When coding against the ChatGPT/Claude/Gemini API, or generating like crazy in Midjourney, the most annoying part isn’t not knowing how to use it—it’s that the error messages “sound human but don’t tell the whole story.” I’ve compiled the most common pitfalls into a symptom-based troubleshooting checklist. If you follow it, you can usually pinpoint the problem.
Error 1: Invalid API key / 401 Authentication failed
Most of the time it’s not fat-fingered input, but using the wrong “keyhole.”
- Confirm you’re using the correct platform’s key: OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google each have their own keys—don’t mix them up.
- Remove spaces and line breaks: When copying into environment variables, it’s easiest to accidentally paste a newline.
- Check the request URL and headers: A wrong base_url, or forgetting “Bearer” in Authorization, will get you rejected without mercy.
- Permissions and quota: Some models require separate enablement; unpaid accounts / accounts without billing set up can also look like an “invalid key.”
Error 2: 403 / 429 Restricted access or rate limit exceeded
I usually suspect the network and region first, then suspect I wrote an infinite loop.
- 403 region or risk control: Switch to a stable network environment and avoid frequent IP switching; corporate/campus networks are also easy to get blocked.
- 429 too fast: Add retries with backoff (e.g., wait 1s, 2s, 4s), and don’t max out concurrency.
Error 3: ETARGET / ERESOLVE / ENOTEMPTY when installing plugins
A lot of people install dependencies to integrate bots or workflows, and end up stuck in the package manager—so mad they want to smash the keyboard.
- ETARGET: The version doesn’t exist—switch to an actually published version or upgrade your npm/yarn.
- ERESOLVE: Dependency conflicts—try cleaning the lock file; if needed, use legacy-peer-deps.
- ENOTEMPTY: The directory wasn’t fully removed—delete node_modules and reinstall, and it’ll behave.
Common Midjourney issues: Interaction failed or waiting in queue too long
- Interaction failed: Usually happens due to network jitter or Discord lag—resend the command or try another channel.
- Queueing / throttling: Don’t brute-force it during peak hours—reduce concurrency, or use a more “relaxed” generation pace.
If you’re still hunting around everywhere for links about account environment, subscription channels, and tool entry points, consider dropping by Titikey and organizing common AI tools and solutions in one place—you’ll save enough time to generate two more images.
