operation key

AI-assisted analysis of mongodb/node-mongodb-native@3366c21a63 (2026-08-04). Data as JSON: /data/errors/2ce76342f83de90e.json. Report an issue: GitHub.