thoughtbot/shoulda-matchers · error · ActionNotDefinedError

You must specify the controller action using the #for method

Error message

You must specify the controller action using the #for method.

What it means

Error "You must specify the controller action using the #for method." thrown in thoughtbot/shoulda-matchers.

Source

Thrown at lib/shoulda/matchers/action_controller/permit_matcher.rb:321

        def actual_permitted_parameter_names
          @_actual_permitted_parameter_names ||= begin
            options =
              if subparameter_name
                { for: subparameter_name }
              else
                {}
              end
            parameters_double_registry.permitted_parameter_names(options)
          end
        end

        def unpermitted_parameter_names
          expected_permitted_parameter_names - actual_permitted_parameter_names
        end

        def ensure_action_and_verb_present!
          if action.blank?
            raise ActionNotDefinedError
          end

          if verb.blank?
            raise VerbNotDefinedError
          end
        end

        def default_verb
          case action
          when :create then :post
          when :update then RailsShim.verb_for_update
          end
        end

        def parameter_names_as_sentence
          expected_permitted_parameter_names.map(&:inspect).to_sentence
        end

View on GitHub (pinned to 79cdfbc326)

When it happens

Trigger: Thrown at lib/shoulda/matchers/action_controller/permit_matcher.rb:321 when the library encounters an invalid state.

Common situations: See trigger scenarios.

AI-assisted analysis of thoughtbot/shoulda-matchers@79cdfbc326 (2026-08-23). Data as JSON: /api/errors/a42e90a6634011c8. Report an issue: GitHub.