outline-mcp
User Guides

Troubleshooting

Diagnose common failures quickly with actionable checks and fixes.

Quick triage flow

When a problem appears, use this order:

  1. Confirm runtime config with server_info.
  2. Validate read path (list_collections, read_document).
  3. Validate permission scope (OUTLINE_ALLOWED_ACTIONS).
  4. Validate write paths with controlled test targets.

This order avoids debugging write behavior before basic auth and connectivity are stable.

Symptom and resolution table

SymptomLikely causeRecommended fix
PERMISSION_DENIEDAction not allowed in current profileUpdate OUTLINE_ALLOWED_ACTIONS and restart process
authentication_required or 401/403Invalid token, wrong endpoint, or restricted workspace tokenVerify OUTLINE_API_KEY, OUTLINE_BASE_URL, and token scope
CONFLICT_DETECTED in safe updateRevision changed after your last readRe-read document, merge changes, retry with latest revision
Lease conflictAnother worker owns active leaseWait/retry, or coordinate ownership reassignment
Export not downloadable yetFile operation still creating/uploadingPoll get_file_operation until state is complete
Missing optional toolsCapability probe disabled unavailable endpointsCheck probe status and endpoint availability
CI E2E skippedOUTLINE_API_KEY secret not configuredAdd GitHub secret and rerun workflow

Practical diagnostics

Check effective runtime

Call server_info and confirm:

  • baseUrl
  • allowedActions
  • capabilityProbeEnabled
  • lease strategy and TTL values

Check read before write

Use:

  • list_collections
  • search_documents
  • read_document

If these fail, resolve endpoint and auth issues first.

Check concurrency controls

For contested documents:

  • inspect revision path (read_document + safe_update_document)
  • inspect lease state (get_active_document_lease)

Escalation checklist

When escalating internally, include:

  • failing tool name and input shape
  • current OUTLINE_ALLOWED_ACTIONS
  • server info output (without secrets)
  • exact error payload
  • timestamp and target document or collection ID