Skills Development ClickUp API Error Diagnosis and Fixes

ClickUp API Error Diagnosis and Fixes

v20260423
clickup-common-errors
This comprehensive guide serves as a reference for diagnosing and resolving common errors when interacting with the ClickUp API v2. It covers critical HTTP status codes (400, 401, 403, 404, 429, 500) and specific OAuth error codes (ECODEs). Use this resource when debugging failed API requests, troubleshooting authentication issues, or implementing robust error handling logic in your application.
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Overview

ClickUp Common Errors

Overview

Reference for ClickUp API v2 errors. All errors return JSON with err (message) and optionally ECODE (error code).

Error Response Format

{
  "err": "Space not found",
  "ECODE": "ITEM_015"
}

HTTP Status Errors

400 Bad Request

SituationResponseFix
Missing required field{"err": "Task name required"}Include name in request body
Invalid field value{"err": "Invalid priority"}Priority must be 1-4 or null
Malformed JSON{"err": "Unexpected token"}Validate JSON before sending
Invalid custom field value{"err": "Invalid value for field"}Match value to field type

401 Unauthorized — OAuth Errors

ECODECauseSolution
OAUTH_017Token malformed or missingInclude Authorization: <token> header
OAUTH_023Workspace not authorized for tokenUser must re-authorize workspace in OAuth flow
OAUTH_026Token revoked by userGenerate new personal token or re-authenticate
OAUTH_027Workspace not authorizedRe-authorize via OAuth, ensuring workspace scope
OAUTH_029-045Various workspace auth failuresRe-run OAuth flow for the specific workspace
# Diagnose: verify your token works
curl -s -w "\nHTTP %{http_code}\n" \
  https://api.clickup.com/api/v2/user \
  -H "Authorization: $CLICKUP_API_TOKEN"

403 Forbidden

SituationFix
No access to space/folder/listVerify user has access to that part of the hierarchy
Insufficient role permissionsNeed admin role for destructive operations
Guest access limitationGuests have restricted API access

404 Not Found

# Common causes: wrong ID, deleted resource, wrong hierarchy level
# Verify the resource exists:
curl -s https://api.clickup.com/api/v2/task/TASK_ID \
  -H "Authorization: $CLICKUP_API_TOKEN" | jq '.id, .name'

429 Rate Limited

Rate limits vary by plan (per token, per minute):

  • Free/Unlimited/Business: 100 req/min
  • Business Plus: 1,000 req/min
  • Enterprise: 10,000 req/min
# Check rate limit headers on any response
curl -s -D - https://api.clickup.com/api/v2/user \
  -H "Authorization: $CLICKUP_API_TOKEN" 2>&1 | grep -i ratelimit

# Headers returned:
# X-RateLimit-Limit: 100
# X-RateLimit-Remaining: 95
# X-RateLimit-Reset: 1695000060  (Unix timestamp)

500/503 Server Errors

Check ClickUp Status Page first.

# Quick status check
curl -s https://status.clickup.com/api/v2/summary.json | \
  jq '.status.description'

Diagnostic Script

#!/bin/bash
echo "=== ClickUp API Diagnostics ==="

# 1. Auth check
echo -n "Auth: "
HTTP_CODE=$(curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" \
  https://api.clickup.com/api/v2/user \
  -H "Authorization: $CLICKUP_API_TOKEN")
[ "$HTTP_CODE" = "200" ] && echo "OK" || echo "FAILED ($HTTP_CODE)"

# 2. Rate limit check
echo -n "Rate limit remaining: "
curl -s -D - https://api.clickup.com/api/v2/user \
  -H "Authorization: $CLICKUP_API_TOKEN" 2>&1 | \
  grep "X-RateLimit-Remaining" | awk '{print $2}'

# 3. Workspace access
echo "Workspaces:"
curl -s https://api.clickup.com/api/v2/team \
  -H "Authorization: $CLICKUP_API_TOKEN" | jq -r '.teams[] | "  \(.id): \(.name)"'

Error Handler Pattern

async function handleClickUpError(response: Response): Promise<never> {
  const body = await response.json().catch(() => ({ err: 'Unknown' }));

  switch (response.status) {
    case 401:
      throw new Error(`Auth failed (${body.ECODE}): Re-check token or re-authorize`);
    case 429: {
      const resetAt = response.headers.get('X-RateLimit-Reset');
      const waitMs = resetAt ? (parseInt(resetAt) * 1000 - Date.now()) : 60000;
      throw new Error(`Rate limited. Retry after ${Math.ceil(waitMs / 1000)}s`);
    }
    case 404:
      throw new Error(`Resource not found: ${body.err}`);
    default:
      throw new Error(`ClickUp API ${response.status}: ${body.err}`);
  }
}

Resources

Next Steps

For comprehensive debugging, see clickup-debug-bundle.

Info
Category Development
Name clickup-common-errors
Version v20260423
Size 4.88KB
Updated At 2026-04-28
Language