# Troubleshooting Most issues fall into one of a handful of patterns. Start with the error code table. If your problem isn't there, run the diagnostic flow at the bottom. ## Common errors and fixes | Error | Likely cause | Fix | | ------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | `401 Unauthorized` | Bad API key, missing `Bearer` prefix, or wrong auth header for the endpoint | Check your key at [app.thegrid.ai/profile/api-keys](https://app.thegrid.ai/profile/api-keys). For the Consumption API, the header is `Authorization: Bearer YOUR_KEY`. For the Messages API beta, the header is `x-api-key: YOUR_KEY` (no `Bearer`). | | `402 Payment Required` | Insufficient credits or no available consumption tokens for the instrument | Add credits in the dashboard. Set up Auto-Reload to prevent this. If Auto Top Up is buying tokens, retry after a short delay. `402` is retryable in this case. | | `404 Not Found` (model) | Invalid instrument string in `model` | Use one of [our nine instruments](/docs/instrument-specifications/current-instruments.md): `text-standard`, `text-prime`, `text-max`, `code-standard`, `code-prime`, `code-max`, `agent-standard`, `agent-prime`, `agent-max`. Model names like `gpt-5.2` or `claude-sonnet-4-6` return 404. | | `404 Not Found` (path) | Wrong base URL or doubled `/v1` | The base URL is `https://api.thegrid.ai/v1`. If your SDK auto-appends `/v1`, set the base URL to `https://api.thegrid.ai` instead. Check for `/v1/v1/` in the failing URL. | | `429 Too Many Requests` | Per-key or per-instrument rate limit hit | Back off and retry. Check the `Retry-After` header. Use exponential backoff with jitter. | | `500 Internal Server Error` | Transient service issue | Retry with exponential backoff. Failed requests are not billed. | | `503 Service Unavailable` | Balance replenishment in progress (Auto Top Up active) | Retry after a short delay. By the second or third attempt the new tokens are usually available. | | Connection refused | Wrong base URL | Confirm `https://api.thegrid.ai/v1`. No trailing slash, no extra path segments, no typos. | | Hangs or no response | Network or proxy issue | Check your proxy or firewall. We use standard HTTPS on port 443. | | Streaming cuts off mid-response | Idle timeout on a proxy | Increase the idle timeout on whatever sits between your client and `api.thegrid.ai`. Some corporate proxies time out streaming connections at 30–60 seconds. | | `307 Temporary Redirect` not followed | Client doesn't follow redirects by default | For curl, add `-L`. Most SDKs follow redirects automatically. See [API reference → Request routing and redirects](/docs/api-reference/request-routing-and-redirects.md) for full details. | ## "Is it me or The Grid?" diagnostic flow Before assuming The Grid is down, walk through this: 1. **Check the status page.** Visit [status.thegrid.ai](https://status.thegrid.ai). If there's an active incident, it's not you. 2. **Test with curl.** Strip out your SDK and frameworks. If a plain curl request works, the issue is in your client code or config. ```bash curl https://api.thegrid.ai/v1/chat/completions \ -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_GRID_API_KEY" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{ "model": "text-prime", "messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "ping"}] }' ``` If you get a normal response, your auth and network are fine. The bug is somewhere in your application. 3. **Check the auth header format.** A 401 usually means the header is wrong, not that the key is wrong. The full header for the Consumption API is `Authorization: Bearer YOUR_KEY` (literal word `Bearer`, then a space, then your key). For the Messages API beta, it's `x-api-key: YOUR_KEY` with no `Bearer` prefix. 4. **Check the base URL.** A 404 on what looks like a valid request usually means the URL is malformed. Common causes: trailing slash, doubled `/v1`, extra `/chat/completions` appended manually, or a typo in the host. Print the actual URL your SDK is hitting and compare it character-by-character to `https://api.thegrid.ai/v1/chat/completions`. 5. **Check the model string.** A 404 with the URL correct usually means the `model` parameter is wrong. Print what you're passing. It must be one of [our nine instruments](/docs/instrument-specifications/current-instruments.md). `text-prime` works; `gpt-5.2` does not. 6. **Check your balance.** A 402 means either your credits balance hit zero or there are no available tokens for the instrument. Open the dashboard at [app.thegrid.ai](https://app.thegrid.ai) and check both balances. 7. **Check the request body.** A 400 with no clear cause usually means a malformed request body. A missing required field, an invalid JSON structure, or a parameter we don't accept. Compare your body to the [Consumption API reference](/docs/api-reference/consumption-api.md). If you've walked through all of this and you're still stuck, send the request ID (returned in the `x-request-id` response header) to . Include the timestamp, the instrument, and what you expected vs. what you got. ## Status page [status.thegrid.ai](https://status.thegrid.ai) shows current uptime and any active incidents. Subscribe to incident alerts for production integrations. ## Where else to look * For redirect behavior and how request routing works: [API reference → Request routing and redirects](/docs/api-reference/request-routing-and-redirects.md). * For full error code semantics and rate limits: [API reference → Errors and rate limits](/docs/api-reference/errors-and-rate-limits.md). * For balance management and Auto-Reload setup: [Best practices](/docs/integrations-and-best-practices/best-practices.md) and [API reference → Auto-Reload](broken://pages/pdlcsdUZJSSSfhsYQcIu). * To start from authentication basics: [API reference → Authentication](/docs/api-reference/authentication.md). --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. 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