issue collector Uncaught exception thrown by REST service

[DI2E Licensing]

We have a few different issue collectors.  All were working great up until a couple weeks ago.  Now one of them is throwing an error.  (The other two are fine.) Issues are not getting created.

The log error is below.  If the user is not logged in to JIRA they see this: 

AJAX error thrown: SyntaxError: Unexpected token <

If the user is logged in to JIRA they see this:

AJAX error thrown: SyntaxError: JSON.parse: unexpected character at line 1 column 1 of the JSON data

Finally, the last oddity is that one person on our team encounters no errors with this issue collector.  But it isn't working for anyone else.

2016-03-04 16:15:47,650 http-bio-8080-exec-132 ERROR anonymous 975x7591714x1 1o5tyo7 10.14.18.44,10.14.16.143 /rest/collectors/1.0/template/custom/b3a5a4ec [common.error.jersey.ThrowableExceptionMapper] Uncaught exception thrown by REST service: null java.lang.NullPointerException at com.atlassian.jira.collector.plugin.rest.TemplateResource.createIssue(TemplateResource.java:464) at com.atlassian.jira.collector.plugin.rest.TemplateResource.createCustomIssue(TemplateResource.java:377) at sun.reflect.GeneratedMethodAccessor3858.invoke(Unknown Source) at sun.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.java:43) at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:497) at com.sun.jersey.spi.container.JavaMethodInvokerFactory$1.invoke(JavaMethodInvokerFactory.java:60) <+13> (AbstractResourceMethodDispatchProvider.java:205) (ResourceJavaMethodDispatcher.java:75) (HttpMethodRule.java:288) (RightHandPathRule.java:147) (ResourceClassRule.java:108) (RightHandPathRule.java:147) (RootResourceClassesRule.java:84) (WebApplicationImpl.java:1469) (WebApplicationImpl.java:1400) (WebApplicationImpl.java:1349) (WebApplicationImpl.java:1339) (WebComponent.java:416) (ServletContainer.java:537) at com.atlassian.plugins.rest.module.RestDelegatingServletFilter$JerseyOsgiServletContainer.doFilter(RestDelegatingServletFilter.java:178) <+1> (ServletContainer.java:795) at com.atlassian.plugins.rest.module.RestDelegatingServletFilter.doFilter(RestDelegatingServletFilter.java:73) <+16> (DelegatingPluginFilter.java:78) (IteratingFilterChain.java:42) (ServletFilterModuleContainerFilter.java:77) (ServletFilterModuleContainerFilter.java:63) (DelegatingPluginFilter.java:78) (IteratingFilterChain.java:42) (DelegatingPluginFilter.java:70) (RestServletUtilsUpdaterFilter.java:26) (RestServletUtilsUpdaterFilter.java:40) (DelegatingPluginFilter.java:78) (IteratingFilterChain.java:42) (DelegatingPluginFilter.java:70) (ContextFilter.java:25) (DelegatingPluginFilter.java:78) (IteratingFilterChain.java:42) (DelegatingPluginFilter.java:70) at com.atlassian.mywork.client.filter.ServingRequestsFilter.doFilter(ServingRequestsFilter.java:37) <+3> (DelegatingPluginFilter.java:78) (IteratingFilterChain.java:42) (DelegatingPluginFilter.java:70) at com.atlassian.plugins.cors.CorsFilter.doFilter(CorsFilter.java:65) <+3> (DelegatingPluginFilter.java:78) (IteratingFilterChain.java:42) (DelegatingPluginFilter.java:70) at com.atlassian.prettyurls.filter.PrettyUrlsSiteMeshFixupFilter.doFilter(PrettyUrlsSiteMeshFixupFilter.java:36) <+3> (DelegatingPluginFilter.java:78) (IteratingFilterChain.java:42) (DelegatingPluginFilter.java:70) at com.atlassian.prettyurls.filter.PrettyUrlsDispatcherFilter.doFilter(PrettyUrlsDispatcherFilter.java:60) <+3> (DelegatingPluginFilter.java:78) (IteratingFilterChain.java:42) (DelegatingPluginFilter.java:70) at com.atlassian.prettyurls.filter.PrettyUrlsSiteMeshFilter.doFilter(PrettyUrlsSiteMeshFilter.java:92) <+3> (DelegatingPluginFilter.java:78) (IteratingFilterChain.java:42) (DelegatingPluginFilter.java:70) at com.atlassian.prettyurls.filter.PrettyUrlsMatcherFilter.doFilter(PrettyUrlsMatcherFilter.java:56) <+3> (DelegatingPluginFilter.java:78) (IteratingFilterChain.java:42) (DelegatingPluginFilter.java:70) at com.atlassian.labs.botkiller.BotKillerFilter.doFilter(BotKillerFilter.java:36) <+21> (DelegatingPluginFilter.java:78) (IteratingFilterChain.java:42) (ServletFilterModuleContainerFilter.java:77) (ServletFilterModuleContainerFilter.java:63) (ApplicationFilterChain.java:241) (ApplicationFilterChain.java:208) (AccessLogFilter.java:105) (AccessLogFilter.java:89) (ApplicationFilterChain.java:241) (ApplicationFilterChain.java:208) (XsrfTokenAdditionRequestFilter.java:54) (ApplicationFilterChain.java:241) (ApplicationFilterChain.java:208) (PageBuilderFilter.java:90) (ApplicationFilterChain.java:241) (ApplicationFilterChain.java:208) (CommittedResponseHtmlErrorRecoveryFilter.java:63) (ApplicationFilterChain.java:241) (ApplicationFilterChain.java:208) (IteratingFilterChain.java:46) (DelegatingPluginFilter.java:70) at com.atlassian.prettyurls.filter.PrettyUrlsCombinedMatchDispatcherFilter.doFilter(PrettyUrlsCombinedMatchDispatcherFilter.java:61) <+22> (DelegatingPluginFilter.java:78) (IteratingFilterChain.java:42) (ServletFilterModuleContainerFilter.java:77) (ServletFilterModuleContainerFilter.java:63) (ApplicationFilterChain.java:241) (ApplicationFilterChain.java:208) (SecurityFilter.java:239) (ApplicationFilterChain.java:241) (ApplicationFilterChain.java:208) (TrustedApplicationsFilter.java:100) (ApplicationFilterChain.java:241) (ApplicationFilterChain.java:208) (BaseLoginFilter.java:172) (JiraLoginFilter.java:70) (ApplicationFilterChain.java:241) (ApplicationFilterChain.java:208) (IteratingFilterChain.java:46) (DelegatingPluginFilter.java:70) (OAuthFilter.java:79) (DelegatingPluginFilter.java:78) (IteratingFilterChain.java:42) (DelegatingPluginFilter.java:70) at com.atlassian.plugins.rest.module.servlet.RestSeraphFilter.doFilter(RestSeraphFilter.java:40) <+3> (DelegatingPluginFilter.java:78) (IteratingFilterChain.java:42) (DelegatingPluginFilter.java:70) at com.atlassian.prettyurls.filter.PrettyUrlsCombinedMatchDispatcherFilter.doFilter(PrettyUrlsCombinedMatchDispatcherFilter.java:61) <+9> (DelegatingPluginFilter.java:78) (IteratingFilterChain.java:42) (ServletFilterModuleContainerFilter.java:77) (ServletFilterModuleContainerFilter.java:63) (ApplicationFilterChain.java:241) (ApplicationFilterChain.java:208) (AbstractJohnsonFilter.java:71) (ApplicationFilterChain.java:241) (ApplicationFilterChain.java:208) at org.tuckey.web.filters.urlrewrite.RuleChain.handleRewrite(RuleChain.java:176) at org.tuckey.web.filters.urlrewrite.RuleChain.doRules(RuleChain.java:145) at org.tuckey.web.filters.urlrewrite.UrlRewriter.processRequest(UrlRewriter.java:92) <+5> (UrlRewriteFilter.java:394) (ApplicationFilterChain.java:241) (ApplicationFilterChain.java:208) (IteratingFilterChain.java:46) (DelegatingPluginFilter.java:70) at com.atlassian.analytics.client.filter.JiraAnalyticsFilter.doFilter(JiraAnalyticsFilter.java:40) at com.atlassian.analytics.client.filter.AbstractHttpFilter.doFilter(AbstractHttpFilter.java:32) <+3> (DelegatingPluginFilter.java:78) (IteratingFilterChain.java:42) (DelegatingPluginFilter.java:70) at com.atlassian.prettyurls.filter.PrettyUrlsCombinedMatchDispatcherFilter.doFilter(PrettyUrlsCombinedMatchDispatcherFilter.java:61) <+45> (DelegatingPluginFilter.java:78) (IteratingFilterChain.java:42) (ServletFilterModuleContainerFilter.java:77) (ServletFilterModuleContainerFilter.java:63) (ApplicationFilterChain.java:241) (ApplicationFilterChain.java:208) (ChainedFilterStepRunner.java:87) (ApplicationFilterChain.java:241) (ApplicationFilterChain.java:208) (AbstractCachingFilter.java:33) (AbstractHttpFilter.java:31) (ApplicationFilterChain.java:241) (ApplicationFilterChain.java:208) (AbstractEncodingFilter.java:41) (AbstractHttpFilter.java:31) (PathMatchingEncodingFilter.java:45) (AbstractHttpFilter.java:31) (ApplicationFilterChain.java:241) (ApplicationFilterChain.java:208) (JiraStartupChecklistFilter.java:79) (ApplicationFilterChain.java:241) (ApplicationFilterChain.java:208) (MultipartBoundaryCheckFilter.java:41) (ApplicationFilterChain.java:241) (ApplicationFilterChain.java:208) (ChainedFilterStepRunner.java:87) (JiraFirstFilter.java:61) (ApplicationFilterChain.java:241) (ApplicationFilterChain.java:208) (GzipFilter.java:121) (GzipFilter.java:92) (JiraGzipFilter.java:56) (ApplicationFilterChain.java:241) (ApplicationFilterChain.java:208) (StandardWrapperValve.java:220) (StandardContextValve.java:122) (AuthenticatorBase.java:501) (StandardHostValve.java:171) (ErrorReportValve.java:103) (StandardEngineValve.java:116) (AccessLogValve.java:950) (CoyoteAdapter.java:408) (AbstractHttp11Processor.java:1070) (AbstractProtocol.java:611) (JIoEndpoint.java:314) at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor.runWorker(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:1142) at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor$Worker.run(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:617) at org.apache.tomcat.util.threads.TaskThread$WrappingRunnable.run(TaskThread.java:61) at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:745)

All help appreciated

[DI2E Licensing]

Found it.  Removed this validator and all was well:

 The field Project Key its contents must match against the regular expression [A-Z_0-9]+