Skills Development API Error Handling and Debugging

API Error Handling and Debugging

v20260423
speak-common-errors
This guide helps developers diagnose and fix common issues encountered when integrating the Speak API. It covers critical errors such as authentication failures, incorrect audio formats, rate limiting (429), and session expiration. The resource includes comprehensive HTTP error code reference tables, diagnostic commands (cURL, ffprobe), and resilient code patterns for implementing robust, production-ready error recovery mechanisms.
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Overview

Speak Common Errors

Overview

Diagnose and fix common Speak API errors: authentication failures, audio format issues, rate limits, and session management problems.

Prerequisites

  • Completed speak-install-auth setup
  • Valid API credentials configured
  • ffmpeg installed for audio processing

Instructions

Error Code Reference

HTTPError CodeDescriptionFix
400audio_format_invalidAudio not WAV 16kHz monoConvert with ffmpeg
400audio_too_shortRecording < 0.5 secondsRecord longer audio
400audio_too_longRecording > 60 secondsTrim to under 60s
400language_not_supportedInvalid language codeUse supported codes
401invalid_api_keyWrong or expired keyRegenerate at dashboard
403quota_exceededMonthly limit reachedUpgrade plan or wait
404session_not_foundInvalid session IDStart a new session
408session_expiredSession timed outSessions expire after 30 min
413payload_too_largeAudio file > 25MBCompress or trim audio
429rate_limit_exceededToo many requestsWait Retry-After seconds

Quick Diagnostic

# Check API key validity
curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SPEAK_API_KEY" \
  https://api.speak.com/v1/languages
# 200 = valid, 401 = invalid, 403 = insufficient permissions

# Check audio format
ffprobe -v quiet -print_format json -show_streams recording.wav \
  | python3 -c "import sys,json; s=json.load(sys.stdin)['streams'][0]; print(f'Rate: {s[\"sample_rate\"]}Hz, Channels: {s[\"channels\"]}')"
# Must be: Rate: 16000Hz, Channels: 1

Error Recovery Pattern

async function resilientSpeakCall<T>(fn: () => Promise<T>, maxRetries = 3): Promise<T> {
  for (let i = 0; i < maxRetries; i++) {
    try {
      return await fn();
    } catch (err: any) {
      const code = err.response?.data?.error?.code;
      if (code === 'audio_format_invalid') {
        // Auto-convert and retry
        throw new Error('Convert audio to WAV 16kHz mono before retrying');
      }
      if (code === 'session_expired') {
        throw new Error('Session expired — start a new conversation session');
      }
      if (err.response?.status === 429) {
        const wait = parseInt(err.response.headers['retry-after'] || '5');
        await new Promise(r => setTimeout(r, wait * 1000));
        continue;
      }
      throw err;
    }
  }
  throw new Error('Max retries exceeded');
}

Output

  • Errors implementation complete
  • Speak API integration verified
  • Error recovery tested

Error Handling

ErrorCauseSolution
401 UnauthorizedInvalid API keyVerify SPEAKAPIKEY environment variable
429 Rate LimitedToo many requestsWait Retry-After seconds, use backoff
Audio format errorWrong codec/sample rateConvert to WAV 16kHz mono with ffmpeg
Session expiredTimeout after 30 minStart a new conversation session

Resources

Next Steps

See speak-debug-bundle for diagnostic tools.

Examples

Basic: Apply common errors with default configuration for a standard Speak integration.

Advanced: Customize for production with error recovery, monitoring, and team-specific requirements.

Info
Category Development
Name speak-common-errors
Version v20260423
Size 6.28KB
Updated At 2026-04-28
Language