Butler key removed by mistake

[emilio]

Hello, I consistently use automation on my personal board, but they are not working anymore, I suppose because of an error of mine.

Some days ago I was looking for some settings in the account page ( https://trello.com/u/emilio_/account ) and I found that I accumulated many application keys during the years, so I proceeded to clean them up and leave only the one used by the Android application. I was an user of Butler as a plugin, before of its integration with Trello, so I thought that its key was obsolete, and I removed it.

Since then, the automations in my Trello account are not working anymore. In the board I still see all my rules and buttons in https://trello.com/b/<personal board>/butler/rules , but editing them or adding something new ends in an infinite loading.

In the console I see errors like:

- ERROR [Statsig] A networking error occurred during POST request to https://xp.atlassian.com/v1/rgstr?k=<...>&st=javascript-client&sv=3.26.0&t=<...>&sid=<...>&ec=5&gz=1. TypeError: NetworkError when attempting to fetch resource. (xp.atlassian.com) TypeError: NetworkError when attempting to fetch resource. (xp.atlassian.com) console.js:36:14

- many CORS errors

Visiting again the account page ( https://trello.com/u/emilio_/account ) I see that a new Butler key has been automatically created, but it looks like it is not working. I tried also to create a new board from scratch but nothing. 

[Lara Demir - Hipporello]

Hi @Emilio,

It sounds like deleting the legacy Butler API key has broken the "handshake" between Trello and the Automation engine. Since the new key isn't picking up the tasks, you likely need to perform a forced re-authorization.

Here is a step-by-step guide to fix this:

Hard Reset the Automation Connection:

Go to your board and open the Automation (Butler) menu.

If you can reach the settings, look for an "Account" or "Authorization" tab.

Disconnect your Trello account from Butler and then reconnect it. This forces the generation of a fresh, valid token linked to the new key.

Check Power-Ups:

Even though Butler is now native, some older boards still have the "Butler" Power-Up enabled manually. Go to Menu > Power-Ups and if you see the old Butler Power-Up, Disable and Re-enable it.

The "Invite" Trick:

Sometimes, the automation bot loses its member permissions on the board. Try removing the "Butler" member from your board (if visible in the members list) and then perform any automation action; Trello should automatically re-invite the bot with the correct permissions.

Addressing the Console Errors:

The CORS and NetworkError you see on xp.atlassian.com are often related to browser extensions (like AdBlockers) or expired session cookies.

Action: Log out of Trello, clear your browser's Cache and Cookies specifically for trello.com and atlassian.com, and log back in. This often clears the "infinite loading" loop.

Check Atlassian ID:

Since Trello moved to Atlassian accounts, go to id.atlassian.com/manage-profile/apps and see if "Trello" or "Butler" has a revoked access status. If so, grant access again.

[emilio]

Thank you for your answer, but in the Automation menu there are no settings. I would like to disconnect and reconnect the Butler, but I can't find a way to do that.

Here is a screenshot of the Automation menu

[Lara Demir - Hipporello]

Thank you for the screenshot. Since you cannot see the "Settings" tab in the Automation menu due to the infinite loading/CORS errors, we need to bypass the UI and trigger a re-authorization through a different path.

Here are the steps to "force" Trello to reconnect with the Automation engine:

The "Invite" Workaround (Most Effective):

Even though Butler is built-in, it still acts as a "virtual member" of your board.

Go to your board's Member list (at the top or in the Menu).

If you see "Butler" as a member, remove it from the board.

Now, try to create a very simple "Card Button" via the Automation menu. Removing the member often forces Trello to pop up a "Grant Access" or "Re-authorize" prompt to bring the bot back.

Revoke and Re-grant via Atlassian Account:

Go to id.atlassian.com/manage-profile/apps.

Look for "Trello" or "Trello Automation".

Click Remove Access.

Don't worry: This won't delete your data. The next time you log into Trello and click the Automation button, it will be forced to ask for a brand-new, valid API token, which should replace the broken one you deleted.

Check the "Butler" Power-Up (Legacy Board issue):

Since you mentioned being a long-time user, check Menu > Power-Ups.

If the old "Butler" Power-Up is still enabled, it might be conflicting with the native integration. Disable it entirely. The native "Automation" button should be the only thing running.

The "Incognito" Test:

Open your board in a Private/Incognito window. If the Automation menu loads correctly there, it confirms that your main browser session has a corrupted Local Storage or Cookie tied to that old API key you deleted.

One final question: When you try to click the "Crea automazione" (Create Automation) button in your screenshot, does it trigger an error message or simply do nothing?

If none of these work, we might need to look at your Atlassian Administration settings to see if the "Automation by Atlassian" app is allowed. Let us know how the "Revoke Access" step goes!

[emilio]

No:
- there is not Butler account
- there is not Butler power-up
- in id.atlassian.com/manage-profile/apps there are no apps at all
- in incognito mode I still see all the CORS errors (I don't think they are related to the main issue about Automation)

By clicking on "Crea automazione" the modal stacks on a loader icon

[Lara Demir - Hipporello]

Hi Emilio,

Thank you for confirming those points. The fact that you see no apps at all in your Atlassian account settings, combined with the infinite loader, confirms that the deletion of the legacy key has caused a "ghosting" effect—where your account thinks it has an automation service, but the authentication layer is completely missing.

At this stage, since you've tried the Incognito mode and confirmed there are no Butler members or Power-ups to reset, we have reached the limit of what can be done from the Community side. As a fellow user, I don't have the internal database access required to manually re-link your Atlassian ID to the Trello Automation engine.

Next Step: Direct Technical Support
This needs to be fixed by an Atlassian Engineer who can "reset" the automation flag on your account backend.

Please open a ticket via the Trello Contact Form.

Select "Account-related issue" or "Automation (Butler) issues."

Important: Include the URL of this community thread in your ticket. This will show the support team that you have already tried all the standard troubleshooting (CORS check, Incognito, Atlassian App Management, and Member removal).

Tell them: "I deleted a legacy API key and now my Automation menu is stuck in an infinite loop with no 'Settings' tab available to re-authorize."

I am truly sorry I couldn't get it running again for you, but the Trello internal team should be able to restore that connection once they see the broken token state on their end.

Best of luck getting your boards back to full speed!

[emilio]

Where is the contact form? Do you mean this one? https://support.atlassian.com/contact 
Should I upgrade to a paid plan to contact a human?
I read "Trello Free comes with Community Support. Upgrade to a paid plan to get one-on-one customer support."

[Lara Demir - Hipporello]

Hi Emilio,

That is a very fair question. While Trello does prioritize paid plans for general "how-to" support, Technical Bugs and Account Access/Authorization issues (like yours) are different. You shouldn't need to upgrade just to fix a broken API handshake caused by a legacy key deletion.

Here is the "Secret Sauce" to get a human response without upgrading:

Use the link you found: https://support.atlassian.com/contact

Select the "Billing or Account" path: Even if your issue is technical, choosing "Account login and profile" or "Security/Privacy" usually routes you to a human team because these involve identity and account integrity.

Explain the "Bug" nature: In your message, emphasize that this isn't a "how-to" question, but a system-level failure where your Automation menu is stuck in an infinite loop.

Mention the Community Thread: Tell them, "I have already consulted with a Community Leader, and we have confirmed this is an internal authorization loop that cannot be fixed from the user side." This often helps bypass the initial automated "check the documentation" reply.

Alternative Route (Twitter/X):
If the form still points you back to the community, message @Trello on Twitter/X. Their social media support team is often very responsive to "I'm stuck in an infinite loader" reports and can escalate your case to an engineer.

Final word: As a community member, I truly wish I could flip the switch for you, but this is one of those rare cases where only an internal Atlassian developer can reset the "Butler/Automation" token for your specific ID.

I hope they get this sorted out for you quickly!