exa-common-errors

What this skill does

# Exa Common Errors

## Overview

Quick reference for Exa API errors by HTTP status code and error tag. All error responses include a `requestId` field — include it when contacting Exa support at [email protected].

## Error Reference

### 400 — Bad Request

| Error Tag | Cause | Solution |
|-----------|-------|----------|
| `INVALID_REQUEST_BODY` | Malformed JSON or missing required fields | Validate JSON structure and required `query` field |
| `INVALID_REQUEST` | Conflicting parameters | Remove contradictory options (e.g., date filters with `company` category) |
| `INVALID_URLS` | Malformed URLs in `getContents` | Ensure URLs have `https://` protocol |
| `INVALID_NUM_RESULTS` | numResults > 100 with highlights | Reduce to <= 100 or remove highlights |
| `INVALID_JSON_SCHEMA` | Bad schema in `summary.schema` | Validate JSON schema syntax |
| `NUM_RESULTS_EXCEEDED` | Exceeds plan limit | Check your plan's max results |
| `NO_CONTENT_FOUND` | No content at provided URLs | Verify URLs are accessible |

### 401 — Unauthorized

```bash
# Verify your API key is set and valid
echo "Key set: ${EXA_API_KEY:+yes}"

# Test with curl
curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" \
  -X POST https://api.exa.ai/search \
  -H "x-api-key: $EXA_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"query":"test","numResults":1}'
```

**Fix:** Regenerate API key at [dashboard.exa.ai](https://dashboard.exa.ai).

### 402 — Payment Required

| Error Tag | Cause | Solution |
|-----------|-------|----------|
| `NO_MORE_CREDITS` | Account balance exhausted | Top up at dashboard.exa.ai |
| `API_KEY_BUDGET_EXCEEDED` | Spending limit reached | Increase budget in API key settings |

### 403 — Forbidden

| Error Tag | Cause | Solution |
|-----------|-------|----------|
| `ACCESS_DENIED` | Feature not available on plan | Upgrade plan or contact Exa |
| `FEATURE_DISABLED` | Endpoint not enabled | Check plan capabilities |
| `ROBOTS_FILTER_FAILED` | URL blocked by robots.txt | Use a different URL |
| `PROHIBITED_CONTENT` | Content blocked by moderation | Review query for policy violations |

### 429 — Rate Limited

```typescript
// Default rate limit: 10 QPS (queries per second)
// Error response format: { "error": "rate limit exceeded" }

// Fix: implement exponential backoff
async function searchWithBackoff(exa: Exa, query: string, opts: any) {
  for (let attempt = 0; attempt < 5; attempt++) {
    try {
      return await exa.search(query, opts);
    } catch (err: any) {
      if (err.status !== 429) throw err;
      const delay = 1000 * Math.pow(2, attempt) + Math.random() * 500;
      console.log(`Rate limited. Waiting ${delay.toFixed(0)}ms...`);
      await new Promise(r => setTimeout(r, delay));
    }
  }
  throw new Error("Rate limit retries exhausted");
}
```

### 422 — Unprocessable Entity

| Error Tag | Cause | Solution |
|-----------|-------|----------|
| `FETCH_DOCUMENT_ERROR` | URL could not be crawled | Verify URL is accessible and not paywalled |

### 5xx — Server Errors

| Code | Tag | Action |
|------|-----|--------|
| 500 | `DEFAULT_ERROR` / `INTERNAL_ERROR` | Retry after 1-2 seconds |
| 501 | `UNABLE_TO_GENERATE_RESPONSE` | Rephrase query (answer endpoint) |
| 502 | Bad Gateway | Retry with delay |
| 503 | Service Unavailable | Check status page, retry later |

### Content Fetch Errors (per-URL status in getContents)

| Tag | Cause | Resolution |
|-----|-------|-----------|
| `CRAWL_NOT_FOUND` | Content unavailable at URL | Verify URL correctness |
| `CRAWL_TIMEOUT` | Fetch timed out | Retry or increase `livecrawlTimeout` |
| `CRAWL_LIVECRAWL_TIMEOUT` | Live crawl exceeded timeout | Set `livecrawlTimeout: 15000` or use `livecrawl: "fallback"` |
| `SOURCE_NOT_AVAILABLE` | Paywalled or blocked | Try cached content with `livecrawl: "never"` |
| `UNSUPPORTED_URL` | Non-HTTP URL scheme | Use standard HTTPS URLs |

## Quick Diagnostic Script

```bash
set -euo pipefail

echo "=== Exa Diagnostics ==="
echo "API Key: ${EXA_API_KEY:+SET (${#EXA_API_KEY} chars)}"

# Test basic connectivity
echo -n "API connectivity: "
HTTP_CODE=$(curl -s -o /tmp/exa-test.json -w "%{http_code}" \
  -X POST https://api.exa.ai/search \
  -H "x-api-key: $EXA_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"query":"connectivity test","numResults":1}')
echo "$HTTP_CODE"

if [ "$HTTP_CODE" != "200" ]; then
  echo "Error response:"
  cat /tmp/exa-test.json | python3 -m json.tool 2>/dev/null || cat /tmp/exa-test.json
fi
```

## Instructions

1. Check the HTTP status code from the error response
2. Match the error tag to the tables above
3. Apply the documented solution
4. Include `requestId` from error responses when contacting support

## Resources

- [Exa Error Codes](https://docs.exa.ai/reference/error-codes)
- [Exa Rate Limits](https://docs.exa.ai/reference/rate-limits)
- [Exa Status Page](https://status.exa.ai)

## Next Steps

For comprehensive debugging, see `exa-debug-bundle`. For rate limit patterns, see `exa-rate-limits`.