refinedev/refine · error · Error

GraphQL needs operation, fields and variables values in meta

Error message

GraphQL needs operation, fields and variables values in meta object.

What it means

The nestjs-query data provider's custom() method requires a meta object with operation, fields, and variables. This error is thrown when meta is missing entirely or one of its required members is absent, so the provider cannot build a valid GraphQL request.

Source

Thrown at packages/nestjs-query/src/dataProvider/index.ts:493

              variables: meta.variables,
            });

            query = gqlMutation.query;
            variables = gqlMutation.variables;
          }

          const response = await _client.request<BaseRecord>({
            document: query,
            variables,
          });

          return {
            data: response[meta.operation],
          };
        }
        throw Error("GraphQL operation name required.");
      }
      throw Error(
        "GraphQL needs operation, fields and variables values in meta object.",
      );
    },
  };
};

export default dataProvider;

View on GitHub (pinned to 779d52a20e)

Solutions

1. Pass the full meta object { operation, fields, variables }, using empty arrays/objects where unused
2. Check the nestjs-query provider docs for the exact custom() contract
3. Use a direct GraphQL client if you need arbitrary requests

Example fix

// before
await dataProvider.custom({ url: "/things", method: "get" });

// after
await dataProvider.custom({ url: "", method: "get", meta: { operation: "things", fields: ["id", "name"], variables: {} } });

const metaOk = !!meta && "operation" in meta && "fields" in meta && "variables" in meta;

const isCustomMeta = (m: unknown): m is { operation: string; fields: any[]; variables: Record<string, unknown> } =>
  typeof m === "object" && m !== null && "operation" in m && "fields" in m && "variables" in m;

try { await dataProvider.custom({ url, method, meta }); } catch (e) { if (String(e).includes("meta object")) { /* build complete meta */ } else throw e; }

When it happens

Trigger: Calling custom({ url, method }) without a meta object, or with a meta missing fields/variables.

Common situations: Using the REST-style custom() signature; upgrading refine where the meta contract is enforced; copying example code from REST provider docs.

Related errors

• GraphQL need to operation, fields and variables values in me
• GraphQL operation name required.
• GraphQL operation name required.
• GraphQL does not support ${method} method.
• Invalid action type

AI-assisted analysis of refinedev/refine@779d52a20e (2026-08-27). Data as JSON: /api/errors/294c790050fafb04. Report an issue: GitHub.