Confluence API automation returning 403 Forbidden - API key permissions issue

[Mitchell Dyer]

Details Field:

We're running a Confluence automation that attempts to make API calls to our backend, but all requests return 403 Forbidden errors. The automation actor is configured with a valid API key and consumes a dedicated Confluence seat, but requests are still being blocked.

What we've verified:

• API key is correctly assigned to the automation actor account
• The automation actor has an active Confluence seat with appropriate permissions
• The API token has never been accessed/used (ruling out rate limiting or token exhaustion)
• API key account shows proper permissions in Confluence

Question: What could cause a 403 response when the API key, permissions, and seat allocation all appear correct? Are there permission propagation issues or workspace-level settings that would block API calls even with a valid key?

Any suggestions for troubleshooting would help. Happy to provide screenshots or additional logs if needed.

[Bill Sheboy]

Hi @Mitchell Dyer -- Welcome to the Atlassian Community!

Which Confluence REST API endpoint are you calling with the automation rule?

Have you tried calling the endpoint with an external tool or browser to confirm it is well-formed?

Within the rule and the Send Web Request action, if you use the Validate option near the bottom of the action, what do you observe?

Kind regards,
Bill

[Mitchell Dyer]

Yes! I am hitting a 403 meaning that the API key is correct but saying that the caller cannot access Confluence:

```
{"statusCode":403,"message":"com.atlassian.confluence.mvc.rest.common.exception.StacklessResponseStatusException: 403 FORBIDDEN \"Request rejected because caller cannot access Confluence\""}%
```

We've verified that the account is able to access the Confluence space but still cannot figure out why. 

[Bill Sheboy]

Which Confluence REST API endpoint are you calling with the automation rule?