API Error Troubleshooting

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400 Bad Request

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Problem

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Common Error Messages

{ "message": "Please add a valid automation id with key 'docId' to the request." }

{ "message": "Invalid docTemplateLink format. Please provide either a valid Google Docs URL or a document ID directly." }

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401 Unauthorized

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Problem

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Common Error Messages & Causes

{ "message": "Incorrect / missing API key" }

Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY

{ "message": "No Google access permissions. Please add your Google account under settings in your DocsAutomator account" }

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402 Payment Required

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Problem

{ "message": "You have reached your documents limit. Please upgrade your plan: https://app.docsautomator.co/subscribe" }

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Solution

1. Check your current usage at Settings > Billing in the DocsAutomator app
2. Enable overage documents in billing settings to continue beyond your plan limit
3. Upgrade your plan or wait for the billing cycle to reset
4. If overage billing is already enabled, this error means the overage cap was also reached

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404 Not Found

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Problem

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Common Error Messages

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How to Find Your Automation ID

1. Open the automation in the DocsAutomator app
2. The automation ID is displayed on the settings page
3. Or call GET /automations to list all automations with their IDs

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429 Too Many Requests

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Problem

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Rate Limits

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Solution

• Implement backoff: Wait and retry with exponential backoff (start at 2 seconds, double each attempt, max 60 seconds)
• Spread requests: If generating many documents, space out requests or use async mode with the queue system
• Check the Retry-After header: When present, wait the indicated number of seconds before retrying

// Example: exponential backoff
async function createDocumentWithRetry(payload, maxRetries = 3) {
  let delay = 2000;
  for (let i = 0; i < maxRetries; i++) {
    const response = await fetch("https://api.docsautomator.co/createDocument", {
      method: "POST",
      headers: {
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY",
        "Content-Type": "application/json",
      },
      body: JSON.stringify(payload),
    });

    if (response.status !== 429) return response.json();

    await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, delay));
    delay *= 2;
  }
  throw new Error("Rate limit exceeded after retries");
}

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500 Internal Server Error

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Problem

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What to Do

1. Retry the request after a short delay. Transient errors (Google API timeouts, etc.) are often resolved by retrying.
2. Check your template for issues such as very large images, complex formatting, or corrupted elements.
3. Verify your data does not contain unexpected characters or excessively long values.
4. Contact support if the error persists. Include the request payload (without your API key) and the approximate timestamp.

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Debugging Tips

• Use the API playground: Each endpoint page in the API Reference tab includes an interactive playground where you can test requests directly.
• Check Run History: Document generation attempts are logged in the Run History tab in the app, even for API-triggered generations.
• Validate your JSON: Malformed JSON payloads return 400 Bad Request. Use a JSON validator before sending requests.

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