phacility/phabricator · warning · PhutilArgumentUsageException

Unknown export format ("%s"). Known formats are: %s.

Error message

Unknown export format ("%s"). Known formats are: %s.

What it means

The --format value is looked up in PhabricatorExportFormat::getAllExportFormats(). An unrecognized key aborts and the error enumerates the registered format keys, so the correct keys are always in the message.

Source

Thrown at src/applications/transactions/bulk/management/PhabricatorBulkManagementExportWorkflow.php:63

        ));
  }

  public function execute(PhutilArgumentParser $args) {
    $viewer = $this->getViewer();

    list($engine, $queries) = $this->newQueries($args);

    $format_key = $args->getArg('format');
    if (!strlen($format_key)) {
      throw new PhutilArgumentUsageException(
        pht(
          'Specify an export format with "--format".'));
    }

    $all_formats = PhabricatorExportFormat::getAllExportFormats();
    $format = idx($all_formats, $format_key);
    if (!$format) {
      throw new PhutilArgumentUsageException(
        pht(
          'Unknown export format ("%s"). Known formats are: %s.',
          $format_key,
          implode(', ', array_keys($all_formats))));
    }

    if (!$format->isExportFormatEnabled()) {
      throw new PhutilArgumentUsageException(
        pht(
          'Export format ("%s") is not enabled.',
          $format_key));
    }

    $is_overwrite = $args->getArg('overwrite');
    $output_path = $args->getArg('output');

    if (!strlen($output_path)) {
      throw new PhutilArgumentUsageException(

View on GitHub (pinned to 5720a38cfe)

Solutions

1. Use one of the formats listed verbatim in the error message (csv is the always-registered baseline)
2. Update the script for the current version's registry
3. If the format comes from an extension, verify the extension is installed and loaded

Example fix

# before
./bin/bulk export --format xml ...

# after: a format the registry actually knows
./bin/bulk export --format csv ...

// Check the key against the registry before running the workflow.
$all_formats = PhabricatorExportFormat::getAllExportFormats();
if (!isset($all_formats[$format_key])) {
  $format_key = 'csv'; // or report: known formats are array_keys($all_formats)
}

When it happens

Trigger: Passing a typo'd format key or one that does not exist in this install's registry (for example a format provided by an extension that is not loaded).

Common situations: Scripts written against a different Phabricator version whose format registry differs; documentation drift; missing custom export format extensions.

Related errors

• Specify an export format with "--format".
• Export format ("%s") is not enabled.
• You must specify the path to a public keyfile with %s.
• You must specify the path to a pkcs8 keyfile with %s.
• You must specify the username of the account to recover.

AI-assisted analysis of phacility/phabricator@5720a38cfe (2026-08-21). Data as JSON: /api/errors/a4d1d0237ec5ca7c. Report an issue: GitHub.