name: shopify-common-errors description: 'Diagnose and fix common Shopify API errors including 401, 403, 422, 429, and GraphQL errors.

Use when encountering Shopify errors, debugging failed requests,

or troubleshooting integration issues.

Trigger with phrases like "shopify error", "fix shopify",

"shopify not working", "debug shopify", "shopify 422".

' allowed-tools: Read, Grep, Bash(curl:*) version: 1.0.0 license: MIT author: Jeremy Longshore jeremy@intentsolutions.io tags:

• saas
• ecommerce
• shopify compatibility: Designed for Claude Code

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