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

Status	Name	Retryable	Action
401	Unauthorized	No	Re-authenticate, verify token
403	Forbidden	No	Add missing scope, re-OAuth
404	Not Found	No	Check URL, API version, resource ID
422	Unprocessable	No	Fix validation errors in request body
429	Throttled	Yes	Backoff using `Retry-After` header
500	Server Error	Yes	Retry with backoff, report X-Request-Id
503	Unavailable	Yes	Shopify is overloaded, retry later

shopify-common-errors