passbolt/passbolt_api · error · App\Error\Exception\ValidationException

Could not validate folder data.

Error message

Could not validate folder data.

What it means

Thrown by FoldersCreateService::handleValidationErrors() when the Folder entity built for creation carries validation errors. It means the folder creation request data (name, parent id, etc.) failed the Folders table validation rules.

Solutions

1. Read the errors array on the ValidationException and correct the offending field in the request payload.
2. Ensure 'name' is a non-empty string within length limits and ids are valid UUIDs.
3. Verify the parent folder exists and the user has update permission on it before creating a child.
4. Catch ValidationException in the controller and return the error details to the client (the controller layer typically does this already).

Example fix

// before
POST /folders {"folder_parent_id":"not-a-uuid"}
// after
POST /folders {"name":"Projects","folder_parent_id":"e3f0a2b4-1c5d-4f8a-9b2e-7d6c1a0f5e33"}

$errors = [];
if (empty($data['name']) || strlen($data['name']) > 256) { $errors[] = 'name required (<=256 chars)'; }
if (isset($data['folder_parent_id']) && !Uuid::isValid($data['folder_parent_id'])) { $errors[] = 'invalid folder_parent_id'; }
if ($errors) { throw new InvalidArgumentException(implode('; ', $errors)); }

$isValidFolderPayload = fn(array $data): bool => isset($data['name']) && is_string($data['name']) && trim($data['name']) !== '' && (!isset($data['folder_parent_id']) || Uuid::isValid($data['folder_parent_id']));

try { $service->create($uac, $data); } catch (ValidationException $e) { return $this->respondValidationError($e->getErrors()); }

When it happens

Trigger: POST /folders with a name that is empty/too long, an invalid folder_parent_id (non-UUID), or personal-space violations; calling createFolder/createFolderRelation with data that fails entity rules.

Common situations: API clients sending missing or blank 'name'; nesting a folder under a nonexistent or inaccessible parent; passing personal:true with a folder_parent_id the user cannot access.

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

• Could not validate folder data.
• Could not validate folder data.
• Could not validate folders relations history data.
• Could not validate group user data.
• Could not validate move data.

AI-assisted analysis of passbolt/passbolt_api@31c1bbc10f (2026-09-17). Data as JSON: /api/errors/cc87113d0bbc0c88. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at plugins/PassboltCe/Folders/src/Service/Folders/FoldersCreateService.php:163

            'created_by' => true,
            'modified_by' => true,
        ]);

        return $this->foldersTable->newEntity($data, $options);
    }

    /**
     * Handle folder validation errors.
     *
     * @param \Passbolt\Folders\Model\Entity\Folder $folder The folder
     * @return void
     * @throws \App\Error\Exception\ValidationException If the provided data does not validate.
     */
    private function handleValidationErrors(Folder $folder): void
    {
        $errors = $folder->getErrors();
        if (!empty($errors)) {
            throw new ValidationException(__('Could not validate folder data.'), $folder, $this->foldersTable);
        }
    }

    /**
     * Create the user permission for the created folder.
     *
     * @param \App\Utility\UserAccessControl $uac The current user
     * @param \Passbolt\Folders\Model\Entity\Folder $folder The folder
     * @return void
     */
    private function createPermission(UserAccessControl $uac, Folder $folder): void
    {
        $userId = $uac->getId();
        $permissionData = [
            'aco' => PermissionsTable::FOLDER_ACO,
            'aco_foreign_key' => $folder->id,
            'aro' => PermissionsTable::USER_ARO,
            'aro_foreign_key' => $userId,

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