phacility/phabricator · error · Exception

Monogram "%s" does not identify a valid object.

Error message

Monogram "%s" does not identify a valid object.

What it means

When the identifier is neither numeric nor a PHID-shaped string, PhabricatorEditEngine::newObjectFromIdentifier() tries to resolve it as a monogram (e.g. T123, D45) via PhabricatorObjectQuery->withNames(). This exception means the name resolver found no object at all for that monogram.

Source

Thrown at src/applications/transactions/editengine/PhabricatorEditEngine.php:746

    if (phid_get_type($identifier) != $type_unknown) {
      $object = $this->newObjectFromPHID($identifier, $capabilities);

      if (!$object) {
        throw new Exception(
          pht(
            'No object exists with PHID "%s".',
            $identifier));
      }

      return $object;
    }

    $target = id(new PhabricatorObjectQuery())
      ->setViewer($this->getViewer())
      ->withNames(array($identifier))
      ->executeOne();
    if (!$target) {
      throw new Exception(
        pht(
          'Monogram "%s" does not identify a valid object.',
          $identifier));
    }

    $expect = $this->newEditableObject();
    $expect_class = get_class($expect);
    $target_class = get_class($target);
    if ($expect_class !== $target_class) {
      throw new Exception(
        pht(
          'Monogram "%s" identifies an object of the wrong type. Loaded '.
          'object has class "%s", but this editor operates on objects of '.
          'type "%s".',
          $identifier,
          $target_class,
          $expect_class));
    }

View on GitHub (pinned to 5720a38cfe)

Solutions

1. Check the monogram resolves at all with conduit phid.lookup / phid.query before editing
2. Confirm the application the monogram belongs to (T=Maniphest, D=Differential, P=Projects, ...) is installed and enabled on this instance
3. Prefer IDs or PHIDs in machine-to-machine automation; reserve monograms for human input
4. Wrap the edit call and treat this exception as 'invalid reference' input feedback

Example fix

// before
$parameters = array('objectIdentifier' => 'T999999', 'transactions' => $transactions);
$result = $client->callMethod('maniphest.edit', $parameters);
// Exception: Monogram "T999999" does not identify a valid object.

// after: resolve the monogram first, edit only if it exists
$lookup = $client->callMethod('phid.lookup', array('names' => array('T999999')));
if (empty($lookup['T999999'])) {
  // report an invalid/unknown monogram to the caller
}
$result = $client->callMethod('maniphest.edit', $parameters);

// Resolve any monogram before handing it to an editor:
$lookup = $client->callMethod('phid.lookup', array('names' => array($monogram)));
if (empty($lookup[$monogram])) {
  // unknown/invisible monogram; reject the input here
}

function isPlausibleMonogram($m) {
  // e.g. T123, D4567, P12 — uppercase app letter(s) + digits
  return is_string($m) && preg_match('/^[A-Z]{1,4}\d+\z/', $m);
}

try {
  $result = $client->callMethod('maniphest.edit', $parameters);
} catch (ConduitClientException $ex) {
  if (strpos($ex->getMessage(), 'does not identify a valid object') !== false) {
    // surface 'unknown reference' to the user instead of crashing
  } else {
    throw $ex;
  }
}

When it happens

Trigger: Passing objectIdentifier="T999999" (or any monogram of an object that does not exist or is not visible) to an edit-engine Conduit method or /edit/ URL; using a monogram for an application that is not installed/enabled on this instance.

Common situations: Users hand-typing a monogram in a URL or automation script with a typo; migrating content between instances where the monogram refers to an object that was never created; referencing monograms of disabled/uninstalled applications; monograms case-mangled by tooling.

Related errors

• No object exists with ID "%s".
• No object exists with PHID "%s".
• Monogram "%s" identifies an object of the wrong type. Loaded
• Failed to reload object identified by monogram "%s" when que
• Service type "%s" is unrecognized. Valid types are: %s.

AI-assisted analysis of phacility/phabricator@5720a38cfe (2026-08-21). Data as JSON: /api/errors/7dbf5277b213a4c4. Report an issue: GitHub.