Form list download failed while testing

mzanchelli · October 23, 2025, 4:38pm

Hi, I’m new to using Kobo. I have two accounts, one I’m using to build and deploy a form, another I’m using to test a form as if I were an enumerator. The form has worked perfectly for multiple users through the Web form.

I’m now trying to test on an android tablet using KoboCollect using the enumerator account which has “add submission” permissions.

I followed instructions to first log into the main project (kc.toolbox.org) manually. Once in, I added a new project using the URL of the form itself (e.g., the link that we would share with enumerators to collect data through the Web form) as well as the username and log in again. It added the project, but when I click “Download form” it reads “Form list download failed. Collect can’t reach the server at XXXX. Did you enter the URL correctly? ….” I did enter the URL to the form itself correctly, so that isn’t the issue. It says to report to the person who asked you to collect data - which is me, since I’m both developing the form and testing its deployment.

Questions I have:

Did I enter the correct URL when adding the survey project manually to KoboCollect? I tried following the instructions to generate a QR code but there is not “Project Management” option under “Settings” for the project to generate the QR code (either under the account being used to develop the form OR the account being used to test as an enumerator). I assumed the URL for the form itself would be what we are meant to input when adding a project to KoboCollect, but I may be wrong.
Does an account with just “add submissions” permissions have the ability to access a project on KoboCollect and download forms from a project? Could that be the issue? If so, what other permissions would the account need?
If both 1 and 2 above are OK, what else might be happening here?

Again I’m a novice, so please any recommendations in plain language. Thank you!

Xiphware · October 23, 2025, 8:14pm

Nope, this needs to be a URL from which to upload to the actual XLSForm file itself; eg if you have it in Dropbox or some other cloud file storage.

Take a look at this is you are having trouble uploading your form: Importing an XLSForm via URL — KoboToolbox documentation

Alternatively, you could simple export the XLSForm from the account you are using to build and deploy the form:

and then upload this same XLSX file as a new project into your other test account:

Or if you want to get fancier, you can just directly share the form from your Build account to your Test account. This would have the additional benefit of always ensuring your Test account will be using the exact same form definition as your Build account. See Sharing projects with user-level permissions — KoboToolbox documentation

mzanchelli · October 23, 2025, 8:36pm

Thanks!

The practical situation is that I will be training 8 data collectors on my own. They all have accounts for the first time. I have 30 minutes with them in a room with internet to get them to have the survey ready to be deployed on KoboCollect to then be deployed later offline.

What is the best method for this? It seems like downloading the XLS and then walking them each through re-uploading the XLS form one by one would be rather intensive. I also was not clear how you re-upload the XLS on their Kobocollect as the instructions when you go to add a new project in KoboCollect prompt you to add a “URL” and username and password, not an XLS form. How do we generate a URL from a static XLS form that we have downloaded from Kobo?

I followed the link to “Sharing projects with user-level permissions” but couldn’t follow which section was applicable to get the survey to appear on their KoboCollect. I read this section as talking about the permissions granted for someone to access /edit a project generally, but not able to ability to view a form on someone’s Kobocollect.

I realize these questions are fairly basic but much of the terminology in the guidance is foreign to me and I have a hard time translating it into my practical situation.

More generally, it would be helpful if there was somewhere that said, “In order to get surveys to appear on a Kobocollect, here are the specific steps the form builder has to take.”

I also want to note that I built the form completely in Kobo, not through excel, in case that is relevant.

Xiphware · October 23, 2025, 10:52pm

The absolute easiest and quickest - which doesn’t even require your trainees to have a Kobo account - is simply to deploy the form to your account, and enable “Allow submissions to this form without a username and password”. Then, on your Android device’s KoboCollect, add a new project and specify the server URL: https://kc.kobotoolbox.org/mzanchelli
(or whatever server you are on and your own Kobo username). Include your own account name of the end of the server URL, but leave the username and password blank!

This will basically configure KoboCollect to fetch any forms that you have enabled anonymous submission access. Test it yourself and make sure you can submit something and it shows up in your form data back in Kobo.

Then, in KoboCollect, go to the Project Settings, Project Management –> Reconfigure with QR code –> QR Code … and you will see the QR code for anonymous submissions to your account. eg

All your trainees now have to do is scan this code into their KoboCollect and they will be automatically be hooked up to your account, and able to download your anonymous submission form [and indeed any other anonymous access form you may have, so you might want to disable anonymous access on any existing ones you might have].

This way nobody has to type in anything into their device, which can often be problematic, prone to error, and time consuming to go around and fix everybody’s device.

Warning - it is critical you do not enter your username and password on your device, because if you do these will be shared in the resulting QR code. But because the form allows anonymous submission, you dont need to ‘login’ from KoboCollect for this exercise.

Again, this is probably the ‘easiest’. Alternatively, if your data collectors are already somewhat experienced with KoboCollect and Kobo, you can explicitly share your form with each of them, giving them “Add submissions” and “View form” access.

They will then see your form along with any of their own forms. You will need to add each of your data collectors separately and grant them these permissions.

mzanchelli · October 28, 2025, 2:36pm

Thank you. I was able to acquire two android devices to test this simpler approach: one device for the main account where I’m building and deploying the form from. And one device where I could log into the tester account to mimic the enumerators experience.

Unfortunately, I received the same message when I logged into the form building/main account on the first device: “Form list download failed.” I’m unclear why. The form works completely fine on a browser, I adjusted setting to “allow submissions to this form without a username or password” (which shouldn’t be relevant until I get to the testing account), and I followed all of the instructions to get onto the project:

Install KoboCollect on your Android device.
Select the option “Manually enter project details”
Enter the server URL https://kc.kobotoolbox.org and your username and password
Select “Download form” and select this project
Select “Start New Form”
Select this project from the list of downloaded projects

What might be happening here?

To clarify one point: on the main account device, I entered https://kc.kobotoolbox.org only and did not include my username in the URL, which was in your prior instructions. I also added my username and password manually to the fields. I understand that for the real survey I don’t want to do this, but for this testing approach I just wanted to get the form to show up and then share it with the tester account that I also own.

Here is the full error message “Form List Download Failed. Collect can’t connect securely to the server at https://kc.toolbox.org. Did you enter the URL correctly? If you keep having this problem, report it to the person who asked you to collect data.”

Xiphware · October 29, 2025, 4:12am

Which approach are you attempting: the anonymous submission (first approach) or the ‘shared’ form (second approach)? If the former - anonymous - then you dont actually need or want the enumerator to login to their own Kobo account.

I entered https://kc.kobotoolbox.org only and did not include my username in the URL,

For anonymous submission access to your form(s), you have to include your username in the URL [but leave the username and password fields blank!]. eg the url should be like “KoboToolbox

But if you dont want to share your userid (only) with your data collectors [although it is somewhat obscured within the visible QR code, it is still readily extractable] then you will need to take the sharing form approach.

This might help explain what is going on here:

The URL https://kc.kobotoolbox.org is an authenticated endpoint - you must provide a valid username and password for it, and based on the username provided Kobo will then return to Collect whatever forms that user has deployed. And also allow Collect to then submit to them (but only as an authenticated user!).

Whereas, the URL https://kc.kobotoolbox.org/somekobouser is an unauthenticated endpoint, which permits anyone to fetch only those forms which particular user (somekobouser) has identified for anonymous submissions, and then to submit to them (but only anonymously!).