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

# Errors

> How the QED Proof API reports failures — an HTTP status code plus a plain-text detail message.

The API reports errors as an HTTP status code with a JSON body:

```json theme={null}
{ "detail": "<message>" }
```

There is no separate error-code taxonomy — `detail` is a human-readable message, and the status code is what your
code should branch on. Some of the messages you'll see:

| Status | When                                                                | `detail`                                |
| ------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------- |
| `401`  | Missing or invalid API key                                          | `invalid or missing API key`            |
| `402`  | The deployment refused a new claim (for example, a workspace limit) | deployment-specific message             |
| `404`  | Claim or receipt not found                                          | `claim not found` / `receipt not found` |
| `413`  | Request body larger than the size limit                             | `request body too large`                |
| `422`  | The claim's `params` don't match what the action expects            | `invalid params for <action>: <detail>` |
| `429`  | Rate limit exceeded                                                 | `rate limit exceeded`                   |

## `413` — request too large

The body size is checked before anything is parsed, from the `Content-Length` header, so an oversized request never
reaches claim validation.

## `422` — invalid params

Returned when a claim's `action` is recognized but its `params` don't satisfy that action's schema — for example, a
`github.commit.push` claim whose `sha` isn't 40 hex characters. The message names the field and what's wrong with
it. See each action's expected `params` in [connectors](/connectors/overview).

## `429` — rate limited

Returned with a `Retry-After` header telling you how many seconds to wait before trying again. Claim submission and
claim-status reads are limited per API key; receipt reads are limited per requesting IP address, since they need no
key.

## `402` — claim refused before it was created

A deployment may refuse to accept a brand-new claim up front — for example, a workspace limit. A refused claim
creates nothing and never gets a receipt. This can only happen at submission time: once a claim exists, nothing
changes its verdict.