> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://developer.peoplewisher.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Errors

> Understand Peoplewisher API error responses.

Peoplewisher uses standard HTTP status codes together with a JSON error body.

## Error format

```json theme={null}
{
  "success": false,
  "error": "validation_error",
  "message": "Please provide a valid email address."
}
```

The `error` value is a machine-readable code. The `message` explains the problem.

## Common status codes

| Status | Meaning                                                                    |
| ------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `400`  | The request is malformed or required data is missing                       |
| `401`  | The API key is missing or invalid                                          |
| `403`  | The account has reached a plan or permission limit                         |
| `404`  | The requested resource does not exist in the authenticated account         |
| `409`  | The request conflicts with an existing record, such as a duplicate contact |
| `422`  | Request validation failed                                                  |
| `429`  | The API request was rate limited                                           |
| `500`  | An unexpected Peoplewisher server error                                    |

## Retry guidance

Retry transient `429` and `5xx` responses with exponential backoff.

Do not automatically retry validation errors, authentication errors, or duplicate-record errors without changing the request.