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This JCMA error doesn’t have one cause. Atlassian documents three different failures that produce it. Read the text after Reason: in the migration log and the name of the context in the message. Together they tell you which case you have. The most common documented cause is an orphaned or deleted project role referenced by a custom field’s User Filtering setting.
Match your log line to a cause
Copy the full project-export log line, including the context name and everything after Reason:. Then compare it with this table.
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| What the log shows | Likely cause | Atlassian source |
|---|---|---|
A real custom-field context name, then Parameter specified as non-null is null |
Orphaned or deleted project role in a user-picker field’s User Filtering | Atlassian Support article, updated September 26, 2025 |
Context name is literally 'null', with getName(...) must not be null |
A fieldconfigscheme row with a null configuration name |
Atlassian issue MIG-2113 |
Default Configuration Scheme for Epic Status with a NullPointerException |
Missing Epic Status default value on fresh Jira 8.15/8.16 installs | Atlassian issue MIG-589 |
These patterns are discriminators, not an exhaustive list. The records cover different conditions and different Jira and JCMA eras, so treat them as the documented possibilities, not a guarantee that your case fits one.
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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchCause 1: orphaned project role in User Filtering
JCMA supports migrating User Filtering inside custom-field contexts. If the filter references a project-role ID that no longer exists, JCMA stops exporting the affected project. The logged error names the context and carries the non-null parameter exception.
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How to fix it
- Find the context named in the log and note which user-picker field it belongs to.
- Run the database query from Atlassian’s support article to list user-picker filter role references. The article provides versions for PostgreSQL, MySQL, Oracle and Microsoft SQL Server. Look for a role ID that has no matching project role.
- Replace the invalid reference with an existing, valid project role. Atlassian’s update statement targets
userpickerfilterrole, using the ID of the affected row. - Create a new migration for the affected project. Don’t simply retry the old one.
This is a direct database edit. Take a verified backup first and follow your organization’s change-control process.
Cause 2: null configuration scheme name
MIG-2113 describes a project-by-project JCMA failure when a fieldconfigscheme row has a null configuration name. The log shows the scheme name as the literal 'null' and the message getName(...) must not be null.
The recorded workaround is to assign a name to the affected row. The issue says a fix shipped in JCMA 1.12.53. The available record doesn’t establish how later versions handle null data that already exists, so don’t assume that updating JCMA repairs the row. If you still see the error, check for null names directly.
Cause 3: Epic Status on certain Jira versions
MIG-589 covers fresh Jira 8.15 and 8.16 installations where no Epic Status options were created. The exporter then had no default value for Default Configuration Scheme for Epic Status and failed with a NullPointerException.
- The issue reports that instances upgraded from Jira 8.14 or earlier did not hit it.
- It reports successful migrations on Jira 8.14 and 8.17-EAP02.
- It is marked fixed but gives no fix version.
These are historical observations, not current compatibility guidance. Don’t diagnose this case just because the message mentions a custom-field configuration scheme. Confirm that the context is the Epic Status default scheme and that your instance history matches.
Why retrying doesn’t help
All three causes are data problems on the source side: a dangling role, a missing name, or a missing default. Re-running the unchanged export hits the same record. Correct the data first, then start a new project migration where Atlassian’s procedure calls for one.
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