unable to publish the web request - received http status response

[Koen Bruggeman]

hello,

Anyone knows why I keep getting this message when trying to send a web request?

API token without scope is base64 encoded via https://www.base64encode.org/

[Arkadiusz Wroblewski · Accepted solution]

Hello @Koen Bruggeman 

Since your audit log is flagging a 401 Unauthorized, we don’t even need to worry about the form-copy logic yet, Jira is effectively slamming the door at the authentication stage.

The most common culprit with Basic auth and API tokens is the encoding format. You can't just Base64 encode the token by itself; the standard requirement is your email address followed by a colon, and then the API token (e.g., email@example.com:api_token). Once you've encoded that entire string, your header should look like Authorization: Basic <encoded-string>. Just double-check that there aren't any accidental line breaks or spaces at the end of that string, as they’ll break the handshake every time.

Once you clear that 401, keep an eye on your request body. The Forms API is a bit picky and usually expects "ids" in lowercase with a "value" object like this:

{
"ids": [
{
"value": "your-form-uuid-here"
}
]
}

It’s a lifesaver to test this first with hard-coded issue keys and a real form ID. Once the form actually lands in the target issue, then you can swap those out for your smart values like {{issue.key}}.

One last pro-tip: make sure you check the "Hidden" box for that Authorization header in your automation settings. It keeps your token from accidentally showing up in audit logs or screenshots if you ever need to share them for troubleshooting later!

Does that help get the connection through, or is it still pushing back?

[Koen Bruggeman]

hi Arkandiusz,

i am following these articles

https://community.atlassian.com/forums/Jira-articles/Copy-a-Form-to-the-same-project-and-for-different-projects-using/ba-p/2385424

https://community.atlassian.com/forums/Jira-articles/Automation-for-Jira-Send-web-request-using-Jira-REST-API/ba-p/1443828

Meanwhile I tried every combination with or without punctuation marks.

my@own.email:API-TOKEN

"my@own.email:API-TOKEN"

<my@own.email>:<API-TOKEN>

"<my@own.email>:<API-TOKEN>"

and then base64 encode it

Can you tell me exactly what punctuation marks need to be used for encoding and how you need to paste in the web request header?

[Arkadiusz Wroblewski]

You need to use the exact format my@own.email:API-TOKEN without any quotation marks, spaces, or angle brackets. If you encode "email:token" instead of just email:token, the quotes actually become part of the credential and Jira will reject it.

When you're setting up the web request in your automation, the Authorization header value has to be the word Basic followed by a single space and then your Base64 string. You also need to make sure the Content-Type and Accept headers are both set to application/json or the API won't know how to handle the data.

For the actual form copy, the URL should be POST https://api.atlassian.com/jira/forms/cloud/{cloudId}/issue/{sourceIssueIdOrKey}/form/copy/{targetIssueIdOrKey}. The body needs to be structured as a JSON object containing an array of IDs, specifically {"ids": [{"value": "your-form-id-here"}]}.

On a side note, since you used an online encoder, that token is compromised and you should revoke it immediately. It's safer to create a new one and encode the string locally using a terminal or PowerShell so the credentials never touch a public website.

[Koen Bruggeman]

@Arkadiusz Wroblewski 

i use powershell to encode

is this the correct command? i believe so because when i check the token, it says that it has been accessed.

[Convert]::ToBase64String([Text.Encoding]::UTF8.GetBytes('<plaintext string here>'))

 

unfortunately, i receive another error now.

i dont know what to search for :) can you help?

[Arkadiusz Wroblewski]

https://support.atlassian.com/jira/kb/access-forms-data-with-the-forms-api-in-jira-cloud/ 

Experimental API header added?

For troubleshoot you must deep oversimplifise that to see what's going wrong. 

[Koen Bruggeman]

i am getting the same error. i created a separate flow

[Arkadiusz Wroblewski]

@Koen Bruggeman 

GET request is returning a 404, the issue is likely with resource identity or access permissions rather than your JSON body. I would pause the copy troubleshooting and first verify that your cloudId, issue key, and API token user all belong to the same Jira site. You can confirm your site's specific cloudId by checking the /_edge/tenant_info endpoint.

It is best to test standard endpoints like /rest/api/3/myself and /rest/api/3/issue/ST-5826 first. If these return a 404, the problem lies with your permissions or the site URL. Also, ensure you are using the X-ExperimentalApi: opt-in header, as it is required for the Forms API.

[Arkadiusz Wroblewski]

@Koen Bruggeman 

Also I seen you asked in this specific topic about this form Automation. Great. We can come then faster to solution.

That's why I love Automations, very much of troubleshooting is try, find problem, change, and so go on..... 🤠😅

[Koen Bruggeman]

omg

this did it /_edge/tenant_info

all is working by changing the id

gracias

[Arkadiusz Wroblewski]

@Koen Bruggeman 

Well, we started troubleshooting from a pretty reverse angle. You can try either creating complex automation or simplifying it to pinpoint the real issue. 🤠🤭😉