Flower Help
Most of our FAQs can be found on the relevant pages of the Purchasing & Admin or How-To section. If you can’t find the answer you’re looking for, please reach out to our Customer Support Team and we’ll be happy to help.
What does this error message mean?
“500 - Duplicate key” or “Duplicate field reference error”
The most common cause of a 500 error is a field that is added to several tabs of the same screen. Jira does not permit this.
To fix it, you need a Jira administrator:
- Find the duplicated field and its screen.
- In Jira Data Center, follow the steps in this Atlassian Knowledge Base article . It requires SQL access to your Jira database.
- In Jira Cloud, check the screens of the work type that causes the error.
- Open the screens in the Jira administration. In Jira Cloud, go to Settings > Work items > Screens. In Jira Data Center, go to Administration > Issues > Screens.
- Look for the screen from the result, for example “SSD: Scrum Default Issue Screen”.
- Click Configure and look for the field, for example “assignee”.
- Remove one of the duplicate entries from the screen.
If the screen has several tabs, check every tab for the field.
”500 - Internal Server Error”
These errors are most commonly caused by Jira, not by Flower. Flower stores its process data in Jira and loads it through Jira’s API.
Contact your Jira administrator first. In Jira Cloud, also check the Atlassian status page .
”503 Error”
A 503 error usually means that Jira is temporarily down or under heavy load. Wait a few minutes and try again. If it persists, contact your internal help desk. In Jira Cloud, check the Atlassian status page .
”429 Too Many Requests”
Jira Cloud limits how many requests an app can send. Atlassian has enforced these rate limits for apps since 2 March 2026.
Wait a few minutes and try again. If the error occurs regularly, contact support and tell us the time (with time zone) when it happened.
”400 - A value with ID ‘xxxxx’ does not exist for the field ‘project’”
This error is most commonly caused by a space that you cannot access. Jira uses the technical name “project” for spaces in this message. The space can be selected in the Flower Settings, on a swimlane, or on a BPMN activity. The most common cause is that the space key was renamed, but access permissions may also have changed, or the space was deleted.
The same applies to the message for the field issuetype, which refers to a work type.
First, check the space selected in the Flower Settings. Then check the space and work type in your process model, on the activities and on the swimlanes, and make sure that you can access all of them.
For example, if your process model looks like this:
you need to check that you can load the AGILE space.
Why do I see a notice that Flower might stop working?
In Jira Cloud, Atlassian shows this notice for many Marketplace apps. It concerns a component of Atlassian’s platform, not Flower itself, and it does not affect Flower for Data Center.
Flower is Cloud Fortified, and we make sure that the app always meets Atlassian’s platform and security requirements. We will keep you informed about all relevant changes.
Error and Warning Comments from Flower
When something goes wrong while a process runs, Flower writes a comment at the work item of the process instance (an error, warning, or message panel) and goes on where it can.
An error comment starts with the text of the first column below, followed by the cause and the key of the work item and node, on every host.
Errors
| Comment | Meaning | What to do |
|---|---|---|
Expression validation failed at … | A condition uses a field that does not exist. The condition is false. Reported once per process instance | Check the path in the expression, see Expressions |
Expression could not be evaluated at … | The expression cannot be parsed. The condition is false | Correct the syntax |
The gateway … found no outgoing flow whose condition is true, and it has no default flow | No condition of an exclusive or inclusive gateway is true and there is no default flow. The step is not saved | Give the gateway a default flow or correct the data, then resolve the work item again |
| The error message of Jira, for example … is required | Jira refused to create the work item of a task, for example because of a required field, a missing permission, or a work type that the space does not have. The process waits at this task | Fix the cause in Jira or in the model, see Mandatory Fields |
Insufficient settings for project and issue type | No space or work type is defined for the activity, the lane, the model, or the Flower Settings | Set the defaults on the Jira Integration tab of the Flower Settings, see Setup Flower |
Trying to create an existing activity | A work item for this activity already exists in the process instance | Usually harmless, for example when it was created by hand before |
No transition available to reopen issue | A loop returned to a completed activity, but the workflow has no transition without a screen back to To Do or In Progress | Add such a transition to the workflow, see Loops |
No public BPMN model available. Republish your Flower model first. | The model has never been published, or the published version is missing | Publish the model |
Could not resolve process instance | Flower ended the process, but the Jira workflow does not allow the transition to a done status (conditions, validators, permission Transition issues) | Check the workflow of the work type of the process instance |
Could not evaluate the condition of … | A change of the process instance should check a waiting conditional event, but the engine could not run | Check the cause in the comment |
Could not escalate … (status …) | The status change of an open work item matched an escalation boundary event, but the engine could not run | Check the cause in the comment |
Timeout Error | The timer job could not continue the process instance of a due timer | Check the cause in the comment; the next timer job tries again |
Could not save the timer of the process instance / … the condition of the process instance | Flower could not write flowerTimer or flower.waitsForCondition | Check the permissions of the Flower user on the process instance |
Web service calls are not available in the Forge app. Set the request type of the event to Jira Automation. | A throw event has a webhook URL, and the Forge app does not call URLs | Use Jira Automation, see Sync Magic |
Webhook URL is empty and other URL errors, Web service call failed | A throw event (Connect, Data Center) has no valid URL, or the call failed | Cloud accepts public https URLs only; check the URL, see Sync Magic |
Automation event failed at … | Flower could not set the property flowerAutomation on the process instance (Forge) | Check the permissions of the Flower app user |
Warnings
| Comment | Meaning | What to do |
|---|---|---|
Flower does not execute the receive task / signal catch event / message catch event / signal start event / message start event …: the process waits there and does not go on by itself | The process reached an element that Flower does not execute and that waits. Written once per process instance | Remove it from the model, or end the process instance, see Coverage |
The due date of "…" (…) could not be set | The field Due date is not on the edit screen of the work type. The timer works anyway through flowerTimer | Add Due date to the edit screen if the team should see the deadline |
… has no event definition … | A boundary event without a type (timer, error, …) has no effect. The task is created as usual | Give the event a type or remove it |
Flower has resolved …, but the Jira resolution is empty | The workflow sets no resolution and the field Resolution is on no screen of the work type | Add Resolution to the transition screen or the edit screen, or set it with a post function. JQL, the timer job, and reports treat the work item as open otherwise |
The work item of "…" could not be created as a sub-task (…). It has been created with the default work type of the settings. | Jira refused the sub-task (for example a process instance in another space): Flower used the default work type | Use a work type that is not a sub-task, or the space of the process instance |
Messages
Flower also writes messages that are not problems: Due date of … set to …, Timeout has been triggered, Waiting for the timer … until …, Timer … has fired, Waiting for the condition …, Flower Automation Event: … (Forge), Web service called at BPMN event (status), Process instance has been ended or terminated, Sub-process … has been cancelled (embedded sub-process), Sub-process … has been terminated (call activity), and … has been cancelled (a work item that an interrupting event closed).
Sub-process comments
| Comment | Meaning | What to do |
|---|---|---|
Could not start the sub process "…" for … | The work item of a call activity could not become a process instance of the called model | Publish the called model, check that you can access it, and check the Jira work type mapping |
The call activity "…" does not start a sub process: its space and work type (… / …) are not part of the Jira work type mapping | The work item of the call activity was created, but the Jira work type mapping has no entry for its space and work type, or the mapping is empty. The work item is an ordinary task | Add or save the entry on the Jira Work Type Mapping tab of the Flower Settings, or give the call activity a mapped work type. Resolve the ordinary task to continue the process |
Loop into the node "…" is not supported, because it runs as a sub process. | A loop returned to a call activity. The sub-process has ended and is not started again | Remove the loop from the model, see Sub-Processes |
Could not load the calling process instance …, the expression object par is empty. | The parent work item was deleted or cannot be read. The sub-process goes on without par | Check the parent work item and your access |
Could not continue the process after the sub process … has been resolved. | The calling process could not be continued, for example because its state is gone | Fix the cause (see the error text), then reopen and resolve the sub-process work item again |
Could not resolve issue … | Flower could not cancel a work item (terminate end event, interrupting timer or escalation), for example because the workflow offers no done status | Check the workflow; cancel the work item by hand |
Could not terminate the sub-process of … | An interrupting event or a terminate end event could not cancel a sub-process | Cancel the sub-process instance by hand |
Validation Rules
The Validate action of the Flower Modeler checks a model against the rules below and marks each finding on the diagram: red (error), yellow (warning). The overall result is Model is ready to publish (green), Model can be published with warnings (yellow), or Model is not ready to publish yet (red).
Validation does not block publishing: you can publish a model with red findings, and it will fail or behave unexpectedly at runtime. Validate before you publish and fix every red finding.
| Rule | Level | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Start nodes are missing | red | The process has no start event |
| End nodes are missing | red | The process has no end event |
| Process must be started by a start node | red | An element without an incoming flow is not a start event |
| Process must be terminated by an end node. No previous nodes are allowed. | red | A start event has an incoming flow |
| This path does not end in an end event … | yellow | An element without an outgoing flow is not an end event: the process stops there, and the instance is resolved only if another branch reaches an end event |
| Process must be terminated by an end node. No further nodes are allowed. | red | An end event has an outgoing flow |
| Currently only one outgoing transition is allowed at a start node | red | A start event has several outgoing flows |
| Transition doublicated | red | Two sequence flows connect the same elements |
| The number of incoming transitions … must be the same as the number of outgoing transitions … | red | A parallel or inclusive split and its join have different numbers of flows |
| The gateway has no default flow: if no condition is true, the process stops with an error comment | yellow | An exclusive, inclusive, or complex gateway that splits has no default flow |
| Missing expression at exclusive gateway | yellow | An outgoing flow of an exclusive gateway has no condition and is not the default |
| Lane without name | yellow | A lane has no name |
| Activity without name | yellow | A plain task (without a type) has no name |
| Project does not exist at this Jira instance | red | The space of an activity or lane does not exist or is not visible to you |
| Mandatory fields are not allowed | red | The work type of an activity that sets its own space and work type has required fields without a default value, see Mandatory Fields |
| The work type of … / The work type of the process instance is a sub-task type … | yellow | A sub-task work type that Flower cannot create as a sub-task of the process instance (another space, or the process instance is a sub-task itself): the default work type is used |
| A call activity needs its own space and work type from the Jira work type mapping | red | Select both in the Jira section of the call activity. They are not inherited from the swimlane or the model |
| The space and work type of the call activity are not part of the Jira work type mapping | red | Pick a combination from the list, or add it to the mapping in the Flower Settings |
| The work type of this activity is part of the Jira work type mapping | yellow | A task with a mapped work type starts a process. Use a call activity, or another work type |
| The sub process calls itself … | red | A model must not call itself, directly or through other models. The message shows the chain |
| The model of the sub process cannot be loaded, is it published? | yellow | Publish the called model |
| This message flow … the engine does not deliver it | yellow | A message flow between elements that cannot send or receive, see Message Flows |
| Only one timer boundary event allowed per activity | red | Use one timer per activity |
| Invalid timer expression | yellow | The value is not an ISO 8601 date with time zone, duration, or cycle, not a number of days, and not an expression ${…}, see Define the Timer |
| A repeating timer needs a non-interrupting boundary event | yellow | A cycle on an interrupting boundary timer fires once |
| … has a cycle | red | A cycle on a timer start event or intermediate timer event; it would fire once |
| … has no condition: the process waits there forever | yellow | An intermediate or start conditional event without a condition |
| This boundary event has no event definition | yellow | A boundary event without a type has no effect |
| … has no Jira status: it never fires | yellow | An error or escalation boundary event without a selected status |
| The conditional boundary event … has no condition: it never fires | yellow | A conditional boundary event without a condition |
| Flower does not execute the boundary event … it never fires | yellow | A signal, cancel, or compensation boundary event |
| Flower does not execute the … / Flower does not run the script … | yellow | Passed: a service, send, business rule, or script task (the script is never run), a link catch event |
| Flower does not execute the … / No message flow of this model reaches … | yellow | Waits: a receive task, a signal catch event, a message catch event that no message flow of the model reaches |
| The complex gateway … runs like an inclusive gateway | yellow | Every outgoing flow whose condition is true is taken, the activation condition is not evaluated |
| The event-based gateway … waits for the first of the events behind it | yellow | A timer or conditional event behind it takes the path, a message or signal from outside never arrives |
| Flower does not execute the event sub-process … | yellow | It never starts |
| The transaction / ad-hoc sub-process … runs like an embedded sub-process | yellow | Its tasks become work items (ad-hoc: all at once) |
| Flower runs … once | yellow | A multi-instance or loop marker is not executed: the task runs once and creates one work item |
See Coverage for what each element does at runtime.
How to Raise a Support Request
How to Contact Flower
For support with Flower, you can raise a support request here.
Please share anything that helps us to solve your issue quickly:
- Screenshots and a short description of what you did
- Your Jira site (Cloud) or Jira version (Data Center) and the Flower version
- The key of the process model and the process instance
- The time when the problem occurred, with your time zone
- A copy of your browser console (see below)
Atlassian Community
Ask a question on the Atlassian Community, a forum for all questions about Atlassian products. The Flower support team and power users monitor the Atlassian Community and respond promptly to usage questions.
Requests made via the Atlassian Community are answered on a best-effort basis.
Browser Console
Here’s how to get a copy of your browser console if we ask for it.
Chrome:
- Open Developer Tools under More tools.
- Select the Console tab.
- Right-click in the console and select Save as…. Save the file and attach it to the support request.
In Firefox and Edge, open the developer tools with F12. The console works in the same way.
How to Raise a Feature Suggestion
Have an idea for our app? Send it to our product team via support. Click here to start a request.