Errors

Scrub uses conventional HTTP status codes to indicate success or failure of API requests.

HTTP Status Codes

Code	Description
200	Success
400	Bad Request - Invalid request format or parameters
401	Unauthorized - Invalid or missing API key
403	Forbidden - Request blocked due to PHI (if blocking mode enabled)
429	Too Many Requests - Rate limit exceeded
500	Internal Server Error
502	Bad Gateway - Error from upstream AI provider
503	Service Unavailable

Error Response Format

{
  "error": {
    "message": "Description of what went wrong",
    "type": "error_type",
    "code": "error_code"
  }
}

Common Errors

Invalid API Key

{
  "error": {
    "message": "Invalid API key provided",
    "type": "authentication_error",
    "code": "invalid_api_key"
  }
}

Solution: Check that your API key is correct and hasn't been revoked.

PHI Blocked

{
  "error": {
    "message": "Request blocked: PHI detected in content",
    "type": "phi_error",
    "code": "phi_blocked",
    "phi_types": ["ssn", "date_of_birth"]
  }
}

Solution: Remove PHI from your request, or switch to redact/mask mode in Settings.

Provider Not Configured

{
  "error": {
    "message": "No AI provider configured. Please add a provider key in your dashboard.",
    "type": "configuration_error",
    "code": "no_provider"
  }
}

Solution: Go to Providers in your Dashboard and add your AI provider's API key.

Rate Limit Exceeded

{
  "error": {
    "message": "Rate limit exceeded. Please retry after 60 seconds.",
    "type": "rate_limit_error",
    "code": "rate_limit_exceeded"
  }
}

Solution: Wait and retry, or contact support to increase your limits.

Upstream Provider Error

{
  "error": {
    "message": "Error from AI provider: insufficient_quota",
    "type": "upstream_error",
    "code": "provider_error"
  }
}

Solution: Check your AI provider account for quota/billing issues.

Handling Errors

We recommend implementing retry logic with exponential backoff for transient errors (429, 500, 502, 503):

import time
import requests

def make_request_with_retry(url, headers, data, max_retries=3):
    for attempt in range(max_retries):
        response = requests.post(url, headers=headers, json=data)

        if response.status_code == 200:
            return response.json()

        if response.status_code in [429, 500, 502, 503]:
            wait_time = (2 ** attempt) + 1  # Exponential backoff
            time.sleep(wait_time)
            continue

        # Non-retryable error
        response.raise_for_status()

    raise Exception("Max retries exceeded")