jeremylongshore 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
| Situation | Response | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| ECODE | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| OAUTH_017 | Token malformed or missing | Include Authorization: <token> header |
| OAUTH_023 | Workspace not authorized for token | User must re-authorize workspace in OAuth flow |
| OAUTH_026 | Token revoked by user | Generate new personal token or re-authenticate |
| OAUTH_027 | Workspace not authorized | Re-authorize via OAuth, ensuring workspace scope |
| OAUTH_029-045 | Various workspace auth failures | Re-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
| Situation | Fix |
|---|---|
| No access to space/folder/list | Verify user has access to that part of the hierarchy |
| Insufficient role permissions | Need admin role for destructive operations |
| Guest access limitation | Guests 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.