A searchable database of real error messages from every major agent platform. Paste an error, find the fix, move on. Updated weekly from a scan of Reddit, Discord, and GitHub issues — if you hit a new one, chances are it'll be here next week.
Claude Cowork
Rate limit exceeded (HTTP 429)
Error: Rate limit exceeded (429)
x-ratelimit-remaining-requests: 0
x-ratelimit-reset-requests: 42s
Fix:
Wait for the reset window in x-ratelimit-reset, or drop to a lower-limit model (e.g. Haiku for cheap tasks). For sustained 429s, enable retries with exponential backoff or batch your requests. Check your plan's per-minute token budget — the free tier is ~50 req/min.
Also affects: OpenClaw when using Anthropic provider · Pricing guide
OpenClaw
npm EACCES on global install
npm ERR! code EACCES
npm ERR! syscall access
npm ERR! path /usr/local/lib/node_modules
Fix:
Don't use sudo npm. Move npm to a user-owned prefix:
mkdir ~/.npm-global
npm config set prefix ~/.npm-global
export PATH=~/.npm-global/bin:$PATH # add to ~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc
npm install -g openclaw
Guide: OpenClaw setup
OpenClaw
Gateway failed to start — port in use
Error: listen EADDRINUSE: address already in use :::3000
at Server.setupListenHandle [as _listen2]
Fix:
Another process owns port 3000. Find and kill it, or use a different port:
# macOS / Linux
lsof -i :3000 && kill -9 <PID>
# Windows PowerShell
Get-Process -Id (Get-NetTCPConnection -LocalPort 3000).OwningProcess | Stop-Process
# Or just move OpenClaw
openclaw gateway start --port 3100
Guide: OpenClaw configuration
NemoClaw
Provider API key invalid
NemoClaw: provider "anthropic" returned 401
Invalid API key or expired credential.
Fix:
NemoClaw caches credentials per profile. Set the key for the active profile:
nemoclaw profile use default
nemoclaw auth set anthropic
# paste key when prompted
If the key is correct, the upstream model may be deprecated — check the provider's model list and update policy.toml.
Guide: Switching providers
IronClaw
Skill not in allowlist
IronClaw: skill "filesystem-write" rejected
Reason: not in allowlist.toml
Fix:
This is working as designed — IronClaw's allowlist is the security boundary. Explicitly approve the skill:
ironclaw allow filesystem-write
Or edit ~/.ironclaw/allowlist.toml directly. Review what the skill does before allowing it; the whole point of IronClaw is that nothing runs without your consent.
Guide: Skill allowlisting
Hermes
Memory backend connection refused
Hermes: failed to connect to memory backend
Error: ECONNREFUSED 127.0.0.1:5432
Fix:
Hermes 1.2+ requires an explicit memory backend. For Postgres/Redis, check that the server is running and the connection string in hermes.toml is correct. For SQLite (default), ensure the data directory is writable:
hermes doctor # full diagnostic
hermes memory backend # shows active backend
chmod u+rwx ~/.hermes # fix SQLite perms
Guide: Hermes memory
Claude Cowork
MCP server not responding
Error: MCP server "github" did not respond within 30s
config: .mcp.json
command: npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-github
Fix:
Run the command from .mcp.json manually in a terminal — most failures are missing env vars, wrong path, or the server crashing on startup. Then:
claude mcp logs # recent stderr from all servers
claude mcp list # confirm config is loaded
claude mcp restart # restart the connection
Guide: Claude Cowork setup
ChatGPT
Custom GPT action returns 401
Error talking to connector: Unauthorized
Status: 401
Fix:
Custom GPT actions don't read auth from the OpenAPI spec's securitySchemes. Configure it in the GPT builder:
- Open the GPT → Configure tab → Actions
- Click Authentication → pick API Key or OAuth
- Paste the key and republish the GPT
Guide: Custom GPTs