Error Handling

The Informly API uses standard HTTP status codes and returns errors in a consistent JSON format so you can handle failures predictably.

Error format

Every error response has the same shape:

{
  "error": {
    "code": "API_VALIDATION_ERROR",
    "message": "Request validation failed",
    "details": [...]
  }
}

• code — A machine-readable error identifier (see table below)
• message — A human-readable explanation
• details — Only present on validation errors. An array of field-level issues, each with a path and message

Error codes

Common scenarios

Invalid token — Double-check that you're sending the full token in the Authorization: Bearer <token> header. Tokens cannot be retrieved after creation, so you may need to generate a new one.

Expired token — All tokens have an expiry date. Generate a new token in the dashboard under Settings > Apps.

Missing permission — A 403 means your token doesn't have the required scope. Edit the token's permissions or create a new token with the correct scopes.

Validation errors — Check the details array for specific field-level messages. Each entry tells you which field failed and why.

Best practices

• Always check the code field rather than parsing the message — codes are stable, messages may change
• For 401 and 403 errors, the fix is always on the token side (re-create or adjust permissions)
• For 400 errors, iterate over details to surface specific issues to your users
• For 500 errors, retry with exponential backoff — these are transient

See Apps & API Tokens for how to manage tokens and permissions.