Ambiguous @ExceptionHandler method mapped for [class org.springframework.web.bind.MethodArgumentNotValidException]

I'm trying to handle MethodArgumentNotValidException using @ControllerAdvice as code given below:

@ControllerAdvice
public class RestResponseEntityExceptionHandler extends ResponseEntityExceptionHandler {
    
    private Logger log = LoggerFactory.getLogger(RestResponseEntityExceptionHandler.class);
    
    @Autowired
    private ApplicationContext applicationContext;
    
    @ExceptionHandler({ ConstraintViolationException.class })
    @ResponseStatus(HttpStatus.BAD_REQUEST)
    @ResponseBody
    public ErrorWrapper handleConstraintViolationException(ConstraintViolationException e) {
        String fieldName = e.getConstraintName();
        String message = getResourceMessage(fieldName + ".alreadyExists", "Already Exists");
        return new ErrorWrapper(fieldName + ".error", message);
    }
    
    @ExceptionHandler({ MethodArgumentNotValidException.class })
    @ResponseStatus(HttpStatus.BAD_REQUEST)
    @ResponseBody
    public ErrorWrapper handleMethodArgumentNotValidException(MethodArgumentNotValidException e) {
        return new ErrorWrapper(".error", "test");
    }
    
    private String getResourceMessage(String key, String defaultMessage) {
        String message = applicationContext.getMessage(key, null, Locale.getDefault());
        if (StringUtils.isNotEmpty(message)) {
            return message;
        }
        return defaultMessage;
    }
}

I'm getting following Exception

org.springframework.beans.factory.BeanCreationException: Error creating bean with name 'org.springframework.web.servlet.mvc.method.annotation.ExceptionHandlerExceptionResolver#0': Invocation of init method failed; nested exception is java.lang.IllegalStateException: Ambiguous @ExceptionHandler method mapped for [class org.springframework.web.bind.MethodArgumentNotValidException]: {public com.ca.bean.ErrorWrapper com.ca.exceptionHandler.RestResponseEntityExceptionHandler.handleMethodArgumentNotValidException(org.springframework.web.bind.MethodArgumentNotValidException), public final org.springframework.http.ResponseEntity org.springframework.web.servlet.mvc.method.annotation.ResponseEntityExceptionHandler.handleException(java.lang.Exception,org.springframework.web.context.request.WebRequest)}
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.initializeBean(AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.java:1578) ~[spring-beans-4.3.0.RELEASE.jar:4.3.0.RELEASE]
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.doCreateBean(AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.java:545) ~[spring-beans-4.3.0.RELEASE.jar:4.3.0.RELEASE]
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.createBean(AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.java:482) ~[spring-beans-4.3.0.RELEASE.jar:4.3.0.RELEASE]
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractBeanFactory$1.getObject(AbstractBeanFactory.java:306) ~[spring-beans-4.3.0.RELEASE.jar:4.3.0.RELEASE]
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.DefaultSingletonBeanRegistry.getSingleton(DefaultSingletonBeanRegistry.java:230) ~[spring-beans-4.3.0.RELEASE.jar:4.3.0.RELEASE]
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractBeanFactory.doGetBean(AbstractBeanFactory.java:302) ~[spring-beans-4.3.0.RELEASE.jar:4.3.0.RELEASE]
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractBeanFactory.getBean(AbstractBeanFactory.java:197) ~[spring-beans-4.3.0.RELEASE.jar:4.3.0.RELEASE]
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.DefaultListableBeanFactory.preInstantiateSingletons(DefaultListableBeanFactory.java:775) ~[spring-beans-4.3.0.RELEASE.jar:4.3.0.RELEASE]
    at org.springframework.context.support.AbstractApplicationContext.finishBeanFactoryInitialization(AbstractApplicationContext.java:861) ~[spring-context-4.3.0.RELEASE.jar:4.3.0.RELEASE]
    at org.springframework.context.support.AbstractApplicationContext.refresh(AbstractApplicationContext.java:541) ~[spring-context-4.3.0.RELEASE.jar:4.3.0.RELEASE]
    at org.springframework.web.context.ContextLoader.configureAndRefreshWebApplicationContext(ContextLoader.java:444) ~[spring-web-4.3.0.RELEASE.jar:4.3.0.RELEASE]
    at org.springframework.web.context.ContextLoader.initWebApplicationContext(ContextLoader.java:326) ~[spring-web-4.3.0.RELEASE.jar:4.3.0.RELEASE]
    at org.springframework.web.context.ContextLoaderListener.contextInitialized(ContextLoaderListener.java:107) [spring-web-4.3.0.RELEASE.jar:4.3.0.RELEASE]
    at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContext.listenerStart(StandardContext.java:5099) [catalina.jar:7.0.70]
    at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContext.startInternal(StandardContext.java:5615) [catalina.jar:7.0.70]
    at org.apache.catalina.util.LifecycleBase.start(LifecycleBase.java:147) [catalina.jar:7.0.70]
    at org.apache.catalina.core.ContainerBase$StartChild.call(ContainerBase.java:1571) [catalina.jar:7.0.70]
    at org.apache.catalina.core.ContainerBase$StartChild.call(ContainerBase.java:1561) [catalina.jar:7.0.70]
    at java.util.concurrent.FutureTask.run(FutureTask.java:266) [na:1.8.0_92]
    at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor.runWorker(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:1142) [na:1.8.0_92]
    at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor$Worker.run(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:617) [na:1.8.0_92]
    at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:745) [na:1.8.0_92]
Caused by: java.lang.IllegalStateException: Ambiguous @ExceptionHandler method mapped for [class org.springframework.web.bind.MethodArgumentNotValidException]: {public com.ca.bean.ErrorWrapper com.ca.exceptionHandler.RestResponseEntityExceptionHandler.handleMethodArgumentNotValidException(org.springframework.web.bind.MethodArgumentNotValidException), public final org.springframework.http.ResponseEntity org.springframework.web.servlet.mvc.method.annotation.ResponseEntityExceptionHandler.handleException(java.lang.Exception,org.springframework.web.context.request.WebRequest)}
    at org.springframework.web.method.annotation.ExceptionHandlerMethodResolver.addExceptionMapping(ExceptionHandlerMethodResolver.java:109) ~[spring-web-4.3.0.RELEASE.jar:4.3.0.RELEASE]
    at org.springframework.web.method.annotation.ExceptionHandlerMethodResolver.<init>(ExceptionHandlerMethodResolver.java:76) ~[spring-web-4.3.0.RELEASE.jar:4.3.0.RELEASE]
    at org.springframework.web.servlet.mvc.method.annotation.ExceptionHandlerExceptionResolver.initExceptionHandlerAdviceCache(ExceptionHandlerExceptionResolver.java:265) ~[spring-webmvc-4.3.0.RELEASE.jar:4.3.0.RELEASE]
    at org.springframework.web.servlet.mvc.method.annotation.ExceptionHandlerExceptionResolver.afterPropertiesSet(ExceptionHandlerExceptionResolver.java:241) ~[spring-webmvc-4.3.0.RELEASE.jar:4.3.0.RELEASE]
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.invokeInitMethods(AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.java:1637) ~[spring-beans-4.3.0.RELEASE.jar:4.3.0.RELEASE]
    at org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.initializeBean(AbstractAutowireCapableBeanFactory.java:1574) ~[spring-beans-4.3.0.RELEASE.jar:4.3.0.RELEASE]
    ... 21 common frames omitted

I'm using Spring 4.3.0. I want to handle MethodArgumentNotValidException and want to send a custom message. What mistake I'm making? Please help.

Springs ResponseEntityExceptionHandler has a method handleException which is annotated with :

@ExceptionHandler({     
        ...
        MethodArgumentNotValidException.class,
        ... 
    })

Your method handleMethodArgumentNotValidException is also annotated to handle MethodArgumentNotValidException. So spring finds two methods that should be used to handle the same exception, that is the reason for the exception.

Solution

Do not add a new method handleMethodArgumentNotValidException instead just override the method ResponseEntityExceptionHandler.handleMethodArgumentNotValid, and do not annotate it. Your class ErrorWrapper must extend ResponseEntity for that.