Proposal: Actionable API Error Messages to Reduce Support Ticket Volume

Proposal: Actionable API Error Messages to Reduce Support Ticket Volume

I've encountered a long-standing frustration with how Zoho Creator's API communicates errors to developers, and I'm hoping the Zoho team can address this in a future update. This issue has persisted for over 9 years based on community discussions, and despite multiple forum posts, developers are still left guessing what went wrong.

The Issue
When API calls fail, Zoho Creator returns error responses that are often cryptic and lack actionable context. Consider this actual error response: 
{
    "code": 2945,
    "description": "LESS_THAN_MIN_OCCURANCE"
}
This tells the developer almost nothing:
  • Which parameter is missing or invalid?
  • What is the "minimum occurrence" that wasn't met?
  • What value was expected vs. what was received?
  • Is this an authentication issue, a payload issue, or something else entirely?
The Problem: Error Code 2945 Means Everything (and Nothing)
A review of the official Status Codes documentation reveals that error code 2945 is a catch-all that can mean completely different things:
HTTP Status Code Description Actual Meaning
404 NOT FOUND 2945 ERROR Invalid OAuth scope
403 FORBIDDEN 2945 <method> is not valid Wrong HTTP method for endpoint
401 AUTH ERROR 2945 Invalid input for '%s' key Parameter value not allowed
400 BAD REQUEST 2945 LESS_THAN_MIN_OCCURANCE Required parameter missing?
400 BAD REQUEST 2945 EXTRA_KEY_FOUND_IN_JSON Unexpected key in payload
400 BAD REQUEST 2945 INVALID_TICKET Authentication token issue
400 BAD REQUEST 2945 PATTERN_NOT_MATCHED Value format validation failed
The same error code (2945) can indicate: authentication failures, missing parameters, extra parameters, wrong HTTP methods, invalid OAuth scopes, or format validation errors. This makes debugging incredibly difficult.
Cross-Product Asymmetry: Zoho Analytics Does This Better
Here's where it gets frustrating: Zoho Analytics already provides better error context for the exact same error type. Compare the responses:
Zoho Creator Response Zoho Analytics Response 
{
  "code": 2945,
  "description": "LESS_THAN_MIN_OCCURANCE"
}
❌ Missing:
  • Which parameter?
  • What was expected?
  • How to fix it?
 
{
  "status": "failure",
  "summary": "LESS_THAN_MIN_OCCURANCE",
  "data": {
    "errorCode": 8504,
    "errorMessage": "The parameter CONFIG 
    is not proper (Has not been sent or 
    is less than required count)"
  }
}
✓ Includes:
  • Parameter name (CONFIG)
  • Specific error code (8504)
  • Actionable message
This isn't a feature request—it's a request for product parity. The infrastructure to provide meaningful error context clearly exists within Zoho's ecosystem. Zoho Creator should match what Zoho Analytics already delivers.
The "Email Support" Pattern Defeats Forum Purpose
Adding to this frustration is the recurring pattern in community forums where the standard response to API errors is "Please email support@zohocreator.com with your request details."
As another community member aptly noted:
"Why have community forums if people are directed to email support? The purpose of a public forum is to resolve the issue once, then share for all future people who encounter that issue."
While I appreciate the recent response acknowledging that "sharing API request details publicly carries security risks"—this is valid for account-specific debugging—the underlying problem is that error messages are cryptic in the first place.
If the API returned actionable error messages, developers wouldn't need to contact support for basic troubleshooting. The forum would then serve its true purpose: documenting solutions for common issues.
What Developers Need
Every API error response should answer three questions:
# Question Current Response What's Needed
1 What went wrong? LESS_THAN_MIN_OCCURANCE "Required parameter missing"
2 Where is the problem? (not provided) "Parameter: CONFIG"
3 How do I fix it? (not provided) "Include CONFIG in request body"
What Should Happen Instead
Proposed Solution 1: Enhanced Error Response Structure
Adopt the richer error format already used by Zoho Analytics:
{
    "status": "failure",
    "summary": "LESS_THAN_MIN_OCCURANCE",
    "data": {
        "errorCode": 2945,
        "errorMessage": "The parameter 'fieldName' is required but was not provided",
        "field": "fieldName",
        "expectedType": "string",
        "documentation": "https://www.zoho.com/creator/help/api/v2.1/add-records.html"
    }
}
Proposed Solution 2: Unique Error Codes
Stop reusing error code 2945 for unrelated issues. Each distinct error condition should have its own code:
2945 → Invalid OAuth scope
2946 → Required parameter missing
2947 → Unexpected key in JSON payload
2948 → Invalid HTTP method
2949 → Pattern validation failed
Proposed Solution 3: Fix the Typo
While we're at it: LESS_THAN_MIN_OCCURANCE should be LESS_THAN_MIN_OCCURRENCE. This typo has persisted for nearly a decade and appears across multiple Zoho products. Small details matter in professional APIs.
Real-World Impact
This limitation affects any developer:
  • Building integrations — Debugging API failures becomes a guessing game
  • Using Deluge's invokeUrl — External API calls return cryptic errors to handle
  • Working with webhooks — Silent failures are impossible to diagnose
  • Training new team members — Onboarding takes longer when errors don't explain themselves
  • Supporting production systems — Incident response is delayed while developers hunt for root causes

Developer Impact: What should be 5 minutes of debugging (read error, fix parameter) becomes hours of trial-and-error or waiting for support responses. This directly impacts delivery timelines and client satisfaction.

Request to Zoho Team

Can this be addressed in a future update?

The current implementation forces developers to choose between:

1. Trial and Error
Guess what the cryptic error means and iterate until something works 		2. Contact Support
Wait for email responses for issues that actionable error messages would resolve instantly

We shouldn't have to make this choice—especially when Zoho Analytics already demonstrates the solution.

Community Input Requested: Has anyone else struggled with debugging these cryptic error codes? What workarounds have you developed? I'd be interested to hear if others have found ways to get more meaningful error context.





        • Recent Topics

        • Free webinar: Security that works: Building resilience for the AI-powered workforce

          Hello there, Did you know that more than 51% of organizations worldwide have experienced one or more security breaches, each costing over $1 million in losses or incident response? In today’s threat landscape, simply playing defense is no longer enough.

        • Free webinar—Redefining workforce security with Zoho Vault: Passwords, passkeys, and multi-factor authentication

          Hi everyone! Did you know that in Q2 alone, 94 million data records were leaked globally? Behind every breach is a combination of poor password habits, phishing attacks, privilege misuse, and simple human error. The fallout—including reputational damage,

        • Fill Colors

          Hello, Just curious, is it possible to manage the Used and standard colors in the fill drop down menu ? I would like to change/edit them is possible to colors I frequently use. Thanks for you reply, Bruce

        • Fillable template with dynamic tables?

          Is there a way to build a fillable template so that users can add rows to a table? To describe what I'm trying to accomplish the table has 3 sections; a header row, some number of rows with custom information, and a summary row with totals. I can't figure

        • Invoicing multiple expense items as a single line item

                My client would like me to invoice them for multiple expense items on a single line item on an invoice.  Can this be done?  I know I can import billable expenses to an invoice, but I don't know how to show them as a single line item or have them

        • Tables improvement ideas / features

          Heya, I've been using Zoho Tables for a few months now and wanted to post some features that I think will be greatly beneficial for the tool: 1. Ability to delete a record in automation or move a record in automation. - Usecase: I move a record from one

        • Announcing offline payment modes for event tickets

          Hello everyone,   Collecting ticket payments from prospective attendees can be a tricky part of event planning. While Zoho Backstage has always allowed you to collect payments online as people buy tickets from your event microsite, we have now enabled

        • Gmail is ramping up its email sender policy from November 2025

          Hello marketers, As you may be aware, Gmail introduced a guideline for bulk senders starting February 2024. If not, here's a quick refresher straight from Google: After this policy was announced first in 2023 and soft-implemented in February 2024, we

        • Is there a list of Zoho Icons?

          Is there a list of Zoho Icons you can reference: i.e. business-gold is <image marginRight='7px' color='#2A70E7' bgColor='#FFFFFF' width='52px' height='52px' type='icon' value='business-gold' size='24px' cornerRadius='26px' iconType='solid' /> Thanks!

        • Item images

          Can we get an "On hover" expanded image for items please ?

        • Ability to Create and Manage YouTube Video Chapters in Zoho Social

          Hi Zoho Social Team, How are you? We would like to request an enhancement to Zoho Social that would allow users to create and manage YouTube video chapters directly within the platform. Currently, Zoho Social does not support manually adding chapters

        • What happens to my current site SEO if i opt for zoho creator?

          I have an existing website and I need to use Zoho creators for the rapid creation of my webpage creation. Currently, my IT team is creating the web pages, but I am concerned about the SEO of my current website if I shift to zoho will i loose it all?

        • Preview Emails with Merge Fields before sending

          Hello, Are there plans to preview an email with merge fields before sending out? Currently, all you see in the preview are the merge field values, but before I send out the email I want to make sure the merge is working. Also, the saved emails only show

        • User Filter not selecting All Items

          We are encountering 2 issues when using the user filter. When users are trying to search using the filter option, the OK button is grayed out. Users have to unselect or make a change before it filters properly. 2. When filtering and the OK button works,

        • Support Nested JavaScript Variables in PageSense Pop-up Targeting

          Hello Zoho PageSense Team, I hope you're doing well. I’d like to request a feature enhancement for the PageSense pop-up targeting functionality. Current Limitation: Currently, PageSense pop-ups can be triggered using simple JavaScript variables. However,

        • Cannot Invert Axis for Rankings

          Hi there I want to be able to create a ranking graph in Analytics/BI, with 1 at the top of the Y axis, but I am unable to invert the axis. Super simple example in Excel below. Higher rankings need to be higher up on the graph to give the correct visual

        • How to copy value from a single line field into a picklist field within a module's subform?

          Hello there, I have a single line field in a module's subform. I would like the value in the field to automatically update a picklist field within the same subform (both have items with the same names). Is this possible via function? Unfortunately, workflows

        • Committed Stock and To Be Received Stock via API?

          Is it possible to retrieve Committed Stock and/or To Be Received Stock for an Item via the API? I want to use this information for calculating the amount of inventory needed to be purchased.

        • Creating Email template that attaches file uploaded in specific field.

          If there's a way to do this using Zoho CRM's built-in features, then this has eluded me! I'm looking to create a workflow that automatically sends an email upon execution, and that email includes an attachment uploaded in a specific field. Email templates

        • Marketer’s Space - Automate a Personalized Holiday Workflow with Zoho Campaigns

          Hello marketers, Welcome back to another post in Marketer’s Space! From Thanksgiving through Christmas, you have a flurry of opportunities to connect with your audience. In this post, we’ll see how you can plan an entire month-long automated workflow

        • Sorting columns in Zoho Projects

          Hi, In project management best practice, sorting columns (ascending, descending) is an important tool. Sorting dates to see the order of tasks starting, sorting on priority or even on planned hours is a must for an efficient project control. Currently,

        • Zoho CRM - Calendar Cards View - Let Users Decide What Is Displayed On Calendar Entries

          Imagine planning your week of face-to-face meetings across three counties. You’re trying to group appointments by location to make the best use of your time, but Zoho CRM’s calendar doesn’t show where each meeting is happening. You’re left trying to remember

        • Zoho Inventory - How to pay a supplier up front then receive multiple deliveries

          How do we manage situations where we pay a supplier up front, then the receive the products in increments? Example Workflow: Create Purchase Order > Receive Bill for full amount > Receive Items 2 or more deliveries. Currently, once a Bill is created against

        • How can I add or change the active customer in Zoho Projects?

          I'm trying to change the customer in an active Zoho project. Is it possible to add or change the customer?

        • What happens when someone clicks 'unsubscribe' in a zoho CRM email

          Hello, As per, i am going round in circles trying to find an answer to these 2 question. I have an email template that has an unsubscribe link in the footer in zoho CRM. First, what happens when someone clicks it - where does the contact get unsubscribed

        • Zoho CRM - Scheduled Reports Which Contain Chart

          Hi Zoho CRM Team, I'm requesting that the Report Export and Scheduling feature be enhanced to include a chart, if one has been created on a report. At the moment I have a report which shows Sales This Week by Deal Owner and a pie chart at the top of the

        • Cadences

          I have just started using Cadences for follow-up up email pipeline. Is it just me or do you find the functionality very basic? For example, it will tell me (if I go looking for it) if someone has replied to a follow-up and been unenrolled; but it won't

        • Canvas View in Zoho Recruit

          Is it possible or would it be possible to have the new 'Canvas View' in Zoho Recruit?

        • Zoho Inventory - Move Orders

          Quick question about Move Orders... Why is there no status to say something like "Draft", "In Progress" and "Completed", similar to Transfer Orders? I'm assuming that when something needs to be moved it should be planned in Inventory, executed and then

        • Kaizen #215 - Workflow APIs - Part 3 - Create and Update Workflow Rules

          Welcome back to another week of Kaizen! Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve joined Zylker Cloud Services as they review and improve their workflows. In Part 1, we discovered and audited their sprawling workflow landscape. In Part 2, we learned how to

        • DataPrep Bigquery Connection failed

          Hello everybody, I want to create a connnection beetwen Bigquery and Dataprep but when I try to connect my project I got this error Loading tables has failed. Table list fetched from the data source expired.

        • Issue in Zoho People Regularization – Incorrect Hour Calculation

          I have noticed that when applying attendance regularization in Zoho People for previous dates, the total working hours are not calculated correctly. For example, even if the check-in is 10:00 AM and check-out is 6:00 PM, the system shows an incorrect

        • Allow Multiple usage units to items while adding them to sales/purchase transactions

          The usage unit of items added in zoho books are static right now and can not be changed. But certain items are received or sold in multiple usage units. One example is fabric. It can be bought in Meters, inches, kgs or other units. Another example would

        • PO receive quantities

          At last, Zoho has finally got around to allowing us to receive a larger qty than recorded in the PO :-) Saves us all from editing the PO's before receiving larger quantities ( usual for us ) ! It's still in "beta" but available upon request, I've tested

        • Analytics : How to share to an external client ?

          We have a use case where a client wants a portal so that several of his users can view dashboards that we have created for them in Zoho Analytics. They are not part of our company or Zoho One account. The clients want the ability to have user specific,

        • Reference Deal Categories in Deluge

          Hello, Is there a way to reference Deal Category in deluge functions? So for our Deals, we have several different WON stages in a pipeline.  Rather than type each stage into our functions, we'd like to be able to reference the Deal Category.  Similar

        • Users Name & Email in Reports

          Hi, I would like to show the Users Name from their Zoho Acount in All Entries/Reports as well as the current Account Email. Thanks Dan

        • Workflow Creation with Zia gets stuck

          It gets stuck here:

        • Unable to Add Asset to Work Order Due to Different Contact and Company

          Hello Zoho Team, I’m facing an issue in our environment related to asset linking in Work Orders. Here’s the situation: When our engineers go for field activities, they initially create the Work Order using the salesperson’s contact details. After completing

        • I NEED MORE CUSTOM FIELDS!!!

          Why can I only have 60 custom fields! It's not enough. I want another 100 extra custom fields to do what's necessary for my business! I'm sure I can't be the only one with this problem!!! How hard would it be to fix this? Just fix it for me please at

        • Next Page