Shopify Common Errors

Overview

Quick-reference guide for the most common Shopify API errors with real error messages, causes, and fixes.

Prerequisites

• Shopify app with API credentials configured
• Access to application logs or console output

Instructions

Step 1: Identify the Error Type

Check whether the error is an HTTP status code error or a GraphQL userErrors response.

Step 2: Match Error Below and Apply Fix

401 Unauthorized

Response: "[API] Invalid API key or access token (unrecognized login or wrong password)"

Causes: Access token expired (merchant uninstalled/reinstalled), wrong header, or using Storefront token for Admin API.

Fix: Verify token format (shpat_ + 32 hex chars) and test with a simple shop.json GET request.

403 Forbidden

Response: "This action requires merchant approval for read_orders scope."

Fix: Add the needed scope to shopify.app.toml under [access_scopes] and re-trigger OAuth.

404 Not Found

Causes: Wrong API version in URL, resource was deleted, or store domain is incorrect.

Fix: Verify the API version exists by checking /admin/api/versions.json.

422 Unprocessable Entity

Common triggers: Missing required fields, duplicate handle/slug, invalid metafield type, price format issues (must be string like "29.99"), invalid country/province codes.

Fix: Check the errors object or userErrors array for specific field-level messages.

429 Too Many Requests (Rate Limited)

REST returns 429 with Retry-After header. GraphQL returns 200 with THROTTLED error code in the body and zero currentlyAvailable points.

Fix: See shopify-rate-limits skill for complete backoff implementation.

GraphQL userErrors (200 with Errors)

Critical: Shopify returns HTTP 200 even when mutations fail. Always check userErrors after every mutation:

const result = response.data.productCreate;
if (result.userErrors.length > 0) {
  for (const err of result.userErrors) {
    console.error(`Field ${err.field?.join(".")}: ${err.message} (${err.code})`);
  }
  throw new Error("Shopify validation failed");
}

5xx Server Errors

Shopify internal errors -- not your fault. Retry with exponential backoff and capture the X-Request-Id header for support tickets.

Output

• Error identified by HTTP status or GraphQL userErrors
• Root cause determined
• Fix applied and verified

Error Handling

Examples

Quick Diagnostic Script

Run auth, scope, and API version checks in one pass.

See Diagnostic Script for the complete shell script.

Resources

• Shopify API Response Codes
• GraphQL Error Handling
• Shopify Status Page