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Error Handling Guide

This guide explains the comprehensive error handling implemented in the YT Music API and how to troubleshoot common issues.

Overview

The YT Music API implements robust error handling to gracefully manage:

  • YouTube Music API structure changes
  • Network connectivity issues
  • Authentication requirements
  • Rate limiting
  • Invalid parameters

Common Error Types

KeyError: "Unable to find 'header'"

This is the most frequent error, occurring when YouTube Music changes their internal API structure.

Symptoms:

{
  "error": "API structure error",
  "message": "YouTube Music API structure has changed, search temporarily unavailable",
  "technical_details": "KeyError: Unable to find 'header'..."
}

Solutions:

  1. Use simplified search parameters (lower limits)
  2. Check the health endpoint: /search/health
  3. Update ytmusicapi: pip install --upgrade ytmusicapi
  4. Try different search filters

Authentication Errors (401)

Some endpoints require YouTube Music authentication.

Response:

{
  "error": "Authentication required",
  "message": "Authentication required to access library playlists"
}

Solution: Set up authentication following the ytmusicapi authentication guide.

Rate Limiting (429)

Response:

{
  "error": "Rate limit exceeded",
  "message": "API rate limit exceeded. Please try again later.",
  "retry_after": "60"
}

Solution: Implement exponential backoff in your client code.

Network Issues (503/504)

Responses:

{
  "error": "Connection failed",
  "message": "Unable to connect to YouTube Music"
}

Solution: Check internet connectivity and retry the request.

Error Response Structure

All errors follow a consistent structure:

{
  "error": "error_category",
  "message": "Human readable message",
  "operation": "operation_name",
  "identifier": "resource_id",
  "technical_details": "detailed_error_info"
}

Health Monitoring

Monitor API health using these endpoints:

  • Global Status: /api/status
  • Search Health: /search/health

Health Check Responses

Operational:

{
  "status": "operational",
  "message": "All systems operational",
  "test_search_successful": true
}

Degraded:

{
  "status": "degraded",
  "message": "YouTube Music API structure issues detected",
  "recommendation": "Use simplified search parameters"
}

Error:

{
  "status": "error",
  "message": "API connectivity issues",
  "recommendation": "Check internet connection and try again"
}

Fallback Mechanisms

The API implements automatic fallbacks:

  1. Simplified Parameters: Reduces complexity when structure errors occur
  2. Alternative Endpoints: Uses different ytmusicapi methods when available
  3. Graceful Degradation: Returns partial results when possible
  4. Retry Logic: Automatic retries with exponential backoff

Best Practices

For Client Applications

  1. Always check health endpoints before making requests
  2. Implement retry logic with exponential backoff
  3. Handle rate limiting gracefully
  4. Parse error responses to provide user-friendly messages
  5. Monitor API status for proactive issue detection

Example Client Code

import requests
import time
import random

def safe_api_call(url, max_retries=3):
    for attempt in range(max_retries):
        try:
            response = requests.get(url)

            if response.status_code == 200:
                return response.json()
            elif response.status_code == 429:
                # Rate limited - wait and retry
                wait_time = 2 ** attempt + random.uniform(0, 1)
                time.sleep(wait_time)
                continue
            elif response.status_code == 503:
                # Service degraded - check health
                health = requests.get("/search/health").json()
                if health["status"] != "operational":
                    print(f"API Issue: {health['message']}")
                    return None

        except requests.exceptions.RequestException as e:
            print(f"Network error: {e}")
            if attempt < max_retries - 1:
                time.sleep(2 ** attempt)
                continue

    return None

Troubleshooting Steps

  1. Check API Status
curl https://your-api-url/api/status
  1. Test Basic Search
curl "https://your-api-url/search?query=test&limit=5"

  1. Check Logs Review ytmusic_api.log for detailed error information

  2. Update Dependencies

pip install --upgrade ytmusicapi fastapi
  1. Verify Network Connectivity 
    curl https://music.youtube.com

Getting Help

If issues persist:

  1. Check the GitHub Issues
  2. Review the ytmusicapi documentation
  3. Create a detailed bug report with:
  4. Error messages
  5. Request parameters
  6. Health check results
  7. Log excerpts