ErrorResponse Events

If Alexa sends a request to your skill and you can't handle it successfully, respond with an Alexa.ErrorResponse event. Specify the type of error and why it occurred. You can respond synchronously or asynchronously. If you respond asynchronously, include a correlation token and a scope with an authorization token.

Use the Alexa.ErrorResponse event for the generic errors listed in error type values. If appropriate, use one of the following more specific error events instead: Alexa.AuthorizationController.ErrorResponse, Cooking.ErrorResponse, Safety.ErrorResponse, SecurityPanelController.ErrorResponse, ThermostatController.ErrorResponse, Video.ErrorResponse.

ErrorResponse event

In the payload for the Alexa.ErrorResponse, specify the type of the error and include a message with information about the error. For the list of error types, see error type values.

ErrorResponse event parameters

Property	Description	Type	Required
`type`	Type of error. Alexa shares this with the customer.	String	Yes
`message`	Descriptive message for the error. Alexa doesn't share this with the customer.	String	Yes

Note: Depending on the type of error, there might be additional payload contents. For details, see Error type values.

ErrorResponse event example

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{
  "event": {
    "header": {
      "namespace": "Alexa",
      "name": "ErrorResponse",
      "messageId": "a unique identifier, preferably a version 4 UUID",
      "payloadVersion": "3"
    },
    "endpoint":{
      "endpointId": "endpoint ID"
    },
    "payload": {
      "type": "<error type>",
      "message": "<error message>"
    }
  }
}

Error type values

The following table shows the valid error types. The different error types don't always result in different responses spoken by Alexa.

Field	Description
ALREADY_IN_OPERATION	The endpoint can't perform the requested operation because the endpoint is already in operation.
BRIDGE_UNREACHABLE	The bridge is unreachable or offline. For example, the bridge might be turned off, disconnected from the customer's local area network, or connectivity between the bridge and the device cloud might have been lost. When you respond to a `ReportState` directive, there might be times when you should return a `StateReport` instead of this error. For details, see Alexa.EndpointHealth.
CLOUD_CONTROL_DISABLED	The user can't control the device over the internet, and should control the device manually instead.
ENDPOINT_BUSY	The endpoint can't handle the directive because it's performing another action. The action might be a request to Alexa or a manual interaction.
ENDPOINT_LOW_POWER	The endpoint can't handle the directive because the battery power is too low. See an example here.
ENDPOINT_UNREACHABLE	The endpoint is unreachable or offline. For example, the endpoint might be turned off, disconnected from the customer's local area network, or connectivity between the endpoint and bridge or the endpoint and the device cloud might have been lost. When you respond to a `ReportState` directive, there might be times when you should return a `StateReport` instead of this error. For more information, see Alexa.EndpointHealth.
EXPIRED_AUTHORIZATION_CREDENTIAL	The authorization credential provided by Alexa has expired. For example, the OAuth2 access token for the customer has expired.
FIRMWARE_OUT_OF_DATE	The endpoint can't handle the directive because it's firmware is out of date.
HARDWARE_MALFUNCTION	The endpoint can't handle the directive because it has experienced a hardware malfunction.
INSUFFICIENT_PERMISSIONS	Alexa doesn't have permissions to perform the specified action on the endpoint.
INTERNAL_ERROR	An error occurred that isn't described by one of the other error types. For example, a runtime exception occurred. Amazon recommends that you always send a more specific error type, if possible.
INVALID_AUTHORIZATION_CREDENTIAL	The authorization credential provided by Alexa is invalid. For example, the OAuth2 access token isn't valid for the customer's device cloud account.
INVALID_DIRECTIVE	The directive isn't supported by the skill, or the directive is malformed.
INVALID_VALUE	The directive contains a value that's not valid for the target endpoint. For example, an invalid heating mode, channel, or program value.
NO_SUCH_ENDPOINT	The endpoint doesn't exist, or no longer exists.
NOT_CALIBRATED	The endpoint can't handle the directive because it's in a calibration phase, such as warming up, or a user configuration isn't set up yet on the device.
NOT_SUPPORTED_IN_CURRENT_MODE	The endpoint can't set the device to the specified value because of its current mode of operation. When you send this error response, include a field in the payload named `currentDeviceMode` to indicate why the device can't be set to the new value. Valid values are `COLOR`, `ASLEEP`, `NOT_PROVISIONED`, `OTHER`. See an example here.
NOT_SUPPORTED_WITH_CURRENT_BATTERY_CHARGE_STATE	The endpoint can't fulfill the request due to the current battery state. When you send this error response, include the currentChargeState property in the payload to indicate the battery state. You can optionally include the CurrentChargeLevelInPercentage property to indicate the battery level in percentage. See an example here.
NOT_IN_OPERATION	The endpoint isn't in operation. For example, a smart home skill can return a NOT_IN_OPERATION error when it receives a `RESUME` directive but the endpoint is the `OFF` mode.
POWER_LEVEL_NOT_SUPPORTED	The endpoint can't handle the directive because it doesn't support the requested power level.
RATE_LIMIT_EXCEEDED	The requests exceed the maximum rate at which an endpoint or bridge can process directives.
TEMPERATURE_VALUE_OUT_OF_RANGE	The endpoint can't be set to the specified value because it's outside the acceptable temperature range. When you send this error response, optionally include a validRange object in the payload that indicates the acceptable temperature range. See an example here.
TOO_MANY_FAILED_ATTEMPTS	The number of allowed failed attempts, such as when entering a password, has been exceeded.
VALUE_OUT_OF_RANGE	The endpoint can't be set to the specified value because it's outside the acceptable range. For example, you can use this error when a customer requests a percentage value over 100. For temperature values, use `TEMPERATURE_VALUE_OUT_OF_RANGE` instead. When you send this error response, optionally include a validRange object in the payload that indicates the acceptable range. See an example here.

Examples

Synchronous response example

The following is an example error response that you send synchronously to Alexa. For the list of error types, see error type values.

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{
  "event": {
    "header": {
      "namespace": "Alexa",
      "name": "ErrorResponse",
      "messageId": "a unique identifier, preferably a version 4 UUID",
      "correlationToken": "an opaque correlation token that matches the request",
      "payloadVersion": "3"
    },
    "endpoint":{
      "endpointId": "endpoint ID"
    },
    "payload": {
      "type": "ENDPOINT_UNREACHABLE",
      "message": "Unable to reach endpoint 12345 because it appears to be offline"
    }
  }
}

Asynchronous response example

The following is an example error response that you send asynchronously to the Alexa event gateway. If you respond asynchronously, include a correlation token and a scope with an authorization token. For details, see Send Events to the Event Gateway.

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{
  "event": {
    "header": {
      "namespace": "Alexa",
      "name": "ErrorResponse",
      "messageId": "a unique identifier, preferably a version 4 UUID",
      "correlationToken": "an opaque correlation token that matches the request",
      "payloadVersion": "3"
    },
    "endpoint":{
      "scope":{
        "type":"BearerToken",
        "token":"access-token-from-Amazon"
      },
      "endpointId": "endpoint ID"
    },
    "payload": {
      "type": "ENDPOINT_UNREACHABLE",
      "message": "Unable to reach endpoint 12345 because it appears to be offline."
    }
  }
}

HTTP status codes

When you send an asynchronous Alexa.ErrorResponse to the gateway, Alexa sends an HTTP status code to indicate success or failure.

HTTP status codes

The following table shows the HTTP status code values that your skill might receive from the Alexa event gateway. If you receive an error, the payload object contains a code and description field. Use these fields for logging only.

Status	Payload code	Description
`202 Accepted`	—	Request is authorized and the message is a syntactically valid event. The event was accepted for further logical validation and processing.
`400 Bad Request`	`INVALID_REQUEST_EXCEPTION`	Message is invalid due to missing fields, incorrect values, or malformed JSON. Check your messages against the documentation to verify that your message contains all the required fields.
`401 Unauthorized`	`INVALID_ACCESS_TOKEN_EXCEPTION`	Message didn't include the authorization token or the token is invalid, expired, or malformed. Refresh your token and retry the request. If a user disables your skill, that also invalidates the access token. Here, the user revoked authorization, and you can stop sending change reports for them.
`403 Forbidden`	`SKILL_NEVER_ENABLED_EXCEPTION`	You're not allowed access to the event gateway. Make sure that you're sending the events to the correct regional endpoint. For example, send events in North America to the North American endpoint.
`403 Forbidden`	`INSUFFICIENT_PERMISSION_EXCEPTION`	Token doesn't have the required permissions. Make sure that the skill has permission to send Alexa events. For details, see Request Access to the Alexa Event Gateway.
`404 Not Found`	`ACCOUNT_NOT_FOUND_EXCEPTION`	Account record associated with this directed identifier doesn't exist or has expired. This error can occur if the event was sent too late or with an invalid directed identifier. Verify that the directed identifier and authorization code are correct.
`404 Not Found`	`SKILL_NOT_FOUND_EXCEPTION`	Skill ID associated with this token wasn't found. This error occurs when user's access token was generated when the skill was in different stage, such as certification. Try disabling and re-enabling the skill for this user.
`413 Payload Too Large`	`REQUEST_ENTITY_TOO_LARGE_EXCEPTION`	Size of the event payload is too large. The maximum number of endpoints allowed in a request is 300. Send your message with smaller payloads.
`429 Too Many Requests`	`THROTTLING_EXCEPTION`	Number of requests is too high. Resend the message up to three times, with at least a one-second interval between each send attempt.
`500 Internal Server Error`	`INTERNAL_SERVICE_EXCEPTION`	Error occurred with Alexa, and the message wasn't processed. Resend the message up to three times, with at least a one-second interval between each send attempt. If problems persist, contact Amazon Support.
`503 Service Unavailable`	`SERVICE_UNAVAILABLE_EXCEPTION`	Alexa couldn't accept the message. Resend the message up to three times, with at least a one-second interval between each attempt. If the problem persists, contact Amazon Support.

Example 401 Unauthorized response body

The following example shows an error response.

HTTP/1.1 400 Bad Request
Date: Wed, 07 Mar 2018 20:25:31 GMT
Connection: close

{
  "header": {
    "namespace": "System",
    "name": "Exception",
    "messageId": "90c3fc62-4b2d-460c-9c8b-77251f1698a0"
  },
  "payload": {
      "code": "INVALID_ACCESS_TOKEN_EXCEPTION",
      "description": "The access token is invalid, expired, or malformed."
  }
}

ENDPOINT_LOW_POWER

The following is an example error response for the ENDPOINT_LOW_POWER error type. For the list of error types, see error type values.

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{
  "event": {
    "header": {
      "namespace": "Alexa",
      "name": "ErrorResponse",
      "messageId": "a unique identifier, preferably a version 4 UUID",
      "payloadVersion": "3"
    },
    "endpoint": {
      "endpointId": "endpoint ID"
    },
    "payload": {
      "type": "ENDPOINT_LOW_POWER",
      "message": "The lock battery is low",
      "percentageState": 5
    }
  }
}

NOT_SUPPORTED_IN_CURRENT_MODE

The following is an example error response for the NOT_SUPPORTED_IN_CURRENT_MODE error type. For the list of error types, see error type values.

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{
  "event": {
    "header": {
      "namespace": "Alexa.ColorTemperatureController",
      "name": "ErrorResponse",
      "messageId": "a unique identifier, preferably a version 4 UUID",
      "payloadVersion": "3"
    },
    "endpoint": {
      "endpointId": "endpoint ID"
    },
    "payload": {
      "type": "NOT_SUPPORTED_IN_CURRENT_MODE",
      "message": "The light is currently set to a color.",
      "currentDeviceMode": "COLOR"
    }
  }
}

NOT_SUPPORTED_WITH_CURRENT_BATTERY_CHARGE_STATE

The following is an example error response for the NOT_SUPPORTED_WITH_CURRENT_BATTERY_CHARGE_STATE error type. For the list of error types, see error type values.

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{
  "event": {
    "header": {
      "namespace": "Alexa",
      "name": "ErrorResponse",
      "messageId": "a unique identifier, preferably a version 4 UUID",
      "payloadVersion": "3"
    },
    "endpoint": {
      "endpointId": "endpoint ID"
    },
    "payload": {
      "type": "NOT_SUPPORTED_WITH_CURRENT_BATTERY_CHARGE_STATE ",
      "message":"The vehicle has been charging",
      "currentChargeState": "ALREADY_CHARGED_TO_REQUIRED_LEVEL",
      "currentChargeLevelInPercentage": 75
    }
  }
}

TEMPERATURE_VALUE_OUT_OF_RANGE

The following is an example error response for the TEMPERATURE_VALUE_OUT_OF_RANGE error type. Include a validRange object in the payload to specify the minimum and maximum acceptable temperatures. For the list of error types, see error type values.

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{
  "event": {
    "header": {
      "namespace": "Alexa",
      "name": "ErrorResponse",
      "messageId": "a unique identifier, preferably a version 4 UUID",
      "payloadVersion": "3"
    },
    "endpoint": {
      "endpointId": "endpoint ID"
    },
    "payload": {
      "type": "TEMPERATURE_VALUE_OUT_OF_RANGE",
      "message": "The requested temperature of -15 is out of range.",
      "validRange": {
        "minimumValue": {
          "value": 15.0,
          "scale": "CELSIUS"
        },
        "maximumValue": {
          "value": 30.0,
          "scale": "CELSIUS"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

VALUE_OUT_OF_RANGE

The following is an example error response for the VALUE_OUT_OF_RANGE error type. Include a validRange object in the payload to specify the minimum and maximum acceptable values for a setting. For the list of error types, see error type values.

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{
  "event": {
    "header": {
      "namespace": "Alexa",
      "name": "ErrorResponse",
      "messageId": "a unique identifier, preferably a version 4 UUID",
      "payloadVersion": "3"
    },
    "endpoint":{
      "endpointId": "endpoint ID"
    },
    "payload": {
      "type": "VALUE_OUT_OF_RANGE",
      "message": "The percent value cannot exceed 100.",
      "validRange": {
        "minimumValue": 0,
        "maximumValue": 100
      }
    }
  }
}

Properties and objects

Some error types include the following objects in the payload. For details, see error type values.

CurrentChargeLevelInPercentage property

When you send a NOT_SUPPORTED_WITH_CURRENT_BATTERY_CHARGE_STATE error response, include the currentChargeLevelInPercentage property in the payload. The currentChargeLevelInPercentage indicates the battery level in percentage. Valid values: 0 — 100. This property is optional.

CurrentChargeLevelInPercentage example

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{
  "currentChargeLevelInPercentage": "100"
}

CurrentChargeState property

When you send a NOT_SUPPORTED_WITH_CURRENT_BATTERY_CHARGE_STATE error response, include the currentChargeState property in the payload. The currentChargeState indicates the current state of the battery.

The following table shows the valid values for the battery state.

Battery state	Description
`ALREADY_CHARGED_TO_REQUIRED_LEVEL`	The vehicle battery level is more than the requested level.
`CURRENTLY_CHARGING`	The vehicle battery is charging.
`FULLY_CHARGED`	The vehicle battery level is 100%.
`NOT_CONNECTED_TO_POWER`	The vehicle battery isn't connected to a charger.

CurrentChargeState example

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{
  "currentChargeState": "NOT_CONNECTED_TO_POWER"
}

ValidRange object

When you send a VALUE_OUT_OF_RANGE error response, include a validRange object in the payload to indicate the minimum and maximum acceptable values. This property is optional.

ValidRange example

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{
  "validRange": {
    "minimumValue": 0,
    "maximumValue": 100
  }
}

ValidRange object with temperatures

When you send a TEMPERATURE_VALUE_OUT_OF_RANGE error response, include a validRange object in the payload to indicate the minimum and maximum acceptable temperatures. The minimum and maximum values contain temperature objects. This property is optional.

ValidRange with temperature example

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{
  "validRange": {
    "minimumValue": {
      "value": 15.0,
      "scale": "CELSIUS"
    },
    "maximumValue": {
      "value": 30.0,
      "scale": "CELSIUS"
    }
  }
}

ErrorResponse Events

ErrorResponse event

ErrorResponse event parameters

ErrorResponse event example

Error type values

Examples

Synchronous response example

Asynchronous response example

HTTP status codes

HTTP status codes

Example 401 Unauthorized response body

ENDPOINT_LOW_POWER

NOT_SUPPORTED_IN_CURRENT_MODE

NOT_SUPPORTED_WITH_CURRENT_BATTERY_CHARGE_STATE

TEMPERATURE_VALUE_OUT_OF_RANGE

VALUE_OUT_OF_RANGE

Properties and objects

CurrentChargeLevelInPercentage property

CurrentChargeState property

ValidRange object

ValidRange object with temperatures

Related topics