API Error Explainer is a free prompt. Paste a status code and the response body. Get what broke, what to change in the request, and whether a retry will help.
It is not always the right tool. Here is when something else wins, and when it does not.
By hand
The API's error reference docs
Pick it if
The docs list your exact error code.
Pick API Error Explainer if
The docs are vague, or the body says one thing and the status says another.
Plain chatbot
Asking ChatGPT what the error means
Pick it if
It is a common HTTP status.
Pick API Error Explainer if
You want what to change in the request and a clear retry answer, not an essay on HTTP.
0:00The evidenceSupport ticket prompt. Wanted JSON for the on-call engineer. Got four friendly paragraphs and no severity.
0:08Bug 1: rules that fight'Be concise' vs 'cover everything the customer said'. The model picks 'everything' and writes four paragraphs.
0:16Bug 2 and 3'Always be friendly!!' outranks the format, so it writes to the customer. 'Output JSON' has no schema and no example.
0:24Fixed promptReader named, friendliness rule cut, JSON schema with one filled example, and a 'no prose outside the JSON' line. Each change tied to a bug.
No daily video for this drop yet. The in and out lines above are the preview.
0:00The sampleevt_1844, type refund.requested, order 1844, amount 40. Signature header documented as HMAC-SHA256 of the raw body. Retries for 24 hours.
0:08Requiredid, type, data.order_id, data.amount, data.currency. created is optional for the side effect.
0:16IdempotencyStore evt_1844. A second delivery with the same id returns 200 and does not refund again.
0:24The checkCompute HMAC-SHA256 over the raw body with the stored secret and compare to X-Signature. Mismatch is 401 and no side effect. No bypass is described.
No daily video for this drop yet. The in and out lines above are the preview.
Questions
What are the alternatives to API Error Explainer?
The API's error reference docs (by hand); Asking ChatGPT what the error means (plain chatbot). On One Agent a Day, Error Message Poet, Prompt Debugger, Tutorial Gap Finder, Webhook Contract Writer do a similar job.
When is the API's error reference docs better than API Error Explainer?
The API's error reference docs is the better pick when the docs list your exact error code. API Error Explainer is the better pick when the docs are vague, or the body says one thing and the status says another.
When is asking ChatGPT what the error means better than API Error Explainer?
Asking ChatGPT what the error means is the better pick when it is a common HTTP status. API Error Explainer is the better pick when you want what to change in the request and a clear retry answer, not an essay on HTTP.
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