Agent skill

documenso-common-errors

Diagnose and resolve common Documenso API errors and issues. Use when encountering Documenso errors, debugging integration issues, or troubleshooting failed operations. Trigger with phrases like "documenso error", "documenso 401", "documenso failed", "fix documenso", "documenso not working".

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npx add-skill https://github.com/jeremylongshore/claude-code-plugins-plus-skills/tree/main/plugins/saas-packs/documenso-pack/skills/documenso-common-errors

SKILL.md

Documenso Common Errors

Overview

Quick-reference troubleshooting guide for Documenso API errors. Covers authentication, document lifecycle, field validation, file upload, webhook, and SDK-specific issues with concrete solutions.

Prerequisites

  • Working Documenso integration (see documenso-install-auth)
  • Access to application logs
  • API key available

HTTP Error Reference

Status Error Cause Solution
401 Unauthorized Invalid, expired, or missing API key Regenerate key in dashboard; verify Authorization: Bearer <key> header
403 Forbidden Personal key accessing team resources Use a team-scoped API token
404 Not Found Wrong document/template ID or deleted resource Verify ID with GET /api/v1/documents
400 Bad Request Invalid payload or missing required fields Check request body against API spec
413 Payload Too Large PDF exceeds upload limit Compress PDF; cloud plan limit varies by tier
429 Too Many Requests Rate limit exceeded Implement backoff; see documenso-rate-limits
500/502/503 Server Error Documenso infrastructure issue Retry with exponential backoff; check status.documenso.com

Instructions

Scenario 1: 401 Unauthorized

typescript
// WRONG: missing or malformed header
const res = await fetch("https://app.documenso.com/api/v1/documents", {
  headers: { "Authorization": process.env.DOCUMENSO_API_KEY! }, // Missing "Bearer "
});

// CORRECT: include Bearer prefix
const res = await fetch("https://app.documenso.com/api/v1/documents", {
  headers: { "Authorization": `Bearer ${process.env.DOCUMENSO_API_KEY}` },
});

// SDK handles this automatically:
import { Documenso } from "@documenso/sdk-typescript";
const client = new Documenso({ apiKey: process.env.DOCUMENSO_API_KEY! });

Checklist:

  • API key starts with api_ (personal) or is team-scoped
  • No trailing whitespace or newline in env var
  • Key hasn't been revoked in dashboard

Scenario 2: 403 — Personal Key on Team Resources

typescript
// Error: "Forbidden" when accessing team documents
// Personal API keys can only access YOUR documents
// Fix: generate a team API key from Team Settings > API Tokens
const client = new Documenso({
  apiKey: process.env.DOCUMENSO_TEAM_API_KEY!, // Team-scoped key
});

Scenario 3: Cannot Modify Sent Document (400)

typescript
// Error: trying to add fields to a PENDING document
// Documents can only be modified in DRAFT status

// Check status first
const doc = await client.documents.getV0(documentId);
if (doc.status !== "DRAFT") {
  throw new Error(`Cannot modify document in ${doc.status} status. Cancel first or create new.`);
}

// To re-edit: cancel the sent document, modify, then re-send
// Note: cancelling notifies all recipients

Scenario 4: Invalid Field Position (400)

typescript
// Error: field coordinates out of range
// pageX and pageY are PERCENTAGE-based (0-100), not pixel-based

// WRONG: pixel coordinates
await client.documentsFields.createV0(docId, {
  recipientId, type: "SIGNATURE",
  pageNumber: 1,
  pageX: 200,  // Invalid: > 100
  pageY: 600,  // Invalid: > 100
  pageWidth: 150, pageHeight: 50,
});

// CORRECT: percentage coordinates
await client.documentsFields.createV0(docId, {
  recipientId, type: "SIGNATURE",
  pageNumber: 1,
  pageX: 10,     // 10% from left edge
  pageY: 80,     // 80% from top edge
  pageWidth: 30, // 30% of page width
  pageHeight: 5, // 5% of page height
});

Scenario 5: File Upload Errors (413)

typescript
// Error: PDF too large for upload
// Cloud plans have per-document size limits

// Solution 1: Compress PDF before upload
import { PDFDocument } from "pdf-lib";
const pdfDoc = await PDFDocument.load(readFileSync("large-contract.pdf"));
const compressed = await pdfDoc.save({ useObjectStreams: true });
// Upload compressed version

// Solution 2: Check file size before upload
const MAX_SIZE_MB = 10; // Varies by plan
const fileSizeMB = readFileSync("contract.pdf").length / (1024 * 1024);
if (fileSizeMB > MAX_SIZE_MB) {
  throw new Error(`PDF is ${fileSizeMB.toFixed(1)}MB, max is ${MAX_SIZE_MB}MB`);
}

Scenario 6: Webhook Not Receiving Events

text
Checklist:
1. Webhook URL uses HTTPS (HTTP is rejected)
2. Webhook is enabled in Team Settings > Webhooks
3. Correct events are selected (document.completed, etc.)
4. Your endpoint returns 200 within 10 seconds
5. If using ngrok: tunnel is active and URL matches dashboard config
6. Check X-Documenso-Secret header matches your stored secret

Scenario 7: SDK Type Mismatches

typescript
// Error: argument type mismatch with SDK
// The SDK uses specific enum strings, not arbitrary values

// WRONG
await client.documentsRecipients.createV0(docId, {
  email: "signer@example.com",
  name: "Jane",
  role: "signer", // Lowercase fails
});

// CORRECT: use uppercase enum values
await client.documentsRecipients.createV0(docId, {
  email: "signer@example.com",
  name: "Jane",
  role: "SIGNER", // Must be uppercase: SIGNER, VIEWER, APPROVER, CC
});

// Field types are also uppercase: SIGNATURE, TEXT, DATE, NAME, EMAIL,
// INITIALS, NUMBER, CHECKBOX, DROPDOWN, RADIO, FREE_SIGNATURE

Debugging Quick Commands

bash
# Test API key
curl -s -w "\n%{http_code}" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $DOCUMENSO_API_KEY" \
  https://app.documenso.com/api/v1/documents?page=1&perPage=1

# Check self-hosted instance health
curl -s https://your-instance.com/api/health

# List documents to verify access
curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $DOCUMENSO_API_KEY" \
  "https://app.documenso.com/api/v1/documents?page=1&perPage=5" | jq '.documents[].title'

Error Handling

Issue Cause Solution
ERR_INVALID_URL Bad serverURL in SDK config Include protocol and path: https://host/api/v2
ECONNREFUSED Self-hosted instance down Check Docker container status
Module not found SDK not installed Run npm install @documenso/sdk-typescript
Stale document data Caching old state Re-fetch document after status changes

Resources

Next Steps

For comprehensive debugging, see documenso-debug-bundle.

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