Troubleshooting¶

This guide helps you troubleshoot common issues with the YT Music API.

Common Issues¶

KeyError: "Unable to find 'header'"¶

The most frequent issue occurs when YouTube Music changes their internal API structure.

Symptoms:

Search requests fail with KeyError messages
Previously working queries suddenly stop working
Error mentions missing 'header' path in API response

Quick Fixes:

Check API Health First

curl http://your-api-url/search/health

Use Simplified Parameters
Remove scope parameter from search
Reduce limit to 5-10 items
Use basic search queries
Update Dependencies
```
pip install --upgrade ytmusicapi
```

Expected API Response During Issues:

{
  "error": "API structure error",
  "message": "YouTube Music API structure has changed",
  "recommendation": "Use simplified search parameters",
  "status_code": 503
}

Authentication Errors (401)¶

Symptoms:

Requests to /library/* endpoints fail
Error messages about authentication required
Playlist creation/modification fails

Solutions:

Set Up Authentication Follow the ytmusicapi authentication guide
Check Authentication File Ensure your authentication file is properly configured and accessible
Refresh Credentials Re-authenticate if credentials have expired

Rate Limiting (429)¶

Symptoms:

Requests return 429 status code
Error messages about rate limits exceeded
Temporary blocking of requests

Solutions:

Implement Backoff Strategy

import time
import random

def retry_with_backoff(func, max_retries=3):
    for attempt in range(max_retries):
        try:
            return func()
        except RateLimitError:
            if attempt < max_retries - 1:
                wait_time = (2 ** attempt) + random.uniform(0, 1)
                time.sleep(wait_time)
    raise

Reduce Request Frequency
Add delays between requests
Batch operations when possible
Use lower limits in search queries

Network Issues (503/504)¶

Symptoms:

Connection timeouts
Service unavailable errors
Intermittent failures

Solutions:

Check Internet Connectivity

curl https://music.youtube.com

Verify API Status

curl http://your-api-url/api/status

Implement Retry Logic

import requests
from requests.adapters import HTTPAdapter
from urllib3.util.retry import Retry

session = requests.Session()
retry_strategy = Retry(
    total=3,
    backoff_factor=1,
    status_forcelist=[503, 504]
)
adapter = HTTPAdapter(max_retries=retry_strategy)
session.mount("http://", adapter)
session.mount("https://", adapter)

Diagnostic Steps¶

1. Health Check Workflow¶

# Check global API status
curl http://your-api-url/api/status

# Check search functionality specifically
curl http://your-api-url/search/health

# Test basic search with minimal parameters
curl "http://your-api-url/search?query=test&limit=5"

2. Log Analysis¶

Check Application Logs:

tail -f ytmusic_api.log

Common Log Patterns to Look For:

KeyError: "Unable to find 'header'" - API structure changes
ConnectionError - Network issues
TimeoutError - Request timeouts
AuthenticationError - Authentication problems

3. Dependency Verification¶

Check Installed Versions:

pip list | grep -E "(ytmusicapi|fastapi|uvicorn)"

Update Dependencies:

pip install --upgrade ytmusicapi fastapi uvicorn

4. Configuration Validation¶

Verify Environment:

Check Python version (3.8+ required)
Validate virtual environment activation
Confirm all dependencies installed

Error Patterns & Solutions¶

Pattern: Intermittent Failures¶

Symptoms: API works sometimes but fails randomly

Likely Causes:

YouTube Music API instability
Network connectivity issues
Rate limiting

Solutions:

Implement comprehensive retry logic
Add jitter to request timing
Monitor health endpoints

Pattern: All Requests Failing¶

Symptoms: Every API call returns errors

Likely Causes:

YouTube Music API major changes
Authentication issues
Network problems

Solutions:

Check API status endpoints
Verify internet connectivity
Update ytmusicapi library
Review authentication setup

Pattern: Specific Endpoint Failures¶

Symptoms: Some endpoints work, others don't

Likely Causes:

Partial API structure changes
Feature-specific issues
Permission problems

Solutions:

Check individual router health
Review endpoint-specific logs
Test with minimal parameters

Prevention Best Practices¶

1. Monitoring Setup¶

Health Check Automation:

#!/bin/bash
# health_check.sh
response=$(curl -s http://your-api-url/api/status | jq '.status')
if [ "$response" != '"operational"' ]; then
    echo "API Issue Detected: $response"
    # Send alert
fi

2. Client Implementation¶

Robust Client Code:

class YTMusicAPIClient:
    def __init__(self, base_url):
        self.base_url = base_url
        self.session = self._create_session()

    def _create_session(self):
        session = requests.Session()
        retry_strategy = Retry(total=3, backoff_factor=1)
        adapter = HTTPAdapter(max_retries=retry_strategy)
        session.mount("http://", adapter)
        session.mount("https://", adapter)
        return session

    def safe_request(self, endpoint, params=None):
        try:
            response = self.session.get(
                f"{self.base_url}{endpoint}",
                params=params,
                timeout=30
            )
            response.raise_for_status()
            return response.json()
        except requests.exceptions.RequestException as e:
            # Handle specific error types
            return self._handle_error(e)

3. Update Strategy¶

Regular Maintenance:

Monitor ytmusicapi releases
Update dependencies weekly
Test after YouTube Music updates
Keep authentication fresh

Getting Help¶

1. Information to Gather¶

When reporting issues, include:

Error messages and stack traces
Request parameters used
Health check results
Log file excerpts
ytmusicapi version
Operating system and Python version

2. Support Channels¶

3. Community Resources¶

Check existing GitHub issues for similar problems
Review ytmusicapi changelog for recent changes
Monitor YouTube Music developer forums