nextcloud/server · error · Error

Failed to delete tag for file

Error message

Failed to delete tag for file

What it means

Thrown by deleteTagForFile() when the DELETE on /systemtags-relations/files/{fileId}/{tagId} fails, i.e. detaching a tag from a file. The relation must exist and the user needs assign rights on the tag; the original WebDAVClientError is chained as `cause`.

Solutions

1. Treat 404 from the cause chain as success (the desired end state already holds) and refresh the file's tag list
2. Verify the tag list shown is fresh — refetch fetchTagsForFile(fileId) before offering the remove action
3. Check assign permission (canAssign) before enabling the detach control
4. On 401 re-authenticate and retry once

Example fix

// before
await deleteTagForFile(tag, fileId) // throws when already detached

// after
try {
	await deleteTagForFile(tag, fileId)
} catch (e) {
	if ((e.cause as WebDAVClientError)?.response?.status === 404) {
		// relation already gone — nothing to do
	} else throw e
}

try {
	await deleteTagForFile(tag, fileId)
} catch (error) {
	const status = (error.cause as WebDAVClientError | undefined)?.response?.status
	if (status === 404) {
		// relation already removed — desired state reached, refresh UI
	} else throw error
}

When it happens

Trigger: DELETE failing with 404 when the tag is not currently attached (already removed — stale sidebar state), 403 when the user may not modify the file's tags, 401 on session expiry, or network/maintenance-mode failures.

Common situations: Untagging from a stale sidebar where the relation was already removed in another tab; two clients detaching the same tag concurrently; user without assign permission on an admin tag.

Related errors

• Failed to delete tag
• Failed to set tag for file
• Failed to create tag
• Failed to load tags for file
• Failed to update tag

AI-assisted analysis of nextcloud/server@ecdeb153ff (2026-08-17). Data as JSON: /api/errors/1d8847e7ef415d3c. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at apps/systemtags/src/services/files.ts:85

	} catch (error) {
		logger.error(t('systemtags', 'Failed to set tag for file'), { error })
		throw new Error(t('systemtags', 'Failed to set tag for file'), { cause: error })
	}
}

/**
 * Delete a tag for a given file (by id).
 *
 * @param tag - The tag to delete
 * @param fileId - The id of the file to delete the tag for
 */
export async function deleteTagForFile(tag: TagWithId, fileId: number): Promise<void> {
	const path = '/systemtags-relations/files/' + fileId + '/' + tag.id
	try {
		await davClient.deleteFile(path)
	} catch (error) {
		logger.error(t('systemtags', 'Failed to delete tag for file'), { error })
		throw new Error(t('systemtags', 'Failed to delete tag for file'), { cause: error })
	}
}

View on GitHub (pinned to ecdeb153ff)