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The Notion SDK throws four specific error types, all of which extend a base NotionClientErrorBase class. Each error has a unique code property for easy identification.

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APIResponseError

Thrown when the Notion API responds with an error. This is the most common error type you’ll encounter.

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Properties

  • code: APIErrorCode - The specific error code from the API (see Error Codes)
  • status: number - HTTP status code
  • message: string - Human-readable error message
  • headers: Response.headers - HTTP response headers
  • body: string - Raw response body
  • additional_data?: Record<string, string | string[]> - Additional error context from the API
  • request_id?: string - Notion request ID for support inquiries

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Type Guard

static isAPIResponseError(error: unknown): error is APIResponseError

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Example

import { Client, APIResponseError, APIErrorCode } from "@notionhq/client"

const notion = new Client({ auth: process.env.NOTION_TOKEN })

try {
  const page = await notion.pages.retrieve({ page_id: "invalid-id" })
} catch (error) {
  if (APIResponseError.isAPIResponseError(error)) {
    console.error(`API Error: ${error.code}`)
    console.error(`Status: ${error.status}`)
    console.error(`Message: ${error.message}`)
    console.error(`Request ID: ${error.request_id}`)

    // Handle specific error codes
    switch (error.code) {
      case APIErrorCode.ObjectNotFound:
        console.log("Page does not exist or integration lacks access")
        break
      case APIErrorCode.Unauthorized:
        console.log("Invalid or missing authentication token")
        break
      case APIErrorCode.RateLimited:
        console.log("Rate limit exceeded, retry after delay")
        break
      default:
        console.log("Unexpected API error")
    }
  }
}

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RequestTimeoutError

Thrown when a request to the Notion API exceeds the configured timeout (default: 60 seconds).

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Properties

  • code: ClientErrorCode.RequestTimeout - Always set to "notionhq_client_request_timeout"
  • message: string - Error message (default: “Request to Notion API has timed out”)

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Type Guard

static isRequestTimeoutError(error: unknown): error is RequestTimeoutError

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Example

import { Client, RequestTimeoutError } from "@notionhq/client"

const notion = new Client({
  auth: process.env.NOTION_TOKEN,
  timeoutMs: 5000, // 5 second timeout
})

try {
  const results = await notion.databases.query({ database_id: databaseId })
} catch (error) {
  if (RequestTimeoutError.isRequestTimeoutError(error)) {
    console.error("Request timed out, try increasing timeoutMs or checking network")
  }
}

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UnknownHTTPResponseError

Thrown when the API responds with an unexpected format or unknown error code. This typically indicates a response that doesn’t match the expected error structure.

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Properties

  • code: ClientErrorCode.ResponseError - Always set to "notionhq_client_response_error"
  • status: number - HTTP status code
  • message: string - Error message (default includes status code)
  • headers: Response.headers - HTTP response headers
  • body: string - Raw response body

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Type Guard

static isUnknownHTTPResponseError(error: unknown): error is UnknownHTTPResponseError

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Example

import { Client, UnknownHTTPResponseError } from "@notionhq/client"

const notion = new Client({ auth: process.env.NOTION_TOKEN })

try {
  const page = await notion.pages.retrieve({ page_id: pageId })
} catch (error) {
  if (UnknownHTTPResponseError.isUnknownHTTPResponseError(error)) {
    console.error(`Unexpected HTTP error: ${error.status}`)
    console.error(`Response body: ${error.body}`)
    // Log details for debugging
  }
}

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InvalidPathParameterError

Thrown when a path parameter contains invalid characters that could alter the intended API endpoint, such as path traversal sequences (..).

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Properties

  • code: ClientErrorCode.InvalidPathParameter - Always set to "notionhq_client_invalid_path_parameter"
  • message: string - Error message describing the invalid parameter

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Type Guard

static isInvalidPathParameterError(error: unknown): error is InvalidPathParameterError

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Example

import { Client, InvalidPathParameterError } from "@notionhq/client"

const notion = new Client({ auth: process.env.NOTION_TOKEN })

try {
  // This will throw because of the ".." in the ID
  const page = await notion.pages.retrieve({ page_id: "../malicious" })
} catch (error) {
  if (InvalidPathParameterError.isInvalidPathParameterError(error)) {
    console.error("Invalid page ID format")
    console.error(error.message)
  }
}

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General Error Handling

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isNotionClientError

Type guard to check if an error is any Notion SDK error. 
function isNotionClientError(error: unknown): error is NotionClientError
Example: 
import { isNotionClientError } from "@notionhq/client"

try {
  await notion.pages.retrieve({ page_id: pageId })
} catch (error) {
  if (isNotionClientError(error)) {
    // TypeScript knows this is a Notion error
    console.error(`Notion error [${error.code}]: ${error.message}`)
  } else {
    // Some other error type
    console.error("Unexpected error:", error)
  }
}

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isHTTPResponseError

Type guard to check if an error is an HTTP response error (has status, headers, and body). 
function isHTTPResponseError(
  error: unknown
): error is UnknownHTTPResponseError | APIResponseError
Example: 
import { isHTTPResponseError } from "@notionhq/client"

try {
  await notion.pages.retrieve({ page_id: pageId })
} catch (error) {
  if (isHTTPResponseError(error)) {
    console.error(`HTTP ${error.status}: ${error.message}`)
    console.error(`Body: ${error.body}`)
  }
}

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Error Handling Best Practices

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1. Handle Specific Error Codes

import { APIResponseError, APIErrorCode } from "@notionhq/client"

try {
  const page = await notion.pages.retrieve({ page_id: pageId })
} catch (error) {
  if (APIResponseError.isAPIResponseError(error)) {
    switch (error.code) {
      case APIErrorCode.ObjectNotFound:
        // Specific handling for missing objects
        return null
      case APIErrorCode.RateLimited:
        // Implement retry logic
        await sleep(1000)
        return retry()
      case APIErrorCode.Unauthorized:
        // Check authentication
        throw new Error("Invalid Notion token")
      default:
        // Generic error handling
        console.error(error.message)
    }
  }
  throw error
}

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2. Log Request IDs for Support

try {
  await notion.pages.retrieve({ page_id: pageId })
} catch (error) {
  if (APIResponseError.isAPIResponseError(error)) {
    console.error(`Request failed (ID: ${error.request_id})`)
    // Include request_id when contacting Notion support
  }
}

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3. Use Type Guards for Type Safety

import {
  isNotionClientError,
  RequestTimeoutError,
  APIResponseError,
} from "@notionhq/client"

try {
  await notion.pages.retrieve({ page_id: pageId })
} catch (error: unknown) {
  if (RequestTimeoutError.isRequestTimeoutError(error)) {
    // Handle timeout
  } else if (APIResponseError.isAPIResponseError(error)) {
    // Handle API error
  } else if (isNotionClientError(error)) {
    // Handle other SDK errors
  } else {
    // Handle unknown errors
  }
}

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4. Check Additional Data

try {
  await notion.pages.create({ parent: { database_id: dbId }, properties: {} })
} catch (error) {
  if (APIResponseError.isAPIResponseError(error)) {
    if (error.additional_data) {
      console.log("Additional error context:", error.additional_data)
    }
  }
}

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