webdav Sync not working

[bkolbe]

Operating system

macOS

Joplin version

3.5.12 and 3.6.2

Desktop version info

First Sync with webdav works.
This Error also happens on ios App
Then pressing sync Button, the following error appears:
Error: Unknown key: sync.6.apiKey

This happens with webdav and nextcloud Sync.

Current behaviour

no syncing

Expected behaviour

the sync should start

Logs

The Console say:
12:07:02: JoplinServerApi: Could not acquire session: null
ict: Unknown key: sync.6.apiKey
at Setting.settingMetadata (Setting.ts:583:33)
at Setting.value (Setting.ts:1045:19)
at Object.apiKey (ShareService.ts:89:26)
at JoplinServerApi.session (JoplinServerApi.ts:99:27)
at JoplinServerApi.sessionId (JoplinServerApi.ts:111:19)
at JoplinServerApi.exec_ (JoplinServerApi.ts:175:16)
at JoplinServerApi.exec (JoplinServerApi.ts:310:22)
at ShareService.refreshShares (ShareService.ts:530:18)
at ShareService.checkShareConsistency (ShareService.ts:258:14)
at Synchronizer.start (Synchronizer.ts:469:29)

[laurent22]

It looks like sync is still set to Joplin Server or Joplin Cloud. Maybe try again to set it to WebDAv, then close the app and reopen it

[bkolbe]

I have already switched from webdav to other and back and forth. Restarted many times.
deleted the entries in the settings file and also reentered.

The IOS App, ihave deinstalled and reinstalled and cofnigured new. and after first initals sycin of all nodes. a second sync hitting the button the sames issue appears.

I have following webdav conatiner running:
image: bytemark/webdav
restart: always
ports:
- "8888:80"
environment:
AUTH_TYPE: Basic
USERNAME: ##user##
PASSWORD: ##password##

a HA-Proxy is handling lets Encrypt as a reverseproxy for valid url

[laurent22]

@personalizedrefrigerator, could it be related to the recently added apiKey setting?

[personalizedrefrigerator]

at ShareService.refreshShares (ShareService.ts:530:18)

It looks like ShareService is attempting to send a Joplin Server API request even when the sync target is set to WebDAV:

joplin/packages/lib/services/share/ShareService.ts

Lines 394 to 395 in f589197

	private async loadShares() {
	return this.api().exec('GET', 'api/shares');

It's then failing to construct a Joplin Server API since there's no API key setting for Joplin Server:

joplin/packages/lib/services/share/ShareService.ts

Lines 84 to 89 in f589197

	this.api_ = new JoplinServerApi({
	baseUrl: () => Setting.value(`sync.${syncTargetId}.path`),
	userContentBaseUrl: () => Setting.value(`sync.${syncTargetId}.userContentPath`),
	username: () => Setting.value(`sync.${syncTargetId}.username`),
	password: () => Setting.value(`sync.${syncTargetId}.password`),
	apiKey: () => Setting.value(`sync.${syncTargetId}.apiKey`),

I suspect that the issue is that Folder.checkShareConsistency incorrectly finds and attempts to process folders with share_ids, even if not connected to Joplin Server/Cloud:

joplin/packages/lib/services/share/ShareService.ts

Line 250 in f589197

const rootSharedFolders = await Folder.rootSharedFolders(this.shares);

Possible fixes include:

• Clearing share_id and is_shared on all items when switching sync targets.
• Ignoring share_id and is_shared if not syncing with Joplin Server/Joplin Cloud.

@personalizedrefrigerator, could it be related to the recently added apiKey setting?

I think the JoplinServerApi request would most likely fail at some other point, even without the new apiKey setting, since ShareService is attempting to initialize a JoplinServerApi with WebDAV/NextCloud settings.

[Manik-Khajuria-5]

working on this issue

[Manik-Khajuria-5]

screenrecording-2026-02-26_19-18-43.mp4

@laurent22 @bkolbe Can u help me how can I recreate the error or it is working fine

[karan10i]

screenrecording-2026-02-26_19-18-43.mp4

@laurent22 @bkolbe Can u help me how can I recreate the error or it is working fine

This is a sync error which is caused when you try to sync in your notes from a different source, to have a better understanding of this try working with a debugger will help you better understand the working.
Try making a note on one source and now to get that shared across devices that's shared folder, so there must be error in that as mentioned above.

[bkolbe]

@laurent22 @bkolbe Can u help me how can I recreate the error or it is working fine

I think we are on the right spot. So i had running selfhosted server some time ago, where i also had multiople users (my Wife and me). But got issue on sync so i changed to webdav.
Also with Issues, and after one year of not syncing i want to try to fix it to use ist more again, and now i am running in to this isseu. So it sound like it could possibly have something to do with this share_id

[bkolbe]

I have updated the database to delete als shared_ids with:

sqlite> UPDATE notes SET share_id = '';

sqlite> UPDATE folders SET share_id = '';

after that i can resync my notes on computers with webdav but not on ios app. After reinitiatiating the sync, and on second sync the apikey error appears again.